We finally decided to move forward with our session on a day that looked pretty horrible, but was predicted by our handy dandy weather apps to get better as the day went on. The weather apps were wrong.

It was only a little bit drizzly when we began…although it was crazy dark and gloomy out.

But then it started pouring on us. The only way you can really tell is by watching Meredith’s hair get wet… Meredith and Brian really composed themselves well, even in the pouring rain!

We finally admitted defeat…and I told them that we would try again. We were getting closer and closer to their wedding date, but we were determined to make it happen. And then the cycle began again. We would schedule a session, and it would rain… over and over and over again. Finally, we selected a date and refused to look at the weather. We hoped to trick Mother Nature into forgetting what we were doing. It worked :) We met for another session, and I had the opportunity to capture some of my favorite engagement images ever.

Meredith and Brian are crazy about each other, and that always makes a session easier.

And they make quite the attractive couple, so it was almost hard to take a bad picture of them!

Isn’t Meredith a stunner?

And on top of all of that… we had PERFECT light to work with! It was completely worth the wait to get these sun-kissed shots.

Finally, I’ll leave you with my favorite shot of the session… and one of my favorite images I’ve ever captured. This belongs on their wall somewhere… huge. I just love it when everything comes together perfectly.

I’ll be back with images from their wedding sometime soon… I swear I’m going to try to be nicer to this blog. It has to have been lonely.

xoxo

-amber

Needless to say… I was very excited when their wedding day finally arrived.

The morning began with the beautification process :)

Not that Cassie needs much beautification :)

Oby and his boys came over so that I could grab a few quick shots of them while the girls finished getting ready…

Then we sent the boys away, and the girls had their turn in front of the camera.

I love these girls :)

I was lucky enough to have my friend Amber along for the day… and I LOVE this shot that she grabbed of the guys celebrating before the ceremony :)

The final hour before the ceremony began flew by in a blur… the next thing I knew, Cassie and her dad were walking down the aisle!

The ceremony was beautiful.

They’re so beautiful together!

Can’t you just feel the excitement coming out of this new couple?!

We had some amazing light for our quick portrait session…

I was so excited about this location. Isn’t this the perfect place for a ceremony and reception?

The very excited new couple were introduced into their reception…

Their first dance was beautiful.

Amber caught the dip at the end, perfectly!

Then the party started! These people know how to have fun :)

I mean, have you ever seen the limbo at a wedding? :)

The location seemed to get even more beautiful as the evening went on. Love.

This was one of the scariest moments of my wedding photography career thus far… fire, water, and alcohol. I feel very thankful that I survived :)

Cassie and Oby… Congratulations. I had a blast with you guys on your wedding day, and am really thankful that you chose me to document your day. I hope you enjoy your slideshow!

All caught up? Great… now where were we?

Oh, that’s right… the main event!

The setting was spectacular as Daniel waited for Tiffany to arrive…

And Tiffany’s entrance was spectacular.

So excited!

Quite possibly the quietest flowergirls in the history of weddings…

Lots of laughter…

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Groves :)

Right after the ceremony ended, as congratulations were being showered on the bride and groom, I happened to see Daniel’s grandparents standing down by the water. I asked Nathan to grab a shot with his camera (he had the perfect lens on) and I made my way to where they were, in hopes of grabbing a closer shot. When I got to the water’s edge, I overheard someone saying that this was Grandma’s first time ever seeing the ocean… and that she was trying to muster the courage to put her feet in the water for the first time.

This was one of the most emotional things I have ever photographed… Such an exciting moment.

A few quickie informal portraits…

Daniel’s brother, JC, his wife Kym, and their adorable son Kaden…

Daniel’s sister, Laura, her boyfriend John, and her daughter Adaley…

And Daniel’s adopted brother and sister and their kids… Nathan, Amber, Austen, and Addy :) (Thanks to Kathy for this picture… she saw us taking pictures of everyone else, and decided that we needed a family picture, too:))

We were so excited to sneak Daniel and Tiffany back down to the beach to do a few portraits of just the two of them. We had gotten the “formals” out of the way prior to the ceremony, but we wanted the opportunity to capture Daniel and Tiffany on the beach at sunset…

We were not disappointed. Daniel and Tiffany are amazing in front of the camera, and the light was spectacular… it was the perfect combination!

