Rachel and Dusty got married at Winterville First Baptist Church in October of 2017. I actually met Rachel's family in 2016 when I was hired to do their family portraits in Monroe. I was pleasantly surprised when Rachel's mom reached out to me after she got engaged to see if I was available for wedding photography... One thing that the family wanted was for me to be there for the rehearsal to document the day and dinner. Rachel's aunt stood in place of Rachel during the rehearsal so that Rachel could direct the timing for the ceremony (I think her aunt enjoyed playing the part of the bride-to-be). After the rehearsal we traveled to Athens for the rehearsal dinner at Champy's on Baxter St. Every decision made by couples for their wedding (and rehearsal) reflect on their personality or story. They chose Champy's because it had a relaxed atmosphere and they had their first date there. In fact, the dollar bill that the couple left there years earlier was still on the wall...
On the day of the wedding, we started with detail shots and photos of the dress hanging in the sanctuary. I always like to do the dress photo as early as possible so that it allows for the bride to put it on whenever she is ready and it lessens the chance of the groom seeing it prior to the ceremony (since most guys are not at the venue as early as the bridal party). We worked on getting ready photos for the bridal party before checking on the guys to see what they were up to. Dusty opened Rachel's gift that she got for him and he was so excited for the new watch and Bible. While I was working on his photos with the gifts, Rachel was downstairs getting dressed. I came down to get the final photos of her getting into her dress before she had her first look with dad. Even her Marine dad couldn't hold back his tears when he saw her in her dress. We worked on Rachel's formals in front of the church before switching out for the guys. After we finished all of the formals that we could before the ceremony, everyone went back indoors and prepared for the wedding. The band started and Rachel's dog (Mr. Bug) served as the ring-bearer for the wedding. You could just see the excitement on both Rachel and Dusty's face during the ceremony. Afterwards, they stayed out front for a receiving line to greet all of the guests. We were even able to do a large group photo of all family in front of the church. After finishing the rest of the formals, we transitioned inside for the first dances. The church had a pretty strict policy regarding dances (they only allowed for the first dance with the couple and the father-daughter dance), so the reception was pretty low-key. The garter and bouquet followed shortly after the cake-cutting and signified that the reception was coming to an end. Everyone lined up in front of the church with rose petals to throw at the couple for the exit. Rachel and Dusty shared one last kiss in front of the church before leaving for their honeymoon...
