ANN MARIE & MARK

I arrived at the Marriott downtown to document Ann Marie and Mark getting ready for their big day. Mark was sitting on the bed, nervously waiting with his groomsmen for the limo to arrive. While Ann Marie's room was in party mode, complete with music, food, toasting and plenty of dancing.

After getting ready, the ladies hopped in the limo and headed over to Sacred Heart Cathedral. Upon their arrival, they found their bouquets sitting in a row waiting for them outside the church. Lyn, with Fresh Affairs, created the beautiful arrangements.

There were wonderful moments during the ceremony when Mark would look over at Ann Marie just to make her laugh. I grinned every time I saw this and I captured a few nice frames of it as well.

Rain forced us to think of a new location to shoot portraits....a parking garage. Now, Ann Marie is the type of girl who believes in destiny. A person who believes that everything happens for a reason, good or bad. Her original wedding date was changed to book her photographer, her dream location did not meet the construction deadline, a festival caused parking issues, and not to mention the rain. Normally this would drive brides crazy, but not Ann Marie. "I can't believe everything and how it is working out. I think the theme of my wedding is, if it's meant to happen, then it will." she said. How did Mark handle it? Just like any other guy would, by embracing it.

After our amazing portrait shoot, we headed over to the reception site at Sitti in downtown Raleigh. This was my first time documenting a reception here and their first as a reception location. Sitti is a Lebanese restaurant with delicious food and a great staff.

Ann Marie and Mark arrived to a packed restaurant filled with flowers and glasses of wine. Cheers echoed through the room as they walked into the space to start the night with their first dance. The evening rolled quickly and time flew by due to the fun we were having.

Now, I must give Cara with A Southern Soiree a lot of love. Coordination of a wedding is a lot of work and Cara's team made the night perfect for Ann Marie and Mark.

The other vendors who made the day pass smoothly were ,Classic Party Rentals, Blue Moon Bakery and the band, The Entertainers. It was a blast and the zombies were pretty cool too (that's another story).

Congratulations guys!





























































If you would like to see more images from Ann Marie & Mark's wedding please visit our online gallery.

WPJA CONTEST WINNERS

I consider winning in the Wedding Photojournalist Association's quarterly contest a New Year's gift for myself. Wins are more difficult to get since the WPJA's international membership has exploded. I have been a part of this organization since 2004 and really enjoy being a member.

The judges are extremely accomplished photojournalists whose work I have admired over the years. I am honored to have them look at and consider my work as one of the best in the world.

The image below won first place in its category. The photograph is of Donna Ford and her assistant with Sweet Memories delivering a cake. The other two images placed in the top 20 in their respective categories.



JUDGES COMMENTS: A very nice silhouette balanced perfectly. It is a very hard subject to get a nice picture of and you could tell the photographer worked very hard on this.

JUDGES COMMENTS: Wonderful composition. B&W works well with the graphic elements. Nice job.

JUDGES COMMENTS: One of the great aspects of telling the full story of the wedding day with a journalistic approach is being there to show things that the wedding couple would not be able to see. Let's face it, setting up tables is dull. The photographer edits all of those dull hours with his or her eyes and offers the peak moments. This is one of those moments worth seeing.

JUDGES COMMENTS: Nice job of capturing the moment just before the cake is placed on the table. The framing is well-done and the backlight highlights the forms beautifully.



JUDGES COMMENTS: Interesting use of the reflection to represent the crowded reception while at the same time emphasizing the quiet escape of the three men at the table. Did they retire to that table to escape the noise, or better to observe what was going on? The question is posed by the picture but not answered.



You can see more award winning images by visiting the WPJA's website.

TARA & TOM

Tara was excited as she exited the car filled with bridesmaids upon her arrival at the United Methodist Church in Raleigh. A whoop was yelled and arms flung upward as she crossed the street to the church. It was a great day for a wedding and everyone was ready.

Tara was greeted by her father as she opened the church's tall oak doors. The bouquets were perfect, along with the boutonnieres, created by Lyn with Fresh Affairs. They all sat in a row waiting to be picked up by the bride and her maids.

The ceremony site was illuminated with soft warm light spilling through the stained glass windows. Tara was escorted down the red carpeted aisle to a smiling Tom. After the wedding ceremony, everyone headed downtown to the reception at the Museum of Natural Sciences. I was amazed how Lyn and Cara with A Southern Soiree transformed the space with flowers and design.

