December to Remember | Nashville Wedding Photographer | Gallatin, TN
Locale: Bagsby Ranch
Wedding season for me typically ends in October. For 2016 that was not the case. I received an inquiry for a December wedding. The request came in from the grooms mother. That is not something that happens a lot. Well, she was gifting the couple with wedding photography and had been referred to me by a family I call my Tennessee family. The man I call grandaddy is her uncle. We went through all the preliminary questions and booked the wedding.
I did not meet or even speak to the bride and groom other than email until their engagement session. They were a bit nervous about photos. They had only one request, they asked if the engagement session could be at the house where his grandparents lived after being married. Well, if you have ever met me, even once, you know that I shouted, “YES”. Prior to the shoot I met with the grooms parents and grandfather. To see this special location through his grandfathers eyes was something I may never forget. Oh how I wish I had carried my camera with me that day!
Finally, it was engagement session day. A day I could never forget. It would be a day I treasure always. Earlier in the day I shot with a dear friend at a wedding and then headed over to the farm to meet Jordan and Megan. When I arrived, I was already a hot mess and they were just the sweetest and most welcoming couple. As mentioned above they were very nervous about photos. As is custom with a session with me, I had them focus more on each other than the camera. In doing that I learned the secret in getting a smile from Jordan. Just ask him to look at his future bride! There thats where his smile is found.
Fast forward to December, the ceremony was set for after dark and Jordan and Megan really wanted to forgo the first look. (I do not push clients to do a first look, I only suggest it to help with photo timeline and to assure we have the best light possible for the portraits.) Megan simply said, “Christina we trust you and the most important thing, to us, is for you to capture the love of the day.” I was nervous knowing that the timeline would be crunched and portraits would all be after dark and the backdrop we would like to use would be unavailable, as the guests would be crowding the reception hall. I just said a prayer and reminded myself it was not about a perfectly posed, lit and styled photo, instead, it was about Jordan and Megan coming to an end of a long journey and finally being Mr & Mrs Estep. Well, I could not have been more excited with how their day came together and how stunning all of their photos are.
Some of my favorite moments of their day happened when the bridesmaids prayed over Jordan and during the ceremony when they did a feet washing ceremony to show their commitment and how they will serve one another during the marriage. It was absolutely, hands down, one of the most spiritually led and sweet weddings I have photographed.
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