Grant had an amazing time during the shoot and loved all of the images from it.

Congratulations to Courtney and Grayson…we hope you love your images!

How did you meet?
My sorority has an annual philanthropy event called “Anchor Splash”. Most of the fraternities and sororities put together teams to compete in various swimming events. The main event is a synchronized swimming competition. I was assigned to be the coach for the fraternity that Grayson was pledging. It was during this time that we met and started to get to know each other. Grayson likes to say that his swimming abilities impressed me! :)

Anything special you’d like to share about dating?
Grayson and I have been together for over 6 years now, with at least 2.5 years spent long distance. Grayson was in the Marines and was deployed for 7 months and had about 5 months of training before he was sent to Iraq. It was a difficult time, but his Homecoming was one of the most exciting days of our relationship and I will never forget that emotion!

Describe your proposal.
My best friend from high school and her husband moved to China and were coming home for a couple of weeks during September. Her parents were throwing a small BBQ for family and friends on Saturday, September 24th. I knew that it would be a 6-7 hour drive for Grayson to make it to Dalton for the weekend, I also knew that he had been sick the week before and he had to drive to Kansas the following Monday for work. So when I mentioned the BBQ to him, I didn’t expect him to make it. The morning of the party, my friend called me and told me that she wouldn’t be in town until about 30 minutes before the party started, so to kill time I went to the nail salon and got a manicure. While I was there, my friend called and told me that she had arrived earlier than expected and she wanted me to come over so she could see me before the crowd got there. I went straight to her house when I got done and walked up to the front door, and noticed the handle move. I didn’t knock, and after a few seconds, the door finally opened and there stood Grayson with a small little box in his hand. I stepped backwards completely in shock and said “uhhh…what are you doing here?” It was at that point Grayson dropped to his knee and asked me to marry him and all I could do was jump on him and hug him! After a few seconds I realized I never answered him and finally shouted “yes!”

What is your ring like?
My ring is beautiful and is very special for a couple of reasons. The first reason is because Grayson picked it out completely by himself. He didn’t want any hints from me or anyone else! The second reason is because the three stones are from his mom’s engagement ring. Grayson’s parents decided years ago that they wanted to let Grayson use the stones when he decided to propose. Grayson and I have decided that it is a tradition that we want to continue one day with our children.

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?
It’s hard to put into words. We have grown to be best friends and we love each other so much. We’ve experienced a lot during our 6.5 years together, but I wouldn’t change a thing. God has truly blessed us with each other.

Do you have any special plans for your wedding that you’d like to share?
Our dogs, Jack and Clara will be apart of the wedding! Jack (a Newfoundland) and Clara (a Maltipoo) are both very important to us and we’re very excited to be getting married at a venue that is pet friendly!

A  huge congratulations to this wonderful couple. We loved working with you and hope you enjoy your photos.

Ashley and Noah…

Ashley had her makeup done at Elea Blake and her hair at STYLEbar. Both are fabulous places that we love to shoot at!

They had their First Look at the Chattanoogan…so pretty!

As you can see we had the most beautiful light and colors outside.

The beautiful ceremony!

And the spectacular reception!

Congratulations guys…it was such a pleasure working with you!! :)

These were taken at the beautiful Chattanooga Arboretum and Nature Center and downtown at the River Pier. All of the stars aligned for a spectacular shoot with a fun couple!

Congratulations…Kelli and Taylor!

How did you meet?
Taylor and I met at Tennessee Tech University in December of 2007. He was a Senior, and I was a Freshman. He is a Sigma Chi, and we met at his fraternity Christmas party.

Anything special you’d like to share about dating?
For the past 4 years he has lived in Nashville, and I have been in either Cookeville (for school) or in the Knoxville area (home) so we have almost always had a long distance relationship. Needless to say, we are looking forward to finally being together!

Describe the proposal.
He proposed to me on June 2, 2011. We went on a week long cruise with my parents and my two brothers. We decided to have some professional pictures taken on the ship when it was getting close to sunset. After the photo sessions was complete we were at the back of the boat. The photographer and the people that had been standing around just happened to leave. We hung around a little longer to just look out at the water and talk and the next thing I knew I said “Yes!” He had the ring box in his pocket the whole evening. You can even see kinda see it in the pictures that were taken that night. So it was on the back of the cruise ship at sunset. :)

What is your ring like?
My ring has a slim band with pave diamonds around it, and it has a solitaire diamond with a round brilliant cut.

