Sarah & Monty’s Downtown Raleigh Wedding with lots of portrait time <3

The Downtown Raleigh wedding team:

The images:

Since we started at Sarah & Monty’s house, I got the esteemed privilege of meeting their pretty kitties!

Then we went right into a first look, since portrait time was top priority for these two. 

I love that their neighbors called them over for a photo before we hit the road. Their wedding was the talk of the neighborhood!

First stop: Gyre at the NCMA. Look at the flow of Sarah’s dress! She is Cinderella reborn. Also, shoutout to Maid of Honor/chauffeur/behind the scenes documenter extraordinaire Maggie. 

Next up, some Tekken & DDR at Boxcar Raleigh. I love a good break for nerdiness during the wedding day and a slow dance on DDR is simply perfection. Shoutout to everyone who stared at us making portraits in the middle of a busy bar on a Saturday afternoon and mad love to the Boxcar for the free tokens 😀

A little (okay a lot, but fast-moving) rain gave Sarah’s dress some spots, but it didn’t wash the smiles off her and her friends’ faces as they posed with stylish modern Disney Princesses. Mural artist: Dorian Lynde – give her some love 😀

Hooray for extra time before the ceremony. Sarah changed into her pjs and everyone worked together to steam out wrinkles and blow dry the skirt. (Sidenote, how great is Sarah’s mom’s dress?! Good fashion sense in that family!)

And then it was time for the knot-tying, and, as Monty so poetically told us, rain on your wedding day is a good thing because wet knots don’t come undone. 

A few snaps with a girl’s best friends and then onto the Raleigh Trolley to head to the reception at The Stockroom. 

I loved the way Bushel And Peck’s florals blended with the pieces that Sarah & Monty picked out from Greenhouse Picker Sisters. And books as centerpieces? Bestill my heart, you nerdy wedding!

When there’s laughter AND tears you know there were great speeches.

Smile Monty, it’s time for our first dance!!

When the dance floor opened up, this little dude knew it was time to party.

When glowsticks and glow ears and glow glasses come out, who knows what will happen. 

At the end of the night we snuck out with the couple and some of their closest friends to paint the night purple. This was my first time with smoke bombs and it was so much fun! I’ve got a couple extra, so hit me up if you want to make some portraits with them!!