Ok, so it’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated this blog! Goodness, I am sorry! The Fall got a little crazy and I just couldn’t keep up with blogging trying to get everyone their photos. But thank goodness for a new year and that 2020 got kicked off in the best way possible with Julia & Gregory! I love that in the South it starts warming up just enough in March. Just look at this beautiful day! Oh how I love a good brunch wedding. Enjoy!
Adaira & Matthew got married at Patten Chapel in Chattanooga because of it’s history/age, the biblical theological references throughout the space and the architecture. And then they got thrown a few curveballs when the reception had to be moved a few times before landing at the Read House. But truth be told it felt like the perfect way to cap off their traditional day. Her handmade veil stitched together by her grandmothers and the basin and pitcher used for the foot washing made by her great grandmother show just how close Adaira is to her grandparents. She said those photos were among some of the most important to her throughout the whole day. Isn’t that the sweetest? Enjoy some of my favorite moments from this beautiful day…
If there was ever any doubt that Cory & Matt were the adventurous type they debunked that on their wedding day. Any crazy idea I had - climb up this tree, walk across this one - they were totally game for. But when you get married in the woods in August I would say that’s a given for an adventurous heart. But these two loving souls said “I Do” at RT Lodge on the PERFECT day. If you have a light breeze in August take it and run! I loved spending last Saturday with these two people who love each other and love their family and friends.
Venue: RT Lodge
Florist: Colby West
Videographer: Mountain Tree Film Company
Band: The Company Band
The entire week before Laura & Josh’s wedding I prayed for no rain. I crossed my fingers that the weather forecast would change. I pretty much told everyone I knew to do the same. Because, you see, Laura had these visions of getting married in her grandmother’s gardens that she and her family had fully restored. And Allison Gaddis of Live, Laugh, Love Weddings had seen her entire vision through down to every last detail. The team of vendors that was assembled, well - we were all so excited about this day. And if I could’ve picked one day out of the year for it to not rain, I would’ve picked this one. But, rain it did. We were all pretty bummed that the ceremony and reception were moved out of the gardens and under a tent. But it was perfect. It was more then perfect - it was exactly the way it was supposed to be. The rain stopped long enough for us to do photos in the gardens and the sun even poked out. And then it rained for about 5 minutes during the reception - long enough for us to get some really cool nighttime photos! Because of all the days I was determined to get amazing photos for these two because of the rain, not despite the rain. Oh man did I love photographing this couple! From Josh’s tears to the surprise of puppy dog Sully being a part of the day. They are sweet and gorgeous and downright hilarious.
Here are some of the people who made this past Saturday so amazing:
Wedding Designer: Live, Laugh, Love Weddings
Florist: Samuel Franklin
DJ: Sequoyah Entertainment
Catering: Bradford Catering
Rentals: All Occassions
Videography: Milestone Pictures
Hair & Makeup: Southern Sirens
Lighting: Bright Events
Invitations & Programs: The Happy Envelope
When I say that Katherine has been planning her wedding day since she was a little girl I really mean it! She had her dress picked out so many years ago - a dress from the 1890’s worn by 20 other women including her mom. The pearls she wore were gifts from her grandmother - she collected just a few of them every year for many years and then never wore them all together until her wedding day. And all of this history incorporated into this day makes perfect sense knowing that these two met while working in the Senate in Washington, D.C. and that played such an important role in their relationship that it became a big part of their celebration too - hello presidential masks, red, white and blue lights, and even an end of the evening motorcade. Katherine new she wanted to get married in her hometown church and she always dreamed of the roses at her home being in bloom for photos (guess what, they were!). But she still got to pick out a fun party dress for the day too when she decided she was too nervous something would happen to the dress at the reception. There was so much sentimental beauty in this day. Katherine even cried looking at her flowers for the first time! I loved this historic day with such a gorgeous couple!