Hot!

The light was amazing no matter which way we turned.

And then, just as we were wrapping up… the bridal party decided to join Daniel and Tiffany for a quick dip. I have no idea whose idea this was, but Nathan and I were more than happy to go along for the ride :)

And since they were already wet… we had Daniel and Tiffany hang out in the water for a few extra minutes… just long enough to capture these:

The sun went down… and the reception began!

The reception began with Daniel and Tiffany’s first dance…

And then, the parent dances…

And finally, a completely impromptu “brother dance” :) I had just been crying through the parent dances, and now I was laughing hysterically at Daniel and JC as they took over the dance floor :)

The next event was the cake cutting… isn’t this cake beautiful?

I loved watching these girls…

And they loved watching Daniel and Tiff :)

The bouquet was tossed…

And Addy was SO excited when she caught it :)

The garter was thrown…

And then there was dancing :)

And sooner than I thought was possible… it was time for Daniel and Tiffany to make their grand exit.

What a perfect day.

Daniel and Tiffany… Nathan and I love you guys so much. Tiffany… welcome to the family :) We’re a little bit crazy, but we love each other a lot, so it all balances out :) Thank you both so much for letting us share in this part of your life…it was an honor! I  hope you guys enjoy your (really really long) slideshow!

much love,

-amber

Daniel isn’t my brother, but he might as well be. I have considered his family to be my family for over a decade, and I love them all so much. Nathan and I are so thankful for John and Kathy and their kids. They’ve been lifesavers for us countless times… I’m not sure how we would’ve survived without them :)

It’s funny… Tiffany certainly hasn’t been around for the entire decade+ that I’ve known the Groves family, but when I try to think of what it was like before she came around, I can’t really picture it. She just belongs. Daniel’s my family, but Tiffany has become one of my dearest friends. I adore her.

Needless to say, when we found out that Daniel and Tiff were planning a destination wedding in Destin, FL, there was never a question as to whether Nathan and I would be there to photograph. We took the kids, and headed to the beach to celebrate.

It was love at first site for me and the White House… we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there, and it was a beautiful location for a wedding!

Friday morning, Daniel and the rest of the guys (including Nathan and Austen) headed off to spend the morning doing a bit of deep sea fishing. While they were doing that, Tiffany and her girls (and me and Addy) spent our time soaking in a bit of sun. (A bit too much sun for me, it turns out… I ended up getting an intense case of sun poisoning, which made the rest of the weekend interesting… but the beach was so amazing that day, that it might’ve been worth it!).

My Addy is beautiful… I have to share this image of her, even though this is a wedding blog:)

Perfect way to spend a morning.

After a day spent enjoying the ocean, everyone headed back to the house to clean up for the rehearsal. We weren’t actually working that night, but I did grab a couple of pictures (before heading back to my room to try to figure out how to survive the crazy sun poisoning).

Daniel was looking hot…

and Tiff was as beautiful as she always is.

Adaley (Daniel’s adorable niece) was perfectly attired in her new hot pink hula skirt. Soooo cute :)

The happy couple on their last day of single-ness!

Preparation time on a wedding day is always one of my favorites, and it’s even more fun when the bride is someone I adore. Tiffany made me feel super special by having a super cute shirt made for me to match the shirts she had made for herself and her bridesmaids. Best. Bride. Ever.

The girls went all out with the pampering. They started with mani/pedis…

Stopped by the mall to enjoy the MAC makeover experience…

Then (after a brief stop at Panera for the most amazing macaroni and cheese ever) we headed back to the White House so that Laura (Daniel’s sister) could work her amazing hair magic.

Tiffany’s expression when she saw her hair for the first time was amazing… I’m thinking she liked it :)

Typical Tiffany.

Of course, Tiffany wasn’t the only person who had to get ready… Nathan hung out with Daniel as he prepared for the wedding, and I love the images that he captured.

Two of my favs from the day… I just LOVE the casual feeling in these.

After the were both beautified and ready to go, it was time for their First Look. Looks like they were pretty excited to see one another, eh?

I love when perfect portraits “just happen”. This one captures Tiffany so beautifully.

Little girls love watching love stories happen…

And Daniel’s nephew Kaden loves stealing the show :)

I grabbed a quick portrait of the bride…

While Nathan grabbed a few portraits of the groom… (again some of my favorites!)

