I had the pleasure of meeting Holly & Ryan on their wedding day in Southport, North Carolina at the Southport Community Building. They lived out of town and Holly’s sweet mom helped plan her big day, so I didn’t get the chance to meet them beforehand – but these two were MEANT for me. They’re so sweet and so calm and so kind and I had such a great time with them on their big day! The view from the back deck of the Community Building was overlooking the Cape Fear River where the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway join. Talk about a good view! They had their ceremony outside on the deck and their reception inside the building where they danced for hours! I absolutely love discovering new locations in North Carolina and all the southern charm that comes along with it. I’m so grateful to have met and worked with a couple like Holly & Ryan and their extremely kind family and friends. What a perfect fall day and what a fun night. Here are a few of my favorite images from the day! – Allison Photographer – Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography Venue – Southport Community Building Coordinator – Teresa Robbins, Blue Satin Bee Cake – The Confectionary Florist – Jennifer Dunn Dress – Magnolia Bride Hair – Meagan Spivey Burnette, Ambiance ILM Makeup – Artistry by Kristin M Catering – ART Catering DJ – Shoresound Productions

The Atrium is the sweetest secret garden venue right in the heart of downtown Wilmington, and Allison & Charlie decided on that spot to have their wedding ceremony. It was the perfect fit for them and their family as they said their I-do’s surrounded in greenery and old brick walls. These two are the most ideal kind of couple to work with – they were fun, they were insanely laid back and completely comfortable with me. We actually met because I was bartending a shift downtown (shoutout to Ironclad Brewery!) and Allison & Charlie came in while they were in the middle of touring wedding venues. They stopped in for a beer and we ended up getting to talking about their wedding and BOOM – a few months later, here we are at their wedding day! So, I have a few favorite parts that we HAVE to talk about. First of all, instead of doing a traditional “first look” where the bride and groom see each other for the first time before the ceremony, Allison had a brilliant idea. We decided that we’d tell Charlie that Allison was nervous and needed to see him before the ceremony to calm her nerves, and he immediately agreed to our change of plan, no problem at all. We put him outside to wait for Allison to come up behind him, and then, instead of sending Allison all beautiful and ready to go in a wedding gown, we sent her brother… in a wedding gown. To sum up: hilarity ensued. They also ended up having their wedding in the middle of downtown, in the middle of the yearly street festival, Riverfest. It was loud and obnoxious and made for difficult parking – but when you plan a wedding that weekend, YOU GO WITH IT! We could distantly hear Sublime playing in the background of their ceremony, and Allison thought it was perfect for them. When we went out for portraits of the two of them, Allison bolted off right into the middle of the festival. The entire crowd around the music stage burst into applause and cheered them on, it was honestly so fun. Their reception was held at Bakery 105, with a gorgeous outdoor patio for cocktail hour, and the inside was transformed into what Allison called a “FLOWER EXPLOSION”!!! I walked inside and just couldn’t believe my eyes at the head table.…

One of the best parts about my job is getting to document wedding days of people that I know and love. I’ve known Craig and Christina for awhile now, Craig is one of my best friends’ older brothers. These two have ALWAYS made me feel like a part of their family, including inviting me over for Christmas since all of my family is back in Ohio. I remember when Craig started dating Christina, and we were SO excited because he’s deserved a girl like her for so long now. I’m so happy that they found each other, and I’m so happy to have been able to be a part of their wedding day. Christina and Craig tied the knot at the absolutely stunning St. Mary’s Church in downtown Wilmington. After that we took their GIANT bridal party and adventured all over Wilmington, stopping for photos at Hugh McRae Park, Airlie Gardens, and ending at Wrightsville Beach. They arrived at the reception via private boat, TALK ABOUT AN ENTRANCE! Their reception at Bluewater Grill was nothing short of beautiful – an ice sculpture, a live painter, flowers everywhere. This family has a way of making you feel right at home, and their wedding was no exception. I’m so excited to see what comes next! – Allison Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography Ceremony: St. Mary’s Church Reception venue: Bluewater Grill Getting Ready Location: Hotel Ballast Florist: Fiore Fine Flowers Coordinator: Shauna Loves Planning DJ: Eyecon Entertainment HMUA: Meraki beauty Cake: Imaginary Cakes Dress: Camille’s Rentals: Party Suppliers Live Painter: Tesh Parekh

You know what the best kinds of weddings are? Beach house weddings. And you know what’s even better than a beach house wedding? One with only 30 guests. Johnna and Rob had planned to have their wedding on the East Coast for quite some time now, and ended up moving out to southern California before they got to have their wedding. They decided to continue with the plans to do a beautiful beachside wedding in North Carolina anyway, and invited only their immediate family and closest friends. These are the kinds of weddings I live for. It’s small, intimate, and casual. Most of the guests all stayed in the same beach house all week, getting to spend most of their time in town with the happy couple. The day of the wedding, everyone got ready in the same house, and then walked across the street to watch Johnna & Rob say their “I do’s” with a short & sweet ceremony. For the reception, they had one long family style table decorated with simple and elegant decor, where they enjoyed a delicious meal together, and then danced the night away when they were done. It’s such a nice change of pace from working 200-person weddings to getting to actually connect and have fun with a group like this. Johnna & Rob were able to spend their entire day with all the people they love most, and had the time of their lives. Congratulations to these two!! Next time I’m back in California, expect to be hearing from me!! – Allison Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography Venue: Topsail Island Beach House Planner: Brandy Lawson, High Cotton Events by Design Catering: Harley, Poor Piggys BBQ DJ: Jason, Absolute Best DJ Service Rentals: L&L Tent Rentals & Sales, LLC

Jen & Paul got married at the end of August at the beautiful and industrial Ironclad Brewery. They had a sweet ceremony on the stage downstairs, followed by a reception that involved some delicious local craft beer and a whooooole lot of dancing with their closest family and friends. They spent the day making me laugh so hard my face actually hurt when I went home. Every detail was perfect and so THEM. I wish every single wedding could go as smoothly and be as much fun as this wedding was. I could probably gush on and on about these two for many more paragraphs, but instead I’m just going to share a bunch of my favorite images from their big day! – Allison Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography Venue: Ironclad Brewery Coordinator: Jennifer Wilson, Belle Ame Events DJ-:Joey Hall Florist: Verzaal’s Florist Catering: Mission BBQ