Cortley + Wendy // Wedding at City Tavern, Salisbury NC

Just days before Cortley and Wendy were to be wed, my dear friend Olga of Olga Mohr Photography ended up with a concussion and asked if I could take over photographing their wedding so she could follow doctor’s orders to rest up! I didn’t get to actually meet the couple until the big day but I’m glad I got the opportunity to be there amongst all of their friends and family celebrating such a special moment in their lives. It truly was a blessing to witness! The ceremony and reception were held on the top floor of the City Tavern  in Salisbury, North Carolina and it was the perfect place to be on what turned out to be a very hot day for this time of year so I think everyone was glad to be indoors in air conditioning.

Not gonna lie, seeing the groom’s expression when he sees his bride for the first time is one of my favorite moments of a wedding day!

Okay, who am I kidding? I love all the little moments, traditional and otherwise on a wedding day.

While the newlyweds were eating dinner, I took a few quick moments to photograph the rings so when I was done, they got to put them back on each other’s fingers all over again!

Then it was onto cake cutting before the first dances!

Wendy’s son Sam and his wife Emily got married at Hickham Airforce Base in Hawaii several months earlier and hadn’t gotten to have their own first dance, so she made sure they got to have that opportunity on her own wedding day.

Then right before Wendy was ready to change out of her wedding dress into something she could party the rest of the night away in, we took a few moments outside with just her and Cortley!

Congratulations to the Shoemakers! May your lives together be filled with love and happiness and good times!