This Charlotte Marriott City Center Wedding was absolutely amazing!  I was so honored and excited to be a part of Danielle and Kyle’s wedding day, and share in their celebration.  They held their ceremony at St. John Neumann Catholic Church with a reception following at the Charlotte Marriott City Center in downtown Charlotte.

I met Danielle and Kyle last year, right in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.  No one knew for sure what things would look like a year later, but I think everyone can agree who was at the wedding that it all came together just right!  Kyle and Danielle chose to keep the wedding and reception full of just their closest friends and family.  And like Danielle’s Dad said during the welcome, “If you’re here, then you made the cut!  You are here because you are considered family!”  Everyone was so welcoming to me and my second and third photographers, that we felt like we were a part of the family by the end of the night!  That’s just the way these two are – joyful, fun, laid back, welcoming, and so excited about starting their married lives together!!
Danielle and Kyle originally met when they worked at Outback together in 2015.  They were both dating other people though, at the time.  Kyle was a server and Danielle was a hostess.  Danielle only worked there during college breaks when she was home from Greensboro.  But Danielle remembers Kyle taking the time to talk to her and being really helpful with training her and answering any questions she had about the job.  By the summer of 2016 they had become good friends and were both recently out of relationships and were both single.  By the time Danielle had to go back to school, they had been talking everyday for months and Kyle wanted to take her out on a date before she left.  They ended up deciding to go to The Board Walk in University City and they went paddle boating, fed the ducks, and ate ice cream.  They had such a good time and talked for so long that Kyle ended up being late for work!  Luckily it ended up being okay because Kyle’s boss knew they were going on a date and wasn’t mad.  A few weeks later Kyle went up to visit Danielle in Greensboro and brought flowers and a fancy box with a cute note in it asking Danielle to be his girlfriend.  She said Yes right away!  Fast forward 3 years later on Danielle’s birthday, Kyle took her back to The Board Walk where they had their first date (and under the disguise of running errands and taking some birthday pictures), he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him!  It turns out Danielle’s sister, Hannah who was along with them, was taking a video of the whole proposal!
After hearing their love story, which Danielle shared when they first contacted me, I knew I wanted to work with them on their special day!  We were able to meet last June 2020, and take their engagement photos in downtown Charlotte at Romare Bearden Park and The Green.  We got to know each other more during the session and shortly after, they decided to book me for their wedding!
There were so many things I loved about Danielle and Kyle’s Wedding Day.  Here are just a few that stood out to me.

1.  Before the ceremony, Danielle and Kyle decided to have a “First Touch” around a column at the church, so Kyle couldn’t see Danielle.  They each read letters to each other they had written.  I loved how in one part of the letter, they both basically said the same thing  – Kyle could look at Danielle and know exactly what she’s feeling and thinking.

2.  Their ceremony was at the Catholic Church.  They had a full mass and communion.  It was sacred and beautiful and it was such an honor to witness and capture these memories for them.

3.  After the ceremony and family photos, the wedding party (along with myself and one of my assistant photographers), got in a SUV Limo and rode downtown to the same parks we had done their engagement photos at a year earlier.  I loved how Danielle and Kyle and their friends in the wedding party were all having a great time singing and dancing to music.  “All Star” by Smash Mouth – “Hey now, you’re a rockstar . . . ” was playing loud and proud and everyone dancing and singing along.  So Much Fun!!

4.  For their first dance, Kyle and Danielle danced to “From the Ground Up” by Dan and Shay and they danced a choreographed dance they had only learned less than a week before the wedding day!  They absolutely NAILED it!! I was just smiling from ear to ear as their family and friends cheered them on and they danced so beautifully, all ending with Kyle picking Danielle up and twirling her around.  It was just gorgeous!!

I could talk for hours about it all, but I will let the rest of the pictures from their day speak for themselves!  Be sure to scroll all the way to the end to see Danielle and Kyle’s awesome team of vendors who helped make the whole day even more amazing!

Thank you again, to Danielle and Kyle, and both of your families for trusting me with your important day!  I hope you’ve enjoyed reliving your day through this blog post with these sneak peeks!  I can’t wait to get to work at Charlotte Marriott City Center again, hopefully!  (Many more memories and photos to come in your final photo gallery delivery!!)

Danielle and Kyle’s team of vendors:

Ceremony:  St. John Neumann Catholic Church

Venue:  Charlotte Marriott City Center
Caterer:  Charlotte Marriott City Center

Florist:  Pink Petunia

DJ:  Fusion Sound and Lighting

Photographer:  Jill Brisken Photography