HOLLY & BRIAN IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Holly & Brian wanted something different, unique and fun for their wedding, so they opted to head to the Dominican Republic for a destination wedding.

Kathleen and I left Raleigh's rain-filled clouds for Punta Cana's sunshine skies and sandy beaches. As we approached the terminal, music greeted us from a live band while ladies dressed in traditional attire lured us into a photo opportunity. (This made Kathleen and I laugh). We grabbed our luggage and hopped into a cab heading towards Punta Cana's five star resort Pardisus Palma Real.

When we arrived Holly and Brian gave us hugs and looked very excited. "So, what do you think?" Holly said referring to the resort. "WOW! You were looking for WOW and you got it," I said. The Pardisus Palma Real is a stunning property with amazing architecture, beautiful gardens and of course, white sand beaches.

Samantha with Emma Grace Designs was the lead coordinator for the wedding.Each day we were there she was consulting the guests, bridal party and the bride with ease.

On the wedding day I was in awe. Holly looked stunning in her dress with jewelry given to her by Brain. A brief cocktail hour started before the ceremony due to the minister running on "island time" but no one was complaining. Strong winds greeted the guests as they sat on a white marble porch. Rain danced off the rocks and tropical fauna which served as our ceremony site backdrop.

Holly could not stop smiling as she walked down the aisle to meet Brain. The ceremony was spoken in Spanish which was translated to English for the congregation. Cheers from the guests and bridal party filled the air as they kissed and began the processional.

Kathleen and I had an amazing time and will never forget the wedding. So many things happened: I met another Chris Perez, lost luggage, dancing until 3 a.m., gambling and a little drinking. Congratulations Holly & Brian and thank you so much for allowing us to document your wedding. We look forward to seeing you soon at the studio for our viewing party!

APRIL'S PHOTO OF THE MONTH WINNER

We are starting something new on our blog for our amazing clients. It is a photography print contest and the members of the Azul Photography team are the judges. The winner will receive a $75 gift certificate to apply to any of our products at Azul! Yes, that means canvas prints, album images, storyboard and additional portrait sessions. Pretty cool...right?

So without further adieu the winner for the month of April is (drum roll) Adena & Bev! Congratulations guys you have won a $75 credit towards any product we have at Azul. Give us a call to claim your prize.

Also, if members of Adena or Bev's family leave 20 comments they will receive an extra $75. That makes a total of $150 gift certificate goodness!

The photo that won is of Adena's brother changing his son's diaper. I'm sure this classic photo will be a constant topic at many great family gatherings. Enjoy!

OPEN HOUSE AT MIDTOWN PLACE - BRIDAL PORTRAIT DRAWING

We want to officially invite you to our open house at Midtwown Place on May 13th, 2009. Several members of the Azul team will be there to chat about your wedding. We will also be giving away a bridal portrait session for one lucky bride who comes the open house.

Please register with us so we can know if you are attending.

At the last open house Misty York won the complementary bridal portrait session at Midtown Place with me. Included in the session was a free bridal bouquet from the amazing Lyn with Fresh Affairs.

Misty picked a beautiful day that had blue skies, a brisk breeze and the Midtown Place courtyard. This was the first bride to have her portrait session at Midtown Place and she was the perfect model.

Her is what Misty had to say about her experience with us:

"I absolutely love my photos...and I am someone who thinks I never take a good photo! I fell in love with Azul Photography from the very beginning. Christobal was so easy to talk to and really listened to what I want. He took the time to get to know me and was able to capture that in my photos. I'm positive there is no better photographer in Raleigh."



See you at the next drawing at Midtown Place on May 13!

THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

A new photographic group is born and I wanted to share it with everyone.

The Wedding Photographic Society (WPS) - a network of professional photographers who share ideas, thoughts and information to help raise the artistic, technical and business level in our profession. Membership in The WPS offers many professional & personal growth opportunities through educational opportunities, networking, critiques and camaraderie. The WPS meetings, forums and web pages are open to any and all professional wedding photographers across the world.

This all started with a handful of photographers meeting at a coffee house talking shop in 2005. Four years later the core of WPS was born. Martha Manning, Shane Snider, Robin Lin, Brian Mullins, Stacy Borelli and myself, Christobal Perez participate in bringing information to help the growth of photographers across the country. Everyone is invited to help and donate their time so The WPS grow into a international organization.

