Birmingham weddings

Alabama Chanin Fashion Story [Birmingham Magazine Weddings, February 2018]

Published on February 7, 2018February 7, 2018 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

Hand sewn garments, quality focused, responsibly produced, rich in tradition, and created in Alabama. THIS was a fun project to shoot. If you ever find yourself near Florence, Alabama, stop by the Alabama Chanin factory, browse their organic garments and home goods, then sit down for a bite of lunch at The Factory Café. So much southern goodness created by Natalie Chanin, right there in my home state. Read the full story in the current issue of Birmingham Weddings Magazine.

The process…pretty fascinating.

Megan & Andrew’s Country Club of Birmingham Wedding

Published on August 7, 2017September 25, 2017 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

Every beautiful detail of Megan and Andrew’s Birmingham, Alabama wedding was perfectly curated by the talented planning team at Mariee Ami. Megan’s gown was by local Alabama designer, Heidi Elnora, and her blush Amsale bridesmaids dresses were some of my very favorite this season.

I’ve known Andrew’s Mom, Sharon, for years, so I was thrilled their families wanted me to photograph the wedding. I first met Megan and Andrew on a beautiful spring day for their Engagement Session at Andrew’s family’s home on Smyer Lake. After spending a short time with them that afternoon, I knew it was going to be a fun wedding day! And, although they didn’t think so, they were very much naturals in front of the camera.

The details of this wedding are truly gorgeous, but my favorite takeaway from this wedding was the way their families stayed together to celebrate. It’s very easy for the families of the bride and groom to get pulled in different directions at the wedding reception: but somehow they made sure to visit with and enjoy guests, while still staying together. I’m not sure I’ve ever shot a wedding where I was able to get the bride, groom, both families and best friends on the front row dancing together in reception shots. And, instead of them using their iPhones all night, the chose to just live the day and let me preserve the moments for them. What a gift to each other and to me! Their love and adoration for each other, being present in every moment, was the theme throughout the day. These families were such a joy and pleasure to work with!

Please excuse this lengthy post, but there’s just so much to share from Megan and Andrew’s absolutely perfect day, that even the rain couldn’t change. One of my favorite shots of them is under an umbrella. “I’m just a fella, a fella with an umbrella, looking for a girl who saved her love for a rainy day.” — Frank Sinatra

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Megan & Andrew’s Rehearsal Dinner at The Haven, Birmingham AL

Published on July 23, 2017 by Heather Durham Photography1 Comment

Megan & Andrew’s Rehearsal Dinner at Haven was beautifully designed by Hothouse Design Studio & Prophouse Birmingham. It was a wonderful celebration of time-tested, lifelong friendships and the adoration of close knit families. I was blessed and inspired by the kind words I heard spoken about Megan and Andrew. They are wonderful examples of true friendship. It was a lovely evening.

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Chris & Emily’s Engagement Session

Published on June 28, 2017July 6, 2017 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

I enjoyed meeting Chris and Emily at their Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Railroad Park Engagement Session. Here’s some of my favorite images from our afternoon together. Be sure to check out their Historic Rucker Place wedding here.

Alexandra & Justin’s Birmingham Botanical Gardens & Grand Bohemian Hotel Wedding

Published on June 20, 2017June 20, 2017 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

Alexandra and Justin’s wedding, planned by Handley Breaux Designs, was such a pleasure to shoot and the vendor team did an outstanding job at delivering her dream day. The bride and groom, their families and wedding party incredibly sweet and so much fun! We were blessed with mild, breezy weather (unusual for May in Alabama) for their outdoor ceremony at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and it couldn’t have been more gorgeous! I was thrilled to be a part of this beautiful wedding. Here are some of my favorite images from Alexandra and Justin’s storybook day.

Photographer: Heather Durham Photography | 2nd Shooter: Emily Walker Kicklighter | Planner: Handley Breaux Designs | Wedding Gown: Kelly Faetanini from Carriage House Weddings | Hair & Make Up: Leslie Corts and Carol Grubbs | Bridesmaids Dresses: Joanna August from Bella Bridesmaids (Birmingham, AL) | Floral Design: Lagniappe Designs | Cake Artists: Magic Muffins and Pastry Art Bake Shoppe | Invitation Suite: Annabelle’s

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Birmingham Magazine Summer/Fall 2017 Weddings Cover

Published on June 6, 2017June 6, 2017 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

Thanks to the incredibly talented team of friends who made this shoot happen and to Birmingham Magazine for putting us on the cover of their Summer/Fall 2017 Weddings issue. And, if you know me well, you know how happy I am that it’s turquoise!

Be sure to pick up a copy on news stands now, and stay tuned for the full blog post to come…

Photographer: Heather Durham | 1st Assistant: Andi Rice | Stylist: Mary Beth Wetzel | Hair & Make Up: Kerri Bunn of BOMA Beautiful | Models: Anna Kathryn Fitch with Elite and Ellie Martin with NEXT

Katie & Matt’s Birmingham, AL Wedding [Vestavia Country Club]

Published on January 25, 2017January 25, 2017 by Heather Durham PhotographyLeave a comment

Katie is full of life, with an energy and enthusiasm that is contagious. What else would you expect from a former University of Alabama Crimsonette? She kinda floats around with her head held high, and you smile a lot when you are around her. And, Matt, the University of Alabama law student…he adores Katie! Sometimes he just gazes at her and other times he looks at her with this amused little grin on his face. It’s obvious he loves her spirit and spunk. His personality perfectly compliments hers too. Matt is more reserved and is okay with just hanging back observing while Katie is the life of the party. They really are the cutest couple!

Handley Breaux Designs planned this amazing wedding and Katie and I had an immediate connection at our first meeting over coffee. She LOVES photography and wanted it all…an Engagement Session, Bridal Session and a wedding day full of images. She even had some fun ideas of her own. As you will see, the details matter to Katie and she wanted to take the time to capture them. We got along splendidly.

Did I mention that at one time Katie worked in the Gus Mayer Shoe Salon? This girl loves some shoes…especially Christian Louboutin heels. In fact, there was a collection of Louboutin shoes and Burberry rain boots in the brides room for her to choose from on her wedding day, which called for a high chance of rain. I prayed that the rain would hold off because Katie had dreamed of having all outdoor photos, with only her First Look in the sanctuary. God answered that prayer. We only had a short sprinkle while we were driving from one location to the next for wedding party portraits. It cleared and we even had a minute or two of sunshine for Katie and Matt’s portraits at the scenic overlook in Vestavia.

I’ll let the images tell the rest of the story. And, I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but it was an 11 hour wedding day full of fun. It was just too hard to leave out some of Katie and Matt’s story. And, you don’t want to miss the reception at Vestavia Country Club, where the bride’s cake was suspended from the ceiling and her Crimsonette friends performed a few of their dances and the Alabama fight song. Roll Tide! Best wishes you two!

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