Kalyn Bowra and Colin Crosby had a gorgeous wedding and reception with the help of H Three Events.  The wedding took place at Cathedral of the Incarnation with a reception at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.  We had a great time getting to photograph the wedding and the beautiful couple.  The bridal party knew how to have a good time which made for a terrific party, and Colin and Kalyn (and her parents) weren’t afraid to get up and sing with the band at one point.  Certain weddings just become memorable events for the people attending.  With the right group of people, the right environment, the right band, and the right weather you have the chance to be part of an event is greater than the planning that goes into it; it’s just magic.  We had a blast and love all of the pictures and memories that go along with them.

One of most memorable parts of the evening was the surprise box of butterflies. Kalyn was not aware that this was planned. As gifts go, live creatures in a box is not a surprise most would be able to prepare themselves for anyways, especially in front of 150 people.  I don’t think the giver expected Kalyn to be so caught off guard that she would drop the box of lethargic, jet lagged, cryogenically kept, semi-defrosted, exotic butterflies.  As the lid-less box hit the ground upside down, I expected the worst.  I thought, now this innocent child, who was coaxed by an adult into giving this box of delicate creatures over to the bride very gently, in hopes of seeing a rainbow of wing activity fill the air as their long awaited freedom had finally come, is now going to see a pile of loose butterfly parts as soon as the box is turned over.

Luckily, upon uncovering the sleepyheads, we found most to be intact yet still very unaware that daylight was their cue to perform.  As children ran up to help remind them how to soar by using the paper airplane approach of an over arm throw with little success, it became apparent that babying them until they were fully thawed and ready to fly on their own would be the best way to keep down the casualties.  As rough as this may sound I’m sure the butterflies knew what they were getting themselves into when they signed up.

I hope you all don’t mind a bit of humor from time to time…

We had a lot of fun in Scotland with the Bardwell’s and Guillory’s. The weekend started with dinner Thursday night as everyone arrived from the US at different times and tried to not look too jet lagged. The festivities and accommodations were at The Wedderburn Castle south of Edinburgh 45 minutes. On Friday, we slept in and then had an assortment of highland games and Scottish heritage with dancing and falconry. The rehearsal followed and then dinner. It rained solid for three days leading up to Saturday so we were all prepared for the worst.

Saturday (wedding day) around noon the clouds broke so Emily Bardwell (the bride) and I rushed out to get a few pictures just in case the weather took another turn. The stars aligned and we got exactly what we were hoping for. For the wedding, everyone hopped on a red double-decker bus and headed to a little chapel about five miles away. The group was small, about 50 of their closest family and friends made the journey to Scotland. It was a really special event for us because rarely does an event last more than a day or even a day and a half. As time goes by and we get to know everyone it becomes very easy to get the candid images we love so much without interrupting life.

Probably my favorite part of the wedding was the castle. We were essentially in someone’s home that was over 300 years old. It had 20 foot ceilings throughout, huge 100 year old paintings of regal family members, a drawing room that was as big as my house; not to mention taller. The lawn is like one big putting green, that really short soft grass from golf courses (it makes sense since golf originated there), that you could sleep on and not expect to see any bugs. I think I will try that in my lawn, don’t worry I’ll do research and figure out how impossible it is before I start.

Every Wedding is different and unique, and some more than others.  Khaki Bedford and Carl Fritscher were married at the Inn at Middleton Place in Charleston, SC.  The location had beautiful organic modern architecture set into the weeping sandy forests or the coastal Carolinas.  Mix that with a bunch of fun loving NYC punk-glam rockers with friends and you have a very unique wedding. Like her sister (Elizabeth Katz), Khaki is very artistic and particular, but laid back. Khaki is an amazing freelance photographer and currently works for Magnum Photos in NYC as a Digital Archivist. Khaki’s husband Carl is the lead singer and guitarist of The Templars (since 1993) along with Matt Katz, her sister’s husband; he also produces records in his spare time..

Don’t let the tatoos and black wedding dress fool you, while Khaki’s style is very non-Nashville, she is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. All of their friends and family are fun, loving and close. We have become very fond of their family and love getting to celebrate together.

I always look for new things and ideas people do that end up creating fun experiences as well as great pictures.  Probably one of my favorite moments was before the wedding kiss, the guests lined up with flowers then the kiss and exit with flowers were all one moment as opposed to broken up events.  It turned out picturesque and memorable.

I shot a live show and documentary photos for Rodney Atkins a while back and waited to post images until the new record “It’s America” came out.  Management used them for most of the photos in the new packaging and they are all over the website and merch as well.  They was really happy with everything and I will hopefully be back on the road with them sometime soon. Congrats to Rodney and Band for hitting Number 1.  I’ll post the cd and pages soon.

Taylor was one of the first people I met when I moved to Nashville to go to Belmont University. We lived together sophmore year and had a great time.  Taylor leads a band called The Trigger Code and they are incredible, they are all amazing performers especially Taylor, but the songs are world class. Needless to say, I’m a believer.  Conrad Snyder and I produced a set of live videos that I am very proud of.  The video is bad but the audio is amazing (that was the point.) If you get time feel free to check them out; if you like rock and roll… We’ve been getting to know Whitney better and had I met her before they were together; I would have tried hooking them up, they were meant to be together.  Some people are just perfectly opposite and perfectly the same, at the same time.

Taylor and Whitney were married at Belle Meade Plantation.  The Plantation is the best spot for a sunset wedding in Nashville that I know of.  Every wedding we have done there, the lighting has been perfect.  They are great people to work with and do a tremendous job everytime. The Randy Mclellan Band played at the reception, Randy is  one of the most talented singers in Nashville, if you are thinking of live music you have to meet Randy.  I’ve been to hundreds of weddings and heard good and not so good bands; he is by far the best in Nashville.

Most weddings that take place two days after Christmas would be plauged by rain, cold, snow, no one showing up, stress from managing multiple holidays… The stars aligned for what turned out to be a perfect event.  Also, Shawn and Whitney were probably two of the most in-love looking people ever.  It looks like we hired 2 model/actors to film a wedding scene.  All the “posed” images were not posed, they just had fun and were in love. I love movement and love that it is hard to find a picture of them standing still.

One of my favorite parts of the wedding was the guests blowing bubbles as they danced the last dance.  Bubbles so many times are reserved for the last ten seconds, I want to see people get great photos out of their bubbles.  I want to see some people get really creative with bubbles this year, forget candles, think bubbles.

Whitney had a connection, and we were able to shoot at huge, private farm in Brentwood, TN for her bridal portraits.  I had not seen the farm or the barn before we got there so it took a few times walking around it to get a vision for how to work with the harsh sun.  As with most of our bridal portrait sessions we shot for about 2 hours.  At first the idea of shooting a barn seemed cliche, but once we got there, I saw how nicely the green exterior would shoot against the blue sky and golden sunset. I think they turned out well and made for some uniquely memorable images.