A few final moments prior to the main event…

Okay… this is as good of a place as I can think of to break off this post… Check back in to see Daniel and Tiffany’s amazing ceremony and reception!

-amber

Nathan and I dropped the kids off with my parents outside of Asheville, NC, and made our way up the winding mountain roads that led us to our destination wedding location. We might’ve gotten lost for a minute or two, but we finally found ourselves at our first destination. I was dropping Nathan off to photograph the guys as they spent the afternoon golfing at the Old Edwards Club. I dropped him off, and left… with more than a few twangs of jealousy about the gorgeous location he was going to get photograph all day.

I love these fun images of Clay relaxing on the golf course. (Lots more in the slideshow!)

While Nathan was on the golf course, I was checking into our hotel, and capturing a few local details on my way to meet the girls at The Lodge at Old Edwards Inn.

Rachel has an absolutely amazing group of girlfriends. They made me feel so welcome. It’s been a long time since I laughed that hard with a group of wedding guests.

The Lodge has a ton of amazing amenities… but I think all of the girls will agree with me when I say that I think the free ice cream (Dove Bars!) was the most exciting one :)

A little preview of the next day’s ceremony… this is the lawn where Clay and Rachael were going to get married. Gorgeous!

After hanging out with the girls for a bit, I headed back to the room to meet up with Nathan, and prepare for the evening’s rehearsal dinner festivities. I met Rachael at the Spa, and was SO excited to see Clay’s mom (who we had met at Brooke’s wedding last year). I seriously love Joanie… I want to keep her :)

And then back to Rachael’s room… How gorgeous is she??! I LOVED her rehearsal dinner dress! (At this point, I started to get to know Rachael’s mom, CeeCee, and completely fell in love with her, too… These two have amazing families!)

While waiting for the shuttle to take us back over to the Old Edwards Club for the rehearsal dinner, we had to grab a quick shot of this year’s bride and groom, along with last year’s bride and groom in the amazing evening light.

Brooke and Harrison… celebrating their one year anniversary.

Clay and Rachael… celebrating their last day of engagement :)

A few rehearsal dinner details… (sadly, I didn’t grab a picture for the blog of the amazing fried macaroni and cheese, but I’ll just tell you… it was AMAZING)

After every one had finished their dinner, the toasts began. I’m not even going to try to begin explaining how amazing and emotional these toasts were… Hopefully the emotion in the images will speak for themselves.

Clay’s dad kicked it all off…

I seriously love this image of Joanie looking at her son. So much feeling.

CeeCee made us all laugh…and cry. It was wonderful to hear her and Rachael’s story.

An amazing toast by Clay’s mom… Joanie.

And an equally amazing toast by Clay’s stepmom… or Bonus Mom… Gina. Seriously, this family knows something about love, and these toasts proved it to me all over again. Good stuff.

Lots of hugs…

Everyone headed back to their various “homes” for the evening… but Clay and Rachael weren’t quite ready to turn it. We took a quick walk over to a local pub for a bit of late night socializing :)

It was a super fun day… but Nathan and I were exhausted. We grabbed a few images of our new friends partying, and headed back to our hotel for a spectacular night’s sleep :)

If these images weren’t enough for you… make sure you check out the slideshow!

xoxo

-amber

I’m so far behind, that I haven’t even shared with you the fun Charlotte engagement session that I did with Clay and Rachael this past summer… So before we delve into their amazing wedding weekend… Let me introduce them to you through their engagement pictures!

Nathan had originally been scheduled to photograph this engagement session, but due to a knee injury, I had to step in and photograph it. To be honest, I was really excited about the opportunity…I knew we were going to have a blast :) I had been able to spend time with Clay and Rachael last year, when Nathan and I photographed Clay’s sister’s wedding weekend in Key West. We immediately fell in love with the entire family, and were so excited when Clay called us soon after his engagement. We knew we were in for another amazing wedding.

I love this image that Nathan captured of Clay and Rachael during Brooke and Harrison’s reception.

For the engagement session, we started off at Clay’s apartment…which I immediately fell completely in love with! I just loved the urban vibe of the place. It suited Clay perfectly.

