Sarah and Brandon’s wedding day is one that I keep close to my heart!

Sarah is the sister to my good friend, Elizabeth, who I’ve known since middle school! Elizabeth and her now-husband, Jeff, eloped in Las Vegas the year before and flew me out to capture their day with their family. I’ve met Sarah before the elopement but was able to hang out with her and Brandon more in Vegas. When we left, she said, “I’ll contact you about our wedding in May!” Of course, I was ecstatic. When we got back, we planned their May wedding and set it on the calendar. Little did we know that Covid would soon hit and change everything about 2020’s spring season.

Thankfully, Sarah and Brandon were able to reschedule for October and they had the most beautiful day!

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!

Eric and Kelsey are married!

Even though their original plans had changed a few times thanks to Covid, these two were finally able to become husband and wife on Labor Day weekend in September! Since Kelsey and Eric are from Ohio, they chose Sugar Hollow Retreat because they offer weekend packages with lodging on-site, so it made traveling a little bit easier for their families! They also loved the relaxing atmosphere and outdoor retreat feel of the venue, which made their wedding weekend feel more like a vacation in the mountains than a traditional wedding day and allows for more time spent with friends and family! Sugar Hollow is also dog-friendly, which was an added bonus for these two dog lovers!

Coco and Sam were married on one of the most beautiful Summer days at one of my favorite venues in East Tennessee, The Waterstone! It might have been slightly warm and humid, but at least we made it through without any rain— and I’ll take that! They had originally planned to get married the first week of June, but like many couples, had to reschedule to late July thanks to the Covid pandemic and state regulations. Thankfully, orders lifted little by little and along with precautions, we were all able to gather and celebrate their amazing day!

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!

Zack and Kinzie finally became husband and wife on a balmy July day at one of my favorite venues here in Johnson City— The Side Porch! When my second shooter, Sam, and I arrived, it was certainly hot and humid but the forecast had appeared clear. After everyone was ready, we captured a super sweet first look in the forest where Zack and Kinzie said private vows. Immediately after, as we were gearing up for the ceremony, a huge rain cloud loomed over the venue. Everyone hopped into gear and brought the ceremony inside in minutes where Zack and Kinzie would finally become husband and wife! Talk about an adventure, but what a story to tell!

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!