Stanford Oaks Estate

Stanford Oaks Estate… a relatively secluded vineyard out in Durham.
Quiet, peaceful and completely beautiful. I helped to 2^nd shoot a wedding here and honestly, it’s hard to walk 2 steps and not see a great shot opportunity.
Stanford oaks doubles a vineyard — which makes for beautiful couple pictures when paired with a sunset in the background. =) You can have both your ceremony and reception here without a lot of hassle.
Parking is simple and they do have a large area. The only down about the parking lot is that it is not paved.
The Bridal Room is small, intimate and cozy. I think you can fit a max of 10 people in here. There’s a bed, mirror and little cute and vintage décor all over. The light isn’t great in here — so I’d recommend bringing extra lights! The cool thing about this room is that it leads right out to the ceremony site! So our bride got to peek out of the window to see the groom walk down as she was awaiting her turn. =)
The ceremony area is outdoors — shrouded in greenery… green all over!!! =) You don’t need flowers… it’s just so beautiful. Makes for a lot of great «behind the bushes» shots.
The reception area is outdoors as well — and again. lots of greens. The ground is dirt ground (unpaved). Overall a very open and generous area. I’d highly recommend photographers bringing extra extra lights because when it gets dark. you can’t see a thing and your AF really slows down.
Staff is very friendly and down to earth. The bride + groom had a simple buffet line and for dessert — tubs of ice cream and homemade pie. =)
Ah. the joys of a simple yet beautiful wedding.