Steven and Lilly set Emerald Isle as the  location to host their very special day. They had always vacationed their together plus its kind of hard to be anything but relaxed when your down there, so it was really the perfect place to bring in family and friends to celebrate a wedding.  The name of the beach house summed it up best “Lazy Days” The ceremony was perfect: great weather, turquoise ocean, and a great couple. Their love and friendship was self-evident and easily captured. Lilly & her Dad surprised everyone by walking up the beach to the ceremony. They even had their dog Finn as the ring bearer, He was a true pro. We found some time during the reception to walk out on the beach for some awesome moonlight photos!  Thank you again for bringing us down to the Crystal Coast with you … we had a lot of fun with you guys and your family and friends! View their slideshow here.

I recently had the opportunity to photograph Jason & Christie’s  wedding that took place at The Aquaduct in Chapel Hill. They had a picture perfect day filled with friends and family. After first meeting Jason & Christie and checking out the venue I knew this was going to be awesome. They were a blast to work with and I hope you enjoy the photos! View there slideshow from their wedding day here. Jason + Christie Slideshow

We’ve been excited to share images from Christies’s bridal session on the blog but have been waiting until after the wedding. Christie and Jason were married on Saturday so now we can show some of the bridal session pictures! We shot Christie’s photos at The Aquaduct in Chapel Hill, NC which is where their wedding will take place. I couldn’t have imagined a better place for bridals. The backdrop overlooks 40 miles of natural beauty.  There is an old tree swing, old barns, rocking chairs,, so many great things here. Christie also decided to bring her horse Betsy out for the shoot.  Pictures from Christie & Jason’s wedding will be coming to the blog in a couple weeks so stay tuned!

After a short hiatus from enjoying some quality time with my new son Kai, We are back at it! This wedding takes us just a few blocks from the studio..which is awesome!  No long 2 or 3 hour midnight drives. I was also stoked to shoot their wedding as they had a great band play which really kept the crowd dancing. Alice & Duane are the best. I know I say that about all of my couples but they were just so laid back & great people to be around. They were so great and especially gracious with their photography time. They opted for a “First Look” and wisely scheduled portrait time prior to their ceremony at Coker Arboretum on the UNC campus.  After that we headed over to La Residence for the ceremony and reception. Sure, there was the usual nervousness and anticipation prior to the ceremony, but once these two were finally together ready to say “I Do”, you could literally feel and witness the emotion with some heartfelt tears that we captured after they read their own vows. It was great to witness amazing and loving families come together, and it was such a pleasure being apart of your day. We wish you all the best! This is what they had to say after they saw the photos:

“Johnny – you are a rock star. These pictures are beautiful, fantastic, and you capture all the right emotions of the day. Thank you for this. It is such a gift. I’ve sent to everyone and have gotten amazing response.”

View their slideshow here.

Hello all,

Kai Thomas Wells was born Sunday, Jan. 30th at 11am. 7lbs 13 oz. He is sweeter and more wonderful than we could have imagined!  Thanks to everyone for your emails, calls, and prayers. We can’t wait for you to meet him!

My friends Tracy & Jason gave me the opportunity to document the anticipation for their new arrival “Piper”  After doing some studio shots, I thought that since Jason is a DJ  it might be fun to incorporate some old vinyl into the photos so we strolled over to the new record store a few doors down from my studio. There is also a nice mural a couple blocks down that has just recently been painted by a local artist that I have been dying to shoot as a backdrop. They are an awesome couple and I look forward to meeting their little girl soon!

This last Saturday, we had the opportunity to photograph the wedding of Heather & John. The wedding took place in Kinston, at Faith Fellowship Church. I felt right at home with my cousin Lisa and her husband Wes being a part of the wedding. Thanks for introducing me to an awesome couple. This wedding  marks the official conclusion of our May-October wedding shooting marathon for the year. We have the next several weekends off which will be nice to rest, recharge, and get caught up on some post processing and album design. View their slideshow here…

So we traveled back to Greenville to shoot the wedding of Jay & Suzanne Wilson. I felt welcomed after meeting Jay and him telling me he was a big fan of mine. Their wedding was an incredible day that culminated in a low down limbo game! And the dancing never stopped. These people can move! We loved witnessing the look on Suzanne’s Dad’s face when he gave her away to Jay. Here’s what they had to say about the photos.

