It was a very chilly 47 degrees when I met Christy and Michael in downtown Raleigh for their engagement session, but they gamely used the cold as a great excuse for cuddling for my camera! I love winter engagement sessions, especially with a couple as stylish as this one! The pair will say "I do" later this month at beautiful Haywood Hall in Raleigh. We can't wait! Enjoy some of my favorites from their e-session.

Bride-to-be: Christy

Groom-to-be: Michael

Wedding Date: April 13, 2013

Where they'll marry: Haywood Hall, Raleigh NC

How did you meet? We had a class together in our last semester of high school. I thought he was pretty cute, so as soon as we had a test, I suggested we study together. He called but we did more talking than studying! We've been together since.

Favorite things to do when we've got a weekend off: Shop! Go hiking in the mountains, relax at the pool.

Favorite bands: MGMT, Passion Pit, Edward Sharpe, Pinback

Favorite restaurant: Sitti in downtown Raleigh

Favorite meal to make together: Risotto!

What will be unique about the wedding? The beautiful setting and our guest book, a Polaroid camera. Guests will take photos of themselves and write a message to us which we'll use to create a keepsake book.

What's the most important thing to you about your wedding photography? That we can look back on that CRAZY day and remember all the love surrounding us!

Why does Charles Dickens spring to mind when I think back over 2012? "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…" I can't remember a year so full of personal and business challenges as 2012. Remember that old margarine commercial with the tagline "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature"? Somewhere along the way, I not only fooled Mother Nature, I really ticked her off. The weather was brutal this past year, affecting more weddings with torrential downpours and wicked heat than I can remember since going full-time in 2006. Put it this way — before last year, we'd only had one wedding where rain caused an outdoor ceremony to be moved inside. This year, we had FIVE. And the heat? The hottest day on record in North Carolina was June 30, 2012. Guess where we were? Outside, photographing a wedding at Devil's Ridge Golf Club in Holly Springs. How fitting. While photographing one of the best-natured wedding parties I've had the pleasure to work with, desperate to get a laugh, I told an old joke: "Satan called — he wants his weather back." I got the laugh, then we quickly got back into golf carts, chugged ice water and headed for the relative cool of the clubhouse porch. It's hard to enjoy being photographed in intense heat dressed either in layers of satin and crinoline or in an ink-black tux, but we got lucky — our 2012 couples stood with us, stared back at Mother Nature and said "Bring it on!" What an amazing collection of brides and grooms, friends and families. I'll be forever grateful to each and everyone of you. You made a difficult year worth while!

Soon I'll be rounding up my favorite images from the year and sharing them here. (Poor blog — it was really neglected in 2012.) There's so much goodness to show you! On the calendar January 2013 represents not just a new year but a fresh start. Stay tuned!