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?
I was that girl that grew up watching Disney movies and dreaming about my Prince Charming…he is my Prince Charming. He is everything I could have hoped for and more. I know that he will love me and take care of me. He said that I make him relax and enjoy the little things in life that he sometimes takes for granted. We just make each other happy. :)

Do you have any special plans for your wedding that you’d like to share?
The wedding ceremony is at 2nd Presbyterian Downtown Chattanooga and the reception is at the Fairyland Club on Lookout Mt. I guess the theme of my wedding is kinda “romantic” and “classy”…however I want my wedding to be FUN, and I want people to dance! We got a band so I am pretty pumped about that :)

We hope you enjoy these photos…we can’t wait to photograph them tomorrow at what will be a beautiful wedding I’m sure!

Congrats Maggie and Derek…you guys are so wonderful to work with!

How did you meet?
In 1999, Maggie’s family moved to Ooltewah from Texas. We met through a love for basketball and have known one another since.

Describe your proposal.
I wanted it to be a surprise.  Given Maggie would wear her ring for the rest of her life, I wanted her to choose the setting–she left me to choose the diamond. We were on a family vacation in Cabo San Lucas, the last place she imagined me proposing. We planned a romantic dinner overlooking the ocean.  After dinner I popped the question…totally catching her off guard.

What is your ring like?
Round cut diamond with a halo of diamonds around it…micropave diamonds surrounding the band.

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?
We feel at home with each other. Comfortable, safe, and happy!

Do you have any special plans for your wedding that you’d like to share?
We want the wedding to be a celebration of our new life together.

Lacie was a beautiful bride and Chris was one happy groom! This day was full of beauty and smiles…we hope you enjoy their photos!

Congratulations Lacie and Chris!

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Chris: the first time i saw Lacie in her dress
Lacie: getting to hold Chris’ hand before the wedding and get rid of all the butterflies

How did you decide on your dress?
I knew i wanted lace so we went from there and my mom and maid of honor convinced me that Chris would love the dress i choose. :)

What are the 3 words you would use to describe your day?
Chris: exciting, stressful-slightly, fulfilling
Lacie: gorgeous, perfect, relaxed

What was your favorite detail of the wedding?
Chris: fireworks!
Lacie: the hanging garden lights

What is next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?
Chris: Babies :)
Lacie: settling in and enjoying time with each other after a long distance relationship

I know Grant had a blast during their engagement session and we simply can’t wait for their wedding. It will be a day to remember I’m sure!

Enjoy Sarah and James…if you know them you are lucky…we definitely feel so!

How did you meet?
James and I met ironically at a club back home.  My best friend and I were out celebrating our other best friends new found “singleness”, while James was out with all of his marine buddies before his second deployment.  Majority of the whole night he kept trying to get my phone number, but I refused since we were trying to direct all attention to my girlfriend.  We actually bumped into each other at a random party a few weeks later, and he somehow sweet talked me into giving him my phone number.  After one long phone chat we pretty much became inseperable :)  The funny thing is the first phone call we had, we both admitted each other had the traits and personality we looked for in marriage.  Which if you know us is very out of character to be that deep with someone we just met, and since we were both in stages of our lives where we were not looking for anything remotely serious!

Anything special you’d like to share about dating?
Its funny because we are each others best friends, he wrestles me like a boy and I gossip to him like he was a girl. Yet we like each other too. Haha everyday is just a whirlwind of fun, and its amazing how even when we are beyond mad at one another how much love we share for each other.

