caroline and jay

Let all thy joys be as the month of May,
And all thy days be as a marriage day.
~Francis Quarles~

It’s not normal for me to be at a loss for words when it comes to weddings. Frank and I love everything about them and it always seems to be THE topic of conversation at our house. :D But when it comes describing what it means to photograph weddings for friends who are like family … when you not only step behind the camera to capture the day but also see with that extra part of your heart … it’s just incredibly special.

We had been anticipating everything about Caroline and Jay’s wedding at St. Simon’s for months and when the weekend finally arrived, we were over-the-top excited to see everyone and give them a hug. As we walked up to the beautiful Wesley United Methodist Church for the Friday evening rehearsal, the music began to play – musicians rehearsing before everyone arrived … Trumpet Voluntary in D, and I had a huge lump in my throat. Frank was fine – I was a puddle. Needless to say, I had to quickly regain my composure – happy tears had to wait! And, that was just the beginning of an incredible weekend of joy!

Caroline and Jay’s wedding day couldn’t have been any more perfect. It was just a bit overcast (yay) and any chance of late afternoon or evening showers was at a minimum. We were ready to go with a quick stop at the Salon and then on to the church!

Caroline looked absolutely beautiful …

Caroline and Jay decided to do a ‘First Look’ in the church’s Wesley Memorial Garden. We loved these smiles when they saw each other for the first time…

Of course we were all smitten over Baby Kate! xx

The ceremony was extra special with Caroline’s uncles officiating and Emily singing a solo – so beautiful.

After a handful of formal shots in the sanctuary, we headed over to Village Creek Landing for the reception. The views were breathtakingly spectacular and the sunset light seemed to change personalities every few minutes – it was so pretty! Confederate jasmine was blooming everywhere and I whispered to Caroline that those smells would always remind me of her wedding day…

Legacy Music kept everyone partying on the dance floor with a special surprise trumpet accompaniment from Caroline’s dad, Stan! (and Uncle Jeff on the drums!) How cool is that? :D