Emily & Matt | Classy, Chic Grandover Resort Wedding | Greensboro, NC

bride and groom surrounded by clouds and blue sky at Grandover Resort wedding in Greensboro, NC.

Emily and Matthew’s wedding was the perfect example of how access and time with the bride and groom can create some magically intimate and gorgeous photographs.

Emily and Matthew dated for a year before getting engaged on their first anniversary. Their different personalities complement each other and they are a super sweet and balanced couple.

Traci: What is the absolute best thing about your fiancé? What would they say about you?
Emily: The best thing about Matthew is that he knows me completely – he understands me, tolerated me and loves me completely. Matthew says the best thing about me is that I’m so different from him. There’s no redundancy in our relationship. Therefore, there’s enough contrast between us that we create a whole.
 

Emily and Matthew got married at McConnell Road Baptist Church. Matthew has been a member since he was toddling around the aisle as a two year old. The church was important to them and they love the windows behind the altar so I tried to bring them into all of their ceremony images. I LOVE it when I get access to the altar during a ceremony and this wedding was one such time. Being so close to the action allows me to capture the moments as they happen. Nothing is posed. Everything is very real.

When your reception starts with a double rainbow, you know it’s gonna be good. They held their shindig at Grandover Resort. The Band of Oz provided the music and I ended up knowing so many people at the reception.  It was awesome….I was able to get up into everyone’s business….no one was hiding from me or my camera making for some very dynamic dance floor shots. It was a fun, energetic celebration of Emily and Matt.

Traci: Besides getting married, what part of your wedding are you most looking forward to?
Matthew: I’m looking forward to the photography because it will be responsible for allowing us to re-live our special day for the rest of our life.
Traci: What is the most important thing to you about your wedding photography?
Emily: I want to capture the love between me and Matthew and between me and my family.
 

Not only did I get full access at the ceremony, Emily and Matt gave me a ton of time for their romance session. Photography is really important to them which made them willing to give me as much time as I needed.  Access, time, opening yourself up (REALLY! Let down those walls!) and us getting to know each other before the wedding results in more real, more honest and more intimate photographs.  Emily and Matt were my poster children for giving these things to me…and it truly shows in their resulting images.

There are a ton of gorgeous images from this wedding but I love the one of Emily and Matt surrounded by the blue sky. I used a mirror to wrap them up completely in the sky.

And the image where the grass is really tall in the foreground and Emily and Matt and really teeny tiny in the background? It feels like we are sneaking a look into an intimate moment that we aren’t supposed to see.  I laid in goose poop to get this shot. Meaning…as much as I push my clients to open up and go to their edge, I WILL do ANYTHING to get beautiful imagery.  Even lie down in goose poop.

Emily and Matt, thank you for your time, your access and for being you! Congrats!

Tags:

Traci Arney

I am an overly passionate, slightly obsessive fine art photographer who just happened to fall in love with photographing weddings. Recently I was named one of the top 50 wedding photographers in the United States. I love telling stories so I dig pretty deep into your personal story. We have a blast together and you will be blown away by my images, your prints, and your album!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.