{clare & andrew}

I absolutely cannot believe it is almost SEPTEMBER!!  Fall is in the air (well, perhaps not this morning when it reached 80 by 8:30am, but here's hoping it will be soon), and that means wedding season is getting ready to get crazy again!!!  I've had sooooo many gorgeous weddings (and uber-cool clients) this year, I cannot WAIT until things slow down a bit so I can start sharing them much more regularily with y'all.  In the meantime, I want to introduce Clare and Andrew.  They were married back in June and there are so many things to love about this wedding its not even funny.  When I showed up, though, the morning of the wedding, I have to say, I was a little concerned.  It was POURING and the reception was scheduled to be completely outside in Andrew's grandparents backyard...  but miracle of miracles, as soon as we shipped off for the church to start pics, the rain just all but disappeared, and only showed back up for a few minutes during the ceremony.  Anyhow, enough yapping from me... here you go...

I cannot imagine a dress more perfect for Clare.  You know how sometimes you just have a vision in your head of how something is 'supposed' to look?  Well, as weird as this may be... I always visualize what my brides are going to look like on the wedding day, and honestly, I'm rarely right! But with Clare, I was spot on.  haha.   With her kind-a vintage styling of her hair and the dress, and her young, gorgeous face, she totally looks just like Juliet from the Romeo and Juliet movie made in the 1960s.  She was absolutely soooo inspiring to shoot.


I always love the first look, but seriously, this was one of the sweetest ever!  

I adore this picture of the first look!  Sooooo precious.


Clare has great taste.  Her colors were so classic.  And I loved the snapdragon bridesmaid bouquets that were a little 'unstructured.'  Beautiful!


Clare's dad is the Father at the Orthodox Church in Oak Ridge.  To this day, after having shot over 100 weddings, I love an orthodox ceremony probably the most of any!  I love everything about it, especially the fact that it is rooted in centuries of tradition, and that there's so much meaning behind every part of the ceremony.  To top it off, I adored Father Stephen (Clare's dad), and having that personal touch is always cool.


So, when I heard this was going to be a 'backyard wedding reception,' I didn't think much about it... I've done lots of them, and typically they are pretty laid back and small and I've seen them in everything from normal sized backyards to farms...  but this was one of the most magical places I have ever been in my life.  His grandparents have built and extremely extensive garden with hidden paths, a bamboo forest, ponds, bridges, secret sitting nooks and gazebos... and they don't keep it to themselves... they built it to share with others.  Youth groups use it, teenagers take prom pics here, and sometimes folks just come to meditate or pray in one of the 50+ solitary seating areas.  Ahhhh-mazing place and ahhhh-mazing people.



 A few cool details from the reception... including firefly jars for the kids.  Cute!

And to end... just a couple of my favorite moments from the reception...

Father-daughter dance pics are the best!  

{funky friday: pinterest obsessed}

When I'm not holding my camera (it does happen!) I'm grasping my iPhone, and more often than not lately, I'm probably up to my eyeballs in Pinterest, a website and app that taps my yen to collect and organize gorgeous things that I see all over the web.

Pinterest is a little like Tumblr in that people share all kinds of pics and ideas that you can like and share. It's unbelievably addictive!

It's like an online scrapbook for all those fun design, project and craft ideas you have, but, like me, rarely get to.

It's also inspirational: I've recently redesigned my bedroom and found umpteen ideas online, which I organized in one place via Pinterest. LOVE! 

 

And of course I get great ideas regarding wedding photo shoots as well. Like this amazing scene:

Coming soon to a wedding near you! Thanks to all my Pinterest pals and great design blogs and websites out there. Thanks to you, I'll keep spending many hours liking and clicking and sharing.

{jenna and bradley}

Jenna and Bradley tied the knot back on May 8 at Dara's Garden.  My favorite ladies at One Enchanted Evening were responsible for all the lovely pink and grey details...  

I am because you are.  Big grin!

 The shoes! I couldn't resist. The bridesmaids' shoes were so sweet and precious compared to Jenna's studded pumps. So many brides hide tennis shoes, flip-flops or cowboy boots under their dresses, but not Jenna.. this girl was ALL about designer bling!

Is this girl gorgeous or WHAT???  Those EYES!  And her heart is just as big as her beauty!  Bradley's one lucky groom I have to say...

Love that little touch of Robin's egg blue on the barn wall.  

 

But Bradley isn't so bad himself!!  :)

Since the bride and groom didn't want to see each other before the ceremony, I used the old "reach around the door trick". It definitely got Jenna all teared up... hehe! I love the sense of mystery and anticipation captured in this moment.