After a quick couple of shots on their balcony, we headed out for a walk… Clay and Rachael had a destination or two in mind, and I just stopped them whenever I saw something I liked!

We didn’t make it very far before I stopped them and made them hang out on this little bench…

We walked a bit further and arrived at the bar where Clay and Rachael met. I was SO excited that they had put this place on the list of places to see… So fun to take pictures at places that have strong memories for the people I have photographing!

I loved this reflective wall… It’s crazy how the most unassuming locations can become awesome spots for photographing…

Rachael is so pretty… I adore her smile.

One of my favorite locations that we used was the public transport station… I took about 23 million different images here, and I loved way too many of them :)

Loved the subtle light here…

One of my favorite shots of the day!

We thought this whole park was so random… We found the signs from the photo above, these giant fish, and some really cool benches. Something fun to photograph around every corner :)

We were trying to make our way back to Clay’s apartment, but I kept getting distracted by fun locations… like this really cool textured wall :)

And this spot, with the apartment building in the background. LOVE!

We headed up to the apartment, but detoured on the clubhouse floor… I’m SO glad we did. I love the resulting images.

It was almost dark… so we headed back up to the apartment to satisfy my need to grab “just one more quick shot” (or 22 quick shots, whatever ;)) before I headed back home…

It was a super fun evening that just increased my excitement about their upcoming wedding… I’ve got all those images ready, and will hopefully have time to post them very soon!

xoxo,

-amber

Prepare yourself for a ton of images… as I mentioned in the engagement post, we really love this family :)

I always enjoy the getting ready part of the day… Jessica was in a wonderful mood, and there were nieces and nephews and sisters and friends every where I turned!

I’m not going to lie… I love that I caught Jessica with her dancing face on :)

I really love Jessica’s sister Diana and her two girls. We spend lots of time hanging out by the pool with them every summer, and I can’t wait until their upcoming lifestyle session! (Will be sharing that session on the lifestyle baby photographer, hopefully later this week!)

A few getting ready details…

And then it was time for Jessica to get into her dress. Isn’t she lovely?

I really do love Liz. She’s the best.

While I was capturing the girls getting ready… Nathan was hanging out with the guys. Sometimes there isn’t a ton going on with the guys prep, but that wasn’t the case this time. I LOVE these images of Adam high-tech-ing the tie tying process:)

And this capture of Terry (Jessica’s dad) praying with Adam. So beautiful.

We don’t usually share images from the “formals” in our blog posts, as it isn’t the part of our job that we enjoy the most or get excited about sharing… But I do have a few outtakes from Jessica’s family formals that I really love.

(please note Jessica’s brother’s face in both of these. John’s hysterical:) )

Like I said on the engagement post… I think Jessica is so beautiful. Nathan captured her perfectly.

Jessica and Adam did not want to see each other prior to the ceremony… but Jessica really wanted to have the opportunity to talk to him and touch him. I love this series of them having a moment before their ceremony.

Everyone headed back inside for a bit of relaxing, and then it was time for the ceremony. While Adam had a time of prayer with the ministers…

Jessica’s sisters were having a moment of prayer with Jessica. Beautiful.

Love love LOVE this image that Nathan captured of Terry “giving his daughter away”. Adam’s face speaks volumes here.

The church was beautiful!

Parker, Jessica’s nephew, made the most awesome faces during the ceremony… First, Nathan caught him expressing his boredom (or possibly his exhaustion…who knows. When your 5, I’m thinking weddings are probably a bit of both :))

And then, check out his face during the First Kiss. Love it!

Husband and wife!

I love this image of Terry praying for his daughter and new son-in-law. He’s amazing.

Stolen moment…

A bit of cake… (Kenna in the foreground seriously cracks me up:) )

Lots and lots of kiddos…

Love this series of Jessica and Adam leaving their reception.

Before Jessica and Adam headed off to their honeymoon, they made a quick stop at the battlefield for a short portrait session. I’m so glad we made the decision to do this… the light was beautiful, Jessica and Adam were incredibly happy and relaxed, and the resulting images are so fun!

My husband rocked this portrait session… I love these images.

Gorgeous. Jessica and Adam are just gorgeous!

Jessica and Adam… (Power family… all of you!), we love you guys. Thank you so much for letting us be a part of your wedding day. We can’t wait to see everyone again!