Tucked away in the Great Smokey Mountains is a little gem called Parkside Resort - a sweet little wedding venue that is right between two cabins where guests can stay. It’s the perfect set up for getting cozy and staying a while. And it was the sweetest destination wedding for Katherine & Matt. And speaking of cozy, did I mention it was just a little bit hot that day too? But that didn’t stop this wild crew from dancing all night. I loved photographing this day and this couple.
Most of the time when I get the pleasure of seeing sweet Lindsay we are both wearing gym shorts and t-shirts, fish line bracelets and flip flops. That’s because we both volunteer for a camp called Camp Sunshine, a camp for kids with cancer. So we are out there sweating day in and day out for a week with these amazing kids. And while the sweat was still there (hello hot day in May) look at how gorgeous this bride is! Definitely not the way I am used to seeing her but I love a girl who can rock both looks. And I certainly love a couple who make photos with their dogs such a huge priority on their wedding day. Lindsay and Chris had a quiet, cozy, relaxed afternoon at home before heading to the ceremony and reception site to get hitched. It had called for rain all week but not a drop of rain was to be found. And the best advice I can give to my other brides is to fully prepare for rain. Buy the umbrellas and the rain boots and wrap your head around the idea. Because time and time I’ve seen it happen - the most prepared brides have sunshine.
Special thanks to A Dream Woven Events for making this day run so smooth!
What a dream! This day was filled with so much gorgeousness and so many bright colors (and have I mentioned that I want those to make a come back so badly?!?!). At the beginning of the week the forecast called for thunder storms but by Saturday it was all clear and sunny. Mary Bailey also told me before the wedding “Will might get teary when I walk down the aisle but he is generally pretty composed”. Scroll down to see how sweetly non-composed he was during their first look.
Before each wedding I send my couple a questionnaire so I can make sure I get all the photos they want on their wedding day. When I asked Kate what the most important pictures are to her, here is what she said, “Life happening! I adore the candids you take and those are the ones I admire most from other people’s wedding photos. I want to capture my sweet little nieces as flower girls because they are only little once. I want to capture Meade making me laugh because that’s why I fell in love with him. I want to capture our parents whom we are very lucky to have during such an exciting chapter in our lives. I want to capture his grandfather who is our last living grandparent. I want to capture our family and friends enjoying this day- it would be so incomplete without them! “ I just love that answer! It’s poetic and beautiful and every reason I love being a photographer. And all I can really say about this entire day is wow. It was special. The end.
If you ever need a reason to smile Lizzie and Pat would certainly give you one. They are the most fun couple ever! And adorable doesn’t even begin to describe them but let’s start there. I listened to all of their friends and family describe them in toasts at the rehearsal dinner and even after two hours there were still new ways to describe them. They are so very loved and within seconds of meeting them I knew just how lovable they really are. Oh, and this day! Lizzie planned it all so perfectly from the Trolley ride to the Fat Tuesday touches to the most amazing reception. And in the middle of all of that was just so much love. Enjoy!
Once, twice, three times a MARRIED lady…all in one day! Yup, that’s right - this amazing couple made it official three times just a few weeks ago. Once at the courthouse, once at Suzanne’s mom’s house and once at an adorable AirBnb here in Knoxville in front of family and friends. No doubt, there was a lot of emotions for this special day. Suzanne planned this wedding so that her mom could attend but being too sick with cancer made it impossible for her to attend. The moments she did get to spend with her mom were some of the most special I’ve ever captured. Amidst the rain that fell all day, Suzanne and Ken were surrounded by so much love. This day was perfection, right down to the dogs that made themselves right at home during the ceremony and reception. Enjoy this love…
My last wedding of 2018 went out with a gorgeous bang! It was a perfect winter day! Ok, truth be told it didn’t really feel like winter with highs in the upper 50’s, which ended up great for outside photos! And Rob’s little girl Aubrey might have stolen the show just a little but mostly because there is just so much love between this new little family of three. Noah’s Event venue in Kingston completely took my breathe away with how beautiful it was! The draping on the ceiling and the floating cake and the gorgeous lights everywhere - what a classy way to end the night.
