Ayisha & Dan’s Wedding

in Siler City, NC at the Inn at Celebrity Dairy

Gah! I am so excited to share with you Ayisha & Dan’s fall wedding! These two stole my heart earlier this year, and they really outdid themselves for their wedding this past October. The first time I met Ayisha and Dan was for their engagement session (which for the record, it went down in Fancy This history books because it is just amazing! There was an airstream!) which you can view HERE. Let’s just say, the moment that I met them I knew we were going to make some magic happen on their wedding day.

Ayisha and Dan live in Washington, DC, and wanted something a bit more laid back for their soiree. Originally, their wedding date was schedule for April of this year. Well, you know the rest of the story. They postponed their wedding to October of 2020, and even decided to do an elopement over the summer to make things officially official! What a pair! I love that they did that!

My favorite part about their wedding day was seeing their sweet pup, Babs, having so much fun with all of the guests! She is so stinking adorable, and was the best guest out of all! I know, I am biased, but still! She was so cute! My second favorite part about their wedding day was how Dan looked at Ayisha. Geezus. My heart! It was genuine and pure adoration. These two were meant to be, and I am so excited that I had a front row seat to see it. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because life can be really good, even in the midst of 2020.

A fun part of the night was the amount of toasts and celebrating that happened during the reception. Instead of your typical cake cutting, or just having the entire reception be a dance party—these two wanted to hear from their friends and family. For those that couldnt make it, they were livestreamed via Zoom. People sent in videos from all over the world (and I mean, all over the world) to congratulate the couple on their marriage. For those that attended, they got up to speak about the couple. I dont know what was better, the speeches or the happiness that poured out from Ayisha and Dan when they heard them. It was truly something special. I am so glad they did this!

With covid cases on the rise, they knew that they needed to put forth a huge amount of effort to make sure that they and their guests were safe. If any of my couples are wanting to do something similar, I want to highly encourage you to take some of the precautions that Ayisha and Dan did. See below for some good ideas.

• One week prior to the wedding, guests and vendors were sent a covid test from PIXEL that they could swab and send off from home. In order to attend the wedding, you needed to prove you were covid negative.

• When you arrived at the wedding, you could choose between different colored bands to wear. These bands were different “codes” to guests. A green band meant that they were okay with closer social gathering, a yellow band meant they were okay with some social gathering but to be cautious, and red meant that they preferred to stay within their immediate pod. Brilliant, right?!

• Hand sanitation stations and even hand sanitizer in gift bags!

• Specific tables for families. Each table that guests sat at were only paired with those in their immediate family.

• Dance floor required masks, which was busy all night! People had so much fun!

It was just an all around great gathering, and was even sweeter because these two are just the absolute best. I love loving on my clients, but these guys were just the cream of the crop. Congratulations, Ayisha and Dan!

Special thanks to all of the vendors involved!
Venue & Catering The Inn at Celebrity Dairy
Flowers by Hazel Witch Farm
Spirits by Women in Wine RVA
Brides Wedding Band The Ro Collective

Mary Ryan & Dan’s Intimate Wedding

A mini-mony backyard soiree filled with all things Zoom!

“We hired Nikki for our small backyard wedding and she was an absolute dream come true. We LOVE our photos - they look ethereal and magical. She masterfully captured the joy, love and beauty of our day.

But, gorgeous photographs aren’t the only reason she was a dream to work with! She was responsive and cared deeply about making sure she understood what we wanted. She was professional and helpful on our wedding day. And, she delivered our finished photos in record time!

We loved every step of working with Nikki and we hope to do many more shoots with her in the future. Highly recommend! She was worth every penny.” — Mary Ryan, the Bride

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I know Covid-19 sucks. Really, it does. But, I do try to find the light and to be honest—this year has been a year of straight love. Its not the year I, myself, planned; or really, any of my couples had planned, but it has outdone itself with the beautiful elopements and small weddings. I have had the chance to photograph so many fun elopements this year. Its exactly what I have always wanted to do. Silver lining? I meet amazing people like Mary Ryan and Dan.

Mary Ryan and Dan hosted their wedding on their backyard deck. The deck just so happened to host the beautifully painted mandella that Mary Ryan happened to orchestrate during the peak of quarantine this year. It was gorgeous! And how fun that it would have a front row seat to this couples wedding. Their wedding was an intimate soiree that included all of their small close-knit masked family and friends. Those that were not present joined in via zoom, which the computer was strategically placed right in the middle of the “aisle” so that everyone had a front row look.

It was special and unique. Their vows were some of the best I’d ever heard. I mean that. They spoke about social justice, the true meaning of health in this covid-19 world, and beautiful stories that brought them together. I was honored to hear about it. I am even more honored that I was able to document it for them.

Congratulations, Mary Ryan & Dan!