The Venue
It was lightly sprinkling as I made my way down the winding road packed tightly among the lush green overhanging trees. I had to slow down, in part because of the twists and turns, but also so I could take in all the beauty.
I could live in Tennessee my whole life and never see all of the gorgeous wedding venues tucked away around every corner. The Lodge at Montgomery Bell in Burns, Tennessee is one of these hidden gems!
Forty minutes North of Nashville, it sits right on the cute little banks of Acorn Lake. How can you not love a lake named Acorn?
The Details
I love the excitement and dishevelment that goes along with the beginning of every wedding day. No matter where everyone is getting ready the room is always a tornado of frenzy! From shoes to dresses, makeup to water bottles, the chaos is generally joyful and fun.
I’d definitely have to say, wedding day details are possibly in the top two things I love to photograph during the day! To me, they are what make peoples day unique! So much thought and work goes into curating the colors, flowers, invitations, rings, shoes, ect. And while the elements are all the same, the way in which they come together is different for every couple! Tristin and Cory’s wedding day details were lovely and thoughtful! Tristin even got the guys personalized cuff links – her father’s were Thor!
The Dress
Right up there with photographing the day’s details would be photographing the moments when the bride is getting buttoned into her dress.
I think at this point, all of the planning becomes reality and there’s so much emotion tied up in finally getting to put on the gorgeous gown you’ll wear down the aisle!
It seems like these heartfelt moments are captured best in black and white.
The buttons, the texture of the dress, peoples hands – it’s poetry all by itself and maybe like the black and white words on a page, I just love how these image read without color.
The First Looks
I know that “First Looks” aren’t traditional, but I love them! As a photographer it creates a calm space for me to get those genuine emotions that are so special! I also think it gives the couple a moment together to admire how spiffy they each look, and breathe for a moment before the festivities begin!
Tristin and Cory’s day also included a first look with her son Gavon which was such a tender moment!
The Ceremony
Tristin and Cory’s wedding ceremony was vibrant and lovely! It rained clear up until the ceremony started and no joke right as the music started, the rain stopped!
I’m not one to cry at weddings, but I have to say, the vows that Tristin and Cory wrote for one another… “I’m not crying! You’re crying!”
After it was all said and done, they walked out to a myriad of bubbles which the kids loved creating and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing!
The Portraits
It doesn’t happen every wedding, but I got almost a full 30 minutes with Tristin and Cory to explore the grounds of the lodge and to take portraits of just the two of them together! I wish every wedding day was like this! After all, the day is supposed to be about the couple and their love story!
While I was walking around scouting out locations, I saw these boats all tied up at the dock. Later on when I casually suggested we take some photos in said boats – they didn’t even bat an eye! I love that they were down for some adventure, and the picture of them in the boat together is probably in my top three favorites from the entire day!
The Sendoff
At the end of their wonderful day, Tristin and Cory left in style and I got to photograph my first ever sparkler exit!
I knew I wanted to place one off camera flash behind them to light up the smoke in the air and also the people standing in line behind them.
I watched so many tutorials and read a ton of articles. I even got the gear all up and set it up in my living room and made my hubby be my test subject.
All the research and testing payed off – I absolutely love these photos! Some of my favorite from the day!
Tristin and Cory’s day was one for the books and I felt honored to be a a part of it!
