Mallory & Justin's Modern Classic Navy & Silver Summer Evening Soiree at The Cotton Room

When they happen to me, I don't like surprises. I'm a planned-to-the-nines kind of girl, like to know what to expect moment to moment. But when they happen to other people and I get to watch? Then—then surprises are great. Like Mallory & Justin's First Look. What I love about a First Look on a wedding day is not the anticipation—it's the release and relief of the couple finally seeing one another, the flood of emotions, the beautiful surprise at what the other is wearing or the look on the other's face. And for floods of emotions and sweet looks on faces, Mallory & Justin's First Look was one of my absolute favorites. Mallory has this way of hugging Justin that speaks to the bliss in her heart at getting to be with him, and her face glowed with that bliss throughout their entire wedding day.

Their Labor Day weekend wedding was everything a wedding day should be: sunshine-y, full of laughter, elegant and electric with joy. Being the kind of person who loves the little pieces of the puzzle that show glimpses of the larger whole, I adore when the details sprinkled around a wedding day are personal and important to the couple. Mallory & Justin's wedding was replete with these: the gigantic bottle of Chianti Mallory's parents brought over from Italy; the Star Wars guestbook (and amazing cross-stitched quote!); the earrings Mallory and her bridesmaids wore, which they all handmade together; and, perhaps my favorite, the wine ceremony box handcrafted by Justin's dad and brother from his late grandfather's curated wood collection. Add in heartfelt toasts, some killer dance moves, and more love than even the capacious and beautiful Cotton Room can hold, and you have a wedding day of which Michael & I felt privileged to be a small part.

Mallory & Justin, thank you so much for allowing us to participate in your day and to capture these sweet memories for you. We wish you a lifetime of happiness together! Enjoy a selection of our favorites from the day, and congratulate this sweet couple in the comments below!

Wedding and portrait photographers. Husband and wife. All-purpose nerds. Extremely enthusiastic. Durham, NC.

Mallory & Justin's Modern Classic Navy & Silver Summer Evening Soiree at The Cotton Room

Congratulate Mallory & Justin!