This was the summer of traveling. From the middle of June until August, I was only home 1-2 days a week. Some of our travels involved photo shoots. One of our favorite engagement sessions this summer involved a trip to Washington DC.

Kathryn and John live in Washington DC but will be getting married in Athens, GA. Whitney and Kathryn danced ballet together when they were younger. It was a great honor for Whitney when Kathryn asked if she would be her wedding photographer.

Being Nashville wedding photographers, it is a lot of fun when we get to photograph the famous parts of other cities. Typically a person tends to overlook land marks of their own town. However, Kathryn and John met in Washington DC and live there as well. So, the city is a memorable part of their relationship.

This fun couple met at the school where Kathryn teaches. Knowing this, we could not pass up shooting a few photographs at this really cool renovated building.

Of course, we didn’t limit ourselves to just the monumental parts of Washington DC. The town is so gorgeous it was hard to choose what setting to photograph next. Kathryn and John chose a great little botanical garden for us to finish our day of engagement photography.

We had a blast with these two and can not wait for their wedding next summer!

Yesterday Whitney and I photographed a very intimate wedding at Historic Cedarwood. We never get tired of working at Cedarwood because they are always thinking of something new and special to make every wedding unique.

Carol and Lannie only had two witnesses be a part of their special day. So, the Cedarwood crew created an entirely new ceremony layout by using the large tree toward the top of the hill behind the barn. It was AMAZING!

Wedding photography is something very important to this couple and we were incredibly honored to be invited to share the day with this very fun and outgoing couple. We can’t wait to show you the other creative things Cedarwood put together as well as the fun times we had in downtown Nashville.

Congratulations Carol and Lannie! You can tell your mom we will have all your images finished by October 19. We are excited for you to get to see them!

Another wedding day that involved rain and yet another great day for wedding photography.

Beth & Cameron we’re married this summer at Historic Cedarwood. By now you probably have noticed we photograph a lot of weddings at Cedarwood. One of the many things we love about this gorgeous Nashville venue is we rarely take the same photograph more than once. We’re always inspired to capture something new when we are at Cedarwood.

Beth & Cameron love to have as much fun as Whitney and I do. So, we got a little carried away and used some cinematic inspiration with the photograph on the above right. Can you figure it out?

Whitney and I are constantly doing something new. When Beth & Cameron where up for making their family portraits more unique, we were all about it! Why get stressed out when kids don’t want to stand still? This little guy made this family portrait even more interesting.

If you are one who follows our blog regularly, look really closely at the couple just to the left of Beth & Cameron. You may recognize Kristen & Mason from an earlier wedding photography session we posted.

When Beth came to meet with us for the first time, she had no idea we knew Cameron’s brother Mason. It was fun getting to know Beth and stumble upon the fact we already had a mutual connection. It amazes me how small Nashville really is.

When it rains… take it indoors! It forces you to do new and creative things! The above and below photos were all created because it was raining.

I leave you with these fabulous detail images that show off all the incredible work that Historic Cedarwood does.

It’s good to be home! Sooooo much has been going on this summer. I have only been in town 1 to 2 days a week since the start of June. This is the first full week home and (hopefully) the first of many blogs.

If you are a follower of the Dove Wedding Photography Blog, you may remember we posted a photo from a rainy day outdoor wedding. It was a wet and muddy day, but it was so much fun and the rain helped create some of the most gorgeous wedding photography we have captured.

Christal and Michael did not let the tornadoes blowing through their wedding location stress them out. Sneaking a little pre-wedding champaign looks like the only thing that Michael was looking out for.

Wedding days can be stressful, especially if you do not have a supportive group of friends to lighten the day for you. We were very happy to see Christal and Michael’s wedding party go along with their desires to get married in the rain. As you can see by the below images, everyone had a lot of fun.

The fabulous Mary Claire Crow joined Whitney and myself at this wedding and captured the above shot to the right.

