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getting to know erin + elijah

Erin and Elijah’s wedding day was an absolutely seamless time!  I began learning about Erin and Elijah through questionnaire forms and emails back and forth.  After trying to convince Erin that I was not a primary wedding photographer, I believe she was the one who convinced me!  Through her emails, she conveyed a sense of calm and assurance that was real.  Elijah is from Waynesboro, VA and Erin is from Nashville, NC.  Stories were shared of her meeting Elijah at RIT {Rochester Institute of Technology} their freshman year and their connectedness through CRU.  At RIT, Elijah was studying Mechanical Engineering and Erin had studied American Sign Language Interpreting.  When I first heard from Erin, Elijah was finishing his last year and Erin had working as a sign language interpreter in Durham Public Schools.  When I met them for the first time at their engagement session, it became apparent that they were both everything I had already assumed… down to earth, sincere people.  Throughout the session, I felt we were all at ease!

opening up their day

Everyone was relaxed, smiling and catching up the morning of their wedding.  The bridal parties were flowing back and forth with smiles, munching on lunch from Which Wich.  I noticed Elijah taking care of last minute details in the reception area and everyone was completely at ease!  We gathered important details and started the train of events and everyone getting ready in a perfectly timed manner!  Besides me nearly coughing my lungs out and going through an entire pack of Cepacol cough drops thanks to sinuses, all was going according to plan!

an intimate first look

I absolutely loved that Erin + Elijah chose to have a first look!  It was genuine, it was real and it was for no one other than themselves.  Their smiles and long lasting hug clearly gave them both a beautiful assurance that they are in this together!  The church had actually JUST built a small area where future swings will be hosted, so this was the perfect area tucked away out of sight!  It also gave way to taking care of ALL of those family portraits before the wedding in a calm and collected manner!  The timeline was relaxed as was everyone else!

the faith centered ceremony

Held at Nashville United Methodist Church in Nashville, NC, this ceremony was deeply rooted in songs and hymns of faith.  Pastor Luke Whitehead set the tone by leading both of the parties in prayer prior to moving into place.  Throughout the service, hymns of faith were sung with piano and guitar and even some beautifully led a cappella by Elijah’s family.  One of the most meaningful moments was watching a good handful of their friends follow and share in song via sign language.  The interpreter beautifully leading all those sharing in their manner.  The service was meaningful and full of rich filled words of faith.

a down to earth fellowship hall reception

Their reception was adjacent to the sanctuary in the church’s fellowship hall.  This time of fellowship was full of absolute touches from Erin and Elijah!  The table markers with the ASL sign for “love” were handcrafted by Elijah and could be used as magnet holders, too!  They were keepsakes for every guest!

I also LOVED how they incorporated family and young ones into their day! There were coloring pages and games for people of all ages!  The most unique part was a timeless typewriter where friends could leave notes of encouragement and well wishes.  I found Elijah’s trial note to be hilarious {pictured below}.  There were little polaroid cameras, to which I began a deep discussion with one of Erin’s friends, Trevor, about the f-stop arrangements 😉 He is studying fine art photography at RIT and enjoyed our conversations throughout the evening!

Another simple touch that spoke of their care for their friends happened just prior to eating.  Erin and Elijah were the ones to dismiss every table to eat, but also took that time to greet each person and have a picture taken with them at their table!  The stunning cake, cupcakes and delicious meal were catered and created by Around the Table.  Every bite was everything I heard it would be!  As friends shared of their memories, friendship and key moments, families began to take part in games at the tables and simply enjoying being with each other.  We gathered up all of their friends from CRU and had one large picture with them outside!  Their simple bubble exit brought an end to a timeless evening together and I am overjoyed at the chance to have photographed this beautiful time in their life!

a few behind the scenes laughs – you can’t make up these things!

First out of the ordinary moment for the day.  As Erin and Elijah were preparing for their first look, I saw a few unusually large green pine cones – no kidding, at least 12 inches long!  I decided to move them out of the way to avoid having to edit them out (1-2 that were just distracting).  For future advice people, for the love of God, kick these things instead!  My entire right hand was covered in the WORST sap EVER!  It felt like super glue!  My fingers were sticking to the dials on my camera and I had a slight moment of “WHAT IN THE WORLD do I do? At least I’m not playing this wedding, right?” So thankfully, we found TONS of hand sanitizer and doused my hand in it over and over!

NIGHTMARE moment.  The entrance to the sanctuary was off of the road, so around 10 of the hour of the ceremony, JT and I made our way out front.  It’s the only way people can get in…. either in the brief moment I capture the congregants they came in OR they came in from the front… so around 3 of (yes, as a professional musician I am VERY ocd about ceremony times), I went and asked Trevor (who was handing out bulletins) if he had seen the bridal party. It went something like this…

Trevor:  “yes, they all just came in…”

Me: “in, as in inside?”

Trevor: “yes, they are all in there…”

Me:  “they are all in the SANCTUARY??”

Trevor: “yeah, they came in about 5 minutes ago…”

Me:  “Oh my gosh, what? How in the…. what has just happened?  This is a nightmare coming true!  HOW did this happen???”

What he meant was that, they were in a side holding room tucked away…..

Y’all, my defibrillator hasn’t gone off yet… but I am QUITE certain it was on standby in the moment!  Luckily, ALL went perfectly and was according to plan!  If we can’t reveal and laugh at these things, everyone assumes everything is always perfect… if it appears that way, then we did our job! 😉

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Church: Nashville United Methodist Church   https://www.nashvilleumc.net/
Officiant: Luke Whitehead
Florist: Wrenn’s Farm
Cake + Caterer: Around the Table
Bride’s Dress: NewFangled Bride
Ring Designer: Key Jewelers
Groomsmen Suits: Jos A Bank
Bridesmaid Dresses: Dear Cleo