Guests walked into cocktail hour surrounded with history and science. They were able to experience several exhibits while their food was being prepared and plated by Triangle Catering.

The party got started with a roar. Dinosaurs loomed over Tara & Tom during the first dance. Mitch, with Joe Bunn DJ Company, kept the dance floor packed and hopping through out the night. This was a wedding to remember and one which I will personally enjoy looking at over and over again.

Thank you for allowing me to be there to document your wedding. Congrats Tara & Tom!





























If you would like to see more images from Tom & Tara's wedding please visit our online gallery.

KATIE & VANCE

We had an amazing day to work with during Katie & Vance's engagement portrait session. Leaves were turning and mild weather helped ease us through the the day. The images were created in Greensboro at The Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden. If you have not been there...well, you should.

HOLLY & BRIAN IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Holly & Brian wanted something different, unique and fun for their wedding, so they opted to head to the Dominican Republic for a destination wedding.

Kathleen and I left Raleigh's rain-filled clouds for Punta Cana's sunshine skies and sandy beaches. As we approached the terminal, music greeted us from a live band while ladies dressed in traditional attire lured us into a photo opportunity. (This made Kathleen and I laugh). We grabbed our luggage and hopped into a cab heading towards Punta Cana's five star resort Pardisus Palma Real.

When we arrived Holly and Brian gave us hugs and looked very excited. "So, what do you think?" Holly said referring to the resort. "WOW! You were looking for WOW and you got it," I said. The Pardisus Palma Real is a stunning property with amazing architecture, beautiful gardens and of course, white sand beaches.

Samantha with Emma Grace Designs was the lead coordinator for the wedding.Each day we were there she was consulting the guests, bridal party and the bride with ease.

On the wedding day I was in awe. Holly looked stunning in her dress with jewelry given to her by Brain. A brief cocktail hour started before the ceremony due to the minister running on "island time" but no one was complaining. Strong winds greeted the guests as they sat on a white marble porch. Rain danced off the rocks and tropical fauna which served as our ceremony site backdrop.

Holly could not stop smiling as she walked down the aisle to meet Brain. The ceremony was spoken in Spanish which was translated to English for the congregation. Cheers from the guests and bridal party filled the air as they kissed and began the processional.

Kathleen and I had an amazing time and will never forget the wedding. So many things happened: I met another Chris Perez, lost luggage, dancing until 3 a.m., gambling and a little drinking. Congratulations Holly & Brian and thank you so much for allowing us to document your wedding. We look forward to seeing you soon at the studio for our viewing party!

APRIL'S PHOTO OF THE MONTH WINNER

We are starting something new on our blog for our amazing clients. It is a photography print contest and the members of the Azul Photography team are the judges. The winner will receive a $75 gift certificate to apply to any of our products at Azul! Yes, that means canvas prints, album images, storyboard and additional portrait sessions. Pretty cool...right?

So without further adieu the winner for the month of April is (drum roll) Adena & Bev! Congratulations guys you have won a $75 credit towards any product we have at Azul. Give us a call to claim your prize.

Also, if members of Adena or Bev's family leave 20 comments they will receive an extra $75. That makes a total of $150 gift certificate goodness!

The photo that won is of Adena's brother changing his son's diaper. I'm sure this classic photo will be a constant topic at many great family gatherings. Enjoy!

OPEN HOUSE AT MIDTOWN PLACE - BRIDAL PORTRAIT DRAWING

We want to officially invite you to our open house at Midtwown Place on May 13th, 2009. Several members of the Azul team will be there to chat about your wedding. We will also be giving away a bridal portrait session for one lucky bride who comes the open house.

Please register with us so we can know if you are attending.

At the last open house Misty York won the complementary bridal portrait session at Midtown Place with me. Included in the session was a free bridal bouquet from the amazing Lyn with Fresh Affairs.

Misty picked a beautiful day that had blue skies, a brisk breeze and the Midtown Place courtyard. This was the first bride to have her portrait session at Midtown Place and she was the perfect model.

Her is what Misty had to say about her experience with us:

"I absolutely love my photos...and I am someone who thinks I never take a good photo! I fell in love with Azul Photography from the very beginning. Christobal was so easy to talk to and really listened to what I want. He took the time to get to know me and was able to capture that in my photos. I'm positive there is no better photographer in Raleigh."



See you at the next drawing at Midtown Place on May 13!