Emma and Justin got married at a beautiful, historic, and coastal home in Southern Maryland-- Woodlawn Estate. It’s nestled off of the Potomac River, right where it meets the Chesapeake Bay, in the southern tip of the state. I loved traveling back to my home state to capture their beautiful fall wedding day and celebrate with them! Their waterfront ceremony was truly a special day that I'll never forget!

These two had the sweetest and most perfect Sunday wedding in September. Taylor is in the military so they had to work with his schedule to pick their date. It was a warm day with a light breeze— my favorite! We started the day with a sweet first look by the creek and a few portraits, then made our way to their creekside ceremony. Callie and Taylor invited their closest family and friends, which made for it to be such an intimate celebration!

Shay and David became husband and wife at one of East Tennessee’s most unique venues— The Millstone! The Millstone is an old grist flour mill that has been transformed into a stunning wedding venue. The reception space is enclosed by repurposed glass windows, too, giving it a rustic, almost greenhouse, feel! David and Shay celebrated with their family, friends, and ring bearer golden retriever, Murphy, who most definitely stole the show! Talk about the most perfect Tennessee wedding day!

Holly and Tyler are high school sweethearts and such a fun couple! They call themselves “weekend warriors,” and love taking weekend trips to the mountains to explore and get away for a few days! One of their favorite places to visit is downtown Banner Elk, North Carolina, as it’s just a hop and skip over the TN/NC border and just far enough to get away for a few days. When Holly told me about their trips, I figured it would be the best place to take their engagement photos since it’s so special to them! I cannot wait to photograph their wedding in June!

Emily and Christian's wedding day was nothing short of beautiful.

These two became husband and wife on the most perfect September day-- it was partly sunny and in the 70s with a breeze that reminded us that Fall is just around the corner. When I first arrived at the Waterstone venue, I saw both Emily and Christian while they were getting ready and asked how they were. They both responded with the biggest smiles and said, "Getting a little nervous, but excited!"

Happiness just radiated between these two and their families throughout the day. We were all in tears watching Emily read Christian's letter and then again when he first saw her walk down the aisle. It's obvious from their smiles just how much these two love and adore each other.

These two became husband and wife amongst friends, family, and the Blue Ridge Mountains on a beautiful summer night. Everyone traveled to a breathtaking outdoor chapel that sits high on top of a mountain on the NC/SC border, called The Pretty Place. I can tell you right now, that the name says it all.

When I arrived at the chapel, there was a breeze that greeted us as storms loomed in the distance! We really lucked out with going through all of the day's events without a few drops of rain, but as soon as Holly and Mason exited through the sparklers and we all packed up, the skies burst open as we all traveled home!

Summer is in full swing over here in Northeast Tennessee and I am absolutely loving it! It has me reminiscing back on this beautiful styled shoot that I was able to organize with some of the best wedding vendors here in Johnson City, Tennessee!

Full transparency— last year, I felt myself feeling quite burnt out. It comes and goes in waves and usually when creatives are stressed out or doing things repetitively. To help fight the burnout and increase creativity, photographers will often try to get out of their normal rhythm and will shoot something for themselves or start personal projects. For me, I had never set up my own styled shoot— I had only attended ones organized and created by others. This was definitely a bit out of my comfort zone, but was such a fun experience!

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!

As engagement season is upon us and as more couples start to research and book vendors, and start the wedding planning process, I thought it would be the perfect time to share just exactly what us photographers do when you book us for your special day! Wedding photography can often seem like a photographer will just show up on the wedding day and click a button- but I’m here to tell you that as a professional, we do SO much more than that! I know that wedding photography is a huge investment and takes a big percentage of a couple’s budget when it comes to their wedding day. I want to walk you through the process and share a little behind-the-scenes information of what goes into being a wedding photographer!