omar and alia: durham wedding photography

i have so much to blog all of a sudden! and i know i haven't been doing so well! so i do apologize... but first, i'm truly excited to share some images from omar and alia's wedding, which took place may 30 at the beautiful millennium hotel in durham.i've said before, i love shooting in the raleigh muslim community, because it's where i grew up; i actually came to this wedding through an old friend who is now a cake decorator and baker extraordinaire - whose wedding was, incidentally, one of the VERY first i ever shot, years ago! but i also knew the groom's family from childhood; omar's sister, reem, was one of my good friends growing up, and i knew her parents pretty well, too, from the local masjid. and i'm pretty sure i have seen alia's family over the years... years ago! anyway. whether i remembered them or not, it was an absolute joy to see how truly happy omar and alia were with each other: there is usually something about every wedding that stays with me long after i've finished processing the pictures, and what i will always remember from this one are the smiles on each of their faces when they looked at each other. they'd get LOST in the middle of all the music, lights and people - subhanallah! i pray that your marriage always grows in the light of that love, omar and alia, and that God blesses both you and your families. since alia - and many of the women who attended this wedding - wear hijab, i won't be sharing many of the pictures from the earlier part of the day, or the women's section after the men left and they got down and partied! but here are some of the moments i CAN share, including the fantastic groom's cake alia had made as a surprise for omar, as well as some of the general fun and horsing around that went on as the evening progressed.