Darin and Ronald were married at St. Francis of Assisi catholic church in Raleigh, and had their reception on the roof of The Pit Authentic BBQ in downtown Durham. Their ceremony was a blend of catholic and Phillipino traditions, and the reception was a smorgasbord of southern bbq and chicken. See the wedding ring chicken wing detail photo below. Special thanks to Alex for the great second-shooting and assist. Darin and Ronald were a delight since they trusted our vision and really planned a day to have fun without sweating the details too much. I’ll let them take it from here in this interview:

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1. What was most important to you in planning your wedding? Why did you split the wedding festivities across two days?

We wanted everyone to just have a great time. It was about our family and our friends, not just us — we wanted to focus on our guests. We have pretty much forever to do what we want, so why not let our guests be a part of the planning process. We wanted our guest to come away happy well fed and having a good time. 

2. What did you learn about yourself and your relationship in the process of planning the wedding?

We make a great team, we definitely have similar tastes We were both very much about the experience, knowing that while it was a special day, our marriage after that day was the most important. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

3. What was the biggest challenge? To be fair, we didn’t have many challenges when it came to our wedding. The entire day was as relaxed (as it could be). 

Setting the guest list was the biggest challenge. And our family. Managing our family, while trying to keep everyone happy was a difficult if not an arduous endeavor. But we just took everything in stride. Not everyone was going to be happy with the fact that we forwent communion, but we also wanted everyone to feel included at our wedding, and not everyone is Catholic. Small sacrifices had to be made…and for the most part, I don’t feel anyone was upset.

4. What advice do you have for other couples out there?

Take your time to enjoy your day. It only happens once if you’re lucky. Take the time to enjoy the small moments you have together…and be sure to eat.

5. What was your favorite moment from the days?

Sharing it with friends and family [Overall]

Ron- when I saw her at the church

Darin- sitting with him at the altar, the sunlight in our eyes, waiting to start the rest of our lives together!

6. What factors other than photos went into your decision on a wedding photographer? Why did you decide to pick me?

We wanted photos that told a story, a series of candid moments  – not a bunch of portraits we could get at life touch.  It was important that our personalities mesh well, so that he could capture us as we are. The other pictures we viewed prior to making a photographer selection played a huge role in our decision. These weren’t portraits, they were beautiful moments that you wouldn’t think could even be witnessed in person. Interestingly, we viewed photos of a party on the rooftop of the Pit restaurant, and that’s how we decided it would be the perfect location for our reception. Well..that and the food.

7. From booking to delivery of images and seeing the results, what in your mind made it the right choice for us to collaborate? Did anything surprise you?

We had so many moments where we said “I can’t believe they captured that” small little magical moments, a piece of time,  captured on camera. It was amazing how unobtrusive they were we barely realized they were there most of the time. They were like ninjas in and out. We didn’t even know they were there when they came by to say goodbye. Alex and Justin were the easiest people to deal with. We set up everything ahead of time — the questionnaire Justin had us fill out really made us think about everything our day would entail. These guys are ninjas! They documented the day inconspicuously….creating candid and natural moments with raw and real emotion…all without interfering with the flow of the day. Lets face it…weddings are chock full of once-in-a-lifetime moments that can’t be recreated. These photos are as genuine, artistic,  and sincere as the photographers who snapped the pictures. Make time to get to know your photographer (s). The more they discover about you, the more they can capture your personality, your relationship, your uniqueness as a couple.

8. What’s next for you as a couple?

The rest of our lives…and a pupper of course!

The 2016 wedding season started off right, with a wedding in the heart of Durham that felt more like a party with good friends and family. Sarah and Cael were married at The Rick House, a newer downtown Durham wedding venue. Great weather, a fun dance floor and familiar faces were involved with this celebration. We especially went wild with the portraits in the Central Park Neighborhood. Thanks for the great assist, Zoe.

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