Unfortunately, I was looking forward to several weddings this year that I had to pass on because of my pregnancy. Hailey and Michael are getting married at Holy Ghost Church next month, and I was very excited about getting to work with them. Her father was one of my favorite teachers in high school, and I really enjoyed photographing her sister Hannah's wedding in 2005. I also did Hailey's senior photos, and I know that she will be a gorgeous bride. I'm confident that my friends Matt and Erin Browne will do a fabulous job in my place though, and at least I did get to photograph their engagement session at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens.

















They are such a super sweet couple, and I hope that they have a beautiful wedding and a very happy marriage!

Happy Halloween!!

I'm about to dress Hayden up for his first official trick-or-treating, but first I wanted to do a quick post to share some photos from Rachel and Brian's wedding at Butterfly Gap Retreat in Maryville last weekend. They had a beautifully sunny and warm fall day for their afternoon ceremony. Rachel incorporated the colors of Autumn into her bouquet, and even this little yellow jacket liked it. I especially loved the orange ranunculus.




She also had a gorgeous long veil {I love, love those}





Butterfly Gap's peninsula is the perfect location for an outdoor wedding in the fall.





I've seen plenty of outdoor ceremonies include a unity candle. However, it doesn't work very well if there is a breeze. To avoid any issues, Rachel and Brian opted for a ceremonial wine pouring instead. I thought that was a really great alternative.







To carry the fall theme into the reception, they decorated with pine cones, acorns, pumpkins, and granny smith apples - simple and inexpensive but perfect.



Butterfly Gap has really cool architecture, and the walls on the studio are one example. They rotate open!







Congratulations to you two and all the other couples celebrating their first Halloween as husband and wife!

I was excited to meet up with Afia and Paul for their post-wedding portrait session together last week. They're both a lot of fun and easy to photograph, but I was also excited about the location of their portrait session. I had heard great things about Castleton Farms in Loudon, but it exceeded my expectations. This is my own public service announcement to anyone looking for the perfect wedding venue... set up an appointment to visit ASAP because their dates are going to book up fast!

Castleton Farms is located in rural Loudon, but the venue is contemporary and elegant. You get the beautiful scenery and privacy from being in the country with the amenities and sophistication of a modern, southern manor. They offer several ceremony and reception sites on the property (including a rustic barn if you really do want that farm feel), but my personal favorite is the vineyard. Especially with the fall colors beginning to show, it is just perfect for an outdoor wedding. Trust me. I've been to a lot of wedding venues, and this one is beautiful. I'm not even going to share photos of the grounds because I want everyone to go to their website and check it out.

Of course, after you book Castleton Farms then you should contact me because I'm excited to go back. I'll even offer a free bridal/couple session AND an engagement session to the first couple who books me to photograph their wedding at Castleton Farms and asks for the two free sessions!

Here are some favorite shots of Afia and Paul. We started out with photos in traditional outfits that Afia's parents brought from Africa.



Then we moved on to the traditional American clothes and Afia's gorgeous, long veil.





The bridal session is a great opportunity to wear a different hairstyle or personalize things with accessories from converse to cowboy boots. Afia actually wore these sexy, red shoes for the wedding too, but her wedding day bouquet was completely different. I'm happy that she went with a fun, red bouquet for these photos.

There's no need to spend a lot of money on a bouquet for a bridal or couple session. Some brides omit flowers from their portrait session altogether, but it is simple and inexpensive to put together a hand-tied DIY bouquet.



As much as I love a long veil, Afia's feather fascinator may have it beat. I wish that more brides would take a risk and wear a little birdcage veil or feather hairpiece. They're very retro and fashion-forward at the same time.

Congratulations to all of the couples who were married on 10/10/10! The gorgeous weather that we had on Sunday was perfect for weddings and for outdoor photography sessions like the combined engagement and family portraits that I did with Olivia Williams and Chris Shubert. I know that they are super anxious to see some of the photos so here's a sneak peek!

We started out with family photos of Olivia and Chris with their little man Liam. He's just 9-months-old and was a little unsure about being on the grass, but he really enjoyed just being outside with his parents.





At this age, babies are just as likely to flip over and suck on the grass as they are to smile up at a stranger with a camera. Happily, Chris's dad and Elmo were on hand to coax a few smiles out of Liam, but he wasn't in the mood for kisses.





Once Liam left with his grandpa, Olivia and Chris could focus all of their attention on each other, and things got a little more romantic.







For engagement and senior photos, it's nice to do an outfit change so that you get some pictures in casual clothes as well as some that are more formal. Bright, solid colors are also a good choice, and I love Olivia's dress. Chris is a car enthusiast so of course we also wanted to include his ride in a few shots.

I don't make it up to Cades Cove nearly as much as I used to, but Robbie and Brooke came down from West Virginia for their session and wanted to do their engagement photos in the Smoky Mountains. We started early in the morning hoping to avoid the heat and traffic but ended up with both about halfway through the loop. We had fun though and were happy to finish before the afternoon rain showers moved in.

I've known Brooke her whole life (our mamaws were sisters), and I am so happy for her to have found such a great guy to share her life with. I'm looking forward to their wedding next summer (if they'll ever decide on a location!) and am honored to be their wedding photographer.

Engagement session tips:
Bring several outfit changes. Even if you don't wear them all, it is always nice to have options. After it got warm, Brooke was happy to trade her sweater for a short-sleeved shirt. Also, be sure not to leave anything behind because the loop is one way (and it is too far to drive back around for a shirt or a pair of socks). Finally, always look ahead of you when running through the woods. I learned that one after coming within inches of stepping on a big snake!

Here are a few of my favorite photographs from the day.