When we set out to do Megan and Monte's couple session yesterday, I had plans to do some cool shots with Smoky Mountains in the background. However, you can't really predict what the weather will be like on top of a mountain, and we ended up caught in the middle of a cloud. Although it wasn't what we planned for, I think that the fog was cool... in more ways than one. The temperature was almost 30 degrees colder on the mountain than in Knoxville, but Megan didn't complain. She was a trooper, and we got some beautiful photos including a few sunset shots with the mountains in the background.

I've resisted posting larger blog photos because they take longer to load for everyone and won't show up on all monitors without scrolling. However, I know that it's hard to really appreciate a photo when it's too small so I'm considering switching to a larger size. Let me know what you think.

I'm one of those people who is smart enough to save cool sites to my favorites list, but then I never remember to go back and sort and visit them again. I was just looking for something else today and ran into this really cool site that I had saved. Gregory Colbert's photography is really beautiful and spiritual. If you have some free time, it's definitely worth checking out on the Ashes and Snow website. If you have a fast enough connection to use the enhanced version of the site then you can view the photos as well as some very artistic video work. This work is just AMAZING!

Marcus bought one of the little photo books for me, and it is really cool. However, someday I would love to see the actual photo exhibition and experience the photos in all their glory as huge prints. It's scheduled to be in Brazil next year if anyone happens to be in that area and wants to check it out.

In an effort to help my clients have the best wedding day (and best wedding photographs) possible, I am doing a series of blog posts that contain various tips. If you're the sort that likes to read everything you can about weddings then this is for you. If not then you can skip this and wait for the next photo post. This section applies to the planning stages of the wedding. Feel free to add your own tips in the comments section.

·         Please be conservative when scheduling wedding day activities, and assign a bridesmaid or planner with helping you to run on schedule if needed. I will help clients come up with a tentative timeline in advance. However,  wedding days rarely go as planned.  I am there to document the day as it occurs and am not a stickler for schedules and time tables.

 

·         Plan to be early. Add some cushion to the time-table “just in case”. Tell the family and wedding party to be at the church at least thirty minutes before they really have to be there, but let them know that the timeline is tentative so they won’t be upset if they have to wait. Having extra time is never a problem.

 

·        The middle of the afternoon is the absolute worst time for outdoor photographs. Outdoor ceremonies or formal photos should be scheduled with 3 hours of sunrise or sunset.

 

·         Sunset ceremonies may sound good, but don’t count on them going as planned. Variations in weather and cloud cover could leave you in the dark. It is far better to plan the ceremony 2-3 hours before sunset when there is plenty of time to do the formals in daylight. Then, if there is a nice sunset, the couple can sneak off for a few romantic shots together.

 

·         Schedule your hair and make-up appointment early in the day and pick a salon that is close by or have them come to you. Plan 1.5-2 hours for your hair and 30-60 minutes for makeup plus any travel time. Travel to the salon in your own car so that you do not have to wait on other friends/family to be ready.

 

·         Complete the wedding worksheet so that we know in advance which formals should be taken. Plan enough time into the wedding day schedule for the formal portraits that you want. Allow approximately 4 minutes PER formal photo. I will be taking several shots of each pose to ensure a good result.

 

·         I strongly recommend setting aside 20-30 minutes for portraits of the couple alone. This day is about the two of you, but you will not get those dreamy, romantic shots of just the two of you if you don’t plan it into the schedule. If your timetable will not allow this, seriously consider doing a couple/bridal session at a later date.

 

·         Arrange flower deliveries to be at least 30 minutes before the photographer’s arrival.

 

·        While videographers and photographers are both there to capture the day and help you have a wonderful wedding, our individual styles may be in conflict. I prefer to be as unobtrusive as possible and will often shoot from a distance. If your videographer has more of a “breaking news” shooting style in which he circles the couple and likes to get up close and personal, he will often block my shot or be in the background and will have a negative impact on the photographs overall.
 

·         In the event that you would like to feature some of the photographs from a bridal or engagement session at your wedding, the session must take place no less 6 weeks before the wedding (earlier if you want a photo guestbook). Prints must be ordered no less than 3 weeks before the wedding.

 

·         Don’t sweat the small stuff. Do all of the planning that you can before your wedding day. Then assign someone else to be the “go to” person in case of problems on the big day and instruct them not to worry you unless absolutely necessary. No, that spot on your dress and the fact that your veil is not perfectly straight will not show in the photos so don’t worry about it.

 

I didn't really plan on blogging this today, but I started looking through the photos and just wanted to go ahead and share. Although she is from Maryville, Rachel and Josh live in Florida so they had a combined wedding/honeymoon here in the Smoky Mountains at The Dancing Bear Lodge in Townsend. The ceremony was held in a smaller meeting hall with the reception in the larger lodge and formal photos around the grounds. The reception tables were set up indoors and out with a dance area on the lower deck.

The lodge and cabins are all very nice and modern but retain a rustic charm with many custom touches. The carved doors on the lodge are truly amazing.



A family friend did the flowers, and I thought Rachel's bouquet was perfect for a mountain wedding. It incorporated irises (my grandmother's favorite flower and the state flower), sunflowers, and daisies.

The walkway to the ceremony site was lined with these hanging cones of Gerbera daisies. It's a little difficult to convey in a photo, but the effect was simply beautiful. Guests felt like they were walking down a forest path to a little cabin in the woods.

Rachel is an anthropologist and planned much of her wedding while working in South Africa. As favors for her guests, she brought back these creative little keychains that were handmade out of wire and beads by African artisans. VERY cool.





I love Rachel's mermaid gown, and it fit her perfectly.






Josh watched as Rachel cut the cake. Carrot Cake. My favorite!


Although it was a very hot and humid day, the guests weren't deterred from dancing into the night to live music by the Swinging Richards.

Josh's family taught everyone a Lebanese wedding dance, and the couple showed off some of their moves.

On Saturday I photographed the wedding of Rachel and Josh at Dancing Bear Lodge in Townsend. Now that the wedding is over, I can finally share some of Rachel's bridal photos that we did at the lodge back in July. I'll be back in a few days to post a preview of the wedding.