luis toledo : photographer | Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Wedding Photographer - North Carolina Wedding Photography

Jen + Kevin | Sunset Beach Wedding

Jen and Kevin (a.k.a. Bert) were married back in October on Sunset Beach, North Carolina. Beach front weddings are wonderful and romantic, but they bring with them their own set of challenges. The first challenge is getting there. Now, for Jen and Kevin, “getting there” involved a road-trip from their home in Ontario, Canada. Luckily, they didn’t have to make the trip alone. You see, Jen and Kevin are very much loved by their friends and family. So much so that about (pronounced “a-boot”) 100 of them made the trip to North Carolina to witness, celebrate and bless their new marriage.

Jennifer wore an Alfred Angelo designed, Disney princess inspired wedding dress which looked beautiful on wind swept Sunset Beach as well as on the dance floor at Brunswick Plantation in Calabash, NC. The staff at Brunswick Plantation was very friendly and accommodating and represented “Southern Hospitality” very well.

After all was said and done, I was moved the most by just how much Jen and Kevin were loved by the people in their lives. Well, that and witnessing them show just as much love in return. I want to thank them all for letting me and my family into theirs for that very special weekend. Without further ado, here are some pictures from their day.

Beach Wedding Cary NC Photographer001 Jen + Kevin | Sunset Beach Wedding

Beach Wedding Cary NC Photographer002 Jen + Kevin | Sunset Beach Wedding

Beach Wedding Cary NC Photographer003 Jen + Kevin | Sunset Beach Wedding

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Lara - Great stuff. I love the wide shots during the ceremony and the interior of the limo shot. Looks like a fun wedding.

Sarah and Dustin | a Wedding at The Umstead

The relaxed elegance of Sarah and Dustin’s wedding fit their personalities perfectly. Their families were an absolute joy to be around and I have to thank them all for allowing me into their lives for a day. I also can’t say enough about how professional and accommodating Ami Wheeler and the entire staff of The Umstead Hotel and Spa were to us. Finally, I’m grateful to fellow photographer Michelle Gunton, for coming out with me and helping document Sarah and Dustin’s big day. She delivered some of my personal favorite images of the day and a few are featured below.

So without further ado, here are some pictures from Sarah and Dustin’s big day.

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Fotograf ślubny Lublin - So natural:) I love it!

LT - Thanks Bridge! I’m a big fan of yours too.

Bridget M - Luis these are fantastic! love the groom-in-the-window portrait and the flying girl shot. also your BW conversions. I’m a big big fan!

Brandon Wong - What a great idea! Love these color contrasts!!!

Rachel + Patrick | Engaged

Rachel and Patrick are gettin’ hitched in October at the Shady Wagon Farm in New Hill, NC. We had a lot of fun on this engagement shoot which began in their apartment and ended up in and around downtown Carrboro, NC. We’re all just a bunch of low-key, relaxed lovers of beer and pie, makin’ some pictures and havin’ a good time. Rachel, Patrick and I have a lot in common, I’m am extremely excited about their wedding. They’re so cool they let me shoot them just about anywhere. So far we’ve shot in their apartment, at Total Wine, in a Harris Teeter, on railroad tracks and in an alley behind a bar. I love these guys and hope you’ll enjoy these pictures from our day.

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Ben Massey - Killer work. These are so feakin’ timeless.

Sally Watts - They are seriously a gorgeous, stunning couple. I can’t wait to see their wedding. Awesome images! The first one looks like the cover of an indie movie DVD box to me. :)

gen - The flag photo is incredible. Gorgeous shot! Much love from Chicago… :)

Angry Birds | Vanessa and John’s Orlando engagement

Vanessa and John are getting married (yay!) next March in Florida. We got together in July for a little engagement adventure in Lake Eola park in Orlando. If you’re not familiar with Orlando, Lake Eola is a scenic oasis in the heart of downtown. There’s a playground and a band shell and a lake with swans… giant Shaquille O’Neal sized swans that could also play center for Orlando Magic.

Needless to say we had a great time. Vanessa and John are very much in love, you see. They’re also awesome people and fun to hang out with. John plays guitar, which is apparently becoming a trend with my grooms, and Vanessa loves to listen to John’s guitar playing. See how they’re perfect for each other? Anyway, back to the angry birds…

So, it would seem that the giant swans of Lake Eola don’t like humans having picnics on their turf. There was this one swan, whom I shall call Shaq, who kept coming over to intimidate us. Needless to say it worked and as you can see from the pictures, we did our thing and after a quick wardrobe change, went to the library. Seeing as how all three of us are library lovers, it worked out perfectly. The birds got rid of us and we took refuge from the Florida summer in air conditioning, surrounded by books.

I’d like to thank Vanessa and John for following me on this adventure and braving Angry Birds, 100% humidity and the streets of O-town to make these pictures. Without further ado, here are some photos from our day.

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Rod and Ash – One Show Only: an Asheville Wedding

Sometimes the stars just align. Rodney and Ashley got married in Asheville, North Carolina last month and I was there to photograph it. With a little help from the Universe, and a whole lot of help from their families and many, many friends, Rod and Ash put on a wedding that I think can best be described simply as “very Asheville.”

The most important things in Ashley and Rod’s world took center stage on their wedding day. Their five children, their parents and families, their friends and the city of Asheville itself were embraced and entertained by the bride and groom in what they referred to simply as “the festivities.” Comedians, a clown, a gypsy jazz band and fire dancers made for an incredible day which I was honored to chronicle.

So, without further ado, here are some pictures from their day…

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rosa shaw - awesome, the colors the frozen movements, the way it flows, the people, a great wedding and a great photographer…. congrats Luis

Heather Kanillopoolos - Wedding or not, this is one of the most EPIC parties I’ve ever seen!! Awesome coverage!

Michael Summers - The setting is fantastic. Great images!

Christa Duncan - Was all of this planned, or was it just serendipity? Wonderful magical images! Were Titania and Oberon there, too? Wish I had been….

Julie - What an amazing day this must have been for the happy couple & their guests! Surely one they will never forget. Great photography~

Darin Collison - Holy cow! That was epic! What amazing images – just awesome.

LT - Wow, thank you all so much.

Jim Murphy - You really captured the personality of this couple. Such a fun wedding. Well done!

Ryan Brenizer - This may be the most fun wedding I’ve ever seen. I want to be there! So much adventure and emotion, and you captured it well.

Heather - INSANELY creative wedding!!!

Tall - What an awesome wedding! I would love to go to weddings like that! Well done.

Emily Porter - So many standout images here, Luis. You did an amazing job capturing the emotions of the day. It looks like a deliciously “offbeat” wedding full of a lot of love. Great work, my friend!!

adam houseman - Colorific. Well done Luis. Tons of awesome moments in there.

Anton Chia - What a special wedding! This is very interesting and you filled me with envy coz such interesting weddings are rare here in Asia. Beautiful photographs Luis. Like Like Like!

Daniel - What a unique and fun looking wedding! Awesome work, Luis!

Jessica Horton - Luis!! You did an amazing job! You’re so right, this wedding is SO Asheville!

Marianne Taylor - Such an individual colourful day. You’ve captured it all to perfection!

Shell Bailey - There simply are no words for how fun and amazing this wedding looks, and you did a brilliant job capturing it. Makes me want to move to Asheville- that’s clearly where the party is!

Natalie - Wow! This is such a fun wedding! I love the bus!