Cynthia Viola Photography

Lisa and Mike's Wedding at The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

Wedding PhotographyCynthia Viola

I met Lisa at Deanna and William’s wedding in 2022 and we hit it off right away. The cheeriest little babe ever, and so happy to help with anything and everything. When she messaged about the wedding I said yes right away! Then seeing her with Mike at their engagement session, I knew they were meant to be, the perfect balance to each other. She encouraged him to be silly with her and live in the moment while he was steadfast and grounding. We pulled into Moses Cone Memorial Park, right as the black clouds were rolling but we knew we could beat them! So we jumped around the various spots as quick as we could, having an absolute blast and finished just in time! It definitely helped prepare us for the hurricane baring down this weekend!

Our babes stayed positive and excited all week, while making the necessary precautions just in case the storm hit hard, but to our delight the clouds just rolled passed. The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden luckily has several incredibly beautiful indoor locations to work with so we weren’t concerned about the pending storm, just a little bummed. Saturday morning, however, Lisa was just as bright and bubbly as she was when I first met her. And Mike is so chill, I don’t think anything could upset him. Fortunately we were able to follow the plan exactly and the sun came out making an already perfect day simply magical.

After a sweet first look with her father we made our way to the Conservatory so our babes could share a first look and private vow reading. All nerves were washed away as they shared their hearts with each other, laughed about inside jokes, lipstick and the giant machines trimming trees right where they planned to meet.

Next up the wedding party and family joined for photos, hyped them up, laughed, joked and touched up their final details preparing them for the ceremony and party to follow.

His dad officiated a beautiful ceremony speaking of their growth together through the years, conflict resolution beyond their years and fun competition along the way. Their siblings shared moving readings while every guest grew to love them even more.

After some fun toasts and formal dances the party really started! Chad with Split Second Sound read the room perfectly and the dance floor stayed full for FOUR fun filled hours! (in case you’ve not been to 400 weddings like I have, dance floors tend to wane after 2-3 hours, 4 is super impressive!)

As the night came to a close, we snuck away for a few private photos, they shared a sweet final dance and made it to the sparklers right as they blew out! Lol! But that only made everyone laugh harder and celebrate louder. These babes have an incredible crew around them and it was an honor to be a part of such a special day!

Instagram handles for all Vendors who made the day possible:

Photographer: @cynthiajviola

Venue: @danielstowebotanicalgarden 

Planning: @honeyidoweddings

HMU: @amycastro_wedding_hmua

Florals: @birch.nwillow

Rentals: @partyreflections

Video: @shutterandsound

DJ: @splitsecondsound

Catering: @bestimpressionscaterers