Intimate Wedding at the Arrowhead Inn

Saturday was a bit soggy at the Arrowhead Inn in Durham, but the smiles for Sarah & Anirudh’s wedding (part 1) were still full glow. A little bit of drizzle could not keep the joy out of this party.

A bit about the saga this couple has gone through:

First, they’re a COVID couple. Sarah booked me way back at the beginning of 2019 for 10/10/2020, but they made the decision to postpone in the first couple months of the pandemic. They initially postponed the whole thing until 10/9 this year in the hopes that vaccines would be fully out and about and travel restrictions would be lifted. But when it started looking like this year might be more of the same troubles we dealt with in 2020, they decided to postpone again to 2022. BUT they still decided to have wedding ceremony part 1 on 10/9 this year – just a scaled down, intimate affair at the Arrowhead Inn bed & breakfast in Durham. And I’m so glad they did because it was such a fun day.

In addition to all the COVID crap (TM) they’ve dealt with, Sarah & Anirudh have been long distance for a few years as they both pursue their education/careers, Anirudh in Cleveland and Sarah in Princeton. And even though they met in the Bull City, that also means neither one of them lives in Durham anymore, so all of this planning and replanning and everything has been done from afar. CHAMPIONS.

Without further ado, let’s check out how awesome their wedding part 1 was:

Sarah rocked Timberlands (I don’t think I’m cool enough to just say Timbs) under her wedding dress to avoid ruining her nice shoes in the mud. And speaking of her wedding dress, it was her grandmother’s and her mother’s!!! Truly timeless and gorgeous.

Once she was laced up, Sarah met Anirudh for a first look in front of the bed and breakfast, where a giant, gorgeous tree created a perfect little cave/cover from the faint sprinkle.

The happiest, most expressive couple!! I love their love!!

The pearl pins holding up Sarah’s updo were the perfect accessory for the lace & beaded dress. And do you see Anirudh’s floral bowtie? Sarah’s grandmother made that (along with all the other bowties)! Sarah herself made the pocket squares. She was even doing final stitching on the morning of the wedding – now that is a creative DIY wedding project.

Here we’ve got Anirudh getting a few extra siblings. Sarah is one of five and they are all hilarious and charming.

The fancy shoes we didn’t want to get muddy still got to make an appearance for a few formals in the Arrowhead Inn sitting room.

Okay, we’re starting the ceremony. And y’all. This ceremony is seriously in the conversation for my favorite one I’ve ever witnessed (aside from my own of course). It was so personal and heartfelt. This is Sarah’s brother playing processional music.

Anirudh walked his mother in before going to stand next to his brother.

And, in what needs to become a tradition at EVERY wedding, in lieu of a flower girl, Sarah’s younger brother processed down the aisle passing out beers (or hard seltzers) to each and every guest.

Sarah was already laughing from the moment she and her dad starting walking out to the ceremony tent…

… and she barely stopped.

And yes, that’s Sarah’s sister officiating and joining in on the joyful laughter.

It wasn’t ONLY laughs though. Vows coaxed a couple happy tears from Anirudh’s eyes.

When it was time for the rings, the hysterical laughter returned as they tried to put each other’s rings on at the same time rather than taking turns. At certain points it looked like a game of mercy, but after a few moments both left hand ring fingers were successfully encircled.

In another “this should always be a thing” moment, Sarah & Anirudh’s ceremony ended with a toast, so these two processed out with their favorite Ponysaurus beers. Ponysaurus was where they had their first date and Anirudh met Sarah’s dog Bifur (yes, like the dwarf) for the first time. Bifur liked him, so Sarah figured Anirudh was okay, even though he’s a Duke guy and she’s a good Carolina Tar Heel like me. We can forgive him the wrong shade of blue since he won over her dog and saves lives (and is just a genuinely awesome person).

And now let’s talk some more about this wedding’s fashion. Because it was on point. We all know I love a colorful bouquet, and these two brought me bright florals in the real flowers AND in the accessories. LOVE.

This moment had to go in the previews because it’s perfection. Sarah’s “baby” brother scooping her up while dad unintentionally photo bombs us.

Sarah & Anirudh had a sweet first dance, with siblings performing the song

And then as another little sprinkle started, I snagged them for a few more portraits before they changed in their casual attire.

Casual attire, you ask? Yep! They changed into amazing t-shirts with a design from Sarah of an anatomically correct cartoon heart and lungs enjoying beers together. Anirudh is a cardiologist and Sarah is working on her PhD studying lungs (I’m know it’s more complicated than that and you should ask her because I’m pretty sure she’s the most fun genius ever!), so this little design was a perfect logo for their wedding.

Sarah’s dad introduced the main course for the evening: an oyster roast!

And the rest of the Paramore family started prepping for the oyster shucking. Sarah’s family is from South Carolina and two fun facts here: (1) Before her parents moved up north they would have an oyster roast party every year. (2) Sarah’s three brothers each went to a different South Carolina college.

But Sarah’s siblings weren’t the only ones involved in making for a fun affair. Anirudh’s brother started off speeches before the oysters were ready and had everyone laughing at the mild expense of the groom.

Then the bride herself kicked off the oyster eating, and took the time to teach newbies how to shuck.

After the sun went down, a few more friends gave wonderful, hysterical toasts.

And I said my goodbyes as Sarah & Ani headed back for a few more oysters.

This crowd was so, so, so much fun and now I’m even more excited for next year’s big party and Hindu ceremony at the Cookery!!

We believe that love is fun and colorful, and your wedding photographs should be too.

Kivus & Camera are Raleigh Wedding photographers who create bold, colorful, magical memories of your wedding day with beautiful, artistic portraits AND enthusiastic, genuine moments. Your unique love story deserves to be told through unforgettable, breath-taking photographs that stand out from the crowd. Kivus & Camera love creating that magic. After all, as past bride Courtney says, we are photography sorcerers.

And though we call ourselves Raleigh wedding photographers, we definitely photograph Durham weddings, Chapel Hill weddings, Cary weddings, etc. We’re all over the Triangle area, and we’re happy to head to the beach or mountains and even to places outside of North Carolina! Just let us know where your love story is headed.

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