Describe your proposal.
Well even though James had taken me ring shopping a few months before, he had made it clear it was just to get an idea for the far far far far, I don’t know if I can put enough emphasis on far, away. It was my first Easter away from my family, and we have some serious pretty family traditions when it comes to any and all holidays. Since I was little my mom has swore the Easter bunny pooped out jelly beans and that was his way of leading you to your Easter basket. Now I know this sounds silly, but as a kid I did not care how I got my easter basket I was just ecstatic that the bunny was kind enough to leave me a trail… Well James had pretty much heard me whining for about a month solid of how distraught I was that I was not getting a Easter basket, and how I was just so upset that I was far away from home. Well that Saturday night before Easter James and I were laying on the couch watching a movie, I fell asleep 5minutes into it, and he kept trying to coax me to go in to the bedroom to sleep. Normally I would oblige happily, but for some reason felt sweet and told him I just wanted to lay out there with him. After about four hours of him, for reasons unbeknownst to me, trying to lead me in the direction away from him, he finally half carries- half walks me to our bedroom, then preceeds to tell me will be right back because he has to go to the bathroom. Well I was out of my mind, so I said ok and snuggled up and went to sleep! Well after awhile, James comes back into the room and tells me to not for any reason go outside of the bedroom without him tomorrow morning, I so charmingly replied, “Why you’re not going to propose are you”. Now as mortifying as this apparently was for James to hear, I followed it with, “Dinosaurs are seriously chasing me right now”. So the next morning I wake up screaming and jumping on the bed like a child, yelping for joy that it is Easter! James then preceeds to open the door, and behold there are jelly beans!!!!! I than get on my hands and knees trying to swoop up I swear at least four bags of jelly beans into my shirt so our dog does not get ahold of them. James video tapes the whole thing, while I was just thinking he was taking pictures because I looked ridiculous. We then get downstairs and I find my easter basket filled with chocolate and a whole lot of eggs labeled! James then preceeds to tell me he was just a little broke this year, which holds refrence since it kind of threw me off the trail of him doing anything too extravagent! Well I start to open each egg and inside has a note of why he loved me. Well being the charming person I am, I start trying to jump eggs and not follow the number aka shaking one egg that I was apparently not supposed to even be touching yet! James then starts to hand me my eggs…. haha :) Well when I get to the last numbered egg it says something along the lines that, ” I feel whole when I am with you, and lost when I am without you…. There is only one thing to keep me whole for a lifetime and you being apart of my life forever is what is missing….”. He then pulls out the last egg and pops it open, inside is my ring pronged up and he proceeds to ask me to be his wife :) Best day of my life.

What is your ring like?
I am probably one of the most finicky people you will ever meet, when it comes to food, clothing, decor, and especially jewelry!!  James had taken me a few months before to look at rings and I swore up and down all I wanted was a solitare diamond…. thank God I tried rings on, because it was the polar opposite of what I wanted.  We actually did a design your own at fred Myers, since I seemed to not be a 100% pleased with anything they brought out to me, which if you know James he was beyond pleased with everything they brought out!  I did a oval center stone that is risen above the four stones around it.  Poor James did not realize that when I had said I wanted a big diamond I was completely serious, and I can honestly say he had denied me all the other options I had remotely liked, but the moment he saw this one he said, “He knew it was the right one”.  I don’t know if it was gut instincts or the fact that I was yelping I would die without this ring, and nothing could even compare.  Haha so we can just say it was destiny….

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?
James- Sarah is the goofiest person I have ever met, whether it be annoying me beyond my wildest dreams like hiding in the fireplace and scaring me half to death because she is pretending to be an indian, to making me laugh at her “I am sorry” dances. She cooks one heck of a pot of macaroni. Sarah calms me when I am upset, or frustrated. She is one the strongest, hard working people I have ever met, and know that I can always trust her to do everything and anything to make me happy and feel complete. She is the only person I have ever felt this close with. I am thankful for her everyday, because without her I am not whole, and nothing in my life is the same.

Sarah- James had led me to be a more loving, compassionate, open person. He has made my relationship with God stronger, pushing me to be a stronger Christian. He constantly makes me feel like someone special, whether it be through a single text, kiss, hug or even just the way we goof off with each other. I have never loved or thought I could love someone with as much of my heart as I do him. He is the only person that can have me absolutely fuming, while just about crying in tears from laughing so hard at the same time. He is my best friend, the love of my life.

Do you have any special plans for your wedding that you’d like to share?
My dad is a musician and I never in my right mind would ask him to perform at our wedding, but he recently told James and I that his band is going to throw down a few songs for us. We are also excited to just have both of our families together as a whole!

Congrats to Amy and Zach…their wedding will be up here soon and you don’t want to miss it!

How did you meet?
Zach and I met on a cruise in 2007. It was love at first sight! We never thought we would see each other again after the cruise, but we were so smitten we couldn’t imagine life without the other. We dated long distance for over a year then decided to come to Lee University together.

Anything special you’d like to share about dating?
We love to laugh together!

