I met Amy & Carson for the first time at their engagement session at Wrightsville Beach – where we had like 100 problems all at once (parking issues, trying to pick a new spot on the fly, dealing with the insane wind) – and it just proved how easy these two are to work with!! I instantly loved how laid back they are because they were just able to go with the flow while we changed our initial plan and they had NO worries whatsoever and totally trusted me. But my favorite thing about them was how FUN they are – seriously they just made me laugh the whole time and I couldn’t get over how goofy they were, in the best way. So of course I had to include some of our funny photos on this blog post, too. I think my favorite one is where Amy is holding Carson in the air. You’ll see. I CAN’T WAIT FOR THEIR WEDDING!!!! We’re going to have a blast. – Allison
Read MoreGreenfield Lake Engagement Photography | Cody & Alex
This story is so sweet, so I’m just warning you now, get ready for some cuteness. Cody reached out to me through a mutual friend of ours, telling me that he planned to propose to his girlfriend soon and he wanted me to be there to catch it all on camera. First of all, SO EXCITING. Second of all, SO HARD to coordinate everything!!! We had a couple dates picked out that ended up not working out based on one of our work schedules, but Cody kept trying and made sure to get all the details right. The proposal date kept getting pushed back slightly and I ended up randomly meeting Alex, already knowing that I was going to be taking photos of her getting proposed to, and our friend introduced us and said, “Oh this is my friend Allison, she’s a wedding photographer!” And she laughed and said she hoped to be needing my services soon, because she was hoping to get engaged soon. Little did she know, Cody already had me signed on! He thought of everything, he had Alex go get her nails done, he got all of their closest friends together at a restaurant after the proposal was to take place so they could go to dinner and be surprised by everyone, he went early to Greenfield Lake and wrote sweet love notes in sidewalk chalk all along the path that he planned to take her. He said he even had to go back twice to make sure everything was perfect. He walked her along the tree-lined paths, stopping to slow dance with her, and eventually finding the right spot where he had written “Will you marry me? Check YES or NO” which I thought was adorable on it’s own, but it turns out that when he asked her out in the first place, that’s how he did it, so he continued the tradition in the proposal, too. OF COURSE SHE SAID YES!!!!!!! Apologies to all the random people who walked by and saw me hiding behind a tree with my camera. I swear I wasn’t being weird. – Allison
Read MoreDowntown Wilmington Engagement Photography | Bri & Richie
This adorable couple came to visit Wilmington the other week and are planning a wedding for next spring! We got some beautiful photos of them on their visit to town by walking around downtown Wilmington and ending with a stop for a beer at New Anthem Brewery, which is ALWAYS delicious. I hope you guys had the best trip and I’m so glad we were able to connect while you were here!! – Allison
Read MoreFort Fisher Engagement Photography | Lithia & Brendan
I got the chance to meet up with Lithia & Brendan last week to photograph their engagement photos out at the LOVELY Fort Fisher Historic Site. I may go there for photos all the time, but it honestly never gets old. It has so many beautiful spots and different backgrounds to use for a photo shoot, and Lithia and I kept commenting on how much it looked like a scene from the new Lion King as the sun went down. These two were so fun and light hearted, Lithia jokingly trying to jump into Brendan’s arms like Simba. I love when I can have fun with clients and it makes me that much more excited for their wedding day at the Brooklyn Arts Center! – Allison
Read MoreDowntown Wilmington Engagement Photography | Cameron & Tripp
One of my favorite things in life is getting the chance to work with good friends of mine when it comes to photographing their major life events. Like THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE! I’ve known Cameron (aka Shack) since I’ve moved to Wilmington, and I remember us being the only two single girls left in our friend group. And then I remember when she met Tripp. Everything changed. And now they’re planning a future together and I couldn’t be happier for them. They’ll be getting married in February at Saint Thomas Preservation Hall, in downtown Wilmington. So it was only fitting that we wandered around downtown to get some gorgeous engagement photos of the two of them before the big day. I just want to give a shout out to mother nature, because we were absolutely blessed with the sunset that we got at the end of our photos – I couldn’t have asked for better! I’m so so so so so so so so excited for their wedding day!!!! – Allison
Read MoreFort Fisher Engagement Photography | Montana & Alex
