26 Jul Riverwood Mansion Wedding | Ashley and Kirk | Nashville, TN

I love photographing weddings at Riverwood Mansion.  Ashley and Kirk’s wedding was the second wedding this year that I’ve gotten to photograph there.  Ashley and Kirk came to Nashville from Georgia to get married so technically this was a destination wedding for them and their guests.  Riverwood is the perfect destination spot and represents Nashville so well.  I love seeing couples bring their families and friends to celebrate their wedding in Nashville!

Ashley and Kirk’s wedding day was the perfect marriage of elegance and fun.  The details peppered around the Mansion were absolutely gorgeous (especially the flowers!) and complimented each other so well.  Before Ashley and Kirk shared their first look, Ashley chose to have a first look with her father.  This is something that I have really been encouraging and creates for some really beautiful, emotional moments between brides and their fathers.  Ashley and her father’s first look was no exception!

The ceremony was absolutely gorgeous and was filled with both tears and laughter.  Even though we had taken portraits with Ashley and Kirk before the ceremony we saved a little time after the ceremony during sunset for some more photographs of just the two of them.  I’m so glad we did!  These are some of my favorite photos from the day and this year!  The light was absolutely magical coming through the trees in front of the mansion.

The reception was a lot of fun with the dance floor full the entire night.  It was so much fun watching the bridesmaids fight over the bouquet and the groomsmen threw Kirk high in the air.  We also ran a photobooth at the reception and the photos from it are absolutely hilarious!  Enjoy these gorgeous moments from Ashley and Kirk’s wedding and join us in wishing them many years of happiness together! 😍📷

Venue: Riverwood Mansion | Nashville, TN

Flowers: Enchanted Florist

Cake: 8 Lavender Lane

Band: Nashvegas Allstars

Hair and Makeup: Abby Norvell

Wedding Dress: Brides by Demetrios

Videographer: White Heart Wedding Films

07 Jul Costa Rica Destination Wedding

If I had it my way every couple would have a wedding like Jillian and Seth’s…  Go to a gorgeous location, bring your family and closest friends and have a really awesome party for a few days.

I had such an amazing time in Costa Rica with Jillian and Seth and their family and friends.  They were all so welcoming and really made me feel like I was part of the festivities the whole time I was down there.  I can’t say enough good things about the two of them and their families.  It really shows what an awesome couple they are by the fact that so many people came all the way to Costa Rica to celebrate with them.

And boy was it a celebration.  If you have never been to an all inclusive resort with a big group of really fun-loving people I highly recommend doing it at least once in your life.  Jillian and Seth made it very clear that they wanted me to enjoy myself and capture their wedding day in a really fun organic way.  And I can tell you that I enjoyed every minute of my time in Costa Rica with them.  I’m so glad that they trusted me to capture their wedding celebration.  Congrats you guys!!! 😍📷

Wedding Location: Dreams Las Mareas Resort – Costa Rica

You can also see the sneak preview of their wedding video from my good friends at With This Ring Video here.

27 Jun Bonnaroo Music Festival Wedding | James and Jen

How many people do you know have 65,000+ people in attendance for their wedding reception?  How about having the likes of U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Weeknd for your wedding band(s)?  That’s exactly what James and Jen had for their non-traditional, good vibes, festival wedding at Bonnaroo.

I knew I had to be involved in their wedding after hearing about their plans to get married on the ferris wheel at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, TN.  This year was my seventh year attending Bonnaroo.  In the past I’ve gone to photograph the bands and musical artists but never thought I would get to photograph a wedding there.

After James and Jen said their vows on the ferris wheel🎡 we walked around centeroo making sure to get photos at the fountain and the arch.  I always love walking around with couples taking photos in public places because of all of the well-wishers.  Well at Bonnaroo multiply that by a few thousand!  It was so much fun seeing the quizzical looks on the festival goers faces when they saw James in a suit (not exactly standard festival attire) and then the looks change to joy and congratulations when they saw Jen in her dress with her flowers realizing that they were both dressed up for their wedding!

