MARLA & ANDREW = WALNUT HILL WEDDING DAY!

Walnut Hill Wedding Day  |  Marla & Andrew  |  April 2, 2022

What a happy, laid-back wedding this was! We couldn’t have asked for a more calm, sweet, up-for-anything couple than Marla and Andrew. They were so kind and easy-going, and made all of their wedding vendors jobs a breeze! 🙂

Speaking of a breeze… for the first time in MONTHS we finally had a wedding day that had almost NO WIND. I will never take a non-windy wedding day for granted ever again after the brutal weddings we’ve had recently with crazy winds that just make a day no fun for anyone (especially women in dresses trying to keep their hair nice) Whew. Marla and Andrew were blessed with a sunny, warm day! It was literally perfect!! What a blessing! 🙂

This was only our 2nd Walnut Hill wedding day, and we were excited to see all the new renovations in person. All the girls were upstairs enjoying the new getting-ready room, listening to music, and having hair & makeup done! They were dressed in super comfy tye-dye PJ sets, and they were all so sweet. Marla looked absolutely stunning and was so calm for a bride!!! She got emotional reading her card from Andrew, and it was so special to capture that moment!

I especially loved photographing Marla’s details that morning. Her invitation suite was classic, yet with the most beautiful feminine script font that I really loved. Her bouquet by Brushed by Bec was whimsical and loose with so many unique textures. Marla had ordered a custom grosgrain ribbon with her NEW initials in blue as her “something blue”. I was OBSESSED how that turned out – and hope more brides do a custom ribbon like that someday!!! Also, how fun are those shoes?! I want the gold version of those shoes to wear to next year’s holiday parties. Sooooo fun!

Side note – if you missed seeing Marla’s beautiful Bridal Session also at Walnut Hill, click HERE to see!

We photographed a precious First Look between Marla & her dad, and it was just the sweetest with some tears shed and hugs shared. Her dad, Dale, really wanted her whole Bridal “look” to be a complete surprise to him, so he hadn’t even peeked at her dress, photos of her trying on dresses, or even looked at her Bridal portrait. So this First Look was his first time seeing Marla as a bride, and it was really special!!!

I just love when a day goes smoothly & according to the timeline! Even though Andrew and Marla had a larger Bridal Party and lots of family portrait requests – we finished all the pre-ceremony portraits EARLY and had plenty of time to photograph their beautiful ceremony and reception spaces. YAY for that!!

The ceremony was actually one of my favorite parts of the day. Marla had warned me that she and Andrew both may be emotional seeing each other for the first time – but Andrew’s reaction seeing Marla walk down the aisle really was incredible. He tried to compose himself and then just shed some tears. It was sooooooooo sweet and made me tear up watching him soak in the sight of his bride walking towards him. Wow!!!!

After the ceremony & all the portraits afterwards – they kicked off a fun reception! Toasts and first dances, Cook Shack catered some southern food for dinner, the most beautiful cake was cut, and then DANCING started! Their guests had a great time enjoying both the dance floor, and the beautiful evening outside on the patio!

To end their amazing wedding day, Marla & Andrew walked through a tunnel of sparklers and were sent off to their honeymoon in Jamaica! What a perfect way to end such a HAPPY day!

I already have so many favorites to show you below. I hope you ENJOY!!! Comment at the end of the blog which photos were YOUR faves!!!

P.S. One last thanks to the incredible vendor team:
– Florist: Brushed by Bec
– Makeup & Hair: Ron Carlos Salon
– Planning/Directing: Chad Biggs Event Planning, Lead: Chelsea (assistant: Kaisey)
– DJ or Band: Generations DJs,
– Videographer: The Greenes
– Wedding Venue: Walnut Hill
– Catering & Bartending: Cook Shack,
– Cake Designer: Cakes by Chloe
– Invitations: If Its Paper- Raleigh
– Calligrapher: Yellow House Calligraphy- Raleigh
– Soloist: Franklin Finch
– Pastor: Dr. Brandon Powell
– Ring Designer:  Diamond’s Direct
– Live Artist: NA
– Dress Designer and Boutique: Maggie Sottero, Simply Blush Bridal,
– Bridesmaid Dresses Designer: Dear Cleo
– Groom & Groomsmen attire: Jos. A Bank- Cameron Village Raleigh
– Rentals- Party Reflections