Micro Wedding Edwin Warner Park - Ale and Kenny

In August I photographed Ale & Kenny’s socially distanced micro wedding at Edwin Warner Park and I just noticed that I didn’t blog this very sweet day! Ale and Kenny hired me to come photograph for three hours. I was able to photograph their first look, portraits, ceremony, and toasts during that time period. When two lab researchers from Vanderbilt have a wedding, they do it very, very safely. Not only was it safe, but thanks to Ale’s creativity and floral skills it was beautiful too! Ale and Kenny’s family where not able to be there but because of technology, they got to witness everything via Zoom. I absolutely love photographing these small but oh so special weddings. Again a wedding doesn’t have to be over the top to be lovely, that lies solely within the couple and the love they have for each other and those they choose to celebrate with.

Micro Wedding Wightman Chapel Scarritt Bennett - Chelsea & Harrison

Chelsea & Harrison were another one of my couples that had to move their original wedding date because of Covid-19. Rather than reschedule yet again, they decided to reduce their guest count down to less than 50 and have a small, intimate wedding. Again, less is not always less! I know that I keep talking about this but I cannot emphasis it enough! If you want a relaxing atmosphere where you can really focus on each other and your guests, a smaller guest count is perfect. Chelsea and Harrison were married at Wightman Chapel at Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville on Sept 4th. Their reception followed at The Cordelle. Their guest list was made up solely of family and their wedding party…and their dog, Rory. From my first Zoom call, I knew I liked these two and was so excited to get to photograph their wedding this year. They are wonderful human beings and were so much fun to work with. My favorite moment of the whole night was when Biz and the Everyday People band surprised Chelsea’s dad with a rendition of “You Can Close Your Eyes” by James Taylor. They learned it minutes before and it was beautiful. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, including mine. Please enjoy the sneak peek of their Micro Wedding at Wightman Chapel Scarritt Bennett.

Special thanks to their vendors-
Planning & Design: Weddings by Helen
Ceremony Location: Scarritt Bennett Center
Officiant: Ralph Griggs
Ceremony Musicians: Wedding Musicians Company
Rentals: Liberty Party Rental
Catering: Beyond Details Catering
Band: Biz and Everyday People Band
Florals: The English Garden Floral 
Cake: The Sweetest Day
Getaway Car: Matchless Limo

Micro Wedding Belle Meade Plantation - Catherine & Whit

And I say it again - “You can still get married in 2020.” Catherine and Whit decided that rather than rescheduling their 2020 wedding AGAIN, they were going to go adjust their wedding plans and make their Belle Meade Plantation wedding into a micro wedding. They cut their guest list down to only immediate family and their wedding party bringing their count down to 25 people. With the reduction in guests they were able to allocate more of their wedding budget towards decor and it was stunning. With less people there was a more relaxed atmosphere and less time constraints. Because of this, they opted to ditch their first look and waited to see each other at the alter. With less people to feed and keep entertained, they were able to allow for more time for their ceremony and what resulted was one of the most personal services that I have ever photographed. Besides the cutest flower girls ever, one of the most memorable moments from the day was watching Catherine absolutely light up when she was around Whit. You could just see her relax as soon as they finally saw each other. I think the story of how they met explains them very well.-

“On a whim and on the pushy advice of some of her dearest friends (and bridesmaids) Catherine hesitantly downloaded Bumble. Five minutes later she had a match and opened with an Office quote, “Would you rather be feared or loved?” Whit responded in kind and thought they were hitting it off. Anxiety ridden Catherine said something to the extent of “I can’t do this and if you want to keep talking here’s my number” and immediately deleted the app. They talked almost non-stop over the next three weeks and made plans to meet up. An impatient (and uncharacteristically demanding ha!) Catherine couldn’t wait and invited Whit to join her at Dan McGuinness where she had stopped after a long day of hanging out with her girlfriends. Whit got there and was smitten pretty much immediately. In an effort to make sure he got to know her better he called in a wingman (best man) to provide a conversation partner for Catherine’s friend. Catherine and Whit spent the entire night talking. He was impressed by her sense of humor, openness, and twinkling eyes. She thought she hit the jack pot because he had a “real job”. They soon started to steal hours together after he got off work and before she had to leave to go to work, working night shift at the hospital. By New Years Eve, a memorable night when they went to see Jason Isbell at the Opry, they were in love.”

Please enjoy the photographs of Catherine and Whit’s Belle Meade Plantation Micro Wedding! Love Is Not Cancelled!
Special thanks to their vendors:

Planning: Kennedy Occasions
Venue: Belle Meade Plantation
Rentals: Southern Events
Cake: Susie’s Sweets
Lighting: Bright Event Productions
Strings: College Grove Strings
Draping: Events Plus Inc
Catering: Chef Penelope
Florals: Flower Girls Floral Design
Hair: Lindsey Binkley

Covid-19 Quarantine Bachelorette Party

Like most couples this year, Meg’s wedding changed and along with it, her bachelorette party was cancelled. Meg and her then fiancé decided that they were going to still get married and only their immediate family would be present. This meant their wedding party was not able to be there. One of her bridesmaids contacted me couple weeks ago to photograph a delayed bachelorette party for Meg. They were going to quarantine and then meet up in Nashville (where the original bachelorette party was supposed to be) to stay in together. They wanted surprise Meg with a photographer capturing them watching Meg’s wedding video together for the first time. It was such a great idea! They did a little toast, cut a cake, tossed a bouquet and then sat down to watch the film of their good friend get married. Oh and they requested Meg wear a white dress and a veil (that they crafted for her) and they all wore their bridesmaids dresses! They made the best of a situation that was out of their control and they embraced it. It was incredible. I know that people are missing out on a lot with their weddings right now, but what a great way to spend time with your best friends.