 

 

 

Jenna and her dad are super close, and had the SWEETEST moment when they first saw each other...  NO TEARS!!!

'walking back down the aisle' pics have ALWAYS been some of my favorites!  This one is  right up there.  ;)

 You know how much I love solar flare. THIS is pure magic. It looks like a movie set.

 

Notice anything different??  Jenna changed dresses for the reception - a trend I've seen more and more lately.  Jenna's second dress was handmade locally and pattered off of the gown Portia De Rossi wore when she married Ellen Degeneres.  It was so beautiful on Jenna!!

I love how the colors in the barn wall play off of his grey suit and her pink dress.

 

 

 

 

and finally... On to the good stuff!!!  Dancin', cake eatin', bouquet tossin', laughin', cryin', sparklin' and just having a grand old time!

Thanks sooooo much Jenna and Bradley for sharing it with me.  xoxoxo

{funky friday...with flags}

Today's post is inspired by two things: the Fourth of July and one of my favorite new wedding accessories. Wait. What do those things have in common? Flags!

Personalized, colorful whimsical...these flags at Paula and Drew's wedding perfectly captured their carefree personalities.

Well, if I have anything to say about it, flags should be here to stay, especially if they are as cute as Paula's and these from Knoxville artist Ashley Addair.

Combining text, textiles, paint swatches and other found objects, Ashley's flags are a quirky twist on Tibetan prayer flags. Also a painter, her canvases involve words and images, and these flags are like little paintings strung together and draped from corner to corner. Simply lovely. 

Ashley and her singer-songwriter husband Levon (also super-talented) recently helped their friends Josh and Amelia throw a wedding in Knoxville's Park Ridge neighborhood. More of Ashley's flags adorned the reception site, featured in the 100 Layer Cakes blog.

Want some flags for your own with a certain color scheme or special event in mind? Ashley considers custom orders via her etsy page.

Here's to flags! I hope they never go out of style. Those red, white and blue ones are nice too.

{paula and drew}

Paula and Drew are a truly rare couple. Married on April 23, 2011, at RT Lodge in Maryville, they were unbelieveably relaxed, a characteristic I attribute to getting married later in life and focusing on making their guests feel comfortable and happy and loved. That's how they made me feel, and I was practically stranger! Paula is an interior designer for Bennett Galleries, and her creative touch was on every bit of the rehearsal dinner and wedding—from the attendants' silk dresses ordered from Etsy to the handmade guest badges celebrating each person's individual personality and connection to the bride and groom. Drew is a pediatric dentist, which explained the toothbrushes and dental floss that accompanied a help-yourself candy smorgasbord. I also loved the way the young people in their lives—son, daughter, nieces, nephews, friends' children—played important roles in the event. It truly felt like a celebration of life and family. Pretty appropriate for a beautiful Easter weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After this wedding, I think all brides and grooms should high-five their guests on their way back down the aisle!

 

 


 

 

 

Thank you, Paula and Drew!

{phot goes to Biltmore}

This is probably going to be my favorite post of the year, and for darn good reason!!  Most of you will recognize the pretty lady in this post as my associate photographer Kayla who has been with me as an assistant for over two years and probaly close to 100 shoots.  Needless to say, I flippin LOVE this girl and I am sooooo excited to tell this little story about Kayla and the day that she finds out she is finally getting to plan her own wedding.

Meet Rob:  (He's the one with the normal-sized ears) *photo credit to Kayla Folks (i assume anyway... I stole it from Facebook)  ;)

 

Rob and Kayla have been dating for 8 years!  WHAAAATTTT??  Yup!  I said EIGHT YEARS.  Crazy kids.  Anyhow, Rob finally decides to pop THE question, so he calls me up to see if I'll capture the whole thing (Kayla had dropped a few hints that she wanted this to happen).  Um, yes, please!  The most romantic day in the life of one of my favorite people?  You KNOW i'll be there!  

Fast forward a bit.  Rob tells me he wants to propose at...  da, da, da...

BILTMORE!!  (of course he does, it is Kayla's favorite place in the whole world... She has this amazing and crazy-strong internal attachment to it... If she perhaps had another life before this one, she was DEFINITELY a Vanderbilt).

Following are a few weeks of playing Kayla BIG TIME!!  Kayla and I are pretty tight, so one would think keeping a secret like this would be pretty darn tough, but what she doesn't know about me is that I am the sneakiest person I know!!  There is not much in this world I LOVE more than a surprise gone right!  

So,  fast forward a few days...Kayla tells me she is going out of town to the Biltmore and muses about a possible proposal.  I just listen and then tell her how happy I'll be for her, but also a tiny bit bummed I can't shoot it since I have a wedding on Saturday AND one on Sunday the weekend they'll be there.  

