Hi friends! I typically do not share all of my newsletters on my blog. However, I know a few of you were wondering what I talk about in them. I get it, you don’t want another email junking up your inbox. Girl, me too. I am sharing with you my latest newsletter (came out January 2nd) so that you can see for yourself the hilarity, and even some real talk that goes out to everyone listed. If you were wanting to join up and stay in touch, please sign up for the newsletter HERE and scroll all the way to the bottom to enter in your info. Take care and happy new year! — Nikki

Hi Fancies!

Happy New Year! I hope you found yourself not hungover yesterday—thats the best thing I could ever wish for you. My husband and I were in bed when the clock struck midnight—we were watching the HBO show, Succession. By the time we remembered to check the clock—it was 12:08am. We missed it. This is marriage, and a happy one at that.

I kind of left my monthly newsletter hanging last month. Please forgive me. However, I promise that we were doing some very fun stuff at home! If you have known me for any amount of time, you are probably aware of the fact that my husband has been in nursing school for the past couple of years. Well, he graduated!!! YASSSSS!!! And, he has already secured a job in the Raleigh area. #praisebe We were thinking a move across state or even to another state would be in the cards. Thankfully, that is not the case as we love our little nook here in Durham.

The funniest and worst part about my husbands graduation? Well, his mom and I missed his graduation. Yep. You read that right. I had his mom in the car with me on the way to Raleigh. What wouldve been a 45 minute drive turned into 1.5 hour drive. By the time we arrived for his 3pm ceremony, he had already walked across the stage. Although this is an awful situation, I am atleast grateful that my husband and I can laugh at the occurrence. I am super type A and am always early to events—so, this was just laughable that I couldnt manage it on this one particular big day. Regardless, my hubby has his diploma and is now studying for his NCLEX test. No divorce necessary.

The big thing that I have seen from people leading up to the New Year has been coming up with a word that you would cater to for the year. Some people have said things along the lines of “cultivate,” & “calmness,” or some other hippie dippie thing that is the new IT thing for the year. To be honest, I couldnt come up with a word. Instead, I came up with a phrase that I hope to actually implement. That phrase, or rather a question, is “is it worth it?” CUE the Missy Elliott song

For instance, its totally worth the effort in taking care of myself (exercise, great food, self care). But, is it worth it to work on relationships that dont give back in the same way that I give to them? Is it worth it to bend over backwards to vendors who dont do the same in return? I think its a great phrase, but only this year will tell. Do you have a New Years resolution, word or phrase?

We ended our fall wedding season the weekend of Thanksgiving. Samantha, my Associate Photographer, photographed a beautiful and charming wedding at the Cloth Mill in Hillsborough. I photographed the sweetest couple at Rose Hill which is located in Nashville, NC. It was a wonderful ending to a great wedding season, and am excited it starts back up in February of 2020! See below for some of our favorites from those weddings.

If you were a past couple of ours—we wrote a blog post showcasing our absolute favorite images from your wedding day! We couldnt pick just one, so we picked our top 4 from each wedding. You can find that blog post HERE.

Good deeds?

I know the giving season is officially up, but, if you were hoping to do some good this year—think about some of the vendors that helped you for your wedding. As in, were there any vendors that stood out the most to you while planning your wedding or even on the day of? If so, have you written those companies an amazing review? This is such a small gesture, but helps out all of us and future couples. Just recently I wrote reviews for some vendors that I think have been topnotch this year. And, I still continue to do this as a “thank you.” Google is the best place in my opinion, but there are other websites like WeddingWire and TheKnot.

And lastly, I know a ton of us received clothing over the holidays. If you are a Marie Kondo connoisseur like I am, then I feel your pain in going through your closet to make room for the new stuff. However, if you plan on throwing away your clothes—is it possible for you to instead give to a womens shelter near you? There are a ton in this area, and although thrift stores are amazing in every way, if you donate to a womens shelter then these women (and children) will have more options to choose within their shelter in times of distress (think about when a woman leaves her home in a hurry—she would need clothing that she did not have time to pack). Some organizations to think about would be InterAct and Raleigh Rescue Mission.

Thank you again for your continued support in Fancy This! I cant wait to see what this year holds for us. Hope to see you soon!

