Reception: Starmount Country Club - Greensboro, NC

Lots of dancing pics this wedding. Beth + Michael really knew how to dance. I love it when couples aren't afraid to "cut a rug". Thanks for the fun guys!

Finally here are some pics from the wedding of Gift of Photography winners - Mark + Stacy. It was a beautiful wedding all around, from the food to the folks. Let this be a lesson for all those out there on a budget. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a beautiful wedding. Hope you enjoy!

Barely missed the storm!

Mark dropped the ring, but recovered quickly.

Ma + Pa Kettle

Trying to sneak the frosting..

"I think I found one!"

Back in April I began a new annual event called the Gift of Photography.  The program is designed to help out one couple that has experienced hardship in their lives which has put a damper on their wedding plans.  I was super excited about it and after a slow start getting submissions, I finally found a deserving couple!  The couple, Stacy + Mark, were married in Washington, DC last weekend and it was an awesome time.  I was really happy to get to give away a free wedding package to a couple that clearly needed some extra joy in their lives!  Here is their story with included quotes from the submission Stacy sent in...

Mark and I met a few years ago when we were both living in NC. Not long after we started dating he was offered a job in Herndon, Virginia, about 5 hours away from where I had lived all of my life. But I loved him more than anything, so leaving everything I knew to have a life with him, a better life not only for me, but my two boys as well, seemed like a no brainer.

Mark accepted the job and move to VA in October 2007, and Stacy who had gone back to school to earn her degree, stayed in NC with her two boys to finish up the semester of school she had already started.

After Christmas 2007 the boys and I packed all we had and moved up here to Ashburn, Virginia to start our new life. Two months after we settled in, I found a job working for a magazine printing company as an Account Manager. I was thrilled I had found a job so quickly and that it paid better than anything I had had before. I even had benefits like medical insurance and dental insurance for both the boys and myself. A first for me. All seemed to be going well. We were planning a wedding with my income to be used as the primary source to pay for it.

Then, less than a year later, the company I worked for downsized, and since I was one of the last ones hired, I was one of the first ones to be laid off. That was in January of this year. We didn't get too discouraged at first, because we thought I would surely find another job. But now, 6 months and more than 350 resume’s later, I am still unemployed.

So now the dream of our wedding with all of our family and friends there to witness the happiest day of our lives was starting to slip away. We started to trim off things we didn’t have to have, like a band or DJ, lots of beautiful flowers to be replaced by making our own arrangements from flowers we will buy from the local grocers, and cutting the guest list down to just the immediate family and closest friends.

So, now I have my two best friends preparing the food for the reception and making my cake (It's not quite as bad as it seems-one of the friends does teach cooking classes and does know how to make a wedding cake) Like I mentioned, I am going to purchase the flowers from the local farmers market and make my own Bridal Bouquet, some sort of corsage or arrangement for my Maid of Honor, Boutonnieres for Mark and his groomsmen (the Boys) as well as both of our parents. Plus of course flowers for the ceremony and the reception.

After some further inquiry, it turned out Mark + Stacy had been living with their friend in Ashburn for the last 6 months because Mark's home in Greensboro wouldn't sell in our current housing market.  They couldn't afford a place of their own due to the house that was still sitting here in Greensboro.  The good news is, they got an offer on the house in Greensboro the day before their wedding!  What an awesome wedding present! Stacy told me at the reception that it was "a step in the right direction of getting our lives in order".  

The wedding turned out to be beautiful despite Stacy + Mark having to cut down on the size, decorations and food.  It was held in their backyard and the reception was inside their friends home (which I might add was decorated awesome thanks to their interior designer housemate!).  It was a good time and I'm glad to have been able to help them capture the memories of their special day.  Thanks Mark + Stacy!

I'll be adding another post with some photos in the next few days.

Ross + Laura's awesome backyard wedding was picked to be featured in Southern Weddings Magazine's blog today. If you get a chance, go read about how they met and all the other fun details from their wedding. Leave us some comments if you like what you see!

http://www.swsmag.net/blog/2009/8/20/real-north-carolina-wedding-laura-ross.html