Roanoke Virginia Wedding | Lauren and Sam's Beautiful Day

We always ask couples to tell us what they are doing to make their wedding special or unique. And to tell us what they envision their ideal wedding to be like.

Here's what Lauren and Sam had to say about their wedding plans.

"We were a bit worried about the whole planning process. We wanted to make sure we stayed focused, spending our money and efforts on the things that mattered most to us.

So we wrote our list of priorities:

1) End up, at the end of the day, married to each other.

2) Have a great time celebrating that fact with all of our favorite people.

3) Have good food, good drinks, fun music, and really spectacular cake for that celebration.

4) Have lots of pictures to capture the event so that afterwards, when it feels like it was a blur of activity, we can remember the moments that made it beautiful.

5) Be responsible in our planning to not spend an outrageous amount of money on a single day and, to as great an extent as possible, support local and independent businesses."

That's a list of priorities I felt compelled to share.

Here are few of the photographs we took to help them "remember the moments" that made their wedding day so beautiful.

The InterContinental Hotel Buckhead - Wedding and Event Venue

By Cindy Brown

Earlier this summer, our new friends Dwayne Keller and Brian Ettelman took us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the fabulous 5-star InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead.

We were surprised and delighted by the many eco-friendly features of the hotel, including earth boxes in the garden space (where spices for the restaurant were planted) and the rainwater capture systems used to water the gardens and provide water for the fountains.

Event space at the venue lives up the five-Star billing. While we were there, we happened upon Tony Conway and Kate Stone of A Legendary Event as they were planning Housewives of Atlanta NeNe’s fabulous wedding. We were also privileged to see planners preparing the 11,000 square-feet Windsor Ballroom for a large event for a local accounting firm.

A few weeks after our tour, we attended the AGLCC Awards Gala in the Windsor Room and the folks at Q and A Events had given the room a spectacular chic, modern look for the evening. At the event we were able to sample some of the InterContinental’s delectable dishes.

If you've never been to the InterContinental, you should set a date for a tour, or stop by for lunch, dinner or dessert at the fabulous Southern Art Restaurant & Bourbon Bar.

Two Awards from the Wedding Photojournalist Association in the First Quarter 2013 Competition

I'm proud to report another two WPJA wins. In the first quarter of 2013, one of my photos took 2nd Place in the Mobile Devices Category and another took 12th Place in the Ring Details category. Thanks to Nicole and Bryan and Saed and Nate for inviting us to be a part of your wedding day. Here they are:

wpja_2nd_place_q1_2013

wpja_12th_place_q1_2103

Lauren and Adam's Higdon House Wedding (Greensboro, Georgia)

Our first experience photographing a wedding at the Higdon House in Greensboro, Georgia, was delightful.

Lauren and Adam's wedding day had just the right amount of quirkiness to it to make it fabulous. The ceremony took place in the lovely outdoor chapel, surrounded by blooming hyacinths and daylilies. Lauren and Adam, both avid music fans, chose a soundtrack for their ceremony that was definitely offbeat. The groom processed from poolside to the strains of "Nothing but a G Thang." The bridesmaids and groomsmen entered from the arbor to the "Harry Potter Intro." And the bride walked down the aisle to "Stellar." They each wrote their own vows and when they read them, laughter and tears welled up in guests and family alike.

The supper buffet fit right in with the Southern charm of the Higdon House -- macaroni and cheese, summer squash, and a down-home twist on chicken cordon blue. The red velvet wedding cake was delicious in a traditional way, but non-traditional in decoration.

After dinner, folks let loose on the dance floor. Special requests from bride and groom and friends ramped up the craziness.

Wedding Gift

Ring bearer and Flower Girl

Bridesmaid and Groomsman walking down aisle at the Higdon House

Bride and Dad walk down the aisle

Friends and Family at Higdon House Wedding

Bored Ring Bearer

HIgdon House Chapel

Parents of the bride become emotional

Kiss after the ceremony

Offbeat Wedding Cake

While dance party wedding reception

Katie and Evan | The Cultural Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

We were thrilled to travel to our old haunt Hattiesburg to cover Katie and Evan's delightful fairy-themed wedding. The nuptials and reception both took place in the classic Cultural Center, also known as the Old Library.

Katie's fairy collection adorned the table decorations and other nooks and crannies that were fairy worthy. The flower girls ... well they weren't really flower girls.They were fairies who carried huge -- I mean really huge -- flowers.

Close friends and family raised their glasses in toasts, watched the traditional cake cutting, bouquet toss and garter ritual and were treated to a surprising twist on the dance floor.

Here are a few favorites from the evening.

Fairy Theme Wedding

Fairy Theme Wedding

Bride and Jewish Groom in Uniform

Bride and Groom kiss on dance floor

Bride hugs bridesmaid

The garter removal

Atlanta History Center | Atlanta Wedding and Event Venue

The Atlanta History Center will wow you!

I was lucky enough to receive a custom tour by Steven Dickson, Special Events Sales Associate at the Center. There's nothing ordinary about this place. Located on 33 acres in Buckhead, the Center houses 13 different event spaces, from the intimate to the breathtaking.

You could choose to host your event at The Grand Overlook with its barrel-vaulted ceiling, Brazilian cherry-wood floors, and an entire wall of 14-foot windows overlooking the Quarry Garden. Or you could host an unforgettable wedding ceremony or a cocktail party at the historic Swan House Gardens. Built in 1928, this estate garden venue is an Atlanta icon that is versatile enough to suit a wedding ceremony, a rehearsal dinner, mitzvah celebration, cocktail party or any other special occasion.

For those looking for something a little more rustic, the Center offers the Smith-Tulley Farm and period gardens. If you host your event at the Center, not only will your space be extraordinary, but you will be supporting the Center's mission to connect people, history, and culture through exhibitions, educational history programs, historic gardens and houses; and the preservation of documents and photographs.

Here are a few photographs from my tour:

Atlanta Wedding Venue | Melia Hotel

Recently I was invited by Crickett Russell, Social Catering Manager, to tour the venue spaces at the Melia Hotel. I was surprised to learn that Melia Hotels is one of the top 20 hotel companies in the world, with more than 350 hotels in 35 countries. The hotel in Atlanta is located at 590 West Peachtree Street NW in the heart of midtown. With more than 30,000 square feet of meeting space and upwards of 20 meeting rooms, the hotel is a great place for weddings, b'not mitzvahs, quinceaneras and other social events, as well as corporate events.

Unique to the Melia in Atlanta is SKY twenty.five, a spectacular event space occupying the entire top floor of the hotel with floor-to-ceiling windows providing breathtaking panoramic views of the Atlanta skyline. The space can hold up to 350 people.

Multimedia Slideshow | Ralph and Terry's Sandy Springs Wedding

We've posted a few of our favorite photos from Ralph and Terry's delightful wedding. Here's a full slideshow of the best storytelling photos from the day. Enjoy!

C Brown Photo