wilmington weddings

  • Weddings

    Saint Thomas Preservation Hall Wedding Photography | Aleasha & Chris

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    Aleasha & Chris got married in October at Saint Thomas Preservation Hall in downtown Wilmington, NC. When we were doing their engagement session last winter, we discovered that Aleasha and I were both from towns in Ohio that were only about 30 minutes apart. And we BOTH relocated to Wilmington and live here now. I LOVE IT.

    Their wedding day was full of the perfect fall decor – sparkly maroon tablecloths and gorgeous greenery and glowing pumpkins. Their friends were so much fun to hang out with all night and they gave some great speeches – one of which knocked Chris to the floor in laughter. The dancing was….. well, it was one of those kinds of nights where the dance floor was so packed the entire night that I’d constantly be sandwiched between all these dancing fools. It was a blast. Aleasha & Chris treated me more like a guest than the hired help, and I’m so grateful to them for making my job so much fun. I don’t usually have drinks when I’m working weddings but Aleasha would make sure that I had a drink in my hand the entire reception, and who am I to tell a bride no!?!? The best part about their drinks though, was that they actually made and bottled their own wine, and it was delicious! She included SO MANY local businesses on their wedding day, too, including late night soft pretzels from Crofton’s Pretzels. This is one of those weddings that I wish we could relive over and over. Wishing you two a lifetime of dance parties and laughter just like your wedding day.

    – Allison

     

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography
    Venue: Saint Thomas Preservation Hall
    DJ: Active Entertainment – Dan
    Dress: Camille’s of Wilmington
    Planner: Do Me a Favor
    Cake: Imaginary Cakes
    Flowers: Do Me a Favor
    Lighting: Event Excellence
    Rentals: Party Suppliers
    Pretzels: Crofton’s Pretzels

  • Published, Weddings

    Ironclad Brewery Wedding Photography | Montana & Alex

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    See the published article about this wedding on Wedding Wire HERE.

    This was my very first time getting to photograph a Thai wedding ceremony, and Montana and Alex chose the gorgeous and industrial Ironclad Brewery as their venue. It flowed perfectly with their hand made decor – along with a whole ceiling of white lanterns and a beautiful tropical feel. They wore traditional Thai attire for the ceremony, which Montana actually had to be sewn into as part of the tradition. It was so cool to see all the differences compared to our typical western style weddings. Before the ceremony, Alex and his groomsmen walked in a small parade downtown on their way to the venue, where upon arrival, Alex had to answer questions about Montana in order to make his way through the “gate” to her. It was fun and lighthearted, including answering a question wrong and having to do the punishment of the chicken dance, followed by the moment he got to see Montana for the first time. These two have such a fun kind of love. They are so comfortable with each other and are SO well fitted. After their ceremony, we took probably some of the most fun (and unique) bridal party photos up on top of a rooftop downtown, and then Montana and Alex just making me laugh constantly during their portraits. They aren’t afraid of the camera in the way that they just goof around with each other the whole time and just have fun being together, and that’s all I can ask for. They had an incredible dinner – which was ALL cooked by Montana’s father – all Thai cuisine, followed by one of the biggest dance parties I’ve seen in quite awhile. Not just the happy couple dancing the whole night but all of their friends, too. I’m so glad I met these two and got to photograph their special day.

    – Allison

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography
    Venue: Ironclad Brewery
    DJ: Active DJ
    Flowers: DIY
    Catering: Montana’s Dad!

  • Weddings

    Southport Community Building Wedding Photography | Holly & Ryan

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    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

  • Weddings

    The Atrium & Bakery 105 Wedding Photography | Allison & Charlie

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    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. Salt Harbor absolutely nailed it!!! They had the most perfect reception which included a live wedding band and a dance floor that was absolutely PACKED the entire night. Their families were so much fun they did SO many things that I couldn’t stop laughing over, including: making a human bicycle and having Charlie ride it, ALL of the cousins making up a song about Allison & Charlie and singing it to them, and an amazing game of limbo. I’m so thankful to have met these two and their incredible group of friends and family. This is easily a wedding that I will never forget!

    – Allison

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography
    Event Director: Sara Levesque, Salt Harbor Designs
    Flowers: Jennifer Rose, Salt Harbor Designs
    Ceremony: The Atrium
    Reception: Bakery 105
    Caterer Jill & Jordan Bakery 105
    Dessert: Nyes Ice Cream Sandwiches
    Reception Music: Empire Band
    Rentals: Party Suppliers
    Lighting: Steve, High Performance Lighting
    Hair & Makeup: Melissa Kinnomon

  • Published, Weddings

    Bluewater Grill Wedding Photography | Christina & Craig

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    See the published article about this wedding on Wedding Wire HERE.

    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

  • Published, Weddings

    Ironclad Brewery Wedding Photography | Jen & Paul

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    See the published article about this wedding on Wedding Wire HERE.

