Knoxville wedding photographer blog – shannon kelley photography » Knoxville based wedding photographer – modern photography for hip people

I know wedding photography must look glamorous. You get to go to fancy weddings here in Knoxville and beyond, take awesome pictures, be creative. I get that. It is an awesome job and I wouldn’t change it for the world. But alot of times the behind the scenes are a killer. Running a business is hard work. Being an entrepreneur and putting yourself out there is scary. real scary. but yesterday when I was playing with Lena at the park I realized its all worth it. I missed her first years almost completely because of “the man” and now I get to photograph fabulous weddings in Knoxville and beyond. God is good.

The day before the wedding: what is a photographer doing

So today I thought we would take a look at the day before. For all you wedding photographers and those thinking that someday you would maybe want to be. Here it is. The whole truth and a look behind the scenes of the day before:)

First up, I invited an awesome fellow wedding photographer, Jules Wiegand from Louisville, to join in the conversation. Here is what her day looks like on the day before:

I like to check all the areas i will be shooting prior to the
wedding. I check lighting and different backgrounds and make a few notes of
some creative ideas for photos. The day before i go through all my
equipment and plan for the day as well as notes on the couple and some of
the things they want for the day.

So after all the behind the scenes of booking the wedding, meeting up with the bride and groom, and getting all the fun details down the day before the wedding is here and you are getting ready for the big day of photographing the wedding. Can I recommend comfy shoes too:) As Jules stated, prep work is key! Be familiar with the space, how the light hits it, think outside the box for family shots. Here is my general checklist that I go through:

• charge batteries
• clear CF cards and pack them with gear
• go over notes from location and meetings
• get all contact info printed and put with gear
• print out directions (even if I know where I’m going…you never know:) )
• put charged batteries with gear.
• clean lenses if needed
• go over day of schedule
• call bride if needed to chat about any last minute stuff or to confirm
• make sure I have gas in my car
• make sure I have fresh batteries for flashes
• pack water
• charge phone (its an ongoing issue and needs to be on the list with me:) )
• remind the hubby of the schedule for the day so he remembers to take care of Lena:)

A giant thanks to Jules for being awesome and helping out with post!  Her and I share a kindred heart on missions. Here are a few pictures of her beautiful work to enjoy!

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to score the last 5 shirts from this line at the Wedding Chicks and decided that since I didn’t have enough for all my brides (boo…I know girls..believe me I tried!) that we’d have a little contest to keep it fair and have a little fun:) So everyone got their name in the big giant bucket (Lena picked it out) and then they got an opportunity to get their name in there more if they wanted.

soooo…drum roll please! Here are the winners that Lena picked….

Congrats to the winners!!! I’m so excited about all my brides and wish I had more shirts, love you all!

I love a good ol’ smoky mountain wedding. I love the cabins, the intimacy that a smaller wedding gives, they backdrop of the beautiful mountains. just love. photographing these weddings are such fun too!

Megan and Blake were married in a cabin. At the cabins that Megan grew up coming to when their family traveled every year to Tennessee to visit the Smoky Mountains for their family vacation. Love that. What a special place and such memories in the cabins they said their vows in!

Plus, the cabins are my new favorite. Great location and great views!

Oak Haven Resort
1947 Old Knoxville Highway
Sevierville, TN 37876

Here are a couple pictures to give you a little taste of their wedding.

this hankie is around 90 years old and carried by the bride on her bouquet. Love sentimental things like this!

More sentiment! Love this shot! It just speaks to me for some reason. Megan’s daddy married her and is getting ready to pray over their marriage. Being a preachers kid myself I love when dad’s marry their daughters. What a special moment huh!?

I love Knoxville, don’t get me wrong. But my recent visit to Florida had me dying for some sun like that here in Knoxvegas…and the increase of temperature wouldn’t hurt either. Knoxville does have its perks for weddings, photographers, and yummy light (occasionally) but, man, gotta love that Florida sun! Can you imagine getting married in this beautiful sun and the gorgeous wedding photos?!

