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!

Morgan and Meg were originally supposed to get married in the winter, but due to Covid, they decided to reschedule their wedding for May. I know that rescheduling was so tough on everyone, but honestly, I am SO glad that they decided to wait. Sunshine just showered down on us the entire day at Sugar Hollow Retreat— everything was green and had finally bloomed. Truly, the mountains were truly showing off for them!

April showers bring May flowers, and boy did April bring the rain to us! The night before the wedding, rain pushed into our area and was supposed to continue the whole day on Saturday. Knowing this, we packed and prepared accordingly with rain jackets and umbrellas in tow. When we arrived, the mountains were super misty and the clouds were hanging above, but Kendra and James were in the best spirits despite the weather. After we photographed the dress and invitation, the rain let up and gave us the perfect backdrop for a mountain wedding! We continued the day with a super sweet first look with vows, a trip to a local park with the bridal party for portraits by the lake, and then a beautiful ceremony under the covered patio (thank goodness for the backup plan)!

Congratulations! You’re engaged! But what’s next?

Engagement season is once again upon us! Many couples around the world have recently said yes to spending the rest of their lives with someone they truly love and are envisioning their perfect wedding day! Once the whirlwind of the proposal winds down, it can often feel overwhelming to start the wedding planning process— I know I felt that way after my husband proposed to me!

Here are 5 steps to jump-start the wedding planning process!

Amber & Kit’s wedding day was so beautiful and intimate. The day before, it was probably 30 degrees and the mountains were topped with snow. The day of? A warm 50-60 degrees. Talk about whacky Tennessee weather, but it was perfect for their day. We kicked things off with a sweet little first look in the drive up to the Chapel. Their closest family members and friends then joined us in the glass chapel for their sweet ceremony. After officially becoming husband and wife, we took advantage of the beautiful view next to the chapel and took some portraits while overlooking the Nolichuckey. Kit and Amber then ended the day with an intimate dessert reception at the next-door cabin. Amber said that she had always wanted a winter wedding and I believe she got exactly that (minus some snow, hehe). I loved her winter decor touches, especially the wreaths on the doors of the chapel.

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!