Shay and David became husband and wife at one of East Tennessee’s most unique venues— The Millstone! The Millstone is an old grist flour mill that has been transformed into a stunning wedding venue. The reception space is enclosed by repurposed glass windows, too, giving it a rustic, almost greenhouse, feel! David and Shay celebrated with their family, friends, and ring bearer golden retriever, Murphy, who most definitely stole the show! Talk about the most perfect Tennessee wedding day!

Goodbye, 2022…

Wow, guys! It’s been an incredible year, to say the least, and I can’t believe a new one is just around the corner!

At the end of every year, I tend to get a bit sentimental and emotional looking back and thinking of all of the amazing things accomplished, places traveled to, new people met, and memories made. This year was no exception! 2022 has been a bit of a rollercoaster— definitely been one of the busiest but also most rewarding years in my business yet. All in all, I’m just so incredibly grateful.

Bridal sessions have quickly become one of my favorite types of sessions that I offer! I absolutely love that my brides get to dress up in their dresses, test out their wedding day makeup and hairstyles, and we get to create some beautiful portraits! When Morgan asked me if we could do a bridal session prior to her wedding day at her venue, The Lake House, I of course jumped at the opportunity! I was so excited to see what style of dress Morgan had chosen and to finally see their gorgeous venue!

These two became husband and wife amongst friends, family, and the Blue Ridge Mountains on a beautiful summer night. Everyone traveled to a breathtaking outdoor chapel that sits high on top of a mountain on the NC/SC border, called The Pretty Place. I can tell you right now, that the name says it all.

When I arrived at the chapel, there was a breeze that greeted us as storms loomed in the distance! We really lucked out with going through all of the day's events without a few drops of rain, but as soon as Holly and Mason exited through the sparklers and we all packed up, the skies burst open as we all traveled home!

Congratulations! You’re engaged! But what’s next?

Engagement season is once again upon us! Many couples around the world have recently said yes to spending the rest of their lives with someone they truly love and are envisioning their perfect wedding day! Once the whirlwind of the proposal winds down, it can often feel overwhelming to start the wedding planning process— I know I felt that way after my husband proposed to me!

Here are 5 steps to jump-start the wedding planning process!

Ever since I got into wedding photography, I’ve always been told that the very most stressful part of the day would be family formal portraits. I think that is simply because, from a couple’s perspective, you’re trying to round up family members and hope everyone cooperates, and as a photographer, you’re trying to photograph a whole group of people that you’ve mostly never met before and are trying to keep them happy before they head to the reception! It can definitely be a little stressful, but if both the couple and photographer prepare, it really can go more smoothly than expected!

Here are 5 tips that I’ve learned through the years and shooting weddings that help make family formal portraits run smoothly!

Mason proposed to Holly at the South Holston Dam in Bristol, so it was only fitting that we go there for their engagement session! We met up in March for their session, just a few months prior to their wedding day in May. Even though Spring had just started, the trees hadn’t yet decided to wake up from their winter slumber and give us any leaves. The winter sun still gave us such a beautiful, glowy, sunset that we watched from the top of the dam!

Eric and Kelsey are married!

Even though their original plans had changed a few times thanks to Covid, these two were finally able to become husband and wife on Labor Day weekend in September! Since Kelsey and Eric are from Ohio, they chose Sugar Hollow Retreat because they offer weekend packages with lodging on-site, so it made traveling a little bit easier for their families! They also loved the relaxing atmosphere and outdoor retreat feel of the venue, which made their wedding weekend feel more like a vacation in the mountains than a traditional wedding day and allows for more time spent with friends and family! Sugar Hollow is also dog-friendly, which was an added bonus for these two dog lovers!

Coco and Sam were married on one of the most beautiful Summer days at one of my favorite venues in East Tennessee, The Waterstone! It might have been slightly warm and humid, but at least we made it through without any rain— and I’ll take that! They had originally planned to get married the first week of June, but like many couples, had to reschedule to late July thanks to the Covid pandemic and state regulations. Thankfully, orders lifted little by little and along with precautions, we were all able to gather and celebrate their amazing day!

As engagement season is upon us and as more couples start to research and book vendors, and start the wedding planning process, I thought it would be the perfect time to share just exactly what us photographers do when you book us for your special day! Wedding photography can often seem like a photographer will just show up on the wedding day and click a button- but I’m here to tell you that as a professional, we do SO much more than that! I know that wedding photography is a huge investment and takes a big percentage of a couple’s budget when it comes to their wedding day. I want to walk you through the process and share a little behind-the-scenes information of what goes into being a wedding photographer!