Sam and Ken had the most beautiful, holiday-inspired, winter wedding at Chateau Selah! It was a cold, blustery, winter day in Blountville, Tennessee, but at least it was sunny! The Chateau was decorated for Christmas and was so magical and cozy. With red and green florals, accents of gold, sparkling lights and candles, and plenty of pine trees and garland— these two had such a beautiful and memorable wedding day!

Bridal sessions have quickly become one of my favorite types of sessions that I offer! I absolutely love that my brides get to dress up in their dresses, test out their wedding day makeup and hairstyles, and we get to create some beautiful portraits! When Morgan asked me if we could do a bridal session prior to her wedding day at her venue, The Lake House, I of course jumped at the opportunity! I was so excited to see what style of dress Morgan had chosen and to finally see their gorgeous venue!

Ever since I got into wedding photography, I’ve always been told that the very most stressful part of the day would be family formal portraits. I think that is simply because, from a couple’s perspective, you’re trying to round up family members and hope everyone cooperates, and as a photographer, you’re trying to photograph a whole group of people that you’ve mostly never met before and are trying to keep them happy before they head to the reception! It can definitely be a little stressful, but if both the couple and photographer prepare, it really can go more smoothly than expected!

Here are 5 tips that I’ve learned through the years and shooting weddings that help make family formal portraits run smoothly!

Mason proposed to Holly at the South Holston Dam in Bristol, so it was only fitting that we go there for their engagement session! We met up in March for their session, just a few months prior to their wedding day in May. Even though Spring had just started, the trees hadn’t yet decided to wake up from their winter slumber and give us any leaves. The winter sun still gave us such a beautiful, glowy, sunset that we watched from the top of the dam!

Styled shoots are truly some of my favorite events to photograph! It’s a great time to get creative without the stress of a wedding day timeline. Melissa Baskette, of Melissa’s Vintage Details, invited a few photographers (including myself) out to the Millstone venue in Limestone, Tennessee to photograph a styled shoot solely dedicated to details! I love photographing couples, don’t get me wrong, but it was also super nice to have a whole shoot focused and dedicated to decor and details so that I could really hone in on those skills! Melissa had multiple setups with many amazing vendors that collaborated on each one.

They may have had a change of plans, but Ryan and Rachel didn’t let Covid-19 stop them from getting married. In the safety of their family’s home, these two said their vows in the backyard surrounded by just their parents and their two best friends. Other family members attended virtually through Zoom to congratulate them after officially becoming husband and wife! Rachel and Ryan both could NOT contain their smiles and just radiated happiness all day!