Summer Sutherland Wedding – Marc and Elysia

Even after twelve years of shooting weddings, I don’t get repeat business from past bride and grooms siblings. I had the pleasure to shoot Elysia’s brother’s wedding back in 2014. Having experienced one wedding with a family makes the next wedding much easier.

Bradley and Sarah’s Wedding In 2014

A bride and groom kissing under a lit grape vine ball at the Garden on Millbrook at night

bride and groom kissing while sitting at a piano and their reflection in the top

bride and bridesmaids standing up a against a brick wall with writing pointing to one of the bridesmaids

Elysia in 2018

bride and groom kissing beside a green chevy truck out side the Sutherland on their wedding day

the bride, groom, and their children posing for a portrait outside of the pavilion at the Sutherland

bride showing off her bridal bouquet from the Purple Poppy

detail shot of the bride and groom's rings in a small white tray that says Mr. and Mrs.

Family Wedding

If I were to describe this wedding with one word, it would have to be “family.” I find sometimes that the wedding day is a joining of two families that don’t know each other. Nothing could be different from Marc and Elysia’s summer Sutherland wedding. Their wedding was more of a family reunion; siblings, cousins, parents. Elysia and Marc also had a vet unique wedding party. Both bride and groom had a wedding party exclusively of family. While that’s not unusual for small wedding parties, they each had five. Everyone had grown with one another, there was no “odd man out” that had to be introduced to the other family and friends. It was refreshing to watch siblings and cousins joke and laugh about past family events and weddings.

portrait of the bridal party inside the library at the Sutherland

portrait of the groom and groomsmen inside the library at the Sutherland

The Ladies

Finishing their hair and makeup before putting on their dresses and Elysia putting on her wedding gown. Elysia went with a beautiful tea length gown.

brides dress hanging from the mirror in the bridal suite at the Sutherland

bride and her bridesmaids sitting on the couch in the Sutherland bridal suite posing for a portrait

black and white picture of the daughter of the groom eating and looking at her self in the mirror

bride and bridesmaid laughing while taking a portrait

bride and her mother posing for a portrait inside the Sutherland

bride and bridesmaid being silly for a portrait at the Sutherland

The Gentlemen

Marc and his groomsmen getting dressed in the Settlers House. Elysia and Marc both wore bracelets with the coordinates of their first meeting. I will leave the location a mystery.

detail shot of the groom shoes, socks, watch, and bracelet

black and white image of the groom getting dressed at the Sutherland

black and white image of the groom getting dressed with his reflection in a table

groom leaning against the Settlers House at the Sutherland for a portrait

portrait of the groomsmen in the walled garden at the Sutherland

First Look

I have been saying for a while now, the “first look” is becoming a staple for North Carolina Weddings. If you are having a traditional wedding or a non-traditional wedding, the “first look” can be a point of contention. For some, it can be hard to wrap their heads around the concept. It has been called the “wedding spoiler” but I like to explain it as a “stress reliever.” The bride and groom don’t have to see each other. There are many ways to approach the ”first look.” It is an opportunity to read a love letter or poem, hold hands, have a quick chat. For the groom that doesn’t want to cry in front of his guest, it is a great option. Marc and Elysia chose to fully see each other, to hug, to talk, and to kiss.

bride walking up behind the groom at the Sutherland for their first look

groom smiling and his bride walks up behind him during their first look at the Sutherland

groom smiling at the bride during their first look at their summer Sutherland wedding

bride and groom kissing after their first look at the Sutherland

Formal Portraits and A Chevy

Again during the first planning meeting, Marc talked about the green Chevy truck. Other than Elysia and his children, Marc wanted to make sure he got portraits with the truck. The restored Chevy truck was originally going to be the escape vehicle at the end of the wedding. Once I saw it in person, I decided to make it the centerpiece for their formal wedding party and family portraits.

closeup of vintage green chevy truck hood

groom posing with a green Chevy truck outside the Sutherland

groom crossing his arms while posing for a portrait outside at the Sutherland

group shot of the wedding party outside of the Sutherland with a green Chevy truck

bridesmaids posing against a truck outside of the Sutherland

bride and bridesmaid smiling while posing for a portrait outside of the Sutherland

bride and groom with their children posing with a green Chevy truck out side of the Sutherland

bride and groom kissing while they are sitting in the back of a Chevy truck and their kids are behind them

The Sutherland in Summer

At my first planning meeting with Elysia and Marc, they made it clear they were designing their summer wedding with their guest comforting mind. Comfort for a summer wedding in North Carolina means air conditioning and not making your guest sweat. In order to achieve this, they moved their summer Sutherland wedding indoors into the enclosed pavilion. While usually purposed for wedding receptions, the pavilion can be used for the ceremony as well. Simply decorated and with a very concise ceremony, their wedding was an absolute joy.

picture of an indoor pavilion Sutherland wedding with a white runner

father of the bride and the bride smiling together

bride being escorted down the aisle by her father at an indoor summer Sutherland wedding ceremony

indoor pavilion ceremony shot of a summer Sutherland wedding

bride and groom kissing at their ceremony inside the pavilion at the Sutherland

wedding party posing for a silly formal portrait in the walled garden of the Sutherland

Sweet Water Italian Ice

No summer wedding would be complete without a visit from Michale and Richard of Sweet Water. What better way to cool off your guest than bring them the best Italian ice in the Triangle, to your summer Sutherland wedding. Even if you are getting married in the dead of winter, I would recommend Sweet Water!