Wedding Photographer

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A COOL, CRISP SPRING WEDDING AT CAROLINA GROVE IN HILLSBOROUGH, NC

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A remarkable Spring wedding in the heart of North Carolina with cool weather, beautiful florals, radiating sunshine, and true love. Join me for a truly magnificent March wedding in the heart of North Carolina at Carolina Grove.

Koby schWARZKOPF + chris phinney

of Durham, NC

March 18, 2023

Carolina Grove fully embraces the light, airy, and elegant vibes so many brides are looking for. Iā€™m obsessed with their light wooden chairs and large chandeliers throughout their hall. The colors, the vibe, and all the details were the perfect way to start your Spring season.

Carolina Grove knows how to treat a bride & groom. Their suites for the morning of are absolutely STUNNING. The bridal suite upstairs has the largest windows for natural light to flow in and bring joy to your wedding day. The mirrors for each bridesmaid to make their final touches before the ceremony is such a thoughtful touch. And the large golden mirror for the bride is absolutely priceless. Literally could not ask for a better North Carolina bridal suite than the one at Carolina Grove.

The groom and groomsmen have a room downstairs to prepare for the day in. With couches and a TV, there isnā€™t much more a groomsman could ask for. BUT they donā€™t have to ask! They have access to the outdoors which is perfect for a game of corn hole or ladder golf!

Koby & Chrisā€™s wedding parties loved them hard. Everyone was totally on board for this special day and showed nothing but respect and happiness throughout this cool, North Carolina wedding day. Even with the chill in the air, they shared the warmth of love with each other to keep the party going! And talk about creative colors! The English Garden florist provided the prefect bouquets for this day. Kobyā€™s eyes with those florals-AH! Priceless photograph.

Another super sentimental first look in the books. These never get old. What made Koby & Chrisā€™s first look so special in Carolina Groveā€™s courtyard was the exchange of gifts. Each gift was chosen with conscientious thinking of the other. The personalized passport books and luggage tags that MATCH the wedding colors!? That was just SO attentive. I live for the details like this!

Another example proving regardless of the first look, this groom truly loves his bride. He shed tears even as she walked down the aisle after the first look at the patio an hour before. Koby was glowing all day, from walking down the slate flagstone aisle with her father to the happiness after saying ā€œI doā€! The southern early spring sun hit her just ever so perfectly!

Koby & Chris took time during cocktail hour to do their true portraits together, and if you canā€™t tell they had a little fun ;)! The early spring provided a nice wooded background, representing a fresh start. This crisp, wooded NC vibe felt like the perfect way to a new beginning. While the summer and fall brings in another accompaniment of colors at Carolina Grove, I believe there would be no wrong time of year to have a wedding here! Each and every wedding at this venue looks totally different due to the natural light, the florals, the season. Carolina Grove is truly versatile!

And who doesnā€™t love to cap off the night with a grand reception? Another perk of this North Carolina wedding venue is the ability to have an open or closed hall. There are large garage style doors that have a beautiful black trim to keep it on vibe. Having them closed gives you the ability to have a view of who is out on the veranda and just be in nature while also being secure from its elements if they arenā€™t perfect on your day. But having them open also brings in fresh air and opens up the space to the veranda allowing an indoor/outdoor type reception.

Southern Harvest Hospitality Group did something I donā€™t see often in the wedding industry. They labeled each food item with allergy awareness. Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Dairy Free.. I thought this was SUPER special. Having a daughter with severe allergies, this made me smile. They definitely earned my business for when sheā€™s MUCH older and decides to get married. So, Southern Harvest-GREAT JOB! That little detail was an AMAZING touch.

As I always say, some photographs are meant to be in black and white as well as color. Sometimes black and white just speaks louder than color, to me anyway. You can feel the emotions while it also feels like a truly frozen moment in time. So, I leave you with these. Iā€™d love to know your thoughts on black and white photographs in the comments!

KOBY & CHRIS

AS YOUR ANNIVERSARY GETS CLOSER,

TAKE TIME TO REFLECT ON THE WONDERFUL DAY YOU CREATED & KNOW IT WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE LOVE YOU SHARE.

LOOKING FOR NORTH CAROLINA WEDDING VENDORS?

