journal

These two have been together for over 5 years! Can you believe it!? Brian ended up proposing while the couple was beach vacationing and it was an easy YES for Rachel! After many years and fun adventures together, these two are planning an elegant Great Marsh wedding for next May! I can’t wait to see their Just Married smiles on their perfect spring day! Here are my favorite shots from their classic DC engagement session.

October 8, 2018

Washington DC Garden Engagement Session | District of Columbia Wedding Photographer | Rachel and Brian

 Halfway through this darling engagement session, Brittany and Andrew felt as though they had to confess something to me… They were UNC alumni! In college, there was no feud more powerful than the one between UNC and Duke but weirdly enough, even though I am a Blue Devil through and through, some of my very best friends went to UNC! Now in DC, I actually LOVE running into anyone who shared my North Carolina experiences: He’s Not, TOP) and Franklin Street were all a major part of my college experiences too! So Brittany & Andrew’s “confession was met with laughter and heaps of inside jokes.

September 28, 2018

Old Town Alexandria Engagement | Virginia Fall Engagement | Brittany and Drew

When I think of a classic romance, I think of Rob and Hope. Every detail right down to their shoes said “traditional” southern wedding. These two prioritized family and each other when planning their wedding. Hope and Rob met at Duke and honored their romantic beginning by tying the knot at the University chapel on March 10th. Did you know that couples actually camp out to have their wedding at the Duke chapel? Hope is currently in Medical School at Duke so it stands to reason that the pair would want to take part in this age-old tradition. 

April 5, 2018

Duke Chapel Wedding | Duke University Wedding | North Carolina Wedding Photographer | Hope and Rob

This couple is honestly just the sweetest. They totally embody classic romance. Hope is currently in Medical School at Duke so it stands to reason that the only time she has for engagement photos between becoming a doctor and wedding planning would be on campus! In fact, Hope’s parents are the folks who hired me for her upcoming wedding! After meeting Rob and Hope in person, we found that it couldn’t have been a more perfect fit!

January 9, 2018

Duke Gardens Engagement | Duke University West Campus Engagement | Hope and Rob

When I think of the term “power couple” these two come to mind. Caroline is a Duke grad from Idaho who I weirdly met in our Freshman year Spanish class. She just made the Forbes 30 under 30 list for being a media queen. If you don’t know what that list is, you should know it’s harder to get on that list than to get into any Ivy League college. Bam. Dan is the sweetest guy from New Jersey and works for Deloitte. While the two now live in San Francisco, Dan is in New York a ton for work and their jobs take them all over. The future Gadinos decided to snap engagement photos where it all began: Duke University.

December 12, 2017

Duke University Engagement | Duke Gardens Engagement Photos | Caroline and Dan

Abby & Sam’s story is one of my absolute favorites. Abby, the Olympic diver and Sam, a talented collegiate athlete himself, both met at Duke. She attends Duke medical school and Sam is the Duke assistant football coach so it stands to reason that these two would meet on campus no? Wrong! Actually, these two met through a kismet accident. 

April 26, 2017

Durham Engagement | Downtown Durham, Tobacco Road and Duke University | Abby and Sam

Never have I photographed two people with such an authentic love. Alex and Arielle just are so natural together that it felt more like a morning with good friends than an engagement session.  I just loved getting to spend the morning with them and hanging out with cans of spray paint in hand.

March 29, 2017

Raleigh Engagement | Little Theater Rose Garden and Free Expression Tunnel | Alex and Arielle