Francesca & Mike - Sacred Heart Cathedral & Caffe Luna Wedding Preview - Raleigh NC Photographer

I don’t know if it’s the Christmas season or what that has done it to us, but our schedules have been off for the last few weeks. Last weekend we celebrated Francesca and Mike in downtown Raleigh. Their 11:00 Catholic ceremony in the beautiful Sacred Heart Cathedral meant an afternoon reception at Caffe Luna. And we were home by 6:30. We literally didn’t know what to do with ourselves. We were planning on leaving early Monday morning for an annual Christmastime getaway to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, but something Saturday evening inspired us to go ahead and pack our bags and leave Sunday morning. We were so glad we did because Sunday and Monday ended up being warm, gorgeous days in the Smokies. We were able to fit in a couple of hikes, a trip to Dollywood, and hang out on the “strip” before the rain came in on Tuesday. Wednesday, we woke up to about an inch of beautiful snow in the Smokies. It was magical for us to see some of our favorite spots covered in snow. This trip was perfect in so many ways. The only thing that we hated about leaving early was that we didn’t get Francesca and Mike our typical preview post last Sunday. However, we were able to e-mail them their final, edited galleries last night. Will managed to fit in some editing on our six hour drive to the Smokies and each morning woke up about an hour before me to edit and finished each evening with a bit of editing work as well. Ya’ll, if you’ve never heard me say it… Will Greene is one of the hardest working people I know and he does it with a smile. He is so talented, but really it’s his work ethic that carries this business!

Now back to the wonderful wedding we are sharing tonight! Francesca and Mike first reached out to us about a year ago to see if we would be available to shoot their wedding day. We knew from day one that they would be one of our favorite couples of 2019. Neither of them are Raleigh natives (or even North Carolina for that matter), but Francesca and Mike love the city for all of the same reasons we do. They enjoy exploring and going on adventures and it seems as if there is never a dull moment in their lives. They truly understand that living life to it’s fullest and treating others well along the way is what life all about. They are the type of people that make you feel like “old” friends from day one. We genuinely hope that life allows us to hang out with this amazing couple as friends sometime soon.

Wedding days always happen in such a whirlwind, but I’ll always remember Francesca and Mike’s first look - when Mike turned around to see his bride (who was absolutely gorgeous), he couldn’t help but enthusiastically exclaim “Francesca!” Mike was so excited to experience the day with her. His exclamation gave me all the feels. I know many brides hope their grooms will cry when they seem them, but I secretly hope that every single bride gets the same reaction Francesca got. It was so clear that Mike was genuinely happy to see her. It was almost as if the day started for him at that moment. They were so sweet with each other as they shared just how beautiful/handsome they thought the other looked and shared how excited they were for the day. Their first look was also unique in that it occurred about 45 minutes before the ceremony. Just moments after the first look, guests began to arrive. Every other bride we have ever worked with would have been anxious that she was being seen. Not Francesca. I later heard her describe the moment - “My wedding day is not meant to be spent hidden away in a closet. It’s meant for being spent with Mike and our closest friends and family.” I will never forget that mentality ya’ll. Francesca and Mike, we’re sorry for the delay in getting you guys a sneak peek of some of our favorite shots, but please know it’s not for a lack of love of you two and your amazing wedding day. You guys are amazing in every way!!! Enjoy!