---

A Classic Wedding at the Historic Riverwood Mansion in Nashville, TN

---

I almost titled this post “A Cinderella Wedding at the Historic Riverwood Mansion in Nashville, TN” because Jane was a stunning real-life version of Cinderella standing next to Steven in his uniform. I was lucky enough to get to hang out with Jane multiple times before the wedding and it made shooting her wedding feel like I was shooting a friend’s wedding. It also allowed me to be a calming presence when Jane was worried that Steven might accidentally see her before the wedding. Her gown was stunning, she looked like royalty, and she wanted the fairytale moment of him seeing her for the first time as she walked down the aisle to him. They had so many friends and family travel to see them be married and it was exciting to keep her hidden from sight as guests arrived early. My second shooter and I had to channel our inner Burt Macklin/Secret Service skills and get her tucked away!  

I wish you could have seen my face as I was shooting Jane’s bridal details and the groom’s brother walked by. I did a literal double take and then I probably startled him as I said “Whoa!” out loud. The groom has a TWIN! I had no idea! It was probably really comical to see my face as I watched him walk by. Oh, and you’re going to see a lot of photos of his adorable little boy and girl. They were the cutest little flower girl and ring bearer.

Steven and Jane’s entire wedding party was so sweet and awesome the entire day as we shuffled from one event to the next to make sure we were getting everything before the rain moved in. We were really really blessed that day. The forecasts had been calling for rain all week and there must have been a lot of family and friends praying because the rain held off until after we were done with portraits and tucked into the reception. 

I also want to mention that this was my first wedding at Riverwood Mansion and I was blown away by this beautiful venue and the amazing staff. They did such a great job with all the details of the day and were so helpful and hands-on whenever I needed something. Steven and Jane’s wedding was absolutely stunning and I hope that I get to shoot there again.

Steven and Jane, I’m so glad that I got to be your photographer for your wedding. Thank you so much for allowing me to capture your love and I hope that you love this sneak peek blog post of my favorite moments.

Just look at that ceiling! So gorgeous!

I just love all of her girls’ reactions to seeing her in her dress for the first time.

This ivy tunnel is just beyond amazing!

I loved that they gave their new mothers roses. It was a surprise to the moms and it was so so sweet.

She married her prince charming!

VENUE & DECOR // RIVERWOOD MANSION

FLORALS // ENCHANTED FLORIST

VIDEOGRAPHER // PATRICK MAKES

BRIDE’S DRESS // ESSENCE OF AUSTRALIA

GROOM’S ATTIRE // JOS A BANK

BRIDE’S HAIR & MAKEUP // BLUSH AND HONEY

CAKE // 8 LAVENDER LANE EVENTS

CATERING // 8 LAVENDER LANE EVENTS

DJ // CHRIS FAULK

PLANNING // JACEY CARLISLE AT RIVERWOOD MANSION

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

To view all the photography services I offer, click HERE

---

A Classic Church Wedding in Clarksville, TN

Reception at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center

---

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!

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

I first met Kelsey via FaceTime. I love to meet my couples in person to talk about their wedding, but Kelsey and Joe live in Atlanta so that wasn’t going to be super convenient for them at all. Thank goodness for modern technology! Kelsey and I had the best conversation! We were able to talk about all the details that she and Joe had already planned for their Owen Farm wedding. For the details that they hadn’t decided on, we were able to talk about all their options and I was able to give a photographer’s opinion on what would photograph well. I really do love that part of my job! I remember one of the more important things that we talked about was the advantages of doing a first look and I’m so glad that they decided to go ahead and do a first look! We were able to capture so many special moments before the ceremony had even started.

I didn’t get to meet Joe until weeks later when Kelsey and Joe were in town visiting their families for the holidays. We met at Starbucks to finalize their timeline and make sure that they were going to have enough photography coverage to capture everything that they wanted. I got so excited just planning their timeline that I knew their wedding day was going to be so much fun. Kelsey and Joe are so funny and easy going and when we left Starbucks that day, they felt like friends instead of clients. If you spend even just a short amount of time with them, you will see that they are so perfect together.

The wedding took place at Owen Farm which is a gorgeous wedding venue with the whole package. Kelsey and her girls were able to get ready in the main house and the guys got ready in the adoarble Silo house near the reception location. It is a perfect setup to keep the bride and groom from accidentally seeing each other! Kelsey and I were able to go outside the main house to capture her getting in her dress, a few moments with just her girls, and the moment her dad got to see her in her wedding dress for the first time. First looks with dads are always a favorite of mine to capture! Kelsey’s dad reminds me so much of my own dad so when he got to see his baby girl in her wedding dress for the first time, I had to fight back tears of my own. Now that I have a baby girl of my own, I am soooooo much more teary-eyed while photographing weddings.

Once we were done with Kelsey’s first look with her dad, it was time for Joe to see his bride. They exchanged their gifts right before their first look and it was so sweet to witness. Both of them had written the same exact thing at the beginning to their letters to one another! They couldn’t help but laugh and I couldn’t help but think how perfect they are for one another. Joe’s reaction to Kelsey’s gift was so sweet and perfect. It seriously made me want to go back in time and redo the gift I gave my husband on our wedding day.

I’m so glad that my wonderful friend Bri was able to shoot alongside me that day so that we could capture both Kelsey and Joe’s faces during the first look. I love how intimate first looks can be and that couples get to have this sweet and private moment where they can hug and actually talk to one another. Joe’s face when he saw Kelsey for the first time was so perfect. You could see how much he loves her and you just know that he feels like the luckiest man in the world for getting to marry her. Their ceremony and reception were perfect and I think my favorite moments were Kelsey’s father daughter dance to Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl (so so fun!!) and her dad’s toast to them. Mr. Kenneth’s toast was the perfect balance of funny, sweet, and meaningful!

OH! And I loved their Krispy Kreme donut bar instead of the traditional cake. I love me some Krispy Kreme donuts!!

Kelsey and Joe, thank you so much for choosing me to photograph your elegant country wedding! You guys were a joy to get to be with on your day and I hope that we will keep in touch so that I can celebrate all your big moments as your life grows together. Below are just a few (ok, maybe a lot!) of my favorite images from your wedding day and I hope that you love them as much as I do!

 

Each half of the heart that was sewn into the bottom of Kelsey’s dress was a piece from each of her two grandfathers’ shirts.

Kelsey’s florals were stunning!

We couldn’t leave their dog Ace out of the photos!

It’s always fun when little ones are a part of the ceremony. I think there might have been two meltdowns but they eventually all made it down the aisle with a little help. They were so adorable!

I love that Kelsey’s mom and Joe’s dad each read special words to them during the ceremony.

Their faces are priceless in this photo!

I love that they rang the “wedding bell” right after the ceremony.

How gorgeous was Kelsey’s veil that her mother made?!

I’m so glad that they humored me and snuck away before sunset to get a few more photos.

I am a huge fan of the guest favors!

Their wedding hashtag was PERFECT!

Married y’all!!

 

Venue | Owen Farm

Florist | A Rose Garden

Hair | Southern Grace Hair Salon

Reception Band | Jim Gibson Band

Donut Bar | Krispy Kreme

OH. MY. WORD!

So, I got to be a part of something super exciting and fun! I was contacted a few weeks ago to photograph an engagement party at one of my favorite venues, The Belle Hollow. Little did I know… it was a SURPRISE WEDDING!! I arrived at the venue early and when a man walked in, dressed ready for photos, I asked if he was the “groom-to-be” and he said “shhhh, it’s a secret.” I think I had a little look of confusion on my face because he then said “nobody knows”. I think the next thing I said was “but they know you’re engaged, right?” and he said “yea, but they don’t know we are getting married”

I’m pretty sure, that at this point, I was making the classic stupid-confused face. It seriously makes me laugh out loud to think about it. Chas, the groom to be, then went on to tell us that they were going to surprise everyone and get married at their “engagement party”. HOW FUN!!!

I’ve never been involved in a surprise wedding and it was just an amazing night! Their parents didn’t even know!!! I got an amazing photo of the moment that Casey’s mom found out that she was about to see her daughter get married!

Their ceremony was so so sweet. I had to hold back sweet tears for them a few different times. I may have just met this couple tonight, but I felt that this type of wedding fit them so well and was so perfect for them. I can’t wait to show them all the photos, but for now, I hope they enjoy my favorites that I was able to edit tonight.

Casey and Chas, I wish you long and loving lives together!

If you would like to see the rest of the images once I get them edited, just head over to Facebook and like my photography page because that’s where I will post the first update!

www.facebook.com/byjphotography 

UPDATE
to see all of the images from this surprise wedding, just click here!