As soon as we met Mallori, we knew the day she married Barrett was going to overflow with so much emotion. She is full of life and joy and charisma, and her excitement about marrying Barrett was almost tangible. Along with the excitement and joy of preparing for the big day, there was also looming much heavier emotion — she lost her Dad very recently, and we knew that she, her sister, and her Mom would have hearts full of a complex mix of emotions — the joy of Mallori marrying the love of her life, and the great sense of loss that her Dad wouldn’t be physically present for this monumental occasion.
The result of this great juxtaposition was not a day that felt heavy with loss or darkened by overwhelming sadness. Instead, it was a lot like living a lifetime in a single day — there were moments with very genuine tears, and there were moments with very genuine joy. There was grieving and there was rejoicing. Her Dad was honored throughout the day in lots of special ways, and we were blessed by such a warm sense of him being present, smiling down, also rejoicing with his little girl on her wedding day.
I (Caroline) also recently lost my Dad, and Mark and I were both quite emotional as we prepared for Mallori’s wedding day, being so closely able to remember how difficult an unexpected loss like this can be, and imagining what Mallori and her Mom and sister might be going through. Despite the heavy emotions, we managed to keep it together and capture imagery from Mallori and Barrett’s day that gives a good glimpse into the joy and the sorrow that met on the day they said I do. I will admit I did lose it for a few moments when Mallori’s Mom gave her away. My apologies to any of the wedding guests around me who wondered why that crazy photography lady with tears streaming down her face had to unzip her lens case and pull out a package of tissues. Fortunately I didn’t get my camera wet!
These photos are some of our favorites from the beautiful day Mallori and Barrett said I do! It was such a special privilege to be part of your wedding day, you two. We wish you a lifetime of happiness together with heaps more joy!!
Mallori had a patch from one of her Dad’s shirts with his initials sewn onto her dress. So sweet!!!
Congratulations, Mallori and Barrett! It was WONDERFUL to celebrate you two becoming husband and wife!! We are excited to follow along as your story continues to unfold!
Well done, vendors!
Venue: The Wilkinson Center, Belhaven, NC
Hair: Brandy Grimes, A Cut Above
Make-up: Melissa Smith, Dollface by Melissa
Cake: Kay Carter, Plymouth, NC
Band: Trainwreck, Greenville, NC
Wedding Coordinator: Nikki Smith Klapp
Photography by Quiver Tree… yay!
Such a beautiful write-up on the blog. Their day was so amazing and
it makes for an even better day with such awesome photos. Caroline, you definitely held your composure well throughout the day. Sorry to hear of your father, I was not aware of that this day. You and Mark both did awesome and were such a pleasure to work with!!
Thanks Blair! What a pleasure it was celebrating with you folk! We loved every minute of it! And thank you for the kind words about Caroline’s Dad. The emotion of losing a parent is never far from the surface and we felt especially close to Mallori and her family having both lost our Dad so recently. Her wedding was truly special and her Dad was definitely loved and honored!
Mark and Caroline,
Thank you so much for such beautiful pictures of Mallori and Barrett’s special day. You were right it was a very difficult and emotional day for me and the girls Ashley and Mallori. You both were a pleasure to work with and I certainly hope we have the opportunity again to have yall take pictures for us. Thanks again and we love you both dearly.
Miss Anita! We love you! What an honor it is do something that we love for people we love. You have a special family there! Congrats again on gaining a son!