XO,

Nikki

“Have too much on your plate? Stressed about where to do what, when, how? Fear not.. literally just call Fancy This Photography. Not only did Nikki provide us with AMAZING photos, but she basically helped me plan my wedding day schedule. I'm not saying she will be able to do this for you.. but the fact that she wanted to help me that much should let you know you're making a good decision if you go with this company. They are wonderful people who care a lot about what you are doing. Also, a lot of my family members don't generally even like having their photos taken and they were commenting things like "Man... that photography team was on top of it." and "The photographers were so great and so professional!". Everything was so smooth. A month later and we are still getting comments about the quality our wedding photos! While in our honeymoon suite the next day, we got around 20 "Sneak Peaks". Instant gratification that your day went off without a hitch! ;D Later the USB (which looked like expensive jewelry!) was so thoughtfully packaged and put together. Not a day went by as a Fancy This client that we didn't feel special.” — Katie, the Bride

I think the words that best describe Katie and Stewart’s wedding are “sweet,” and “just like them.” I’ve always adored Katie and Stewart and their love for one another. But, what I loved the most is that they really wanted a wedding that felt just like them, felt just like home. They pulled it off, and I am so happy that they chose me to photograph such an important day in their lives.

The day started out early. And, I mean early—like a 7am start time. They had a brunch wedding (yes I said BRUNCH!!!!) which I was head over heels to be a part of! Seriously, can this become a thing in the wedding industry?! Katie and her bridesmaids got ready at Double Oaks Bed and Breakfast, and then headed to Local Honey Salon for their hair blowouts. My favorite part of this time of day was when Katie’s mom was helping her in her dress back at Double Oaks. The girls got ready on the top floor of the bed and breakfast which hosted this gorgeous door and windows to look out into the lawn. This was a sweet moment to photograph.

Katie and Stewart had a wedding of firsts for me. They married at their own church in Greensboro, NC. Instead of Stewart seeing Katie for the first time down the aisle, they decided to meet each other for their “first look” right before the ceremony started. They also walked down the aisle, hand in hand together to marry one another. Stewart’s dad performed the ceremony, which was amazing to witness.

Their reception took place at The Caroline Theatre in Greensboro. It was a site to see their names written on the marquee! Guests were greeted with a fun brunch menu, which I adored. Later, Katie and Stewart held a “first” game instead of a first dance. Stewart ended up winning, but only because Katie let him, ha! Afterwards, guests were invited to play games that afternoon. The tables were showered with a ton of board games and card games and guests genuinely enjoyed partaking in playing.

I enjoyed all of the small, but important details of their day. Katie and Stewart—thank you for your kindness and generosity. Serving you on this important day will always be so special to me. Congratulations on your marriage!

Special thanks to all of the vendors who made their day extra special!

Ceremony at College Park Baptist Church
Reception at The Carolina Theatre Greensboro
Gown by Tre Bella
Flowers by Tre Bella
Accommodations at Double Oaks Bed and Breakfast
Hair by Local Honey Salon
Macarons by Macarons by Aline
Cake by Guglhupf
Bridesmaids Dresses by Polo
Catering by Painted Plate
Earrings by Ten Thousand Villages
Bride’s Ring by The Northway Studio
Groom’s Ring by Rustic and Main
Recipe Cards by Rifle Paper Company

It’s not every day that you get the prettiest of snow covering every inch of North Carolina. On this day, we did. Katie and I toyed with the idea of rescheduling she and Stewarts engagement session, and inevitably, I wanted to give her that right because, let’s be honest, a snow in NC means that all of the roads are blocked off. We ended up going for it, and I am oh so glad we did!

We met at Bicentennial Garden in Greensboro, NC. It was perfect. There were absolutely no other people there (well, except this one guy who was determined to get his fitness on [he wore shorts]), but he quickly became just a passerby once we started. This was my first time in the garden, and it was just beautiful. Seriously, I will have to make another plan to go back out to this garden once Spring hits.

Most of the time when I start to photograph an engagement session, people start to feel that awkward feeling. I can’t blame them, there is this camera pointing at you, and you are “forced” to be normal, right? Give it a few minutes and that feeling starts to melt away. The best part about Katie and Stewart was the fact that they felt completely comfortable, even in the beginning. It was sweet to see them in their own environment, surrounded by snow, and the best outfits to boot. I think what I loved most about their session is how Stewart looked at Katie—it was endearing, and just a site to see.

We later went to downtown Greensboro for the complete opposite of our beginning portion of the engagement session. Yep, these two swapped their nice clothes for comfier ones (I can’t blame them) and we trotted on in to the cutest bookstore in downtown—Scuppernong Books.

Wine and coffee were bought, but the best part is that they laid out some of their favorite board games and started to play them. They were completely in their element, and this was totally them. I love it when a couple just wants to showcase what THEY do as a couple. I am a firm believer in photographing couples in their own element, and these two did not disappoint. I am so looking forward to their wedding later this year…games may be played and I am anxiously waiting for their guests to have a blast!