Erin and Jeremy Married! - Chattanooga Wedding Photographer

Earlier this month I met Erin and Jeremy for a few hours to cover their wedding! When I woke up that morning, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  When I arrived at the church at 5:30 that evening in Kimball, TN, a storm was brewing! They say it's good luck if it rains on your wedding day.  Erin and Jeremy, you have to be the luckiest couple alive because it POURED! :) Fortunately, the "flower baby" didn't seem worried at all!  In fact, she became the comic relief before the ceremony.  For the reception, all guests made their way to The Remember House in Jasper, TN for a dessert reception. Here are a few of my favorites from the evening!  To view more images from this wedding, check out their SLIDESHOW!

Erin's sister helping her get ready.

The happy bride! :)

The "flower baby" has arrived.

Learning how to be a bride . . . isn't she cute?! I love the depth and dimension in these pictures.

The groom Jeremy inspecting Erin's ring for the big day.

Finishing touches . . .

This next picture is definitely a "framer" :)

Erin makes this face a lot! Such attitude :)

Some details: Erin's theme was purple and peacock! Loved the feathers . . . so in right now.

As I said before, it was pouring! Couldn't help but watch and hope guests arrive safely!

This is Erin's brother who was a "bride's man."  Check out the circus in his jacket! He was ready to flash the ring-bearer and flower baby a little reminder on how to get down the aisle in case they uh . . . forgot ;) Too funny!

Ok, so sometimes I play a little game of "photographer bingo" with myself.  AGAIN, I caught grandma checking her watch! LOL! Do revert back to Becca and Ken's Wedding.

Around 7:40 PM the ceremony can finally begin.  Check out Jeremy's face as Erin walks down the aisle.

Here comes the bride!

OK, Erin's face cracks me up! Look how tickled she is as the minister brings out handcuffs instead of ribbon for their hand-fasting ceremony.

Man and wife!

This is Jeremy's father hugging Erin after the ceremony! Love this moment!

A few details from the reception:

They realized they didn't have a plate to put their slice of cake on.  I think it worked out quite well!

A romantic shot in front of the Remember House :)

Toodles time!

A Quarter of a Century!

"My feet almost touched heaven," I said.  My grade school had the best swing set known to mankind! I could almost swing a complete 180 degrees.  Each time I would try to get a little higher.  I used to close my eyes just a little on the swing up so that only the sun's golden light could shine through.  To me . . . it was heaven.  

Growing up, my birthday seemed to mark the end of summer and the beginning of the school year. Now, my birthday seems to mark . . . well nothing really.  The seasons come and go unnoticed by me. If you come to my house, you'll be greeted by a cute little bunny sign that says, "SPRING!" Okay, so I've been a little busy.  

The night before my 25th birthday, I worked until 3 am.  As I sat at my "L" shaped desk in a room that I painted yellow, I reminisced of my younger years and all things yellow . . . like the sun's golden light when swinging.  I remembered picking honeysuckles on the playground, cold glasses of lemonade during the summer, the yellow jumper I used to wear, and the yellow balloons and ribbons mom tied to the house to welcome and celebrate my grandparents' decision to come live with us.  Time seemed to have slipped through my fingers.

Around 7:30 the next morning, the birthday wishes began pouring in via text and phone.  I buried my face in my pillow trying to forget.  After all, I was planning on working most of the day.  11 AM arrived and Nathan's mom came over bearing a bag of birthday treats.  I was SO not getting away with forgetting my birthday.  She brought pictures from the beach, cupcakes from Magpies, earrings, and a giftcard to Pottery Barn.  Yeah . . . my mother-in-law's pretty awesome!  She always makes it a point to make everyone feel special, a quality I highly admire. Within 30 minutes Nathan was ringing my phone, asking his mom and I to lunch.  So I threw on some clothes and a little make-up and we headed downtown to meet Nathan at Tomato Head. After lunch Nathan requested that I come to his office so he could give me the key to our mailbox.  He had been expecting a package for a couple of days now. So I waited in the lobby, staring at the elevator door, expecting him to walk back through any second. Suddenly, however, I saw Nathan walking in from outside the building carrying a dozen roses. Very confused, I asked, "Who are those for?" I really thought someone had asked him to take them to the front desk for someone else.  He looked at me, paused, and sarcastically said, "Oh, these are from your ex.  I was just dropping them off for him." And then with a smile, he said, "These are for you . . . from me.  Happy Birthday."  I couldn't help but laugh at how oblivious and in denial I was that it was my birthday!  As I smiled ear to ear, he kissed my cheek and was off. Walking through the streets of downtown with a vase full of roses, I felt a summer breeze whip through my hair.  I felt alive . . . and lucky. 