The WPS was created to help build relationships, share knowledge amongst peers and help create a competitive yet supportive photographic community. Leaders & Members of The WPS donate their time in order to help find guest speakers, topic discussions and provide advice, guidance and information sharing freely without compensation.

With that goal in mind, The WPS launched their website, forums & blogs to bring together the professional wedding photographic community.

You can visit us by going to The Wedding Photographic Society's website/blog.

LISA & GERARD

Pink + Perfect + Waffle House = Gerard and Lisa's wedding day

We had sunny skies, 65 degree temperatures, and not a speck of rain (which was forecasted). Gerard is a master of perfecting smiles in North Raleigh. Lisa is a vivacious soul, who loves the color pink and every shade of it known in the universe.

Lisa and Gerard, also know as Dr. Hottie, were married at Christ United Methodist Church in Southern Village, Chapel Hill. I have never been to this church and it had beautiful stained glass windows and architecture.

After a sparkler exit from the church, we headed over to the reception at the Carolina Inn. The flowers were simply amazing and I am always in awe of Lyn's talent from Fresh Affairs. A framed canvas bridal portrait greeted guests, along with a wonderful cocktail hour. The menu on the buffet was crab cakes, vegetable spring rolls, tortellini, pasta, beef wellington and my personal favorite at the Carolina Inn, shrimp & grits.

The bride and groom entered the pink filled room and were introduced by Ken Holmes with Joe Bunn DJ's. The couple grabbed the mic and thanked everyone for coming to the wedding and then broke into a song from from Disney's Enchanted. The song was "That's How You Know" and they sounded great! The room was full of smiles, laughter and flashes capturing the moment.

After some dancing, conversation and great food it was time for cake (which was created by Sweet Memories). It was a four-tier cake, intricately decorated and topped with a glamour "M." Each level was a unique flavor and everyone had seconds. The groom's cake was in the shape of a tooth coupled with a toothbrush.

The closing song was "Last Dance" by Donna Summer, but the night was not over. Lisa and Gerard wanted to visit Waffle House at 12:30 a.m. The staff there, along with the patrons, were amazed. They were congratulated by the staff as soon as they walked into the door and were given the royal treatment. After documenting the moment, I joined them and feasted on grilled cheese and enjoyed great conversation until 1:30 a.m.

What a great night and what a wonderful couple. Congratulations Lisa and Dr. Hottie!

JANE & SCOTT

Another amazing wedding at Fearrington. Jane and Scott were the lucky couple whom I had the honor of documenting on their wedding day.

On the way to the Red Room (groom's dressing area), I caught Scott carrying his tux while wearing kaki shorts with dress shoes and black socks. I later informed Jane of her future husband's dress attire and she said laughingly, "That's my man."

The ceremony was coordinated by Fearrington's Gilda McDaniel, Special Events Manager, and her associate, Barbara Yates, who were wonderful to work with. Jane and Scott were married under the shade of crabapple trees and the sky was Carolina blue with big fluffy white clouds.

They almost sprinted down the aisle after the ceremony, but saved their energy for a race later. You see, Jane and Scott like to run, so they had a little race after the portraits and I hate to say it Jane... Scott won. After the race, they still had enough energy to jump and click their heels. Well, really just because they could.

The reception was kicked off with a solo entrance by the bride and groom, which led into their first dance. Kevin with No Regret Productions got the party started and never let up. The dance floor was packed the whole night due to a great job by Kevin. The exit was lit with sparklers and a surprise fireworks display.


Jane and Scott are a wonderful couple with great souls and if you ever meet them, you will understand why. Congratulations Jane and Scott!

OLYMPICS

I was documenting a wedding last weekend on 08.08.08 and while walking with the bride and her bridesmaids for portraits, the bride made a comment to her friends on how just four years ago I was covering the summer Olympics in Greece. I looked over to them and said "I could be there right now if I wasn't a wedding photographer." Then the maid of honor said something which made me think, "Well, if you were in Beijing covering the Olympics, you would not be here taking pictures of this wonderful wedding."


You know... she was right.


Four years ago, while in Greece, I provided the Houston Chronicle my two weeks notice. I was leaving the newspaper to start a new business with my wife (Kathleen). I was very nervous and scared when I left the paper and had no idea what to expect. Now I know this is where I belong and everything I have ever done has brought me to this stage in my life. I am very thankful for the experiences of my past and I look forward to future ones.


Thank you Becca for enlightening me on that I should be in the USA and not in China. You are absolutely right.


Below are images from the Olympics in Greece I shot for the Houston Chronicle in 2004.