VENDORS FROM CENTRAL NC FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY

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AN EXQUISITE SUMMER WEDDING AT CAMELOT MEADOWS IN NORTH CAROLINA

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A JULY WEDDING IN BELMONT, NC AT CAMELOT MEADOWS JUST SOUTH OF CHARLOTTE, NC

ALY DIXON & CHASE TRITES OF LAKE WYLIE, SC

July 15, 2023

On this hot Saturday in July, the bamboo forest was the only thing that could cool down the heat from this wedding! Everything about Aly & Chaseā€™s wedding day south of Charlotte, NC in Belmont, NC at Camelot Meadows was FIRE! The heat, the couple, the dress, the tux, the love. It was all perfection.

Needless to say, the men in this wedding knew how to have a good time. Everything was super fun & competitive while staying full of laughs! Chase could not have asked for a better group. And Iā€™m loving the khaki suits for North Carolina summer weddings with the pop of color in the bowtie. Plus, arriving off of Lake Wylie on your boat to your wedding is totally underrated! Highly recommend!

And donā€™t get me wrong, these photographs are beautiful in color. But sometimes, black and white just speaks volumes. Even without a stitch of color (which I am a bold & true to life photographer), black and white photographs can just hit all the emotions. Not every photograph should be black and white. But the ones that do.. they should be showcased.

The dressing rooms at Camelot Meadows are spacious and offer plenty of mirrors (definitely a perk of this south of Charlotte wedding venue!). And the bamboo forest is an epic spot for a dress photograph.

Aly & Chase chose to do a first look before the ceremony in the bamboo forest of Camelot Meadows. It did not disappoint! We proceeded to do their bride & groom traditional photographs that you would do after the ceremony beforehand to allow them more time to be with their guests and enjoy cocktail hour.

There are many different opinions by everyone on a first look. But I see the benefits of both the first look and traditional way. A lot of guests say they want to see the groom cry when the bride comes down the aisle. Well, this groom did just that EVEN AFTER a first look! It CAN happen!

The ceremony took place in front of the bamboo forest underneath the summer sun. The white washed wooden aisle is lined with beautiful white petals. Truly spectacular setting for a summer wedding. The ceremony was full of personal stories, sweet tears, and true sentiment. You may notice, we were also praying for the clouds to hold on one side of the ceremony while the other side of the sky was full of white fluffy clouds! You never know what you are going to get with North Carolina summer weather, but the rain held out for these two.

*Check out the photograph of the ring bearer. You may notice a little visitor who made their debut just passing through. šŸ¦‹

The reception inside the venue at Camelot Meadows in Belmont was absolutely fabulous. This crowd knew how to get down. The gourgeous chandeliers were lining the middle of the venue. There was also plenty of room to dance, which is a very important part to think about when you are looking for a venue to accommodate your crowd. Everyone was up dancing from the young to the young at heart. I LIVE for a fun reception! It adds a level of fun & uniqueness to your gallery, showcasing everyone just having a great time and being themselves!

Last and BY FAR not the least: THE EXIT! If youā€™ve been following me for any length of time, you know how I feel about an exit photo. It truly puts the cherry on top of your day. We put a lot of time and effort in to each exit, ensuring that we pick up the vibe of the day & night and coordinate them together. We know your color palette, what looks great on you, what your vibe is as a couple, and what material you will be using for your exit (sparklers, bubbles, etc.). With our deep knowledge of lighting, we take these elements and compile them together for the PERFECT exit photograph.

In this case, it RAINED (remember how we discussed the clouds holding back earlier?). It rained. Some photographers may see this as a nightmare. We at Caitlin Gregory Photography saw this as an opportunity not to pass up! A North Carolina Summer Wedding with a little rain in the mix? Yes please!

wedding reception exit in nc with rain and sparklers photographer

This absolutely wonderful wedding in Belmont, NC right at Lake Wylie, SC would not have been possible without all the vendors working together making it the glorious day it was. Looking for Charlotte, North Carolina area wedding vendors? This list may help!

Planner: Carolina Roses

Photographer: Caitlin Gregory Photography (North Carolina)

Florals: Carolina Roses

Venue: Camelot Meadows (Belmont, NC)

DJ: DJ Sinsations

Catering: Family Catering Service (Huntersville, NC)

Bar Service: Carolina Crafts on Tap

"Sweet As Can Be, Baby of Mine"

There is absolutely nothing more precious than a newborn baby. The sweet button noses & soft baby skin.. & you can not forget that perfect new baby smell! Okay, I have to stop talking about it before I want another one ASAP! But take a peek at this precious little one.