Describe your proposal.
Zach and I went ring shopping in December (2 months before he propsed) so I knew the ring was coming, but I wasn’t sure when. One evening after teaching crazy third graders all day, I met my friend, Brittany, for dinner. Little did I know Zach had arranged for Brittany to ask me to dinner. When I got home I walked in  my room and found Zach down on one knee with candles and rose petals in the floor spelling out “Marry Me?” I was completely surprisedand of course said YES! I expected to cry, but I was so happy I couldn’t stop smiling!

What is your ring like?
Zach’s grandmother gave us the diamond for my engagment ring. It’s a classic round cut diamond. We chose the ring setting together. The center diamond is surround by micro pave diamonds in a cushion cut shape and the band has matching micro pave diamonds in it.

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?
We both love and support each other. We are each other’s best friend.

Do you have any special plans for your wedding that you’d like to share?
We are looking forward to spending our special day with friends and family!

I loved the weather on the day of the wedding, it was not as hot as it had been and the day was just beautiful. We started out at the Holly Avenue United Methodist Church and then off to a farm for an amazing reception! I loved the fall details that were everywhere and how everything came together. It was definitely a favorite for us!

Congratulations to Holly and Tyler…we hope you love your pictures…we loved your wedding!

What did you enjoy most about planning your wedding?
Tyler was actually very involved in the process, and put in his opinion on everything from the venue, the colors, photography, tuxes, and the cake. I really wanted his input, and a lot of times the groom-to-be leaves it all up to the bride. I also went to several bridal shows with my mom, which was a lot of fun.

How did you decide on your dress?
I had cut out pictures of the dresses I wanted to try on before I went to the shop. I gave those cut-outs to the bridal consultant at the shop, and the picture that had actually been my favorite turned out to be my favorite dress on me. I only went one place, one day. I found the dress that first day. We decided to wait until closer to the wedding to purchase it. A couple of months later I went to their website to show my mother-in-law the dress I had chosen and couldn’t find it on the website anymore, so I stopped in the store very soon after that for a quick 5-minute stop just to make sure they still had it. The store only had one more of that dress, and it was in MY size, and they weren’t making anymore. I bought it that day! It was really a God thing. So glad I stopped in to ask!

What are three words you would use to describe your day?
Relaxed, Southern, Crisp

What was your favorite detail of the wedding?
That’s a tough one. Do I say the cakes or the food or the dresses/tuxes or the firetruck? I really don’t have one favorite detail.

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?
At the very end of the reception, right before Tyler & I left, our DJ played the last slow song of the night. When we danced together during that song, it was the most intimate time together of the entire day. I had my head buried in his chest, and I had his jacket on, which was huge on me. Not many of the wedding guests were watching this dance because it was late- most had either left already or were at the bar area! I felt like in that moment it was just us.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?
Tyler is heading off to the police academy in just a couple of weeks, which is very exciting for us. We have already started to plan our one year anniversary trip to Las Vegas! We are also considering going to Mardi Gras 2013 and Yellowstone in the next 2 years. There is a lot to look forward to!

Lesli and Blake are a wondering couple – we loved being around them and capturing this beautiful day. We loved how everything turned out…we hope you love them too.

Congratulations to Lesli and Blake!

What did you enjoy most about planning your wedding?
I love planning, so I had a great time planning our wedding from start to finish. From picking out invitations and cupcake flavors to deciding on flowers, it was amazing to see the vision in my head come to life.

How did you decide on your dress?
I always wanted a classic dress with little sleeves, and love the look of antique lace.  I went shopping with one of my bridesmaids, Heather, who helped me plan everything and knew the look I was going for.  I only went to one store, Hayden Olivia, and it was such a great experience. When I tried my dress on, I knew it was perfect.

What are three words you would use to describe your day?
Fun, Lovely, Delicious

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?
For me the most memorable moment was when I was walking down the aisle and saw all our friends and family that had come together that day just for us, with my future husband standing there waiting for me. I am not normally a crier, but that moment overwhelmed me.

What was your favorite detail of the wedding?
I had so many favorite details of the wedding! Seeing my bridesmaids in the dresses they all picked out themselves, looking so beautiful. The adorable umbrellas the flower girls carried down the aisle. The bouquets that were more beautiful than I had imagined they could be. The delicious cupcakes! Not to mention the scenery – we had a perfect location.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?
We are looking forward to spending more time with friends and family, traveling, and settling into our new house with our dogs!

We had a great session with them and really look forward to their wedding coming up this April.

We hope you enjoy Krystal & Josh.

