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A Classic Church Wedding in Clarksville, TN

Reception at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center

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I can’t even begin to describe how important this wedding was to my sweet family. Grayson has been my brother-in-law for eight years now and I was so thrilled when he began dating Katlyn. As the sister-in-law, it was crucial to me that Grayson fall in love and marry the perfect person to be his wife aka my new sister-in-law. He just had to marry someone with a sense of humor, down-to-earth, smart, reliable, and most importantly…FUN! I think I started telling Grayson he needed to “wife her” within the first few months of meeting her. 

Grayson and Katlyn had a beautifully classic church wedding at the Hilldale Baptist Church in Clarksville, TN. We were really blessed to have the Harper House for them to get ready in before their ceremony. All of the windows and open rooms provided amazing natural light which is basically a photographer’s love language! Katlyn was so sweet and just made my “job” so easy that day. Being the photographer for such important people in your life is, believe it or not, super stressful.

One aspect of the wedding day that was really important to Grayson was that their first look took place in the church where they were getting married. That first time he saw her in her wedding dress had to be with her walking down the actual aisle to him! I thought this was really really sweet because my husband and I did the exact same thing for our first look! This wedding was packed with really sweet moments. For example, Grayson and Katlyn exchanged gifts before their first look and it was just so so sweet because they unknowingly got each other the same gift! Like how perfect are you for each other if you give the same wedding day gift! I won’t spoil it though so scroll down to see what they gifted each other!

Do I even need to say how much I love these two and how happy I am that they are now married?! Grayson and Katlyn, thank you so much for allowing me to be your photographer on one of the most important days of your life. I hope you love the images that we captured!!

He bought her a new bible with her new last name embossed on the cover.

And she did the same….

Upon exiting the church, Katlyn’s dad had a special surprise for her. He’d read about an Ancient Indian Legend about butterfly releases at weddings.

“If anyone desires a wish to come true, they must first capture a butterfly and whisper that wish to it. Since a butterfly can make no sound, the butterfly can not reveal the wish to anyone but the Great Spirit who hears and sees all. In gratitude for giving the beautiful butterfly its freedom, the Great Spirit always grants the wish. So according to legend, by making a wish and giving the butterfly its freedom, the wish will be taken to the heavens and granted.”

Their reception was held at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center which was perfect for their large guest list! I highly recommend this venue if you are having a larger wedding in Clarksville!

How gorgeous are these custom cups from Beau Coup?!

I’m not going to lie, when Katlyn’s dad stood for their first dance, it was really hard to hold back a lot of tears. It was so sweet!!!

And how could I NOT include a photo of my two babies with the happy couple. We asked my parents if they could bring them to the church right before the ceremony so my babies could be included in a few family pictures. Thank you Tam Tam and Butch!!

Ok, so this was pretty funny! Grayson and Katlyn are a house divided…he is a big Tennessee Vols fan and she is die hard for Kentucky Wildcats! During the groom’s cake cutting the DJ (We Bring the Party) played “Rocky Top” for a minute but then switched it to the Wildcats’ song and then back to “Rocky Top”.

I probably posted way too many fun reception photos but we just had such a fun time dancing during Grayson and Katlyn’s wedding!

Dress Store | Regiss

Florals and Decor| PSR Events

Church | Hilldale Baptist Church

Reception Venue | Wilma Rudolph Event Center

Coordinator | Every Detail

Makeup Artist | Katelyn Hamaker Wilson with Flawless Beauty

DJ | We Bring the Party Events

Videographer | Katie Myers

Cake | The Farmhouse Cakery

Catering | Fire & Ice

Bridesmaid Dresses | Azazie

Groomsmen Attire | Brigg’s Clothiers

You can see a gallery of even more of my favorite images by clicking this link: Jac’s Favorites

Also, BIG thank you to Christy Hunter Photography for helping second shoot this wedding with me!

A beautiful lifestyle newborn session in Clarksville, TN.

When Kellie first reached out to me about booking a baby package, I immediately had to do some facebook stalking research because I went to college with a guy we all called Clouser (which was her last name). As I’m sure you can tell where this is headed…she got married to that same guy that I first met in the Engineering program at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The engineering program at UTM is quite small so everybody pretty much knew everybody and we were all suffering together. When Kellie ended up booking a baby package, I felt this pressure to do really really well with her photo sessions! I mean…I was and Engineer! Who would have EVER thought that I would make such a drastic career shift. I have worked super crazy hard over the past 5 years to come this far and I really felt like I wanted to prove that to someone that knew the “old me”. Like I was a super engineering nerd that channeled the productivity of Hermione Granger real hard. I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t become the Civil Engineer version of Jac and it was really cool to get to photograph a former Engineering classmate’s beautiful family.

