Noble + Stella = Nashville Kid(ding) Wedding

Well…this day came way sooner than I planned. My 5 year old son decided to tie the knot.

One of the good things to come from the Craziness of Covid is that we have become amazingly close to our neighbors…maybe a little too close.

The battling neighborhood kids crews, the OK kids and the Black Jays, decided to make a bold move towards neighborhood peace using the power of matrimony.

Stella the bride and OK Kids members was presented with 4 equally matched suitors from the Black Jays.

Swept up in a blur of emotional fury, the bride didn’t make her decision until moments before the ceremony was set to start. We will never know what happens in the heart of a young woman, but she chose Noble, a Black Jays member known for his dangerous record of sharing too much and loving to laugh.

We were all curious to see if the this union would resolve the tensions between the two groups. We have photographic evidence of high fives and hugs following the ceremony, so it appears that this union did in fact have the power to unite two souls and two neighborhood kids crews.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds were reported to have returned to their separate parent’s homes for dinner and a good nights sleep, because they are in fact only 5 and 9 years old.

Photographer - Justin Wright Photography

Officiant - Byron Fanning

Bridesmaids Dress Designer - Rachel Fanning

Venue - Crieve Hall

Florist - Mother Nature

Wedding Day Timeline

I’m assuming that like all other couples, you want your wedding day to be perfect.  One of the most effective ways to have a laid back wedding day is to have a solid timeline for the day.  

A good wedding day timeline will give you the time you need to enjoy the day, get all the photos you want, and not feel like you spent the whole day rushing around barely getting to spend time with your friends and family. 

After shooting over 400 weddings and seeing all kinds of different schedules, I created one that is my ‘go-to’ timeline for every wedding.  Things don’t always work out where we can use this timeline exactly because of logistics or time restrictions at the venue.  However, this timeline is always a great place to start.  

My average package is 10 hours long.  I’m passionate about telling the complete story of the day and this timeline allows me to be at the wedding from getting ready to the exit.  Almost every wedding seems to run behind schedule for one reason or another so it has just enough buffer time built in without wasting any time or having too much down time.

I’ve found that 1.5 hours or less of the getting ready portion of the day is plenty.  Nobody needs 100 photos of getting hair and makeup done, but having an hour to get a few shots of hair/makeup and all of the details like the dress, shoes, and jewelry is plenty.  

I also like to end the portrait section of the day an hour to 45 minutes before the ceremony because that is usually when guests start arriving but more importantly, it gives you a chance to catch your breath and relax before the wedding goes into high gear.  

Here is the core of the timeline:

2:30pm - Bridal Portraits

3:00pm - First Look and photos of Bride and Groom

3:45pm - Bridal Party Photos

4:30pm - Immediate Family Photos

5:00pm - Finished with all Pre-ceremony Photos

6:00pm - Ceremony

There are a few things to mention here.  

It always helps to give people an earlier time than I actually plan on shooting them because it means they will actually be there when I’m ready for them.  

If the bridal party knows they need to be ready by 3:45pm I can definitely start shooting them at 4pm.  The same goes with the immediate family too.  I like to knock out as many family photos as possible before the ceremony.  We usually wait until after the ceremony for the large extended family photos so they don’t have to get to the wedding early. 

With a 10 hour package here is what the full timeline would look like:

1:00pm - Getting ready photos

2:30pm - Bridal Portraits

3:00pm - First Look and photos of Bride and Groom

3:45pm - Bridal Party Photos

4:30pm - Immediate Family Photos

5:00pm - Finished with all Pre-ceremony Photos

6:00pm - Ceremony

6:30pm - Ceremony Ends + Extended family photos

7:00pm - Reception

11:00pm - Grand Exit

11:30pm - Justin goes to Taco Bell for a double decker, bean burrito, and chips N cheese.  Don’t judge.  

I hope this helps you as you start to think about your amazing wedding day. If you have any specific questions or thoughts just shoot me an email and I’d be happy to answer them for you.  

Allie + Matt = Vine Street Church Wedding

Allie and Matt are such a sweet couple. Like many couples in 2020 they planned a large wedding and a big party, but sometimes plan change. It didn’t stop this amazing couple from having the perfect ceremony and celebrating their marriage with their closest family and friends at Vine Street Christian Church. It has been inspiring to watch couples like Matt and Allie navigate these crazy times and continue to move forward because they simply want to get married and spend the rest of their lives with one another.

Kerby + Dan = Nashville Engagement Session

3 minutes into their engagement session Kerby said, ‘This is so much fun!’. I totally agreed.

Couples that are crazy about each other and love to laugh are my favorite. I had such a great time getting to spend the day with these two. They both love hiking and got engaged at an epic waterfall out west so we decided to use one of my favorite outdoor locations for their engagement session. We didn’t encounter any epic waterfalls but did find a magical field of flowers that bloomed before everything else.

KJ + Diana = Nashville Proposal

It’s such an honor to be asked to photograph such a huge and intimate moment in the life of two people. Sometimes I feel like I have an All Access Pass to life.

KJ called me about a month ago because he was traveling up to Nashville with his girlfriend Diana and planned on popping the question on Valentines day. They had planned the trip together several months ago before, so Diana had absolutely no idea that this trip would change her life forever. She was so cute because she couldn’t stop looking at her ring and making an OMG face. I’m so excited for this sweet couple and so honored I got to be there to photograph this special day in a long line of precious moments to come.