Neala and Ben Are Married | A Tryon Palace Wedding

I gotta tell you…I am a little bit in love with fearless brides.  They make my job feel easy.  And really fun.

Fearless is embracing the tree you have become, without forgetting your roots.  I knew as soon as I met Neala, I had myself a fearless bride.

Neala is a talented and sophisticated interior designer from NYC.  She possesses grace and confidence which results in an effortless beauty.  She and I spent a day together, shooting her bridal portrait, chatting about her and Ben’s courtship, her deep roots to New Bern, North Carolina and her wedding design.  I could tell she was passionate about all three and I knew that those emotions would shine right through in the wedding photography.  Neala and Ben met in a Spanish class at Gettysburg College, when they were only freshmen. But they did not intimately connect until three years later when they found themselves in an Art History class as seniors.  It was on a field trip to Walter’s Art Museum in Baltimore that Ben offered up a seat, a sandwich and some funny videos.  The rest?  Well, I think you know how the story ends…with a new beginning.

I usually meet the groom during the engagement session, but Ben had a demanding schedule as a law clerk in our nation’s capital, so I did not meet him until the actual wedding.  However, despite my late introduction to Ben, the gentle nature between him and Neala was instantly obvious and photographing their relationship was comfortable and organic.

I adored the details that Neala worked into the weekend…the Vera Wang dress she found at a trunk sale, the perfectly delicate centerpieces, the traditional Southern Hummingbird cake and the gorgeous canvas and pole tent, (or as Neala aptly described it: an Alice and Wonderland confection).  Each and every detail was carefully considered by Neala herself, combining stylish design with history and heritage.  The reception took place at Tryon Palace.  Located in New Bern, Tryon Palace holds significance relevance for Neala.  It’s where her grandmother worked as a tour guide and still lives in a beautiful stately waterfront house right outside of the property.

So, here’s to embracing those deep roots.  Here’s to growing new branches off that tree.  And here’s to Ben and Neala.  I loved being a part of your new beginning.