Oh, I have been so excited for this day!!! Claudia and Jake are one of the sweetest couples I have worked with and that was shown constantly throughout their day.

From the girls laughing while getting ready, to the most easy-going and polite group of groomsmen, to a family that was constantly breaking it down on the dance floor, I wouldn’t expect Claudia and Jake to attract and surround themselves with anything less.

The day was filled with lots of laughing and happy tears, especially during one of my favorite moments –– their first look.

We had Jake standing with his back to the road, anxiously waiting to see his bride for the first time. As Claudia walked up right behind him, she asked him to turn around to take it all in.

Jake immediately teared up when he saw her and pulled her in tight for a hug and you could tell that this was a moment he would remember forever. They both had tears in their eyes as they checked each other out –– because Jake was looking pretty handsome too!

I love those intimate moments on the wedding day because things can get a little crazy with all of the people, timelines, and details. Their first look was just them, tucked behind a building, really taking in the reason for all of the planning and celebrating –– that they love each other more than anything and are starting the rest of their lives together.

And there was definitely nothing that was going to get in their way of doing just that!! Including…the WIND.

Thankfully we managed to miss the huge storms that rolled in the night before the wedding but we did get a little bit of the aftermath with the wind. I am so thankful downtown Wilmington has little gems tucked in weird places because they saved us from having some VERY wind-blow portraits!!!

I am also thankful for a bridal party that loves Claudia and Jake enough to make all of the little adjustments for lighting and wind (since everything kept changing every 2 seconds!) so we could capture their day as perfectly as it was in real life.

Being a part of this wedding was so special to me –– first because I love Claudia and Jake but also because I was able to see some of my Alpha Chi sisters that I haven’t seen in so long. This is the type of day we all dreamed of in college, when we would meet back up to see one of our sisters marry the love of her life! Plus it makes the dance floor pretty fun 😉

Bakery 105 in downtown Wilmington, NC was a beautiful venue and had the perfect sized dance floor for this crowd that pretty much didn’t leave it all night!

Claudia and Jake, thank you for asking me to come alongside you and document your day. I love you both so much and I can’t wait to follow along with all of your many journeys!

Also, a huge thank you to all of the amazing people who made this day beautiful!!

Day of Coordinator // Katie Swaim
Venue and Catering // Bakery 105
Bridal Gown //Simply Stunning Diva’s Greensboro
Bride’s Shoes // Blue By Becky Johnson
Hair and Make-Up // Blush and Bobbys
Florist // Designs by Dillon
Bridesmaid Dresses // David’s Bridal
Groomsmen Suits // Men’s Warehouse
Ceremony Music // Camden Stohl
DJ and Entertainment // Active DJ – Jason Tatum
Desserts // One Belle Bakery
Invitations // If It’s Paper

THEY’RE MARRIED!!!!

Bakery 105 was stunning! I mean, you can’t ask for more than that greenery wall!!

I had so many of these mini cupcakes and cookie sandwiches…SO yummy!

Claudia and Jake’s first dance was magical! I loved seeing her dress float across the floor. They look like royalty!!

It’s so fun to see these long sorority family lineages since we didn’t have these when we first started the Alpha Chi Omega chapter at UNCW (I was a founding member!).

Of course we had to get an “All Alpha Chi” photo with all of the girls!!

NOW TIME TO PARTY!!! This crowd was so much fun and didn’t leave the dance floor once the entire night!!

I love these girls!!! Makes me wish we were all back in college!