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Two of my favorite people, Tim and Pamela were married back in June and Eric and I were thrilled to be there to celebrate their amazing wedding day. We were also lucky enough to photograph them prior to their wedding and even a “Day After” session similar to Esala and Lena’s a few posts back. Enough talking, on with the photos!

Let’s start with the pre-wedding session…..these were taken a few weeks prior to their wedding in Pamela’s first wedding dress. She had two beautiful dresses to wear, she wanted to make it count!!

And now for their Day After session a few weeks later….the first one with their babies Prissy and Dolly!

After their engagement session, I knew Brandon and Meg would be so fun to photograph on their wedding day….well it finally arrived last Saturday and I was thrilled to be their wedding photographer! Brandon and Meg were married at Patten Chapel surrounded by their family and friends. After the ceremony we headed up to the fabulous Fairlyland Club on Lookout Mountain where everyone danced the night away until it was time to send the couple off to St. Lucia!

Thanks so much to both families for making sure their wedding day was memorable! I hope you two have a wonderful time on your honeymoon in St. Lucia, LUCKY!!

Click HERE for a slideshow.

Vendors:

Florals: Amanda from Divine Designs
Cake: Cake Boutique
Reception and Caterer: Fairyland Club
Band: Michelle Jons from East Coast Entertainment
Dress: Ever After Bridal - Cleveland, Tennessee
Makeup: Olivia Clark at MAC Cosmetics
Hair: Amy Brandon – Hair Benders International
Ceremony: Patton Chapel UTC
Wedding Planner: Kathy Sumerall

I love the look of calm, apprehension on Brandon’s face.

I’ve never seen flower girls be so happy to run down the aisle!

I’ve wanted to blog about this session for a while and I’m finally catching up! You may remember Esala and Lena’s southern wedding in Natchez, Mississppi earlier this year. They were married at the historic(and haunted!) Dunleith Plantation on May 22, 2010. Lena planned her destination wedding to be in Natchez, which is near and dear to my heart….it’s where I was born and it’s also where Eric and I met! She found me online by searching for all things “Natchez” and hired me as her wedding photographer. Needless to say I was thrilled to come back to Natchez for another amazing wedding. We love photographing weddings in Natchez, there’s something so sweet and southern about it and reminiscent of older times.

Esala and Lena are amazing. They’ve practically kept their beautiful relationship alive via their cell phones. Lena’s in North Carolina finishing up her residency while Esala in working in Chicago. Due to all of us being spread out around the country, we weren’t able to meet for an engagement session. Knowing this, Lena scheduled a Day After session to make certain she would have more than enough images of her and her husband. For those that aren’t familiar with a Day After session (although the name is pretty self-explanatory), it’s a session just for a couple either the day after or weeks after their wedding to get additional photos in their wedding finery. And oh how fine Lena and Esala were right?! (check out photos below)

Although Lena and Esala saw each other prior to the ceremony, I highly recommend a Day After session for couples that chose not to see each other. There’s so much pressure and a potential to feel rushed when you push your couple alone portraits to the end of the ceremony and this is the perfect remedy to an otherwise stressful situation. A Day After session is more relaxed and couples seem to be more relaxed too without all the business of a wedding going on at the same time. If you’re planning to not see each other before the ceremony, definitely consider this option….what have you got to lose?!

Everyone was up rather late the night before dancing the night away at their reception. We met at about 7:45am the morning after…..how did they end up looking this fab? 

I love the wedding clothes that Lena and Esala chose. It fit so perfectly with their beautiful, southern wedding theme.

Hello awesome, random courtyard.

Brian and Laura were married last month at Daisy Church of God on one of the hottest days of the year…..we were so thankful to have a good spot indoors so everyone didn’t melt! Laura, despite the hot weather, was calm, cool and collected….ready to marry Brian and make it forever. Afterwards we headed over to Camp Dixie were it cooled off enough for some beautiful, outdoor evening photos.

Thanks so much for having us be part of your wedding day, we enjoyed getting to know you both and we are excited for what the future holds for you!

Cake: Cake Gallery
Caterer: Paula Oscai
Dress: Monica’s Bridal
Bridesmaid dresses: Ever After Bridal - Cleveland, Tennessee
Ceremony: Daisy Church of God
Reception: Camp Dixie
Hair: Jesse James Hair Studio: Amanda Sneed
Makeup: Lisa Bennett, Mary Kay

I actually met Brinkley’s Mom and Aunt at the Formal Affair bridal show last February. Little did I know she thought that Brinkley and I would work together perfectly as bride and wedding photographer. They quickly planned a meeting for the following week and I was able to meet Brinkley in person. She talked very sweetly of Dane, almost blushing when she talked about how they began dating and then on to their engagement story. I loved hearing all the details that she had planned for her wedding day.

As Dane recalls after they first met…..”The next day I called my dad and told him that I had found the girl I would marry. I was beaming. I remember those days like they were yesterday. I had grown up dreaming about a girl who would come into my life; one that I could call my own. And all through high school, and even part of college, it remained a dream. And then came Brinkley. The girl in my dreams finally had a face. God is sooo good; she ran away with me.”