One of the parts of my bio on my website says that I love working with couples who aren’t afraid to be themselves around each other. I’m lucky enough to work with some of the most fun and laid back clients that most people dream about working with, but not only that, couples like this completely exceed my expectations. When I say they aren’t afraid to be themselves around each other, Alex and Montana take that to an entirely new level. They were funny, goofy, they picked each others noses, Montana leapt into his arms with no second doubt, they laughed, they made me laugh, and they told me some awesome stories about when they first started dating. They’re perfect. Aside from having the best time with these two, I also got some of my favorite photos I’ve taken lately. It makes me that much more excited for their wedding to come in October at Ironclad Brewery. Check out some of my favorite moments from our engagement session at Fort Fisher :) – Allison
Read MoreDowntown Wilmington Engagement Photography | Mallory & Chase
Mallory and Chase are getting married next May at Mike’s Farm in Beulaville, NC. We met up in downtown Wilmington to get some photos with the old houses, ivy walls, white picket fences, and the river. I think my favorite part of photographing downtown is that I can do multiple shoots in a week there and I can always find something different. One of the highlights of this session for me was finding the beautiful back patio at the new restaurant downtown, Dram Yard. It’s GORGEOUS! We planned our shoot to start early in the morning and even at 10 am, we were sweating our butts off from the humidity – so thank you guys for putting up with the heat and thank you to Chase for humoring us on all the romantic poses – you did great! I can’t wait for their wedding next year! – Allison
Read MoreGreenfield Lake Engagement Photography | Jen & Paul
I met Jen & Paul last weekend at Greenfield Lake near downtown Wilmington on the warmest, sunniest afternoon for their engagement photos. No, we did not see any gators, but these two did keep me laughing the whole time. They’re so relaxed and comfortable with each other it made my job so simple! Jen’s dress was giving me ALL the witchy American Horror Story – Coven vibes and I mean that in the BEST way possible. With a little help from the wind and the sunlight we were able to score some DREAMY fairy-tale photos. They also brought their two fur babies, Chum and Rocco! I’ve said it before and I’ll never stop saying it, but I ALWAYS love when couples decide to bring their dogs to their engagement photos! I may be a crazy dog lady, but so are a lot of you, and I’m just here to support you :) hint – if you get married at Ironclad you’re able to include your pup in the ceremony if you choose to do so. Anyway, meeting these two made me even more excited for their wedding day. I know I’m in store for a lot of belly laughs and a whole lot of love when they tie the knot at Ironclad Brewery in August! – Allison
Read MoreFort Fisher Engagement Photography | Aleasha & Chris
Aleasha & Chris met up with me for their engagement photos on a gorgeous day last weekend at Fort Fisher Historic Site. They brought Aleasha’s son, Bryson, after just getting home from a trip to Disney World! So basically these three were troopers for signing up for their photos right after getting home from vacation. I love getting to know my clients during their engagement session and learning things about them, for example, just how small of a world we live in. We learned that Aleasha is from a small town in Ohio just 40 minutes from where I grew up, and even CRAZIER – she went to high school with my best friend that actually started this photo company with me! Normally if we have a connection like that we end up getting together out of word-of-mouth referrals, but Aleasha found me completely randomly on her own. I love it!!! Thanks to both of you for being so easy to photograph, for bringing fun and energetic little Bryson, and for dealing with my crazy last minute out of town trips! I can’t wait for their wedding next year!! – Allison
Read MoreFigure Eight Island Engagement Photography | Kristin & Bryan
I got to adventure around one of my favorite places in Wilmington recently to photograph Kristin & Bryan’s engagement photos. Kristin’s grandmother has a home on Figure Eight Island, which also holds a special place in my heart, so it was even more fun for me. I grew up vacationing on this island, and ultimately it’s the reason I moved to North Carolina. We went all the way down to the end of the island, we explored some beach walkways, and we ended up at the docks near the clubhouse. We brought their energy ball of a pup, Oscar with us, and he was a blast. Kristin walked around in 45 degree temperatures with no shoes on and didn’t complain ONCE, and Bryan laughed at our weirdness the whole time. These two actually found me because I photographed one of her good friends’ weddings the first fall that I lived here, Caitlin & Michael, so I felt like I already knew them! Thank you for making me laugh so hard the entire time, I seriously can’t wait for your wedding!! -Allison
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