Covid-19 Micro Wedding Inspiration - Sarah and Simon

I know that many couples are either postponing their celebrations or having a smaller gathering now and having the larger one later. Some have even decided that they only want to do a smaller wedding. For those of you that are going ahead with a mini, micro, tiny, intimate or whatever we are calling it, wedding… these upcoming blogs are for you. I want to encourage you that they are still beautiful and romantic. They can be luxurious or they can be simple. The beauty about a micro wedding is that they can be whatever you want them to be. These upcoming blogs are from mini weddings that I photographed in the past. I’ve asked the couples to tell you why they did a micro wedding and why it was special to them. I hope that you find them hopeful and encouraging. I know that 2020 has been a whirlwind for all of us, but marriage isn’t cancelled. Love isn’t cancelled. You can still become a family in 2020 and that ultimately is what is important.

From the bride, Sarah-

We had a small wedding in the backyard of the home we were renting in Colorado, surrounded only by our immediate family. It was perfect and personal! 

Our family had flown in a few days prior to the wedding to be able to hike and see the city before the festivities. The morning of the wedding, I went to get my hair and makeup done with my sister and mom, while my husband had breakfast with his family. We then met up at the house to have our first look. It was just the two of us (and Erin). We were both nervous about saying our vows in front of others, so we decided to say our vows then. We exchanged our vows for one another and shared a very intimate, sweet moment basking in our love. We then went to take photos in the mountains before the guests arrived. 

All of our decor was either homemade or rented. Once everyone arrived, they helped us set up the chairs and assemble the arbor we had made out of copper pipes. Having said our vows earlier, and having had everyone around us prior, had taken away the nerves and formality of the ceremony. As my dad walked me down the aisle, my husband and I felt much more relaxed and could truly enjoy the moment. My husband gave a quick welcome speech and we repeated our vows for our family to hear. In Colorado, you do not need an officiant. We chose to hold the ceremony ourselves, rather than having a stranger attend or having to pick someone from our friend group. It was just for us and that’s what we wanted. 

After the ceremony, the catering arrived! As we took family photos, the catering team set everything up and left us to eat on our own. We shifted all of the decor into a pretty seating area, where everyone was able to see and talk to one another. There were times when the whole table was engaged in one conversation, a true combining of the families, which was really nice. After dinner, we crowded into the house for an evening drink, while the catering team came back and cleaned everything up. The food was amazing, and thanks to it being a small wedding, we had leftovers for weeks to come! Overall, it was the perfect wedding for us! It was stress-free, personal, inexpensive, and in the end, we were married! 

Why have a small wedding? The wedding was for us and about us. We didn’t feel the need to make a big show out of it or have lots of people witness it. We figured if we really wanted to, we could always hold a celebration party for more people at a later time. We are also both introverts, so the idea of being the center of attention to a large group of people was not appealing to us. Being able to spend quality time with our family was very important. Weddings are often very expensive to attend, then you barely get to see your guests. By having the small gathering we did, we were able to really soak in the time with our family, without being pulled in multiple directions. It was also substantially less expensive! With the money we saved, we were able to go visit the friends and family who did not attend, thus getting quality time with them as well. Plus it also allowed us to travel, which is something we value highly. Often people feel like they need to have a big wedding and invite everyone they know, simply because that is the norm. In the end, you need to do what is best for you. If you don’t want to invite your dad’s best friend’s cousin, don’t invite them! The wedding is for you and you’ll be much happier doing things your way! People may be surprised at first when you say you’re having a small wedding, but those who truly know you and love you will understand and be happy for you no matter what. 

I also wrote about it on Medium Here…..

Why should you choose Erin? (note: I didn’t ask her to write why you should choose me. That was just a bonus! Love you Sarah!) Erin was perfect! Not only did she take amazing photos, she was also great at reading the mood. When it was just my husband and I, during our first look and first set of vows, we barely knew she was there. She gave us space to have our time together and share intimate moments, while secretly capturing it all. When we were feeling nervous, she was there to support and to lighten the mood. She cracked jokes to take our mind of things and told us stories about her own life that were relatable. Once the family arrived, she slipped in and out, joining in when appropriate and giving us privacy when necessarily, again all while photographing the sweet moments that were occurring. I would highly recommend her for your small wedding!

Covid-19 Quarantine Wedding - Laralee & Adam

My first and so far only wedding after coming back from maternity leave was smack dab in the middle of the Covid-19 shut down. Laralee and Adam were already planning an intimate affair for their wedding day, but per the shutdown rules for Nashville in April, they had to pair their already small wedding down to 10 people. That 10 people included me, a videographer, the church coordinator, and the minister. I witnessed Laralee grieve over what she originally had planned, but when it came down to it all she really wanted was to marry Adam. The result turned out beautifully. Laralee wore a reworked version of her mother’s wedding dress, she was still married in the chapel of her church, they live streamed their ceremony so that friends and family could watch, and they even cut a pie that Adam’s grandmother had made for them. When their ceremony was over there was a surprise waiting for them. Friends lined up in cars to drive by and congratulate them. Yes social distancing applied, yes we had markers spacing us 6 feet apart during the ceremony, yes they were in and out of masks, but just like everything during this pandemic, we learn what is really important. All that really matters is Laralee and Adam love each other and they still were able to get married. It can still be done in a beautiful and romantic way. The bigger celebration will come later, but the most important part happened even in the middle of a pandemic.