Enjoy the (really long) slideshow:)

love y’all,

-amber

In 2006, we had the awesome opportunity to photograph the wedding of Becca and Keith. We were already in love with the whole family, but after spending the weekend with them for this wedding, but were truly hooked :)

So when Jessica contacted us to let us know that she had gotten engaged and really wanted us to photograph her wedding, we were more than excited to make that happen :)

I had the opportunity to do an engagement session of them awhile back, and never had a chance to share them, so before I share their wedding images, I thought I’d showcase a few of their engagements.

Adam and Jessica were so awesome to photograph. They’re obviously crazy about each other, so all I had to do was find a bit of nice light and point the camera in their general direction :)

I’m not usually a fan of mornings, so when we booked our session for early morning, I was kinda sad… Until I saw the light :) I assure you, the light made me very happy. (As did Jessica and Adam’s infectious obvious excitement about one another :) )

Love the emotion in this one.

Loved this fun wall…

Jessica is so beautiful…

This strip of apartments is one of my favorite photo locations ever. I have no idea how we happened across it, but I’m so glad that we did :)

This little spot doesn’t even look like Chattanooga to me, does it? Love it!

Aren’t they adorable?

One final spot on the way back to our cars… Love this random location.

What a fun session :)

(I also had the privilege of meeting Barry and Chris from Starving Lion Media… They created a super fun engagement video, you can check it out here: http://vimeo.com/14113166)

The wedding post is coming in just a few minutes… I can’t wait to show you how beautiful their day was!

So that Saturday morning… on what felt like the hottest Saturday in the history of Chattanooga summers… I woke up bright and early and photographed Baby Julia and her family …  then a hurried across town so I could photograph Baby Ben and his family… then rushed to Cleveland to photograph the bride getting ready. It was an insane day, and by the time it was over I was exhausted… but it was well worth it. Brent and Heather were an absolutely adorable couple, and I’m so excited about the images that I was able to capture. If you’d like to see the full story of the day, you should head over to Rich’s blog… he captured the day beautifully!

Bridal prep is one of my favorite things to photograph, and Heather was a stunning bride. Perfect!

Headed to see Brent for the First Look.

They were so sweet together in those first few minutes… I love being a part of these moments.

The master at work.. Rich Smith :)

We had a blast riding around on the grounds behind a tractor… I don’t think this fella knew quite how bumpy of a ride he was creating for us in the back! It was worth it though… the location was perfect for portraits!

A few of the portraits I grabbed while Rich was shooting. It’s fun to be a second shooter… it gives you the freedom to explore completely random angles.

After portraits, we headed back to the house where Heather had a few minutes to freshen up (seriously, the heat was intense!) before time to head down the aisle.

The girls took a moment to pray together, just as they were about to leave the room. It was beautifully emotional.

Love this exchange between Heather and her dad… as they started down the aisle. I also love the light they just happened to be standing in :)

Love the emotion in these next two images…

Laughter- I believe they are laughing at some reference to Heather’s past boyfriends :)

Tears- Heather sang to Brent during the ceremony. It was a complete surprise for him, and it was absolutely beautiful.

I love this Crosses Project image that I was able to capture during the ceremony…

Brent surprised everyone by picking Heather up and racing down the aisle with her. So fun!

I’ll end the post with an image from the first dance… the emotion combined with the light make me happy :)

More posts soon :) I’ve posted a ton of new stuff on Facebook… just have to find the time to get it on the blog as well!

xoxo

-amber

When I was told of the location, Coltrane’s on 9th, I seriously had no idea where it was. It’s located directly across from the Read House, which means that I have driven past this sign a million times, and somehow never even noticed it. I was uncertain as to what sort of place it might be, and was pleasantly surprised by how fun it was to photograph!

I thought it was adorable that Faith played bartender for a bit… You know you’ve got a gorgeous bride when she even looks spectacular mixing drinks in a crowded bar! :)

The dance floor was a blast. It started off empty… but it certainly didn’t stay that way for long! This crowd was crazy! Some hysterical dancing took place.

Fun stuff :)

I have no idea how late the party lasted, but I have a feeling it went well into the night.

Faith and Chris, you guys throw an awesome party! I’ll be in touch soon about the rest of your images :)

-amber