The Barn at Living Water Wedding - Sarah & Daniel

We want to share with you today a very special wedding between one of my former students, Daniel, and his beautiful bride, Sarah, the epitome of high school sweethearts. Although they are still a young couple, one still in nursing school and the other pursuing a degree in medicine, they are wise beyond their years and so in love with one another.

Sarah and Daniel wanted a meaningful location for their nuptials, so they chose to have their wedding at the church they attended while students at Lee University, the Barn at Living Water. Featuring gorgeous fields, lush greenery, and a quaint barn, this venue was perfect for a beautifully sunny summer wedding. The two wed overlooking rolling hills and under an iron canopy adorned with purple, blue, and white flowers. This sentimental ceremony was performed by their pastor, and the two shared communion together as soon to be husband and wife. We loved the incorporation of string quartet for a touch of elegance and the family Bible that held the wedding bands for a sense of nostalgia.

Sarah's dress is aligned with one of the biggest wedding gown trends right now as it was two separate pieces. We loved the choice of a lace beaded bodice with a full skirt and long veil. The flawless "something blue" came into play with her shoes, but her gorgeous sapphire engagement ring and necklace were unique plays on that tradition as well. One of our favorite color pairings incorporated the girls' lavender dresses with the groomsmen's gray suits, and all of these shades blended perfectly within the rounded bouquets accented with greenery.

The couple's reception was held in the barn, and some of the most endearing moments of the day came as Sarah danced with her father and Daniel did the same with his mother; however, it was the speeches delivered by the bridesmaids and groomsmen that touched our hearts and showed us how much the love shared between these two has impacted others. The best man performed an emotional rendition of "Make You Feel My Love" that we think brought the entire room to tears. What a perfect gift for these two!

We feel blessed to have been able to celebrate the union of these two at their wedding, and we hope you see all of Sarah and Daniel's joy reflected in these images as we do.

Event Venue: The Barn at Living Water | Floral: Grafe Studio | Cake: Kimmie's Cakes | Dress: Monica's Bridal | Shoes: Steve Madden | Catering: The Barn at Living Water | Bradley Rentals | Chattanooga Tents | Hair: Bliss | Makeup: Ryan Andrews | Videography: Martha Douhne & Ruthie Martin

Ashley & Matt's Whitestone Country Inn Wedding

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We spent a sunny September Saturday photographing Ashley and Matt's gorgeous wedding at Whitestone Country Inn. This was a true celebration and a day full of joy, which is clearly evident from the bride's expressions in these photos throughout the day.

We loved capturing some adorable photos of Ashley and her bridesmaids having a little fun before a sentimental and truly perfect first look between the bride and her father. His reaction was priceless as was their playful, surprise choreographed dance at the reception. The day also featured an unexpected wedding party member, Ashley's adorable pup, Rubie, adorned with a floral collar.We also loved that Ashley and Matt requested a first look with the groom blindfolded so that they could share an intimate moment before the ceremony but also maintain the tradition of the groom seeing the bride for the first time as she walked down the aisle to meet him.

Whitestone Country Inn features a lovely chapel with lots of natural light and beautiful wooden doors embellished with stained glass crosses. Starting with a ring warming where all the guests had a chance to hold the couple's rings and say a silent prayer or blessing, Ashley and Matt's ceremony incorporated the exchanging of personalized vows.

The couple loves to travel together, and during the reception, guests were seated at tables decorated with photos in locations the two have visited. Rustic details, classic elements, and spectacular bouquets and floral head pieces for the girls added special touches to make Ashley and Matt's day even more elegant.

Join us in congratulating Ashley and Matt, and enjoy these pictures from their special day.

Venue: Whitestone Country Inn

Film Lab: The Find Lab

Videography: Milestone Pictures

Floral: Lisa Foster Floral Design

DJ: Music in Motion

Food: Whitestone Country Inn

Cakes: Sugarbuzz Bakers Magpies Bakery

Wedding Dress: La Raine's Bridal Boutique

Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids

Tuxes: Men's Wearhouse 

Invitations: Rebecca Green Design 

Event Rentals: White Table 

Intimate Sequoyah Park Inspirational Wedding Shoot

Imagine a gorgeous park full of lush greenery amid a historic neighborhood running along the Tennessee River, and you would be in Sequoyah Park, the location for this inspirational shoot. Bringing together some of Knoxville’s most creative wedding vendors, our goal was to capture portraits that featured memorable details, highlighted the intimate moments shared by a couple on their wedding day, and celebrated the charm of the venue.  An elegant table set for two with glimmers of gold and stunning floral arrangements set a romantic scene while the ivory gown and hand crafted stationery added a vintage touch. We hope that this shoot inspires couples to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary with a fine art approach and classic styling.

Thank you Trendy Bride for the beautiful feature of our inspiration shoot at Sequoyah Park.
Event Designer: Honeybee Events
Floral Designer: Megan Connors Floral and Styling
Invitation Designer: Simply Jessica Marie
Hair and Makeup: Beauty by Nora
Dress: Gossamer 
Tuxedo and Men's Attire: Savvi Formalwear of Knoxville
Handmade goods: Silk & Tincture
Film Lab: PhotoVision
Videography: Studio-M Photoz
Assistant: Megan Kiphart
Models: Jessica Union - Model, Scott Cameron
Photographers: Staci Sweeney Messing, Jason Messing

Wedding Photography 2

The wedding day...I was pretty excited to be able to go to this wedding and see a beautiful couple get married. I also wanted to keep practicing my new found hobby and interest. I brought by 55-210mm lens with me this time to get those close intimate shots. I could really tell a difference in how much room I could see around my subjects. It was a lot closer and tighter shot, and I could really zoom in on faces and expressions. I wanted to be able to enjoy most of the evening and partake in the whole celebration, so I only took 175 shots which will probably come down to the best 50 or so maybe. I haven't finished editing all of the pictures yet so I will see what that number comes down to.  

The day was pretty perfect for lighting and the weather couldn't have been better for a day in June. The venue:  The Bleak House is an antebellum Classical Revival style house in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The house was first occupied by Robert Houston Armstrong and his wife, Louisa Franklin. It was built for the couple as a wedding gift by the bride's father, Major L.D. Franklin. Robert Armstrong's father, Drury Armstrong, gave them the land. The Armstrongs named the house after Charles Dickens' "Bleak House" novel of the same name. [1] The bricks in the house were molded on-site using slave labor.[2]

The home was used by Confederate Generals James Longstreet and Lafayette McLaws as their headquarters during the 1863 Battle of Knoxville. Three Confederate sharpshooters who were stationed in the house's tower were killed by Union cannonballs. Two of the cannonballs are still embedded in the walls, and Civil War-era sketches of the slain soldiers are displayed on the walls of the tower.[1][2]

The home now belongs to local Chapter 89 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and is commonly called Confederate Memorial Hall. (wikipedia)

"These walls have history" as I would say. The venue was beautiful and the set up of the ceremony around a fountain made it all the more surreal. 

 This is a view of where the ceremony was held. 

They had live strings to set the mood.

The ceremony was a traditional Christian wedding and the reception was lively and entertaining with a great local DJ.

I feel like a captured some pretty good moments during the wedding. I was towards the back of the seats, but with my 55-210mm lens I was able to still get those close intimate shots. It was really good practice for me. My next attempt will probably be nighttime and low light photography. Its pretty tough without a good flash or a tripod/mono-pod. I noticed toward the end of the night that the shots I was taking didn't come out too well in the dark, so I definitely want to practice on that. 

All in all it was a good experience, had a great time with some amazing friends, and got a chance to practice on my craft. 

Juicebeats