Dugaren Vineyards Wedding | Denver, NC Wedding Photographer

It’s no secret that I love color. When my children or students ask me what my favorite color is, I have a hard time answering, because I love them all! Canaan & Kyle’s Dugaren Vineyard wedding was so full of color, I could not help but feature it.

Initially, Kyle’s mom reached out to me as she was helping her son and future daughter-in-law with some of their wedding planning. She heard about me from one of my family/senior portrait clients (I love my clients)! After a quick chat about their wedding plans and a few questions about my work, Canaan and Kyle booked me as their photographer! We hit it off immediately because she is a teacher, and I am a teacher, and we teachers just get each other! And during the entire process, Canaan was SO organized and thoughtful, which I appreciate so much!

During our conversations about her wedding vision, Canaan did request some of the intentionally blurry photos that are trending these days. This is not something I usually do–I have always considered blurry photos unintentional and work hard to avoid them! However, because I always want to please my clients, my second shooter Blakely and I worked really hard to learn some different techniques to capture some of the motion of Canaan & Kyle’s day. I always appreciate a challenge and the opportunity to learn something new! And, we definitely captured all the perfectly exposed, still shots in addition to the blurry ones!

The venue Canaan and Kyle chose for their big day was Dugaren Vineyards, which I have never visited before, but after a quick visit to their website, I was psyched. Just a little over an hour away from my home, Dugaren has a beautifully crafted building with both indoor and covered outdoor areas, a big open vineyard surrounded by beautiful trees, and the most amazing bridal AND groom suites! And on June 8, the weather was warm, but not too hot, and sunny…a perfect summer day. Their planner, Andrea from Off-White Events was a great communicator and colleague to work alongside, AND she had just given birth to her son the week before! But you would have never known—she was such a trooper!

When I finally arrived at Dugaren Vineyard, I got to meet Canaan and Kyle in person, and they were such kindred spirits! They are high school sweethearts, so they have known each other for quite a while. Kyle proposed on the Amalfi coast in Italy last May; what a dreamy experience that must have been! They are both from such wonderful families; when I arrived at the venue, even though I hadn’t officially met anyone in person, it was so easy to fit right in and get to work. Everyone was so warm and welcoming! The entire wedding party was so laid back and just enjoying the company of their friends and family, not stressing about anything, which always makes a wedding day run more smoothly! Canaan and Kyle did not avoid seeing each other before they got ready, but once they got dressed, visits were off-limits, as they wanted that first moment when they saw each other in their wedding attire to be in the aisle. Canaan’s uber-talented mom took care of all the flowers, and her bridesmaids had put together their own bouquets the night before…they were so colorful and vibrant! And Canaan had allowed each bridesmaid to choose her own dress from wherever she would like with just a suggested color scheme. They all turned out so unique!

Their ceremony began at 3:25 pm and was lovely, and their guests blew bubbles as Canaan & Kyle shared their first kiss and made their way back down the aisle. Because of the colorful flowers and bright sun, the bubbles caught the light and created little rainbow orbs floating all around them; it was absolutely stunning!

After the ceremony and photos with family and the wedding party, the reception began with Canaan & Kyle’s first dance and dances with parents, which turned into quite an event as both Canaan’s family and Kyle and his mom had choreographed dances that surprised their guests! Then the entire group went into the air-conditioned banquet hall for dinner, which was hibachi cooked by Gringo Ninja! Kyle even helped put on a little show by lighting the oil on fire as some of the guests caught pieces of squash and shrimp tossed into the air by the cook. I have never seen a hibachi station at a wedding before, but now it is DEFINITELY on my list of amazing wedding ideas!

After dinner and toasts, everyone headed back to the dance floor and enjoyed the music played by the DJs of Split Second Sound, and as the sun set outdoors, I managed to sneak Canaan and Kyle away for a few photos in the vineyard. The rest of the evening was full of dancing, several of the wedding party and family members being hoisted into the air in a chair (reminiscent of the Hora tradition), and pure excitement. Finally, at the end of their evening, one of Canaan & Kyle’s nephews decided to join them during their sparkler exit (SO cute), and they headed off!

I am so grateful to have been able to capture this beautiful day for Canaan and Kyle and get to know their wonderful friends and families; it was another wedding for the books! Canaan and Kyle, thank you so much for trusting me with your vision! I loved being a small part of your day, and I wish you all of God’s blessings and happiness in your marriage!