We have a few more conversations like this, and then early last week, she texted me and (sounding pretty bummed) says she is pretty certain this won't be the weekend.  Not sure WHAT Rob did, but he must be just as sneaky as I am.  ;)

So, Sunday morning, bright and early, I head up to Biltmore...  Rob wanted to propose on the terrace across from the house, so I headed on up there and found myself a big tree to hide behind.  I quickly discovered, however, that that was just not going to work.  All the pictures would be at funny angles and there was NO chance of getting the house in any shots... so...  in typical Jennie-fashion, I formulated a funny plan.  I roped two tourists into helping me out... I had them sit in the grass on the lawn above the terrace and I laid in the grass behind them.  

Here's Rob having to text me because even HE couldn't figure out where i was.  Good thing Kayla is a photo-nerd and was so into her picture taking... she didn't even notice me popping up and waving to Rob.  ;)

That's when it happened...

Rob simply walked back over to Kayla, dropped to one knee (loosing a flip-flop in the transition) and pulled out a ring.  Here's the whole story:

A few minutes passed of more kissy-face sweetness and Rob tells Kayla I'm there.  She screams, takes off up the hill to where I'm hidden,(with one broken foot I might add),so I pop up, run down, scream a little myself, shed a few tears and snap a few more pics of the glowy aftermath...

Seriously the sweetest thing in the world to witness!!  I love you Kayla!  Now, let's plan a wedding!!!  ;)

{caitlyn & bradley}

Adorable and fun-loving couple Caitlyn and Bradley wed on April 2, 2011.  But before the big day... they had a SUPER cute rehearsal dinner complete with a delicious spread of barbecue and a square dance and tons of toast, laughing and maybe even a few tears. You can tell these folks have no fear of cutting a rug. They were a blast! I hope the multitude of smiles in this post brighten your day. 






We took a little field trip over to West Hills Park to find some GREEN and some doggy-wood trees.  I can't tell you how happy Springtime in Tennessee makes this girl!

Caitlyn and Bradley had QUITE the wedding party!  These guys are all Young Life leaders together, so they are a super tight bunch.  Bradley and Caitlyn are spending their first year of marriage working full-time at a youth camp (and sharing a teeny-tiny little studio apartment) and lots of these guys are graduating and moving on, so this was also a really cool 'Last Hoorah" together for awhile.  Love the goofy one of Bradley.  
These next three crack me up!!  Poor little guy... Kiddos in weddings always have so much to offer in the way of entertainment.
LOVE the pic above of Caitlyn sneaking a giggle at Bradley during the ceremony.  This, my friends, is the luck of being in the right place at the right time.
WHEEEEE!!! We're married!!!


Haha... her face is priceless in this next one... DON'T YOU DARE!!  Did he?  Noooooo...  
The reception at Holston Hills Country Club was one of the most energetic I've ever seen! These ladies were ferocious in their pursuit of the coveted bouquet. 


I always take a picture of myself with the bride and groom... I have self portraits from nearly ALL of my weddings.  Anybody have any ideas on what I should do with them all??  I'm thinking wallpaper for the bedroom.  ;)
LOVE that these guys even danced down the bubble-runway!!   Thanks, Caitlyn and Bradley!

{funky friday: bling's the thing}

Today's {funky friday} entry is inspired by Chelsea, star of Monday's wedding post. Her jewelry was simply fabulous—the kind you see Hollywood stars wearing on the red carpet before an awards show.

I didn't ask which designer she was wearing or if she had to return the earrings and bracelet to the Royal Family's vault before going on her honeymoon. But I did some Googling out of curiosity and found some pretty swanky things. 

Of course, my beloved etsy delivered some nifty things. I like the way this one-of-a-kind headpiece from Noaki (1) combines gems and feathers.

And I'm always a sucker for vintage. This art deco rhinestone cuff (5) is on the old-fashioned side of swank. 

I found out you can actually borrow jewels for your wedding day...or prom or party or awards show (if that's how you roll you). Websites like Adorn (3), BagBorroworSteal (2, 4) and Imoveritonline allow you to rent special jewels for a fraction of the cost of buying. So, if you don't need to own your wedding day gems for the rest of your life, you could go for pizazz without the price tag.

Speaking of the royals, maybe tiaras will come back in fashion since Kate looked so smashing in hers! This one from Bling Jewelry on Amazon is only $50 and you can keep it forever. Definitely until your next red carpet event. Or Halloween. 

