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.

The Magnolia Manor is only a few miles from my house, but you really feel like you are out in the countryside when you are there. It's also one of the few venues offering an outside ceremony site with abundant natural shade. This may not be on everyone's list of criteria when choosing a venue, but when you have a hot, sunny wedding day like that of Molly and Matthew, then shade is very important.

As a Southern Greek Revivial Home, Magnolia Manor has wide porches that offered a nice spot for Molly and Matt to share a moment together early in the day. I don't know how he resisted peeking, but Matt kept his eyes forward to avoid seeing her before the ceremony.



I enjoy garden ceremonies like this that allow the guests (and my camera) to be close and really share in the ceremony with the couple.



These two are so perfect together, and the love and happiness were overflowing right after the ceremony.





Instead of tossing petals, the guests tossed whole flower heads as the couple exited to Matt's convertible and shared a kiss.




An idea to copy:
I always love when the men in the wedding party wear lighter suits instead of black tuxes. It looks great for outdoor ceremonies, and it especially smart when the weather is warm.

Amelia and Steve just celebrated their first anniversary!

The wedding and reception were held at Tellico Yacht Club in Loudon. The club is situated on the water with a wonderful view, and Amelia had planned a romantic ceremony on the water. Unfortunately, the weather that afternoon didn't cooperate. Instead, the ceremony was held inside, but we did get out for a few photos after the rain stopped.

The bridesmaids wore beautiful charmeuse dresses in various fall colors. The fall theme also carried over into the flowers and table decorations. Being big vol fans, the couple also found ways to incorporate orange into the wedding.

Brian Graham Entertainment kept everyone dancing. He had also interviewed Amelia & Steve prior to the wedding and shared their story with the guests at the reception. There were tears and laughter and then a few sparklers to see the couple off.














The engagement photos were done in a location very near and dear to the couple - The University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium.