Andy was right when describing Meghan’s “energetic” & “spunky” personality. Before you know it you feel like you’ve known her forever as she has a way of connecting with others. And the same is the case for Andy. He’s a genuine guy… caring & interested in others. There’s no question why these two make such a great pair.

On a trip to Charleston, Andy took Meghan to visit a lighthouse… “it actually turned out to be a metal skinny building,” she joked. Admittedly, Andy was a bit disappointed as his expectations were thwarted. Yet, sitting on the beach, enjoying one another as they watched the sun set, all seemed right in the world. Andy asked Meghan’s hand in marriage… “yes!”

… which leads us to their beautiful wedding. Andy & Meghan were wed at Cornerstone Church of Knoxville (which is also our church… hooray!). Outside it was a bit wet, windy & cold, yet we were able to work around it & I can’t imagine having a better time. I think you’ll love their day.
Meghan’s personality is so radiant & easily communicates in her photographs.
Beautiful.
And her ladies were such sports as they fought through the cold & wet weather.
(R) When her father saw her for the first time in her dress.
The fellas getting ready.
You never know what you’re going to get into with a groom & his guys. This was no exception… good times!
Andy preparing a gift for his bride.
The details… just prior to the beginning of the ceremony.
The incredible designer, Natalie Clayman, provided the design details. Her work was featured at the reception as well.
It’s time.
Love this reaction!
The reception was held at The Hilton, downtown Knoxville. Due to the early sunset, we faced a dark sky yet braved the cold & had a great time using the city lights as our backdrop before heading to the reception.
Love these!
We headed to the reception & spent a few moments in their beautiful lobby.

The reception was beautiful.
This crew knew how to party!
Congrats friends! You’re wedding day was wonderful; thank you for the opportunity & privilege to share this occasion with you.

These two are such fun. Meet Levi & Caroline. Levi is literally from across the country, raised in the beautiful state of Washington. Caroline, on the other hand, raised in the small town of Sweetwater, TN. Who would’ve thought they’d find one another. But they have… & it’s wonderful.

As the story goes… on a trip to Washington to visit his family for Christmas, Levi planned a two-day trip to Victoria, Canada. They shared an incredible dinner together followed by a walk through the park lit by Christmas lights. As she turned to speak to him, she realized he was several feet behind her, kneeling on the sidewalk. Admittedly, neither of them remember what he said… but she cried & said “YES!”

Levi & Caroline came by the studio last week for their engagement shoot. Since it was rainy & cold when we started, we opted to capture some shots in the studio. Here are a few of my favorites:
It was so much fun to hang with these two… always serious laughing when I’m behind the lens!
The rain clouds passed so was ventured outside for a bit.
Love this! Can’t wait to see you guys again!

Meet the Pinkners: Greg, Jennifer, Jack & Bailey (the dog). There is so much I could say about this incredible family. I’ve known Jennifer since my childhood & have really fun memories of her at church camp & events. Plus, her mom was my music teacher in elementary school… those were the days. Without a doubt, I could easily say that Jennifer was such a great example & godly influence on us all! And still is… check out her blog here! She married a Texan by the name of Greg. Greg happens to be one of the most gifted communicators I’ve heard & through his teaching is making an profound impact about students locally & abroad. He is a teaching pastor at Fellowship Church in Knoxville & when I was in grad school I would listen to his podcasts faithfully. I can’t overestimate how much the Lord used that in my life.

After years of wanting to have children, Greg & Jennifer were blessed with John Benjamin Pinkner, aka Jack… love that name! Jack is around 8 months old & is a big little guy. He was such a pleasure to meet & I had such a great time with Greg & Jennifer. This is their season of life & it’s beautiful. Here’s a sneak peek.

Story time. I loved Greg’s editorial commentary he added as he read.
Bailey was eager to get involved.
Action shot… yes, that’s Bailey’s tongue sprinting in for a kiss on Jack.
Jack & his buddy, Aslan.
As of late, Jack has been quite fascinated with mirrors.
Love this look on his face.
I’m not sure what he was thinking but I like that look!
Congrats my friends. It was such a pleasure to spend time with you guys. Can’t wait to see you again soon!

However, as their big day got closer, Jenn and I were becoming more nervous about our return trip from Hawaii.  Would it even be possible to stay awake after 20 hours in a plane?  What if there were delays or a missed connection?  Close studies of US maps showed that driving a car from Hawaii to Tennessee is not the best option.  Therefore, my wife decided that I should return home from Hawaii a day early while she would stay (I’m sure that was a difficult decision for her to make…haha) just to make sure everything would be fine.

As it turned out, we both returned on time, but I must admit that extra day on Tennessee time really helped!  This was a wedding that I had been looking forward to for some time.  Over the past few months, we had been able to spend quite a bit of time with Russ and Savannah on various photo shoots (here, here, and here) and got to know them quite well.  Savannah is always so laid back no matter what the situation (actually, the same could be said of Russ).  I knew they were both going to be able to relax and enjoy their wedding day.  Also adding to my excitement was the fact that the Passmores REALLY know how to decorate!  I couldn’t wait to see the church and reception sites.  As you’ll see below, they did not disappoint.  Thank you all for allowing us to be a part of your wedding day!  It really means a lot that you had faith in us even with the close travel schedule; we hope you enjoy!

As I was saying, this family knows how to decorate.  Check out the tree.  Can you imagine how long it took to decorate that?!

As I arrived at the Passmore house, the girls were busy getting ready.  I was dodging hairspray and snapping pictures!

After everyone was ready, we ventured to a nearby field to get some images of the bridal party.

Next, we drove to Woodward Avenue Church of God.  The theme was a Winter Wonderland Wedding.  I think they definitely captured that!

After grabbing some details, it was time for the guys.

UT orange in the wedding band…love it!

It was then time to exchange gifts, and I learned a valuable lesson.  When buying for your wife, Tiffany & Co. is a good place to start!

Is there a better gift than the gift of photography? 

Although Savannah and Russ decided not to see each other before the ceremony, that didn’t stop us from getting some pictures together.

How Savannah’s dad David made it through singing “Butterfly Kisses” just before the ceremony, I’ll never know.

After the sparkler send off from the church, it was time to head to the Open Door Cafe in downtown Athens for the reception.

The wedding party really knew how to make an entrance.  There were top hats involved…need I say more?

We slipped away from the reception for a bit to get some more pictures.  Free photography tip:  work quickly because it gets cold at night in winter!

As it was completely dark, we had to make creative use of our off camera lights.

After de-thawing from our late-night outdoor photo session, the band Smokey Jam got the party going.

Finally, as midnight rolled around, we all counted down with Dick Clark.  Balloons were released, everyone wished everyone else a Happy New Year, and a few lucky ones received a kiss from a loved one.  Perfect ending to an incredible wedding!

It’s hard to beat seeing your weddings in print & to see the satisfaction of that comes when others have the opportunity to enjoy as well. Congrats Michael & Jamie!

Well, it most certainly did. The main reason for the trip was to photograph the wedding of Grant & Fernanda. Following their vintage inspired engagement shoot, I knew their wedding was going to be incredible. What’s not to love about these two?! Grant is as nice of a guy as you’ll find & his leadership qualities seem effortless. And Fernanda, what a beautiful & pleasant bride, inside & out! They have such a wonderful marriage to look forward to!

The day of the New Year’s Eve wedding was unreal. Who would’ve believed that it would be a calm 70 degrees throughout the day. And the wedding party, as well as Grant & Fernanda’s families, were so gracious & hospitable. It felt like I’d known them for a lifetime. To top it off, I had my best mate, Ismael, helping me throughout the day; we were also privileged to work alongside Thomas & Sarah of TLC Wedding Videography.

Our coverage for the day began at the Historic L&N Station, site of the reception. Since the sun sets so early for Winter weddings, I was eager to shoot some of the reception details beforehand. I love how Grant & Fernanda continued the vintage theme from their engagement session into the wedding details.

Vintage postcards were available for guests to write the couple messages… love this idea!
In lieu of favors, Grant & Fernanda made a donation to Rebuild Tuscaloosa.
Wedding photos of parents & grandparents lined the short hall of the station.
We then met up with Fernanda & her mother, Suzana, at Divine Appointments for their hair & makeup.
The ceremony was held at the church where Grant & Fernanda attend, Calvary Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, AL. Here, I captured some of the details.
On Fernanda’s bouquet was a Brazilian pendant, passed down from her grandmother.
The final preparations.
The couple chose to see one another before the ceremony, allowing some outdoor portraits before the sun was to set. Here’s their first look & exchange of gifts.
 We then ventured outside for some portraits of the couple, followed by wedding party & family photos. I love seeing these two together. Fernanda, you are such a lovely bride!
Such a dapper groom!
Fernanda & her beautiful ladies.

The wedding party.
And the fellas.
Every time I see this shot & the series (sorry, didn’t post them all), I can’t help but hear the song “Sabotage” run through my head.
Fernanda & her mother.
With her father.
Grant & his parents.
As the ceremony begins.
Hooray!!!

And the party started!

The first dance.
Fernanda & her father… love this picture!
And Grant & his mother… it never fails that I have to hold back tears during these dances.
Once the dancing kicked in, the party let loose.
The band for the evening were all University Fellows from the University of Alabama… they were a blast!
And the guests saw the couple off with sparklers… such a beautiful day!
Congrats friends! I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed being a part of your day. Enjoy this highlight post, there are many more to come!

Savannah’s niece Sadie was first to arrive and she was all smiles for the day.  She loved dressing up in her mother’s wedding gown.

Scarlett was blown away with how beautiful her aunt Savannah’s dress was!

Named after her aunt, Savannah Claire has some of the bluest eyes I have ever seen.  You can definitely tell she loves and looks up to her cousin Sadie!

After the girls left, it was finally Savannah’s turn.

After a few in the Passmore’s beautiful home, we ventured outside to take advantage of the perfect weather.

Now THIS is what a bride’s dress should look like!  Isn’t her dress incredible?!

Savannah’s veil was also stunning.  We took full advantage of it in the images below!

We finished up the day in studio.  I love the simplicity of a solid white background.  It really allows her personality to come out in these images.

We were anticipating nothing but sunshine, but we arrived to rain.  Here, the island of Lanai is surrounded by rain clouds.

On Christmas Eve, my birthday gift to myself was to wake up early and drive around the western part of the island photographing the scenery.

This is my favorite image from the trip!

We later visited the blow hole.  It’s a natural formation where a hole has worn in the lava near the coast.  When high tide comes around, the waves crashing into the coast send geysers of water 50+ feet in the air.

In my opinion, the stunning landscape can only truly be appreciated from the air.  Here, clouds cover the western volcano of Mauna Kahalawai.

We decided to attend a luau one evening.

On the grounds of the luau, flamingos and ducks roamed everywhere.  The seemed pretty uninterested in our presence.

The ladies who performed were all extremely graceful and laid back.

The men on the other hand…  This guy brought the intensity level up a few bars!

One of Maui’s most famous drives, the road to Hana takes you through some of the island’s most scenic locales.

There were plenty of waterfalls to be seen.  Many of them were right beside the road.

In addition to being unique, the black sand beaches were absolutely stunning!

The black sand on this particular beach was actually small bits of lava.  The righthand image shows a lava tube that emptied at the ocean.

We finished our Road to Hana trip with a hike to the Venus Pools.  Some pools were large enough to allow cliff jumping…

…while others were so tranquil that is was difficult to determine where land ended and water began.

Our final evening, we ventured up the eastern volcano, Haleakala.  This enormous mountain stretches 10,023 feet above sea level.  At the very tip, there is a massive observatory nicknamed Science City.

It’s not everyday that you get to witness a sunset from above the clouds!

As the last bits of light faded from the sky, Science City opened up a 13+ foot telescope…the largest of its kind in the world!  I was definitely jealous!

As darkness arrived, the sliver of a new crescent moon looks down on Science City.  On the left, the white dot between the moon and the observatory is not dust on your screen; it’s actually Venus.  On the right, a quick lens change brought the moon a bit closer.

With the sun now below the horizon, millions upon millions of stars appeared overhead.  The Milky Way Galaxy was easily visible, and the image on the left shows it above the cities in the valley.  If you look closely to the left of the Milky Way, you’ll notice another galaxy, the Andromeda Galaxy (cropped and circled on the right).

Here’s that same galaxy through my telescope in an image I took last year.  (And that is how you seamlessly…and shamelessly…promote your own astrophotography in a normal blog post!)

I was having to push my camera gear pretty hard to bring out the Milky Way, and this was introducing some noise and streaky stars (two things that I hate).  Therefore, I brought the settings back to a more normal level for my final image of the trip.  This was my second favorite; I LOVE how the lights of the cities make the clouds appear to be on fire.

The day of the shoot couldn’t have been more perfect as we woke up to a snowy ground covering. Upon arrival I was able to meet the Interior Designer behind the King Residence, Sarah Bohleber, of Gift Gourmet & Interiors, Knoxville, TN. It’s always a pleasure to meet with designers & hear how they actualize the client’s vision. This was certainly the case for the King family; Liz said of Sarah, “we just clicked!”

I think you’ll love seeing the in’s & out’s of the King Residence… check out this beautiful home! And I think you’ll clearly see why At Home TN chose this home for their feature story.