So, getting married in Florida? I’m so there:) No. Really. Book me for your Florida wedding photographer and I’ll WAIVE travel costs for the lucky couple. This is only good for one wedding, so contact me soon!

Here’s a fave I found while uploading Amanda and Colton’s gallery:) Enjoy the Florida sun!

For the next couple weeks we’ll be looking at weddings behind the scenes. We’ll look at fun stuff like formal pictures, to see each other before hand or not, where is Knoxville on the wedding scene…all sorts of fun stuff.
Today, a first look? To do or not on your wedding day?

A trend that is continuing throughout the United States with weddings is a first look. This is when the bride and groom see each other before the wedding in an intimate moment so the photographer can capture the first look and then proceed to get amazing couple shots before the hubbub of the wedding begins.

I’m finding more and more, here in Knoxville, Tennessee, the tradition of seeing the bride when she first walks down the aisle is still holding strong. As a photographer I’m kinda on the fence about this one. Maybe I shouldn’t be because a lot of photographers have strong opinions about seeing each other before hand but I have to say I understand those that want the traditional way. So, I thought a blog post was in order:) Plus, I had another photographer weigh in on the matter (and one that isn’t from Knoxville to get a little perspective on it:) )

First, some pro’s and con’s:

PROS for a first look:
-Dedicated time to have your photographer to yourselves and get amazing pictures of the two of you!
-It’s intimate, just the two of you, with time to yourselves as you take this amazing journey together.
-You don’t have to worry about your makeup if you cry during the ceremony.
-Lessens the amount of time you need to dedicate to photos between the ceremony and reception= happy guests:)
-The light! Depending on your ceremony time the light can be better before hand (this is one to talk with your photographer about). I know that weddings here in Knoxville right now that start at 5pm would be better light with a first look beforehand.

CONS for a first look:
-It’s breaking tradition by golly!
-You want his first sight of you being when you walk down the aisle.
-You don’t want to kiss before the ceremony.

What Jared at Jacobus Photography based in Ohio had to say: “I let them decide unless its a winter wedding where it gets dark really early. If light will be an issue then I recommend they meet before. If they still want to wait to see each other then I am fine with it and I make sure I do my job.”

My personal opinion, similar to Jared’s, is I am all for tradition and completely respect the decision BUT if you opt to wait, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE put aside time after the ceremony for just the bride and groom to steal away and get some good pictures. So often you get into the groove of the wedding and if you don’t plan time the priority dwindles when Aunt Hilda is pulling on your arm for a hug. Just sayin’.

Lesson for the day: Whether a first look or the tradition: make couple shots a PRIORITY! Those are the ones you will want to see and hang up after the wedding! Oh, and talk to your photographer about the light and timing to get their opinion:)

A big thanks to Jacobus Photography! Here is one of their amazing pictures!

So a few weeks ago I was talking to a fellow awesome photographer friend that just was having one of those days/weeks that we all sometimes have.  a hard one.  one where we wonder what the heck are we doing.  I recommended reading Dane’s book, Fast Track Photographer, because it just puts everything into perspective really.  I texted her the next day to see how she was and her response “getting through it.  God and Dane”

Last week I had the privilege to meet Dane at his workshop in Florida.  Lifechanging, fun, informative, hopeful, moving, and magical are words that come to mind.  Equally as amazing was all the great girls I got to meet and develop friendships with.  Can’t wait to see where God and Dane lead us:)

We had a photo shoot with Amanda and Colton in the GORGEOUS Florida sun! Seriously, why do I live in Knoxville, TN again?   Here are some of my faves…well, alot of my faves.

Lindsey and Jeremy had their wedding on New Year’s Eve at Laurel Theater here in Knoxville. I was honored to be their photographer for the event! It was a destination wedding with the families meeting here in Knoxville to celebrate with a beautiful intimate wedding. The Laurel Theater made for an intimate venue with great light to get some great wedding photography for them. I’m loving their pictures! A big congrats to Lindsey and Jeremy!

