Cara + Mike’s Atlanta Wedding – Atlanta Wedding Photographer

Courtney Potter and I collaborated with Mike and Cara on an unseasonably warm day in October to capture their wedding at St. Thomas More Parish Church and their wedding reception at The Solarium in Decatur, Georgia. I’ve known Cara since undergrad at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was excited not only to see her, but also many of our mutual friends from the years, who made the most ridiculous faces. See the silliness for yourself after this interview with the bride and groom, and a link to prints at the end of the post:

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

Most importantly, we wanted to make sure our feelings about the day would match up well in the pictures. The wedding was a reflection of our personalities, and we wanted to show that in the photos. Having known you since college I’d seen a lot of your wedding photos, as well as your journalism work, so I knew right away I wanted you for the wedding. It mademe a whole lot more comfortable working with someone I’ve known for over 10 years, and the pictures I think show that.

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

The whole process went really smoothly, considering that we’re in Georgia and you’re in NC. The questionnaire was helpful for us to figure out what we wanted the focus on (hopefully it was helpful for you too). The fact that you got in town the day before the wedding and were able to scope out all the sites was also great; I never would have picked the spot under the bridge, having never even been to that park before. We were super impatient while waiting for the photos to come back, I think because we had the pictures in our mind that we wanted to see… especially the ones under the bridge and ones with our families (Owen shoving the plant in my cousin Jacob’s mouth was pretty great), so it was hard for us to be patient and wait for them. We knew you had taken so many pictures between the two of you, so we just had to remind ourselves that it’d be worth waiting for the result, which of course it was.

3. For all the brides out there, what advice do you have for them in planning a wedding? 

Don’t think you can’t do it yourself. We did a lot of the planning ourselves (the save the dates, cornhole boards, flowers/decor, programs, and beer), and it really wasn’t that overwhelming. I’m definitely not super organized, though we did make a lot of spreadsheets. We just had a list of things to get done and slowly worked our way through it. Everything turned out exactly how we wanted it because we did it ourselves.

4. What was your favorite moment that Courtney and I captured? Was there anything unexpected that we captured?

The speeches from the best man and maid of honor were hilarious, and I think you captured how everyone responded to them really well.

5. Did you foresee any part of your wedding day being difficult logistically or emotionally?

We were mostly worried about the execution; we had to get all our flowers, decor, etc. to the venue the day before and leave it for our coordinator and the caterer to set up, but it turned out great. It required letting go of control over everything, but that ended up being a relief in the end.

6. What surprised you about working with us?

I make a lot of weird facial expressions, and I didn’t realize they would show up in my wedding photos! I also realized that I get nervous about having my picture taken, even with people I know. (Note: Courtney and I loved Cara’s expressiveness).

7. What is the first thing you want to do with the images?

We’re going get a bunch of prints and frame them, along with some photos from our honeymoon in Italy. We may end up making a photo book as well.

8. What is next for you as a couple? Any big plans?

For now, continue to ride bikes and drink beer. (Note: Hopefully not at the same time. Mike brews his own.)

THE LOOK AND LOGISTICS:

Dress: Anaiss (Wedding Angels)

Shoes:  Walkin on air (Etsy)

Bridesmaid dresses: J Crew

Flower girl dresses:  none

Groom’s clothing: Joseph A Bank

Ties:  same

Florist: Susan Groggins (mother of the bride)

Cake:  Sugar Moon Bake Shop

Catering:  Zest Atlanta

Invites: Puddleduck Paper Co

Programs: Groom

Band/DJ:  Spectrum Entertainment

Transportation:  Georgia Trolley Services

Officiant: Monsignor Paul Forgarty

 

ORDER PRINTS FROM THIS WEDDING HERE