I love it when I visit people who have their wedding album out on the coffee table or mantel. Looking at a great wedding album evokes the anticipation, preparation, emotion, and excitement of the day, and it doesn’t matter to me a bit whether I was there or even knew you when you got married. If my hands are clean and I can figure out a polite way to ask, I’m absolutely going to page through your wedding album, oooh-ing and aaah-ing like it’s the 4th of July in your living room.

When I photograph a wedding, I love knowing that part of my role is to create a book that will tell the story of the day that this new family was born. I enjoy choosing images, polishing each one into a finished product, and combining them into a cohesive whole that shows how a love affair inspires a marriage.

Can you tell that I cry at weddings? Not ugly crying where I smudge my viewfinder or miss the big kiss. But I almost always tear up at the realization that two people who are much loved by their families and friends have assembled the dearest people in their lives to watch them make a profound promise. Usually the welling up happens during the toasts, actually, or during the mother-son dance. Sometimes both.

Did I mention that I love everything about wedding albums? Here are a few of my favorite pages from L&A’s album:

I am so looking forward to shooting A and L’s wedding next month. Suffice it to say that this event has been much anticipated in their circle of friends, and there has been a happy whirlwind of planning leading up to their marriage.

One of my favorite things about their big day is that they have chosen to hold their ceremony and reception at The Weathervane in Chapel Hill. It’s the cafe inside A Southern Season — one of my favorite places on earth. When I lived in Durham, I sometimes headed there as my treat/retreat on a Friday afternoon — the smell of freshly ground coffee, fine chocolates, and the cafe is pure heaven. Add amazing food to a great atmosphere, and this is going to be a very fun wedding to photograph.

Thanks for fitting an e-session into the mix of wedding prep. Here’s a sneak peek from our quickie e-session.