So, we all know the grand traditions of marriage and weddings. The something old, something new. The bride getting walked down the aisle by her dad. The first dance. And those traditions are great and make a wedding here in America, well, a wedding. (They have other fun traditions in other countries…very interesting Google search if you get bored!)

So, I thought we would dedicate today to the funky bride, the bride who wants that tradition but with a little spin. A way to make it her day. A way to stand out in the midst of all the white tulle. For those brides that route for the underdog and enjoy going against the grain a little, this post is for you, you funky bride:)

Easy ways to be a funky bride

Throw out those white shoes!
This is beginning to be a big trend that is completely awesome in my book. Fun and funky shoes! Love this because its a very simple thing to do and so fun. Let me tell you, coming from a person who is with the bride right by her side most of the day, you will get so many guests who comment about loving your shoes! I have yet to hear a comment about white shoes, just saying. Make them red, make them to match your bridesmaid’s dresses, wear boots, make them your something blue…so many options to have some fun with!

Change the veil up!
Again, easy to do and allows you to be a little funky without going all the way and having some crazy wedding. Birdcage veils are becoming quite the style lately. I love the way some people can pull these off. Combine with some awesome makeup and hair, these look amazing in pictures!

Want to go a little farther and not even have a veil? It’s etsy to the rescue! Well, I’m sure you could get these elsewhere but who doesn’t love an excuse to shop at etsy:) Wedding headbands. Just go type it in and you’ll find hundreds of unique headbands that go from feathers to flowers. A couple that I love…

love love this one by BeSomethingNew

Love this one…a little flower option for ya. by Mandizzle

Then this one which is more of a pin but equally as awesome! by Pink and Pigtails

Show some spunk in your theme!
As you are picturing your wedding, don’t be afraid to go there. Let your style shine! From your invitations to the decor, run with it! Take chances! Step out of the box! Here is some great advice from Kat at the rocknrollbride.com

I didn’t realise you could do things differently
When I started planning my wedding I thought you had to do the church-then-a-nice-hotel-reception thing. If I did it again I’d keep the church, as this means a lot to us, but I’d go less formal and more personal. I’ve had pink hair since I was 16 – I had pink hair when I met my husband and it was pink when we got engaged, but I went brown for the wedding to keep people happy. Looking back, I wish I’d kept it pink, because it’s pink again now and probably will be for the new few years. Brides often tell me: “I thought my ideas were weird, but now I’ve seen weddings that do things differently, it makes me feel more comfortable about having what I want.”

If a supplier doesn’t get your vision, DIY
I asked my florist for pale vintage colours. The reality? Bright Purple. It didn’t matter on the day, as I was so excited about getting married, but looking back I think, “Urgh, they’re not what I wanted,” and I wish we’d done them ourselves. Consider sourcing your own wine, too – it’s often cheaper to buy it and pay corkage, plus you get nicer stuff – and bringing in caterers if the hotel food isn’t great. It’s extra work, but so worth it.

It’s who you’re marrying – not where – that matters
When the venue cancelled three months before our day, I just thought “I want to marry Gareth. If we get married in our parents’ garden it really doesn’t matter.” After phoning lots of places, we found an amazing venue that was available, but twice the price. So my Dad (who can be scary!) rang the old venue and made them pay the difference as compensation, so we got a much better place for the same price.

Horrible bridesmaid dresses are a crime against humanity
No one should be forced into an ill-fitting frock. Our bridesmaids chose their own nice LBDs and shoes – but often it’s the boys who let the side down. The bride spends hours (days, even) choosing a dress she feels gorgeous in, while the groom wears a hired morning suit. Get him to wear what he wants to wear, not what he thinks he should. Gareth wore a sharp custom made suit and skinny tie costing £450 and looked fab, plus he got to keep it.

Bring a Rock n Roll Bride isn’t about rock and roll
She’s someone who doesn’t conform to what other people expect of her. So if you’re really into punk rock and tattoos or deep-sea diving, then put that into your day. A wedding’s not about being cool or copying someone else 0 it’s about doing what’s right for you.

So, lesson of the day?
Be you. Let you shine through even in all the traditions that a wedding brings.