{finally! funky friday}

Considering how utterly crazy this week has been—weather, power outages, tree down in yard, cross-continental travel—I didn't think I'd I get around to a {funky friday} post for you lovely people, BUT I do have some nifty things to share from my beloved etsy. In times of trouble, this wonderful showcase of creativity soothes me. 

Being on the islands has me in a nautical state of mind. Back in the '80s, nautical was very in and very preppy. Now that it's coming back, I'm not sure what to think...except that I like its retro appeal and a little touch is just right. 

 

Clockwise from top: The brass charm necklace with anchor and captain's wheel is simple and charming, while the Steampunk Octopus fearlessly shouts that you might have read Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea more than a few times..and aren't afraid to admit it. The monogramed sterling silver anchor charm is a nice twist on the always-classic initial pendant. And my favorite has to be the cameo-style anchor necklace, which is so romantic. It makes me think of ladies pacing the Widow's Walk, waiting for their sailors, lost at sea, to return home. Yeah, so the salty air must have gone straight to my brain. If I start talking like a Pirate, someone come get me. 

{a seaside funky friday}

Happy Good 'n' {funky} Friday! I hope you're about to enjoy a lovely Easter weekend. I'm only a week away from shooting a wedding in Aruba (!!!), which is probably what led me to today's oceanic theme. Plus, I love supporting local artists, so I knew I had to share the work of Amanda Thompson's Box of Pearls.

Her latest creations feature sea glass, a beautiful and rare kind of manmade "gemstone." I love the idea that shards of bottles and jars from all over the world get worn and smoothed by the tides and eventually wash up on beaches. Romantic, isn't it?

Thompson wraps the different stones in nickel silver wire and adds stones and freshwater pearls, a traditional twist that balances the contemporary style. Wouldn't these be perfect accessories for a casual beach wedding? Or maybe for a photographer to wear to Aruba? Ha! 

{engagement session: anna & garrett}

Well, I haven't blogged an e-session in FOREVER, so thought I'd show a bit of one from last weekend. I was super excited to get back into shooting mode, but the rain ended up washing out Friday's session. Then the weather on Sunday turned out to be INSANELY nice, and we were glad we'd waited for the sunshine.

Anna & Garrett are a great couple getting married in September. She is an art student (you can tell by her lovely jewelry and scarf that she's super creative—I LOVE her style).

For this marathon e-session, we started at the World's Fair Park—the scene of their first date (which may or may not have included grass stains—I didn't ask).

Since I always want my clients to include things/places that are special to them, these two brought along their Rock Band "instruments." {Insert joke about them making beautiful music together here.}

Then we hauled it down to South Knox to get shots in some of my favorite places. I particularly love the solar flare in these pics.

Here's a collage of photos made using the TTV (Through the Viewfinder) effect with my old Brownie Hawkeye. It gives these natural shots some vintage goodness, like they were found in an old trunk somewhere.

Then we ended up heading back across the river to the place where Anna and Garrett met: the UT Aquatic Center. I tried to get them to go swimming for old time's sake—ha ha!—but they didn't fall for it.

{funky friday rocks}

Wedding season is ramping up, and this {funky friday} has me feeling fairly random...and a little bit jewelry obsessed. I came across these necklaces by designer Sahlia Michelle. Made with natural stones like rough-cut aquamarine, diamond quartz and citrine, these wearable works of art are quite contemporary and statement pieces for sure. This is NOT your grandmother's wedding bling! And although they're in the designer's bridal collection, these baubles don't look so specific to brides that you couldn't wear them long after the honeymoon.

 

I really love the mixed metals in this last one. Check out the rest of Sahlia's work too — gorgeous!

{phot on the farm}

Spring is the perfect time for the kind of sweet country wedding Rachele and Larry planned on March 12. Although the weather forecast called for 100 percent chance of rain, miracle of wedding miracles, it only a sprinkled enough to shed a little luck on their special day at Sampson's Hollow in Walland, Tennessee.

I've known Rachele for a long time. Back in my retail days as a manager at American Eagle, I hired this 17-year-old girl...and now she's a bride! It was fantastic to be involved in her wedding day! {We won't talk about how old it made me feel!}

For Phot Tuesday, here's a peek at this lovely couple's misty day. Don't you love how the yellow blossoms just pop? So fresh!

 

{faux phot}

Do not adjust your calendars.... Phot Tuesday is just a tad late, disguised as Phot Wednesday. Such a tease!

Today, I've got a sneak peak at Monday's couple, Chelsea Colyer and Will Smith, married on March 12 at First Baptist Church. You can see why Chelsea was featured in Knoxville Magazine's "Miss to Mrs" series. Look for her on page 86 of the new issue.

Classy and classic, The Orangery was the perfect atmosphere for Chelsea's bridal session at the Orangery. Love that bling!