Elizabeth and Clint: Sneak Peek - Pawley's Island Wedding Photographer

Last month I met up with Elizabeth and Clint for an AMAZING time on Pawley's Island!  I can't wait for everyone to see their pictures! Here is a little taste of what's to come :)

Bailey and Chris Engaged! - Knoxville Wedding Photographer

A few weeks ago, I woke up quite angry one Saturday morning!  Yes, angry!  The sun was shining, the sky was blue with puffy white clouds, and a fall breeze seemed be moving through the city.  I called my mom just to tell her how mad I was that I was NOT shooting a wedding that day!  Oh I was going to need a cocktail! 

I soothed my soul with a glass of  white wine and soaked my feet in the pool of the condo.  And as I sat there, basking in the golden sunlight and watching the clouds float by above, I let my anger go because I suddenly realized that I had a photo shoot the next day and the weather was expected to be the same :)  A smile crept across my face.

Sunday came and I was giddy with excitement to meet up with Bailey and Chris! Bailey and Chris are getting married in the Fall so this was perfect weather to get them all jazzed for the big day!  I always tell my Fall brides that the first breeze of cool weather will make their teeth clench.  They'll feel like their suddenly running out of time! 

Anyhow, Bailey and Chris were an absolute joy in front of my camera.  Bailey has this little "minnie mouse" laugh that gets me tickled.  Just imagine the laugh as you scroll through their pictures.  Chris was a hoot as I instructed him what to do.  I felt like we we playing "Simon Says," which actually created a lot of genuine laughter! Hysterical!  Here are a few of my favorites:

What a good looking couple!

Chris being funny :)

See! Doesn't it look like Fall with the yellow tree?

Simon says give Bailey some sugar!

This next picture gets me tickled for some reason :)

Look how golden everything looks! 

Now your turn, Bailey.  Give Chris some love :) hehe!

One for the traditional folks :) Gotta impress Granny!

No, I didn't throw glitter into the air though I like to keep some in my pocket.  That's water bouncing off the fountain.  Kinda neato!

It almost looks like the dip from "Twilight."  Hysterical!

So natural looking!

I loved the tall grass! Made for a nice little field :)

Another favorite!

Beautiful Bailey!

I know they were wondering if I'd ever come out of that little valley but I was workin' on something! And here it is!

Last shot! And it was like I wasn't even there :)

Melissa and Chris Engaged! - Knoxville Wedding Photographer

Melissa and Chris . . . what can I say?  They are a beautiful couple!  A few months ago, Melissa contacted me about photographing their wedding.  Since I've known Melissa for years, I had to make it happen :) Melissa was a friend of my older sister's during high school.  Melissa was one of the few older girls that embraced my dorkiness and would be nice to me on the bus.  Here's a picture of my sister and me before going to the bus stop my first day of seventh grade (just to get an idea of how things were back then):

LOL!

Anyhow, as I was saying, Melissa is a very sweet soul and I'm so glad she has found a guy just as sweet. Chris has been quite good at participating in the wedding planning process because I got the opportunity to speak with him several times via phone and email before I actually met him. I can tell Chris enjoys making Melissa happy and being a team player :) 

For the location of their shoot, we met in Sequoyah Hills and then made our way downtown. Oddly enough, for a Tuesday, downtown was full of activity. Here are a few that I LOVE:

Love this big tree! Always great for photo shoots :)

Too precious!

Melissa wanted some walking pictures.  I aim to please :)

This next picture reminds me of an Abercrombie ad.  Well . . . maybe if Chris' shirt was off and he had rubbed oil all over his abs.  haha! 

So romantic!

One of my favorites! Aren't they beautiful?!

The light was excellent that night!

And now we make our way downtown . . .

The owner of "Coffee and Chocolate" in Market Square saw that I was shooting outside and brought Melissa and Chris complimentary coffee to set the scene better.  He is SO nice.  Do go by and visit! You will not regret it!

In the middle of Market Square, I believe Shakespeare in the Park was going on . . . or something of that nature.  Why not enjoy?

Fun, architectural shot!

When you're this beautiful, traffic just stops :) Definitely a fav!

Mallory: Boudoir Shoot - Chattanooga Photographer

A few weeks ago Mallory came over for a "Little Black Book" session as a gift to her husband for their one year anniversary.  She also brought her friend Natalie who ended up being a great assistant! Although these sessions always require more work from me in the front end, setting up studio lights and cleaning the house, they are probably my most favorite session.  Maybe because we're all drinking wine and playing fun music :)  MJ, Justin Timberlake, and Frank Sinatra go a long way! haha!  

When Mallory arrived, she was a little nervous.  However, she eventually loosened up and became an absolute pro in front of my camera.  What an empowering feeling it must be to have these kinds of pictures taken!  Here are a few of my favorites:

Love this silhouette image! She has awesome curves!

Check out the ring! Bling!

So sultry!

Eyes = AMAZING!

She has such beautiful features!

So fresh and natural looking!

Again, love the eyes!

Looks like a cool nightclub!

And here's me! Mallory was model tall so I had to climb up on some furniture to get the shot I wanted.  Look at the dust on my pants! 

Mallory took this shot as I jumped off onto the bed!  I look like a flying squirrel!  We laughed so hard!