Fall really is my favorite season and the colors that surrounded us on Chris & Stephanie’s wedding day were breathtaking! And speaking of breathtaking, I think Chris was quite speechless the second he saw his bride. These two are a team, looking out for each other every step of the way. I’m so excited to finally share this last wedding before Christmas (but not yet the last of 2018). Enjoy!
If ever there was a groom that stared at his bride in complete adoration and love, it is Robert. And it only takes about five seconds of seeing them together to notice it. And what is not to love? Mary Beth is incredibly beautiful, smart, sweet, fun and full of surprises. I know this last one because…well…I think you will see it on Robert’s face in the photo right before the exit shots. Want to know what I love more then this couple? This entire Fall wedding. Oh the gorgeousness…
Meet my friend Karen! You guys can probably already tell what a stunning little babe she is but goodness, she probably has one of the most beautiful hearts as well. She is a complete advocate for kids with cancer, giving most of her time and talents to bettering their lives. And before I even met Josh, I knew that he had changed her. Even on social media it seemed like there was this light in her that wasn’t there before. Every photo she posted all I could think was “wow, she looks so happy”. And then I saw them together and I instantly knew that they just fit. They’re now this precious little family with daughter Ava who was beyond excited for this day. It does my heart so much good to re-live all of the love from this day…
Oh man am I excited to share these photos! Every now and then you meet this couple that is so full of life. They’re this special blend of sweet and kind and fun and gorgeous and basically just all of the things. That is Aly and Adam. They squeeze every person they know so tightly when they hug them. They enjoy each their friends and family so much. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a bride cry as she exited the wedding ceremony but sweet Aly sure did seem to be so overwhelmed with love that it hit her right in that moment. Ugh, this couple is just so precious and I could go on and on. But instead I’ll just let you enjoy the photos from this amazing day…
Sometimes people will ask me if it is ok for their fur baby to be a part of their photo shoot. And to them I always say, “give me all of the fur babies”! Hello, dog lover here! So I was over the moon excited when Landon and Jacob wanted Charlie to be a part of their wedding day. She is such a little model dog! And these three make such a sweet family now. So much of this day was wrapped up in family with the reception being at the house and farm Landon grew up in. The magnolia leaves in her bouquet came from the farm as did some of the food at the reception! And I love that she snuck away with her dad for a quick second to do some sunset photos with him (as well as Jacob) because Landon and her dad often text sunset pictures to each other when they aren’t together. So sweet!
If you were to ever try to tell me that there is a sweeter couple on this planet then CC & Evan I probably won’t believe you. These two come from the most precious families and they’ve waited for this day for some time. I was so honored to be their photographer as they said I do at St. John Neumann and then celebrated at Fox Den Country Club. And just check out the beautiful sunset!
She wanted the celebration at the house she grew up in. She saw her groom for the first time on a step she used to call her "stage" where she made her parents watch her sing and dance. And they prayed together and wiped away each other's tears there too. She carried a piece of her mom's wedding dress around her bouquet. Her sweet sister's cried as she walked down the aisle. Her dad busted out the best dance moves on the dance floor. So to say this wedding was a family affair is such an understatement. I seriously love this couple - their families, their union, their love. And two things that are still blowing my mind - we had a breeze in July (what?) and we had so much time to photograph this couple in so many amazing places. At home and at Berry College (the most beautiful college campus in the whole entire world). This was such a special wedding day and I'm so excited to share these photos...
Seriously, every time I finish a wedding I think "I don't think it's possible for me to love a couple more". And then I do! If I loved Carrie and Matthew and their wedding day any more I'd probably have to marry them too! This couple is so much fun and so sweet in every way. I have loved getting to know them and seeing their big smiles on their wedding day. And how beautiful is Jackson Terminal and Downtown Knoxville? I love showing off this city I love!
Special Thanks to
Margaret Claire Weddings
Jacskon Terminal
Swank Floral
Ogle Entertainment
Sweet Beginnings by Elaine
All Occassion Catering