 

And since Will treats Chelsea like a goddess, I thought we'd go ahead and put her on a pedestal.

 

As you'll see on Monday, the bridal party was a blast, lending a few hands for this fun shot.

 

Happy Phot Tuesday!

{funky friday for the birds}

Take a gander at any design magazine or home decor catalog and you know that birds are here to stay. Which is fine with me. Little birdies have made it into plenty of previous Funky Friday posts. Birds are beautiful and sweet—a great way to pull some nature and sentimentality into a wedding theme. But birds on invites or cakes or favors can seem too cutesy for some brides who don't want to ruffle the groom's feathers. Here are some ways to use birds without being too precious:

Go botanical. Adore this Sanskripts stationery!!  Its delightfully avian and gender-neutral.  I love the natural look... I see it tied up with a piece of twine or a scrap of burlap.



Go graphic. A silhouette cuts down on the cute factor and makes a strong statement like this personalized ring pillow...



Or the subtle accent on this table card:  Soooo simple and classic.


Keep the birds on your bridesmaids with these stunning peacock feather pendants. {want!} 

And remember: there's always the chance that actual birds will visit your wedding. That's good luck, right?

{rustic funky friday}

So, since we live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country, with the Appalachian Mountains in our backyard, its only natural that we have some of the best rustic weddings around! Etsy is one of the best places to find some really one-of-a-kind items and again this week I just couldn't help myself!!!

How adorable is this? No more satin pillows...lets go burlap!

Burlap Ring Pillow

And how awesome are these? I have a deep love for Mason Jars so my heart might have done a little dance when I saw these!! 

Mason Jars Lanterns

And lastly, I am in love with shrugs at the present. Maybe its the weather, but I think that they are perfect for Spring and Fall weddings. They just add so much more detail!! And I definitely feel like it gives it that beautiful, graceful, rustic feel! Love me some shrugs!

Ivory Crochet Shrug

Be ready next week for something other than just Funky Friday!! I promise!!

{jessica and chandler}

Well hello there blog world, and happy tuesday!  I know today is phot tuesday, so you should be getting a sneaky peak, but I promise this is better.  (I've got some insane sneak peaks for later in the week, so come back around.)  So, I was looking back through my 2010 weddings and realized somehow in all of the INSANITY of wedding season I forgot to blog this wedding!  WHAT??!??! I KNOW!  I'm such a slacker!!  So, anywho, because I'm ready for SUMMER, I wanted to revisit this oh so lovely summer wedding from good ole Nashville Tennessee.  So, without further ado... Jessica and Chandler everyone.  ;)  

I get soooo darn excited about a new venue I've never shot before!  I had good reason to be excited about this one!!  Belle Meade Plantation is GORGEOUS!!!

These next few shots are from Jes's bridal session at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens...


I am a HUGE fan of peonies... so I LOVED Jessica's bouquets.  

Are they cute, or WHAT?  How many times can I say that the first look is always my fav??


These guys were MAJOR troopers.  It was no less than 102 in the shade and we were outside ALL DAY!!  


Soooooo sweet!  Her mom and daddy during the first dance.  ;)

Thanks Jessica and Chandler!!  

{vintage funky friday}

So since I have been checking out some awesome blogs lately, I have been in such a vintage mood. (Yes, it is possible to be in a vintage mood) So where else can you find all things vintage? ETSY!! I had a blast with this post!! I literally just poured over pages and pages for longer than I want to admit. 

How much fun would these be for a wedding with a little vintage flair? 

Recycled Light Fixtures

Or what about this incredible wedding dress? Now, it might not technically be vintage, but it certainly has that air about it! 

Adeline Wedding Dress

Now, I love soap...especially homemade soap. It totally takes me back to The Museum of Appalachia (which is a fantastic wedding venue as well). This is such a fantastic idea for wedding favors!

Natural Honey Oatmeal Soap

I hope yall enjoyed this fun vintage theme as much as I did. Run over to Etsy and see all the awesomeness!

{a blog conundrum}

Whoa whoa whoa! So some of you may have noticed that there are pictures sporadically misplaced in posts. I have been pulling my hair out trying to figure out what is going on! So before I wrote a (semi) accusing email to some higher ups in the blog world, I was scrolling through my posts and realized...TA DA!...there seems to be a pattern. All the "first sees" are replaced with "first sees" from the most recent post! Light bulbs are busting, trumpets are blarring and there is a slight applause in the air! Now that I have figured this lovely little bug out, I will try my best to come up with much more unique names and hopefully a bright yellow cotton dress won't be mistaken for a beautiful ivory wedding dress! (Sorry Dakota!)