Now on to Miss Cooper Caroline. You guys! Holy gorgeous baby, holy gorgeous momma, holy gorgeous nursery! AND Kellie completely trusted me for this session. I cannot tell you how amazing it is when a client completely trusts you. It is like a breath of fresh air! And baby Cooper was just amazeballs for the entire session. She was definitely in the top 10 of easiest babies that I’ve photographed!

I just looooooved the big windows in their main room. Light Light Light!!!

Funny story….Kellie was worried that her house was going to look too empty because she hadn’t picked out a dining room table for their new house and I actually got really super excited about this! A big blank space to do portraits in! Heck yes!

Cooper was needing a nap at this point and was just a little bit fussy and big sister Veda was just the sweetest ever! She came over and started singing to her and it was such a precious moment.

I told Veda that one day she’s going to be the coolest big sister and will get to teach her all the fun stuff.

This bonnet on Cooper in the photo below is really sweet and will be sentimental when she’s older. It is a baby bonnet now and it unfolds to be a handkerchief that she can have on her wedding day! I had never heard of this before and I love that idea!

I just loved this newborn session and her nursery was seriously #goals

Below are some of the places that Kellie purchased nursery decor and some of Cooper’s clothing and blankets that we used during her newborn session.

Outfit and Striped Blanket with Headband: Lou Lou and Company

Scripture Wall Art and Cross beads: Miss Lucille’s Marketplace Booth PSALM 139

Blanket Basket: West Elm

Rocker and Crib: RH Baby & Child

Wallpaper: Anewall

Table: Chic Artique

Pillow in Rocker: Pottery Barn

Personalized Jewelry Dish: MaBelle Violet

Chandelier in Nursery: Birch Lane

Baby Bracelets: Mountain Moverz

And if you want to see Cooper’s entire newborn session: Cooper Caroline Clouser

Mary Morgan and Levi’s wedding at The Silo Event Center in Hopkinsville, KY was absolutely stunning and such a joy to photograph. This couple is so so sweet and I loved that they were so relaxed and just ready to be married and celebrate with friends and family. It was a perfect fall day with an overcast sky (which made it perfect for photos!) and a little chill in the air.

I first met Mary Morgan and Levi when I photographed their engagement session. If there’s only one thing I can tell you about Mary Morgan, it would be that she is a huge animal lover. I definitely can see her having mini farm one day. I seriously don’t think she would have hired me to take their engagement photos if I had told her that she couldn’t bring her sweet pup Nellie to the shoot. She really has such a sweet heart for animals and I’m glad she has Levi to share that with. I haven’t known this couple for very long, but sometimes it doesn’t take long at all to see that two people just “fit”.

One of my favorite parts of the evening might have been when Emily, the Maid of Honor, toasted the newly married couple. You could tell how much she loves her friend and her toast had us all laughing and wishing that we had a best friend like her. I’m sure she’ll help Mary Morgan talk Levi into having “just one more” stray animal one day.

Mary Morgan and Levi, I hope you enjoy reliving your amazing wedding day through this blog post!!! It was such an honor getting to be your wedding photographer!!!

Venue | The Silo Event Center

Florals and Decor | J. Botanica

Cake | Joelle’s Bakery

Food | Fire and Ice

Makeup | Brooke Adams

Hair | Lindsey Parker

Wedding Gown | Willow Bride in Nashville, Sarah Jameson

Groom Attire | Briggs Clothiers

Mary Morgan and Levi’s Gallery of Engagement Photos

Mary Morgan and Levi’s Gallery of Wedding Sneak Peeks

When Kat and Justin first told me that there was going to be a theme to their Burdoc Farms wedding, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It’s actually kinda rare for a wedding to have a theme nowadays. I feel like this next part needs some sort of drumroll…..the theme to their wedding was TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES!!

A few days before the wedding, Kat tried to tell me that it was just a slight theme….nothing too over the top. HA!!! Y’all!!!!! There were so many awesome TMNT details in this wedding! Kat did most of the details herself and she worked so so hard! Each guest got a handmade TMNT mask for a special dance during the reception and there were tons of TMNT themed favors for everyone to take home. It was so amazing.

This was my first wedding at Burdoc Farms and this place just has so much to offer! Kat and Justin’s wedding ceremony took place outdoors under these huge trees and their reception was at the Keith Glen building which was so beautiful! The Keith Glen building has one huge wall of just windows that faces out toward a pond with swans and ducks in it! Having a gorgeous reception venue was the perfect balance to a big Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle themed wedding. I can’t wait for you to see all the extra details that made this wedding so amazing.

Kat and Justin, I hope you enjoy reliving your amazing wedding day through this blog post!!! It was such an honor getting to be your wedding photographer!!!

I love that all the guys had these fun socks!

So Justin played a tiny prank on Kat with his letter to her. He actually wrote her two letters, but she didn’t know that. In the first letter we gave her to read, he only wrote ONE SENTENCE! We let her believe that was her only letter for a hot minute and she just couldn’t believe it. She was super relieved when we pulled out the second letter.

Kat made every paper flower in her bouquet to match the TMNT themed colors.