Congratulations Dane and Brinkley…..Eric and I are so blessed to be able to document loving relationships like this! Thanks to both the Knowles and Boykin families for treating us like gold…..we are ever grateful.

Click HERE for a sneak peek slideshow.

Vendors:

Venue: Walnut Hill Farms, Dalton, Georgia

Dress: Boutique Couture

Makeup/Hair – Leshea Newton & Erin Ledford

Florals: Flowers That Dance – Linda Pettit

Cake: Cake Boutique

Caterer: The Filling Station

DJ: Sound Force Entertainment

These lovely florals were provided by Linda Pettit.

Eric is so great at the details, how sweet!

I don’t remember the reason for this ”lean back” shot, but go ahead and que the song!

Quite possibly my favorite ring bearer entrance ever.

Walnut Hill Farms is beyond amazing. Joe and Nanette are the most hard working people in the wedding business. I don’t think that anyone wanted for anything the whole night. They made sure that everyone was taken care of, even the vendors!

Now that’s a bridal party!!

Eric snapped this sweet shot (:

Cake Boutique cakes are yummy for my tummy!

Brinkley’s sweet Daddy, Tony chose to sing a song by George Straight especially for Brinkley.

I love this shot with both Mother’s in view!

You know, most of the time guys are running from the garter…..now this is dedication!

I love it when wedding guests become clients, and friends! I met Dan and Sara at Justin and Blair’s wedding last September and hoped they would look me up when it was time to set a date. Several months later the date was set and I’m thrilled that they chose me to document their special day. Dan and Sara were married last month at Dan’s parents home in Alabama. The afternoon started out a tiny bit warm, but ended with a few sprinkles and a cool breeze. The light at the end of the day was nothing short of spectacular. There was just enough sunlight and rain clouds to make any photographer jump for joy! I did mention that I get a tad bit excited about photographing in this kind of light right?! Overly excited, especially with a beautiful couple…..in love.

Dan and Sara, congratulations on your marriage and the start of your new life together! It was a pleasure to get to know you and your families, thanks so much!

Oh darn, a random corn field and a fabulous couple!

Congratulations Tyler and Val! These two were married last month at Wayside Presbyterian Church on Signal Mountain, just minutes from their home. Afterwards we headed over to Tyler’s aunt’s home just down the road for a beautiful reception.

By the way, I first met Val years ago, before she was engaged….the first thing she said was that she and Tyler had been dating for about 7 years so when they finally get married their families would be thrilled! I would say that both sides were very happy for the day to finally arrive. And we were very excited to be a part of it. Thanks so much for choosing us to photograph your wedding….we had a wonderful time (:

For a slideshow of more images click HERE.

I’m giving Eric the title of ”Master of Macro”….love those ring shots!

Oh I nearly forgot until I looked at these images. This is where I was stung in the arm by one of those huge bumble bees. Don’t let anyone tell you those things don’t sting. They really do, especially if you trap them under your arm with a heavy lens. Luckily Tyler had a sting kit in his truck nearby, lucky me (:

I felt VERY protected. Seriously. Everyone in this bridal party was packin’.

Hollie, a fabulous friend and past wedding client, had this made for Tyler and Val, precious!

Do you think she really wanted these flowers or what?!

Right before sunset we ran outside for a few extra shots…..

There are a few people around the Chattanooga area that are really doing a great job at providing their clients with some amazing photobooth experiences (for example, Strut!, FotoBox & Image Cinema). Be sure to check out all of these guys! Adding something like this to your wedding is a really neat thing to do for your guests, not to mention a fun way to document the night. The picture below is from April and Jonathan’s wedding on May 30th provided by Image Cinema, thanks Kyle!

Congratulations John and Hannah! We met John and Hannah through mutual friends, Jon and Ani who we photographed for at their wedding last December…..thanks so much for sending John and Hannah our way guys! They were married at Asbury Chapel with their reception at the Brainerd Baptist BX. It was a rather warm day, but they all made the best of it while we quickly took photos outside. Asbury Chapel was great for popping outside for a minute and then back in to cool off, there were plenty of spots all around the property to get some great shots. Afterwards we headed over to the BX for their reception. Because John and Hannah know that evening light is the best for pictures, they opted for some quick sunset photos after they left their reception…..and I’m so glad they did!

View their sneak peek slideshow HERE.

Some of my favorites from the day….

Like many couples these days, Hannah and John opted for a First Look prior to the ceremony. Since it was so warm outside and the light was just right inside, we decided to stay indoors for this….and it turned out great! My view was the first two and Eric’s was last or third image.

Eric’s image…I’m so proud of you baby!

Eric what did you say to provoke these little girls?!

After the reception we ran over to Brainerd Baptist Church and took advantage of the amazing light.

Laura and Russ were married one of the most perfect fall days last year on November 14th. Laura claimed from the beginning that she wasn’t photogenic, well The Knot and I most certainly disagree! Their rustic fall wedding has been featured on The Knot Real Weddings, congrats you two!

To view Laura and Russ’ Real Wedding on The Knot.com, click HERE.

Avery Patten is to blame for these amazing florals!