Phil and Amanda met one another at a Habitat for Humanity outing during which the volunteers were playing laser tag. Phil thought Amanda was pretty cute, so he just kept shooting her. Turns out, it worked. For their first date, they met up for dinner and then off to a wine bar. Before long, they were in love, and Phil proposed during a hiking trip to Pinnacle Point on Crowder’s Mountain.
Both Phil and Amada are from Charlotte and have been heavily involved in the community for all of their lives. For that reason, having their wedding take place here was incredibly important to them. They chose to get married at Christ Church, one of my favorite churches in town; I’ll go into why as we go along. For their reception, Phil and Amanda chose the Mint Museum, which features no end of visually interesting spaces.
The day started off with me capturing Amanda and her bridesmaids at Phil and Amanda’s home. Once we wrapped there, we headed to the church, where Amanda got dressed in the lovely bridal suite with her mom and her bridesmaids. After a few portraits in the garden with her bridesmaids, it was on to Amanda’s first look with her mom and dad in front of the church. Amanda has always loved the front doors, and we wanted to make sure to make good use of them as a backdrop. For his part, Phil got ready at his parents’ house with his groomsmen, two of whom were his brothers.
The ceremony was just gorgeous. Not only was the atmosphere one of love and friendship, but I can’t tell you how much I adore the clean and simple design of Christ Church, both inside and out. I just love photographing ceremonies there. In the late afternoon, the front facade of the sanctuary is blanketed with the most heavenly light. It is my favorite place to finish up with a bride and groom before heading to the reception. The breeze never misses its cue to lift the bride’s veil just so, making for super romantic portraits of the newlyweds.
I made sure to arrive at the Mint a few minutes ahead of Phil and Amanda to catch a few fantastic shots of them with their wedding party as they accended the front stairs. With it being a February wedding, the timing was tight as the sun was setting rapidly behind the Uptown skyline. But we made it, and I totally love how those images turned out.
For the reception, Phil and Amanda wanted to show their appreciation for the numerous people who had made the effort to be there, and they wanted the party to be super fun. Score on both counts. After exiting the elevators onto the top floor of the museum, guests stopped off to sign the guest book which shared a table with a beautiful assortment of meaningful family wedding photos. A few Instax cameras and plenty of film were on hand so guests could snap a few of their own memories throughout the night, either to share with the bride and groom or keep for themselves.
The decorative concept Amanda and Phil wanted for the reception was organic and natural. The bandstand was bordered by square hurricane lanterns and carpeted with green turf that also served as a backdrop for the band. The floral arrangements, by Proper Flower, were simply beautiful. J. Leigh Events brought all the elements together perfectly–just white, green, glass, lucite, and mercury glass everywhere you looked. It felt like a true garden party with phenomenal music provided by 5 on Sundays, personal friends of the bride and groom.
For their exit, Phil and Amanda made their way down the uplit stairs of the Mint beneath an enthusiastic arch of waving glow wands. From there, it was on to Anguilla for a honeymoon full of sailing and snorkeling.
Planner: J. Leigh Events
Ceremony: Christ Episcopal Church
Officiant: Joan Killian
Reception: Mint Museum
Floral Design: Proper Flower
Hair and Makeup: Rebekah McCann
Band: 5 On Sundays
Catering: Something Classic
Cake: The Wow Factor Cakes
Rentals: CE Rental Charlotte
Transportation: Silver Fox Limos
A huge thank you to my second photographer Alisha Rudd for her lovely images!
Check out Phil and Amanda’s winter engagement session at the McGill Rose Garden here.