Ben Finch Photography » Award Winning Fine Art Wedding, Lifestyle & Editorial Photographer

It was the end of the year for classes at Tennessee Wesleyan College. She was a junior, he was a Sophomore. They were introduced by a mutual friend & it was into the summer before feelings began to develop. Yet before long, feelings for one another grew stronger which leads me to the opportunity to introduce you to Mr. & Mrs. Hunter Watson. It’s the story of Hunter & Katharine!

On what seemed like a simple celebration for Katharine’s mother’s birthday, Hunter clearly had something more in mind. After returning from dinner with her family, Katharine was picked up at her parents’ house & taken to Hunter’s home. Upon arrival, Katharine was greeted by candle light as Hunter began to explain how much she meant to him & that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She said yes!

And that simple, “Yes!”, led to their wedding day, Saturday, December 10, 2011. The day began with a bridal brunch at the beautiful home of Laurie & Hunter Hallenburg. When I walked in the door I was met with such a warm greeting from Laurie & the other hosts. And the Christmas decoration was perfect & set a nostalgic mood that would last throughout the day.

The ceremony was held at Keith Memorial United Methodist Church in Athens, TN. They have such a wonderful parlor for brides, families & the wedding party. When I arrived, Katharine’s dress was ready.
And some of the details:
Some of the most meaningful moments of the day occurred when Katharine’s closest ladies were there to help her with the final preparations.
Katharine presented her dad, Carter, with a gift… the whole room was moved to tears. It’s so beautiful to see the unparalleled relationship between a father & a daughter.
And we snapped a few of Hunter as he was finishing up.
Hunter & Katharine chose to see one another before the ceremony (which, btw, was a great idea since the late Winter ceremony would’ve left us in the dark afterward for portraits!). We orchestrated an uninterrupted & private moment for the couple to see one another & help alleviate some the of stress of the day. I love first looks!
These are beautiful!
We then ventured over to the Keith Mansion for some outdoor portraits followed by portraits with the Wedding Party & families. The following are my favorite images of the day!
It was beautiful to see these two together.
Katharine looked stunning!
And her handsome groom, Hunter.
The Wedding Party.
As the ceremony was about to begin:
Katharine’s brother, John, read a portion of Scripture during the ceremony.
I loved the nostalgic feel that the Christmas decorations added to the sanctuary.
The grand exit before the couple was ushered away to the reception site, Old Woolen Mill, in Cleveland, TN.
Once we arrived at the reception I took a moment with the couple… although it was pitch black outside, we still had fun making use of available light coupled with off-camera flash. I love this image!
And the reception began!
The first dance… look at the joy on Katharine’s face!
And the dance with her father.
And Hunter with his mother.
And this is when the reception became a party!!! The band, Ascension, took things to a whole new level… they were fantastic!
Ha! At one point late in the reception, a friend grabbed my camera & pushed me out of the dance floor (L)… let’s just say that I didn’t mind at all!
And one last dance beneath the light of the moon! Congrats Hunter & Katharine… your wedding was incredible; thank you for allowing me the opportunity to spend this occasion with you!