I'm always surprised at how two people so obviously perfect for each other can be brought together. Afia and Paul have a great story. They met in high school in Senegal even though neither one of them is from Senegal. Years later, here they are about to be married in Tennessee, but neither is from Tennessee.

Paul may be the funniest engineer I've ever met, and he kept us all laughing as we traveled around searching for photography locations. Afia is a natural in front of the camera, and has great style. Isn't this yellow dress adorable?  I'm so excited for their wedding in July!

I recently photographed a bridal session at a new venue in north Knoxville, The Sterchi Mansion. Unfortunately, I can't share any of the photos until after the bride's wedding in July, but I wanted to go ahead and thank the owners for being so welcoming and accommodating. It's a gorgeous, historic home, and anyone interested in an outdoor ceremony should definitely contact Linda and check it out. It would be especially beautiful in the fall.

Now for some photographs from a wedding reception that I photographed back in February. Natalie and James had a destination wedding in Jamaica (lucky ducks!) and then celebrated here in Knoxville with a reception at Southern Graces atop the Sunsphere. It was surprisingly warm for February, and we shot a few quick portraits around the base before heading up for the party.

I really love beautiful portraits so most of my favorite images that end up on the blog are semi-posed. However, I do photograph the majority of the day with a more photojournalistic style so I'm going to try to remember to post more candid wedding photographs this year.























Natalie had once heard about a celebrity serenading his bride on their wedding day and mentioned to James that she thought it was romantic. The idea stuck, and James had a special surprise for Natalie near the end of the reception. It would have been super sweet regardless, but he's a really good singer!

We originally scheduled this photography session for two weeks from now, but then I saw that the Dogwood Arts Festival will be on Market Square that weekend. Not wanting to compete with the crowd, we switched dates. Unfortunately, there is apparently always something going on in downtown Knoxville these days. On Saturday, there was a Red Bull chariot race AND a marathon. We had beautiful weather though, and I had fun traipsing around downtown and shooting urban engagement photos with Matt and Molly.




















I'm looking forward to the wedding in July and hoping that the weather will be just as gorgeous for their outdoor ceremony.

My little baby is growing up too fast! He has more than doubled his birth weight and is sitting up now. I pulled out the old scale that I used for newborn photographs so that I could document the change.

Before anyone asks... I did not let him balance up there on his own, but I edited my arm out of the photograph.




Here are a few photographs that we took outside on Saturday.







I do have some wedding stuff to post too, but I have albums and orders to finish up before I get around to it.

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous.
It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.  
~Elizabeth Stone

Whether you're recently engaged or have been married for decades, I hope that everyone takes the time this weekend to reflect on how important your loved ones are and to let them know what they mean to you. In my opinion, our relationships are really what make life so rewarding and wonderful.
I am especially blessed to share my life with a wonderful husband and a perfect little baby. My days are filled with so many wonderful moments now, but some of my favorite come just as Hayden is waking up - when he looks at me with complete adoration and joy like I am the most important person in the world. His love is so pure and magical. I wish that all love could be so simple.



Here are a few more recent photos that I love. These next two are such "Hayden" looks.





Sometimes he'll just sit and stare at his hands as if they are the most amazing new discovery, but he's also in love with his feet.