Justin had the song “Waitin’ on a Woman” by Brad Paisley played prior to Kat’s processional song. It was little details like this that really showed Kat and Justin’s personalities throughout their wedding day. This couple is just so fun to be around.

Everyone LOVED their TMNT masks!

And you better have pizza at your TMNT themed wedding!!

The sunset photos we got out at Burdoc Farms were absolutely amazing! Not every venue has these beautiful old trees for the perfect backdrop at sunset!

Venue | Burdoc Farms

Decor | Total Package Events

Cake | Sweet Tooth Designer Cakes

Food | Nicoletta’s Catering

Hair and Makeup | It’s a Hair and Lash Thing

DJ | We Bring The Party Events

Kat and Justin’s Engagement Photos

Kat and Justin’s Gallery of Wedding Favorites

After my first meeting with Amber to discuss her wedding at Old Glory Distilling Co., I knew that I was going to be counting down the days to her wedding. I left that meeting on a wedding photographer’s high! Amber’s mother works for PSR Events in Clarksville and they were going to be doing all the wedding coordination, decor, and florals for Amber and John’s wedding so I knew it was going to be absolutely beautiful.

Amber and John got ready at John’s parents’ house, which I think is so special and made the getting ready photos so meaningful. I loved listening to the guys holler out random facts about John’s childhood bedroom and tease him as we were taking some of his photos. We could not stop laughing! To say that this bridal party was a blast is an understatement. We had so many inside jokes by the end of the day!

I love that Amber and John were able to have their first look under the crepe myrtles behind the house. It was just a beautiful setting and that spot will always be special to them now. It really does make my heart happy to think that one day they’ll probably get to watch their kids play in that same little spot that they first saw each other on their wedding day. I can just picture two little boys running around playing football back there.

The Blick family’s big backyard with tall trees was a lifesaver for all of the bridal party photos. It was hot hot hot that day and the shade made it so much more bearable. John’s dad even had these huge fans sitting out by the trees to help with the heat that day. (THANK YOU MR. TERRY!)

This was my first wedding at Old Glory Distilling Co. and I wasn’t really sure what to expect when it came to decor. HOLY COW did PSR Events just blow me away with how beautiful everything was. I think I said “oh my gosh it’s just so pretty” a million times that day. All of the greenery and pastel tones had the entire space feeling so elegant and timeless. And I always love it when my couples do a long family style table for the bridal party at their reception. It’s beautiful and it keeps your closest friends up there with you so you can talk and have fun while eating!

Definitely one of the coolest parts of this wedding was the “filling of the barrel”. At Old Glory, you can fill a barrel with bourbon on your wedding night! You’ll have to scroll down to see the photos of Amber and John filling their barrel. If this venue had been around back when my husband and I were married, he totally would have booked our wedding at Old Glory JUST for this! I’m not even kidding.

Amber and John, I hope you enjoy reliving your amazing wedding day through this blog post!!! It was such an honor getting to be your wedding photographer!!!

I love that all the girls had these matching monogrammed robes from Marley Lilly

Amber’s wedding gown was so gorgeous! She looked like royalty!

Amber’s first look with her step-dad was so sweet. I love his smile so much!

Are they not just the sweetest?! Amber had to take a few moments before she could tell John to turn around. The love that these two have for one another was so sweet to get to photograph.

I definitely wanted to make sure that I got a few photos of John with his family while we were still at their home since it was so special that they were able to get ready there.

I just love these photos of the girls steaming Amber’s dress right before the ceremony.

His face is just priceless here!

How cute is this frame that was decorated for photos?!

I just loved this bridal party! Some of them got really into their entrances into the Reception.

I can’t NOT give a little background on these next photos. John’s grandfather was asked to give the blessing for the meal and it somehow morphed into this epic blessing/toast where story after story of John were told. We all couldn’t help but giggle at the longest blessing ever and it was truly amazing! We all loved it!

Sneaking out during the reception for sunset photos with the Bride and Groom will always be a favorite.

They had the most beautiful sunset over their day.

Showing off their new bling!

He definitely shoved cake up her nose!

The filling of the barrel!!

Below are some of the Vendor links that were a part of making this wedding a dream come true for Amber and John. If you click on the company name, it will take you to their website.

Venue | Old Glory Distilling Co.

Wedding Coordinator | PSR Events

Florals | PSR Events

Hair | Kendyl Davis Unger with Flawless Beauty Company

Makeup | Katelyn Hamaker with Flawless Beauty Company

DJ | Van Herndon

Videographer | Patrick Robinson

Ceremony Musicians | Brio Strings

Wedding Dress | Maggie Sottero

Bridesmaid Dresses | Bill Levkoff

Groom and Groomsmen Attire | Mens Warehouse

Cake | Walmart

Amber and John’s Wedding Highlight Video 

Amber and John’s Engagement Photos

Amber and John’s Gallery of Wedding Favorites