Afterwards we headed back to James and Jen’s campsite.  Now before we go any further I have to mention that James and Jen are both talented film makers.  They also converted an ’88 Chevy bus into a tiny home that they travel (adventure) around in.  Their motorhome is named Eldon and has his on instagram.  It was so cool getting to photograph them on top of and inside Eldon.  James (also a talented mixologist) made us some cocktails and we enjoyed wedding cake before we left them to change out of their wedding attire and enjoy the rest of their weekend at the festival.  This was by far one of the most unique weddings I have gotten to photograph and I am so honored that James and Jen let me capture these memories for them. 😍📷

Wedding Venue: Bonnaroo!

Flowers: FLWR Shop

Cake: Nashville Sweets

25 May Cheekwood Garden Wedding | Tom and Guy

Cheekwood is one of my favorite places to visit in Nashville.  Not only are the gardens absolutely picturesque but it has this beautiful serene quality that just makes you slow down and stop and appreciate the beauty of nature.  If you live in Nashville and you’ve never gone to the holiday lights at Cheekwood do yourself a favor and make sure to go this year and then buy a membership and go back at least once in every different season of the year.

Like many of the weddings that I’ve photographed this year it was forecasted to rain on Tom and Guy’s wedding day.  That morning it looked like there would be a period of time where it wouldn’t rain so I headed down to Cheekwood early to meet up with Tom and Guy.  It ended up never raining so we had lots of extra time before the ceremony to walk around, explore the gardens and take some photos.  I really loved the relaxed pace that we had and it gave us a lot of time to go to some areas of the gardens that we might not have had time for otherwise.  Some of my absolute favorites where when we went into the Japanese Gardens.  Shomu-en, the Pine-Mist garden,“is a place of quiet and meditation, a refuge from the outside world. The lantern at the gate is a symbol of enlightenment, and the gate always stands open as a sign of welcome.”  Tom and Guy love to travel the world together and I really felt like this was the perfect place to capture some really intimate portraits of them.

Throughout the ceremony and during the toasts at the reception there were so many great memories and stories that were shared.  It was truly evident that this couple’s love is so strong for each other and also reaches out and touches so many others.

I’m not great at styling but I know good style when I see it (and I love to photograph it).  I really didn’t know what to expect for the reception.  But as we watched all of the details come together from the window above the space it was clear that not only was it styled beautifully it was styled perfectly for Tom and Guy.  It is so much fun watching a blank space transform into something truly breathtaking.  The tables and all the decorations were perfectly color coordinated and had a unique elegance and masculinity to them.

I am still dreaming of the biscuit bar from this wedding.  A table pilled with bacon, jams, butters, chocolate sauce and delicious bacon is probably my idea of perfection (there might be three photos of said table waiting for you if you scroll down).  The different food stations at the reception got everyone up and moving and coming back to their tables showing off their plates and comparing and planning their next trip.  It was a great way to kick off the party.  O.k. enough about food. (for now)

Once the dancing got started it didn’t stop.  Seriously… people didn’t want to leave at the end of the night.  And I think that is exactly what a wedding should be.  A day to celebrate love in all of its forms.  A day to laugh.  A day to cry (tears of joy). A day to enjoy great food and great company.  A day to dance.  And a day that you want to be able to relive over and over again.  Congrats Tom and Guy and thank you for allowing me to share this day with you.  😍📷

Venue: Cheekwood Botanical Garden – Nashville, TN
Coordinator: Amos Gott
Catering: G Catering
Cake: Dulce Desserts
DJ: Nashville Party Authority
Suits: Bonobos
Flowers and decor : AmosEvents
Tents and rentals : Music City Tents and Events
Lighting : Bradfield Stage Lighting
Ceremony musicians : Wedding Musicians Company