    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

  • Weddings

    Ironclad Brewery Wedding Photography | Anna & Daniel

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    I actually met Anna & Daniel when I was bartending one random weekend at Ironclad Brewery (a rare occurrence when we were actually open to the public instead of closed for a wedding). They came in to hang out and chat with our amazing events manager, Rachel, about their wedding day. We got to talking and then once they learned that I was also a wedding photographer, I think all three of us realized that I needed to be there on their wedding day. Sometimes you just click with a couple, and this was exactly that. These two are so much fun, so sweet, so kind, and just so easy to be around. Their wedding day was no different – beautiful blush details up against the gorgeous background of the industrial Ironclad Brewery brick walls. We may have sweat our butts off taking photos during the day, but it was worth it. My favorite part of the day was heading out to the rooftop of the parking garage downtown for sunset, when we got up there, it was extremely cloudy with no chance of sunset colors in site – and then while we were just taking a quiet moment to ourselves up there, the sky lit up in bright pink and orange. I love it when we luck out like that!! Thank you to both of you for having me be a part of your wedding day, I really couldn’t ask for better couples. Now try looking through these photos without a giant smile on your face, because it just won’t happen!

    – Allison

     

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

    DJ: Shawn Booth by Active Entertainment

    Florist: A Beautiful Event by Wendy Wright

    Coordinator: Jennifer Wilson, Belle Ame Events

    Ceremony: First Christian Church

    Reception Venue: Ironclad Brewery

  • Weddings

    Ironclad Brewery Wedding Photography | Tesla & Bobby

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    Tesla and Bobby got married in May, and had a wedding reception in downtown Wilmington at the always beautiful Ironclad Brewery about a month later with all of their closest family and friends. It was casual, fun, and easily one of the best dance parties I have ever seen at a wedding. Because they had already had their ceremony a month previously, Tesla and Bobby were able to completely enjoy spending the entire night with their guests, which is such a luxury that not everyone gets in the busy hustle and bustle of a full wedding day! I had so much fun snapping candid photos and laughing the whole night as they all danced the night away, thank you both for including me in your wedding day!

    – Allison

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography
    Venue: Ironclad Brewery
    DJ: Wall 2 Wall Entertainment
    Rentals: L& L Tent & Party Rentals
    Catering: Thyme Savor Catering

  • Weddings

    Brooklyn Arts Center Wedding Photography | Kristin & Bryan

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    Bryan and Kristin got married a two weekend ago at the always stunning Brooklyn Arts Center in downtown Wilmington, NC. They had their ceremony outside on the back patio, followed by a reception inside the large church. They had a band called EnVision provide their reception music, and it honestly felt more like being at a concert with your friends than at a wedding – and I mean that in a GREAT way.

    Kristin is the kind of person whose energy literally bounces around the entire room and makes every person around her feel infected with joy. She laughed her entire way through their ceremony, and Bryan just couldn’t take his eyes off of her the entire day. These are the kind of people who make me believe in genuine love. Their friends and family were so kind and supportive, I can’t tell you how many times someone came up to me and thanked me for being there and constantly telling me how great of a job I was doing. No wonder Kristin and Bryan were so happy – not only have they found each other, but they’re surrounded by such a genuine group of humans that will absolutely be there for them through anything. I’m so grateful to be a part of weddings like this. I can’t say much more without getting WAY too sentimental – so just go look at the photos from this beautiful day filled with SO MUCH LOVE!!!! PS – note the dress change at the end and enjoy the SPARKLE!!!

    – Allison

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

    Videographer: Chris Rodarte

    Officiant: Sandy Powell

    Planner: Belle Ame Events

    Hair: Carlee Clement & Nicole

    Makeup: Rhiana Amber

    Rentals: Party Suppliers

    Catering: Aramark

    Florals: Fiore Fine Flowers

    Entertainment: EnVision

    Ceremony & Cocktail Music: Global DJ

    Transportation: Wilmington Trolley Company

  • Weddings

    Wrightsville Beach & Bluewater Grill Wedding Photography | Ashley & Kevin

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    I had the lucky job of spending the day with Ashley and Kevin as they said their vows to each other on an absolutely perfect and sunny May afternoon at Wrightsville Beach. Their ceremony was the sweetest beach front setup, followed by a reception at the always beautiful (and delicious) Bluewater Grill. Ashley and Kevin incorporated theses fun and artistic details into their wedding day like a hand drawn (by Kevin) and watercolor painted (by Ashley) emblem with their initials on it that they had on their invitations, on their stamps, and even on their cups at the reception! Their seating chart at the reception was one of my favorites as well, with individual hand painted names written on shells from the beach. I love working with brides (or grooms!) that have an art background, it really shows in the tiny little details of the day and it makes it so fun for me to capture!!

    Another fun thing they did was bury a bottle of bourbon (that isn’t even being release for another two years) one month before their wedding date at their ceremony site and dug it up right after the reception. Southern folklore says that if you bury a bottle of bourbon at the site where the bride and groom are to be married it won’t rain on their wedding day. According to many believers, this must be done exactly one month before the wedding, the bottle must be completely full, and it must be buried upside down to ensure maximum weather persuasion.

    These two were a blast to work with and their dance party all night was so FUN to watch – they used glow stick foam bats for their grand exit at the end of the night but they brought them out on the dance floor before that, which really made for some hilarious pictures. Also, bonus, they made their getaway out onto a boat! I can say that one’s a first for me! So unique! I’m so happy to have gotten to be a part of their day – wishing you two forever love and happiness together!!

    – Allison

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography
    2nd Photographer: Erin Allenczy
    Videographer: Farmer Visuals
    Planner: Heather, Port City Event Planning
    Ceremony: Wrightsville Beach
    Reception Venue: Bluewater Grill
    DJ: Active DJ
    Florist: Port City Event Planning
    Hair & Makeup: Deanne Harvey
    Cake: Swanky Sweets
    Jewelry: Freya and Light
    Getaway Boat: Bluewater Transportation