So remember yesterday when we chatted about how to make your wedding you? Well today I thought I would point you in a couple directions to go and get inspired.

So there is all the, amazing in themselves, personal places to look for inspiration.
Do that. Look in those places.
Like we talked about yesterday, look at your family history, look at who you are as a couple, where you met, what you guys love to do

but sometimes in the late nights of planning a wedding or on those planning and dreaming days, sometimes you need a little inspiration:)

well, here is some online inspiration for all things weddings:)

my all time favorite: The Wedding Chicks
hit the diy and download link for even more awesomeness!

some other faves:
Southern Weddings
Style Me Pretty
100 Layer Cake
The Knot

My favorite thing about weddings that regardless of where you are in the world, what budget, what time or year, day, month, and how you go about it, weddings come down to love.  Two people joining together their lives. It’s all about you!

But you know what?  The minute you make your wedding unique to you and incorporate your flair, personality, love into the day well,

It makes the day magic.

And the great thing…regardless of your budget, you can do this!

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so, how can you make your wedding you?

well, lets chat about that!

this is the most important.  When you are planning your wedding think about who you are as a couple! Love the outdoors, have your wedding be outside in a unique location.  Met at a coffee shop? Have a coffee theme or a coffee bar! Embrace who you are and add in little details to make your wedding showcase you!

It’s really easy to get caught up in the traditions of the day and what the magazines are telling you to buy but embrace and incorporate who you are!

Which leads me to the next point, take all those great things from #1 that make you you and use it to personalize your wedding! This can be in really simple ways or really crazy extravagant ways. Check out how this couple incorporated their love of books and reading into their wedding!

Another amazing way to make your wedding personal is to include your legacy and past.  Whether its through your parents and grandparents wedding pictures sprinkled in, a cherished piece, or even incorporating something they had at there wedding.  Like Alison, who had a piece of her grandmother’s wedding dress wrapped around her bouquet.

this one is my favorite! Just go for it! Make your wedding something that you will look back on and cherish the details.  Don’t get all caught up in everything a wedding has to be or what everyone says you have to do, get caught up in making it your own!

the next couple days will be looking at just that, how to make your wedding awesome:) Can’t wait!

Are you deep in the trenches of planning your wedding?  Picking out wedding vendors, photographers, dj’s? Or hoping to have a ring on your finger soon?  Or want some great ideas for a wedding you are planning?  Or just like to diy?

Well, this week is for you! Its a week dedicated just for the brides with lots of wedding ideas, how to’s, and all sorts of fun stuff to make your wedding magic.

if you are local to Knoxville, we’ll feature some great wedding vendors to hook up with.  And regardless of where you live we’ll have lots of fun links, pictures, some wedding photography, features, and more! First post up tonight!

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If you are reading this in the Knoxville area and engaged, hope to be engaged soon, know someone that is, or are a recent bride…email me today! I have a couple tickets to a very fun event on Friday that I’m so happy to be part of! You don’t want to miss it!

1. Isn’t AJ’s ring awesome with the crosses in it? 2. This is a dish that one of the bridesmaids made with their pictures all through it…super cool. 3. There are glasses to match…scroll on down to see:)

so it poured rain all day but we made the most of it and played with some windows and reflections.

all the flowers lined up waiting for their big debut:)

best grooms tie ever. its was in a trinity knot. Isn’t that amazing!?

simple beautiful centerpieces…and those flowers are real…aren’t they perfect:)

the glasses were made by a bridesmaid and was a collage of all these different pictures of AJ and Rosie with quotes and fun personal things. You could even see different things showing through on the inside…so cool! Love fun little touches like this at weddings:)

Rosie saw this cake topper online and joked to AJ about it. So they ordered it, naturally.

and of course we couldn’t have a wedding without some camo! Best garter ever:)

they got this car good.

Now onto some beautiful classy pictures:) Clifton and Lesli were married at Cherokee Country Club here in Knoxville. It was a beautiful, hot day for an unbelievable couple and wedding. Cherokee Country Club was an amazing location and the details that Lesli and Clifton had were stunning. The flowers alone made my day!

oh, and the dress. and the shoes. and I could go on! oh, and the gorgeous bride!

love this one. like, my fave ever!

ahhh…sunflare!

Clifton and Lesli, your wedding was beautiful and I am honored to have been a part of your day. A big congrats to you! You guys are awesome!

I knew it was going to be an amazing wedding just seeing all the fun details that went into the ceremony and reception. Rafaella paid attention to every detail to make it unique to her and her wedding. Love that! From glasses for her bridesmaids to a quilt, you name it this wedding had it:)

A big giant shout out to my friend and fellow wedding photographer, Feuza, who flew down from New Jersey to second shoot with me. She is a gem and I so enjoyed working with her!

even the bridal suite for the girls to get ready in is amazing at Hunter Valley Farms!

another very cool detail. Rather than the usual guest book, Rafaella and Brian had a guest quilt where people wrote on the square pieces and it will be made into a quilt with some pictures in it too. Such a legacy to have made and pass down, love it!

something just gets me at every wedding when the dad is walking the bride down the aisle and the groom is waiting in the background. That and the father/daughter dance chokes me up everytime!

perhaps one of the coolest traditions I’ve seen for rings at a ceremony. It’s called a ring warming, where the ring is passed among all the guests as they say wishes/good thoughts/prayers for the couple. Then after that the couple exchanges the rings. Very cool.

Rafaella got this off of Etsy at Paloma’s Nest. Another reason to love Etsy!

the light changes in the Pavilion at Hunter Valley Farms and makes for awesome shots of the decor throughout the night!

the beautiful Mr and Mrs Mays. It was perfect light after the wedding for some amazing couple shots!

Vendor List:
Videographer: Ryan’s Productions
Linens: The White Table
Catering: All Occasion Catering
Wedding Venue: Hunter Valley Farms
9111 Hunter Valley Lane
Knoxville, TN 37922

A big, giant congrats to Rafaella and Brian! So excited for them as they begin their amazing life together!

Well, Tessa was an equally amazing bride during our Knoxville Photographer Shootout.

She rocked it like an amazing bride. with style.

And an amazing thanks to the Mabry-Hazen House here in Knoxville

and Barnes and Barnes on Market Square in Knoxville

for being awesome!

here is Tessa, in all her bridal glory:)

Oh, and did I mention that the light that day was delicious and yummy!

lovelovelove this one! Hilarious!




and saving my favorite for last. LOVE these two! I was playing around with some lens and just being a little bit crazy and LOVE it! I love that they are so old world looking and almost ethereal.

Will and Courtney, you guys rock! Thanks so much for trusting me with your engagement pictures!

Are you engaged or just want some awesome couple photos?
Shannon Contact me

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Shannon Kelley Photography | Shannon Kelley Photography Blog | Be my Facebook Fan

Fast forward a year and the ever fab blog of bridesmaid.com agrees! Yesterday Courtney and Casey’s awesome wedding was featured on their blog! Even Courtney’s love of Dave Matthews got a little love:)

Go check it out and leave a comment over there to support the amazing Bridesmaid.com! And brides, hop on over there to check out some awesome ideas for your own real wedding:)

The local magazine, Everything Knoxville, has a little happiness in it! I’m featured as Knoxville’s best wedding photographer by Wedding Daily Times!  I’m honored to be mentioned among some of the awesome other Knoxville’s best vendors there.  Truly, an honor.  Thanks for those that nominated and voted for me.  I think I may have Knoxville’s best clients and friends personally:) I love photography and consider myself blessed to be on this journey as a wedding photographer here in Knoxville and am so excited for 2010.