Melrose Knitting Mill Wedding
– Chris and Jennifer –
The “Roaring 20’s” lives on in modern times as one of the popular wedding themes of the past few years. It is a decade full of energy, optimism, and details ripe for weddings. For the modern bride and groom, It allows for both of them to be equally creative. While the bride is usually the focus of most themes, the “Roaring 20’s” allows for the grooms to be just as involved. They can be dapper or as elegant as the bride. Chris and Jennifer’s Melrose Knitting Mill wedding had it all. From the gilded bridesmaid’s dresses or the Art-Deco inspired cake, their wedding details were all given great thought.
Not Melrose
What’s funny is that these first two images aren’t actually at Melrose Knitting Mill. Chris and Jennifer wanted to shoot in front of the Vintage Church in downtown Raleigh. I just don’t want anyone to think that this is part of the venue, it is about a three-minute car ride away. I love using doorways as portrait spots, depending on the size it forces the subjects to interact and be close.


Meeting Chris and Jennifer
When I first sat down with Chris and Jennifer to talk about their wedding plans. They were very excited about their “roaring 20’s” wedding theme. Over the years wedding themes come and go. Those themes usually revolve around the bride and her bridesmaids and usually leaves the groom with the same old options. Chris was just as excited as Jennifer. He was doing the traditional black tuxedo, but he knew he was going to have a pocket watch on a chain. And he was going to dance! Jennifer was having her bridesmaids dressed in gold and black, and she was excited about their getaway car. We even incorporated the theme into part of their engagement session. We shot the last half of Chris and Jennifer’s engagement session at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, NC.


Expressions of Love provided some great floral pieces for the bridal bouquet and the wedding altar.





The First Look
There are many opinions on doing a “First Look” for the bride and groom, and I won’t go into any of those in this blog post. What I want to talk about is the “Father Daughter First Look.” During the rush of the wedding day, it is a quiet moment of great emotional value. I have heard it described as a mini family reunion. Often the father of the bride is in the background of the wedding day. A “first look” can be the way to bring him back and to have some alone time with his daughter. It is a perfect opportunity to set up a priceless emotional moment. With Jennifer and her dad, it wasn’t only her dad’s reaction that was priceless, but it was hers as well. They had a great quiet moment on the lower patio of Melrose Knitting Mill before the ceremony started.




Over the years I have noticed the trend of never giving the groom creative portraits. The groom and his groomsmen often get mediocre traditional portraits. Usually, this is because the groom is uncomfortable with posing or the photographer doesn’t know how to pose him. to go out and “do something.” I make it my goal at each wedding to capture the groom stylishly and traditionally. Even with the stiffest groomsmen, you can take boring posing to a different level with some simple tweaks. Chris and his men did a great job in their traditional black tuxes.




The Ceremony
Windows on the left and white drapes on the right, Chris, and Jennifers Melrose Knitting Mill wedding was intimate and sweet. Chris had to hold tears back when seeing his new bride for the first time.









After a quick bustling by wedding planner Chad Biggs, we went outside to shoot the formal portraits with the bridal party and family. I took the new bride and groom to take some portraits around the venue. You cant pass up the red curtains or the bar at Melrose Knitting Mill. They make for some stunning backdrops.





The Wedding Reception
A “Roaring 20s” themed wedding is full of details, and Melrose Knitting Mill makes it just that much easier to have the desired look. The florals, the gold, and the brick and the wood transform the old building to a spectacular wedding venue. There was great dancing, not just by the bride and groom but also by the wedding guest. At one point the dancing was going so strong I thought the building was going to come down.
We ended the evening with a great sparkler exit in front of the venue. Chris and Jennifer had a great vintage care take them off into the night.

















Finally after the wedding was over, I meet Chris and Jennifer at Boylan Bridge to get a night shot of the city behind them.

– Melrose Knitting Mill Wedding Vendors –
Venue / Catering: Melrose Knitting Mill
Coordinator: Chad Biggs
Florist: Expressions of Love
Car: Daves Classic Cars
DJ: Jeff Simpson
Officiant: Barbra Lodge
Makeup: The Junction Salon
Desert: Darels Bakery
Photographer: Nieto Photography
2nd Photographer: R2
3rd Photographer: Shannon Eleven
If you liked this Melrose Knitting Mill wedding and are planning your own, feel free to fill out my contact form. I would love to talk to you about your plans