Congratulations Christal & Michael! This was for sure one of the best experiences a wedding photographer could have! Especially because I got to sit next to James Best (AKA: Rosco P. Coltrane from The Dukes of Hazard) during my hotel breakfast. No joke!

We would love to invite everyone to the upcoming open house evenings at StudioWed. The next event on, August 10, features photography. If you are looking for a wedding photographer this is the night to come. Whitney and I will be there along with the four other photography members of StudioWed. We hope to see you!

Leanna and Daniel are getting married! We always love when we get to work with other creative-types. Leanna is a graphic designer. What I love about getting to photograph other artists, is that they appreciate the photographs on a different level. It’s not that artists like the images any more, it just that the things they like are different than the things other people like. So, it’s fun to see how they react to seeing their photographs. All of you artists out there who are reading this post, what is it that you like about these images:

As we all know, Nashville is a melting pot of people from all over the country and the world. It is rare for me to meet someone that was actually born and raised here. So for many of you, that are not from Nashville but are getting married here, you will have a lot of family and friends coming from out of town. And if you are like me, I know when I have family come in from out of town I want to show them the great local restaurants and attractions that this city has to offer.

I am big into supporting our local businesses and restaurants this year, and that love has grown even stronger for me since the flood. That is why this week I put together a list of some local “goodies” that you could use in your gift bags for out of town guests, as bridesmaids gifts or even as guest favors at your wedding.

Just to preface this list, I am known in the office as being a “foodie”, so yes this list does consist of a lot of food and yummy treats.

1. Wine from Arrington Vineyard.

If you have not been out to Arrington Vineyard yet I really encourage you to go as a date night or with some friends. The grounds are beautiful, and the wine tastings are free. You can then purchase a bottle and enjoy a picnic out on the hillside over looking the vineyard.

2. Olive & Sinclair Chocolates

According to the Olive & Sinclair Chocolates website: “Scott Witherow, founder and maker of Olive & Sinclair Chocolates has been celebrated as one of Nashville’s up and coming gourmet superstars. His chocolate is slow roasted and stone ground in small batches using select single origin beans combined with pure brown sugar for a smooth and robust flavor that is unique to southern artisan chocolate.” While I have not personally had their chocolate I have seen it in a lot of stores and it looks delicious. They can also do custom labeled chocolate bars for your wedding.

3. Note Cards from Anderson Design Group

These note cards from Anderson Design Group are a great way to share some locally famous places with your guests. And when your guests use them they will be reminded of the great time that they had at your wedding.

4. Jewelry from Bijougirldesigns and Route Thirteen

This is more of a gift idea for your bridesmaids, but I am in love with Amanda Conley (bijougirldesigns) and Sarah Tams (Route Thirteen) designs. They are so simple and really fun.

5. Coffee from Davis Cookware in Hillsboro Village

Even though I don’t have a picture to go with this entry I had to include it on the list. The owners of Davis Cookware roast and grind their own beans. And let me tell you it is one killer cup o’joe. If your friends are coffee drinkers they will definitely thank you for including this in their bag.

I realize that this list does not even begin to cover everything, but hopefully it is able to offer some ideas that had not been thought of before.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Cheers!

Liz and Jamie like music, so we took them down to one of their favorite Nashville concert halls.

Liz and Jamie like to read, but sometimes they have different tastes.

Liz and Jamie like Pizza. The top right image in this series is my personal favorite. It makes me laugh pretty hard whenever I look at it.If it was named like a fine art piece I would call it “The Romantic Deep Dish” or “Sexy Pie”.

More music influence to this above photo.

Congrats Liz and Jamie!

I pulled 24 ticks off of my body after this engagement session, Whitney had 17, but it was totally worth it. Danielle & Cade made this session a very personal expression of their relationship. This couple met when they had box seats next to each other at the Kentucky Derby. So, horses and big hats were a must for their photographs.

Danielle is a city girl from New York and Cade is a country boy from Texas. We can’t wait to see the mixture of guests they have at their wedding.

Thanks guys for putting up with the tick infestation. We had a lot of fun and can’t wait for your wedding day!