“Jay and I watched the slideshow last night – we laughed and cried through the entire thing!!!!  IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!  You are da bomb! THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!  I’m so happy with everything….you guys are amazing Let’s do it again next weekend!!!!!!”
Here is a link to view their slideshow http://www.johnnywellsphotography.com/jaysuzanneslideshow/wilson/index.html

Meet Noah and Allison (and their parents, Carl & Brooke and Joe & Whitney). I actually shot Carl & Brooke’s wedding a little over a year ago. They are one of the nicest couples I have worked with. So I got the chance to hang out again with them at the beach Wednesday afternoon and shoot their new addition along with their best friends. We couldn’t have asked for a better day to shoot on the beach. View there slideshows here: Noah, Carl & Brooke and Allison Joe  and Whitney

We had the pleasure of spending the day with Tony & Rita on Saturday. What a lovely couple, they were so into each other. The wedding took place at St. Peters Catholic Church in Greenville and the reception was at the Rock Springs Center.and jockey club . After the ceremony they  invited us back to their new home where they served us some great Lebanese food.

When you get a reaction from your couple like the following it makes you feel that you gave them 110% and captured what you set out to do…
“Exactly what I wanted in the photojournalism, you told a story thru the photos. You have captured all of our important  people and moments I wanted in our CD. I appreciate your work and making  our day very special thank you. If you need any reference  for any future potential jobs, just know that Tony and I are your biggest fans we are only one email away.”

Congratulations Tony & Rita! You are a fantastic couple and were so fun to work with on your wedding day!
View their slide show here http://www.johnnywellsphotography.com/ritatonyslideshow/ritatony/index.html

It makes my job a lot easier when I have an awesome couple like Anna & John to shoot. And what better place to have a wedding than in the Outer Banks of NC. They were married at the Holy Redeemer by the sea in Kitty Hawk, NC and the reception took place inside the pier house on the Kitty Hawk Pier. The sunset photos on the beach were awesome, they were so great to work with and the photos came so natural. They were very comfortable in front of the camera. We even got a little wet when the incoming tide rushed up, but they didn’t mind. Great family and friends as well. Congratulations! View their wedding slideshow below:
http://www.johnnywellsphotography.com/strasser/play/index.html

Tracy & Jason  are such a great laid back couple, my favorite kind! Jason and the groomsmen were super cool and made sure me and Jon were fed before the ceremony started.  They had major heat on their wedding day, but did not let it bother them for a second. We did so many great photos of them together. The grain bins and open fields made for a great backdrop. There were also tears that we captured as well.
See their wedding slideshow below:
http://www.johnnywellsphotography.com/perrywedding/play/index.html

Lauren & Bryan’s wedding had a lot of things going for it: beautiful weather, a great location with a ton of variety, a bride and a groom with a great sense of humor who together make a couple who are totally into each other. Not to mention their own Tiki Bar!
See their wedding slideshow below:
http://www.johnnywellsphotography.com/nichollsslide/play/index.html

Brandie came to me early in her engagement, about a year before her wedding. Needless to say, I have been excited for their big day for a VERY long time! The wedding took place at Bonners Point in Bath,NC. This was such an awesome place for a wedding. I think that some of the elements that make up a great wedding are (in no particular order): – a couple who is in love and excited to be getting married – a group of vendors who are committed to making that day special and beautiful – a beautiful location – a fun and relaxed bride! Since Brandie and Patrick had all four of these things going for them, I was not surprised one bit that their wedding was such a pleasure to be a part of. Their love and excitement were contagious, and their warm family and friends were so kind. Their photos truly tell the story! See their wedding slideshow below: http://www.johnnywellsphotography.com/bpslide/play/index.html

Wow! We had a great turnout yesterday at the Southern Bridal Show in Raleigh. It was inside the Jim Graham Building at the State Fair grounds. Thanks to all of the brides and grooms we met yesterday. I heard a lot of creative ideas for their big day. It was also nice talking with the folks from Rose Hill Plantation what a beautiful place to have a wedding.