I really can’t think of a way I could possibly have put a better ribbon on the first half of 2018 than with Melissa & Matt’s gorgeous Village Chapel & Pinehurst Resort wedding on the last weekend of June. Anyone who follows this blog will know I’m a bit of a sucker for church weddings and the Village Chapel in the heart of Pinehurst is a really lovely venue to get married in. This wedding was really unique though, as the officiant in the Catholic ceremony was none other than Deacon Don Longano – who also happens to be Melissa’s dad! With such a personal element to the ceremony, it really was very special indeed with plenty of great advice and good humour to accompany the spiritual aspect of the proceedings.
I’m not really a golf aficionado so, I have to admit, I really wasn’t aware of the history of Pinehurst Resort (yes, I am clueless, sorry!). But after meeting with Melissa and Matt there for their engagement session a few months back, I knew what a lovely spot it was for photography, especially if we lucked out with the weather and were able to shoot outside at sunset. Thankfully, the Gods were in our favour and it was a truly beautiful day.
On that note, I want to give a special shout-out and a huge “thank-you!” to Nicole Smith of Vision Events for being so great at putting together a timeline that would help us get the most from the day. Often, the biggest obstacle for a photographer to go from getting good images to great ones on the wedding day is simply a lack of time. Nicole went out of her way to work with me to put together a really good schedule with plenty of wiggle room and extra time for when things ran behind, which they pretty much always do. Factoring in the sunset time and giving me the luxury of getting out onto the course with Melissa and Matt at golden hour was a really nice touch that definitely made the day very special for me and allowed us to make some lovely images (and I’m pretty sure the videographers were happy too!).
Of course, we photographers are only ever as good as our subjects and I totally lucked out with Melissa and Matt. Not only are they great fun and have amazing chemistry together, but they are also beautiful people both on the inside and out. I feel so lucky to now count them as friends and to have been able to photograph their wedding day for them. THANKS GUYS!
Finally, to the great team of vendors across the board who came together to make the day such a success – I appreciate each and every one of you! Will the following people please take a bow!
Ceremony: The Village Chapel, Pinehurst, NC | Reception: Outlook Ballroom, Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst NC | Event Coordination: Vision Events, Sanford, NC | Florist: Jack Hadden Floral & Event Design, Aberdeen, NC | Catering & Cake: Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, NC | Hair & Make-Up: Retro Studio Bar, Southern Pines, NC | Band: Mr Potato Head, Raleigh, NC | Brass Band: Boom Unit Brass Band, Raleigh, NC | Videographer: M2 Productions, Wilmington, NC | Assistant Photographer: Erin Henderson, Wilmington, NC
And now with the formalities out of the way, here are just a few of my picks of the pics from Melissa and Matt’s day: