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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!

If you looked at the forecast at any time during the week leading up to Kendyl and Daniel’s wedding, you would have seen a very high chance of rain on their wedding day. I had already prepared myself for having to do all their portraits indoors and I had a game plan in mind, but that didn’t keep me from praying that it wouldn’t rain. Their wedding day arrived and the chance of rain had dropped drastically but there was still a chance for pop-up storms. It was pretty crazy how we could see a pop-up storm heading our way and right before it would get to us, the storm would just disappear. This actually happened a few times that day and it was really cool to watch!

There were so many details of Kendyl and Daniel’s wedding that I absolutely loved. Kendyl’s bouquet was made of wooden flowers (yes…I said wood! they were gorgeous!) and she had heart shaped patches sewn into her wedding dress. One patch with her Granny’s handwriting and the other patch was her Mother’s. Kendyl’s grandmother passed away 2 years ago and her mom got her handwriting from a letter that she wrote to Kendyl.  Kendyl and Daniel incorporated a lot of sentimental items into their day and I absolutely love it when couples do this. I couldn’t help but shed a few tears multiple times that day.

One of the more tearful moments of the day was when Kendyl had her “first look” with her dad. OH MY! Let me tell you! It was the most precious moment to get to witness. Kendyl cried. Her dad cried. Her mom cried. Me and my second shooter for SURE cried! What made it extra special was that the ceremony piano player was setting up his equipment at the time and just as Kendyl and her dad were finishing up their first look, the piano player decided to play her processional song for them. Kendyl’s dad took her in his arms and they just danced. Hands down one of the most perfect moments during the day.

When I say that I loved this wedding, I mean that I really really LOVED this wedding! This next thing I am going to mention about this wedding is something that I’ve been telling everybody because I think it is genius. Two Words: PIZZA BAR! A buffet of pizzas! I just loved their pizza bar so much! Number 1: Who doesn’t love pizza? There was even a veggie pizza option. Number 2: It incorporated how Kendyl and Daniel met which I love.

The other thing I just cannot shut up about: the band at their reception. HOLY SMOKES was this band fantastic. They could play anything and everything, they were amazing singers, dancers, and entertainers, AND they knew exactly how to get everyone up and dancing. I’ve never experienced a wedding band like the 12South Band. Their website boasts that they are “more than just a band…it’s a “show”!” and I couldn’t agree more.

Kendyl and Daniel, below are just a few of my favorite photos from your wedding day. I hope that you enjoy getting to relive your day through this blog post. I cannot wait for you to see the rest of your photos! Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your story.

Kendyl got ready at Isabella Sophia in Clarksville where she works as a hair stylist. Her sweet friend Lindsey did her hair.

We had to get a photo of the baby bumps! Just a few weeks later, I got to take Caitlin’s baby’s newborn photos.

I just love the heart patch sewn into Kendyl’s dress. She had another heart on the other side with her mom’s handwriting.

How cute are they in their matching outfits and slippers?!?!

Kendyl’s first look with her girls was definitely emotional for all of us!

All he could say over and over again was how beautiful she looked.

I love his face when he got to see his wedding band for the first time!

Those suspenders and bowtie on their little boy were just the CUTEST!!!

Absolutely loved the green bridesmaid dresses!

That beautiful smile on Kendyl’s face is directed to her little boy being held by a family member during the ceremony. I absolutely love the emotion on her face!

This family couldn’t get any cuter!

VENUE | Wilma Rudolph Event Center

DRESS | Glitz

BRIDE’S MAKEUP | Katelyn Hamaker

BRIDE’S HAIR | Lindsey Heggie

FLORALS | Knots and Daisies

CATERING | The Choppin Block

PIZZA | Luigi’s Pizza

STYLING | Total Package Events

CAKE | Reanne Nicholson

RECEPTION BAND | 12South Band