How did you meet?
We met a bit over nine years ago. We both participated in the same drum and bugle corps during the summer of 2002 and first met at one of the tryouts the winter before. Josh and I dated other people for a few months after meeting. While on tour that summer, Josh pasted a CD to me and told me to listen to track 12. The CD was Ben Folds’, Rockin, The Suburbs and the song that played was The Luckiest. That was the first moment in time that I knew we both had feelings for each other. We spent the first two and a half months of our relationship together 24/7. We spent that time sleeping on sleeping bags on gym floors, sitting on a tour bus, and being hot and sweaty at practice and shows/competitions marching and playing some of the greatest hits of the band Chicago. Needless to say, we got to see each other for exactly whom we were.

Anything special you’d like to share about dating?
I would say to be patient, understanding, and willing to constantly work on your relationship. The one thing about relationships is that they constantly grow and you consistently learning from one another. You have to be willing to grow together or you will grow apart.

Describe your proposal.
So this one is a bit of a long story:

On Wednesday April 27, 2011 storms and rounds of tornados hit Chattanooga. The morning that the storms hit Chattanooga our power went out and we were unable to regain power for a few days. Thursday afternoon our good friends Ryan and Annie allowed us to stay at their apartment with them because their power was fixed early Thursday morning. Josh worked Thursday afternoon and I studied for two large exams for my degree that were coming up on Saturday. We spent the night at Ryan and Annie’s apartment and Josh left for work Friday morning at 9:45. I completed a graduate course final and studied some more for my upcoming exams. Josh called around lunchtime to see how everything was going and if I had gotten any word about if our house had power (still no power). Josh was scheduled out of work at 3, or so I believed.

Josh did go into work that morning but not for the whole day. He left the apartment with his work clothes on and lunch in hand. He went to work to complete schedules but gave his sift to another worker so that he could finish up some details for what was to come. He said that he had to make the day like any other, so he could not come back until he would be scheduled out of work. After completing his final details he went and saw a movie at the movie theatre. Sometime during the day he also called all of the parents to let them know what was to come later that night and ask for permission for my hand in marriage. Josh returned to the apartment wearing his work clothes and I was none the wiser.

After being at Annie and Ryan’s for a night we packed our stuff up. We wanted to stay at our house even if we did not have power because it would place us closer to school and be a quiet place to get rest before my exams the next day. We came home and our house still had no power. We unpacked and talked about where we may want to go to dinner. Josh said a few options that I declined. I brought up the option of going to Tony’s Pasta Shop (a local pasta place located in the Chattanooga art district). It was set. We were going to walk to Tony’s and have dinner. To get to Tony’s by foot from our house we would cross the Walnut St. Bridge (a pedestrian bridge that goes from North Shore to downtown Chattanooga, right next to the art district). We walked along the 2,376 ft bridge and got almost to the other side when Josh said something like, “Did you see this?” Josh asked if I saw something and I was not aware that I was supposed to be looking.

Josh asked, “Did you see this?” I replied with something like, “No, see what?” He would then say “this” and look down. The first thing that I noticed was that there was black ribbon on either side of a plaque that was set in the wood of the bridge. I looked closer and recognized my name. What seemed to take me forever was to figure out that it really was my name and that I should keep reading because there were more words of the plaque. The plaque says my name and under it “I Love You Will you marry me?” I looked at him and he got down on one knee and said, “Will you marry me?” I proceeded to be stunned and he said that I said, “Are you for real?” Shaking with nervousness, he put the ring on my finger before I could actually say yes. I was still in shock, but Josh assures me that I did in fact manage to say,  ”YES” to him. We hugged and kissed and hugged some more. We retrieved the plaque that was set in the wood of the bridge and started to finish walking to dinner, taking a few more moments to hug and kiss. Ryan met us at the end of the bridge and congratulated us. He had a camera and he was the one that set the plaque in place and made sure that no one would mess with it before the big moment happened. I remember asking Ryan where Annie was and he told me that she was back at the apartment.

We were walking to dinner and I asked Ryan where he parked. He told me that he parked down the street but that he was going to come inside the restaurant to get a glass of water before returning home. Thinking nothing of it, we walked into the restaurant and the host asked how many were going to be our party. I responded by saying two. At this time Josh grabbed my hand and led me into the next room were there were tables pushed together with 12 of our closest friends from the area. He seemed to have surprised me twice. It really was perfect and more than I ever could have imagined. We were able to have the moment be fairly private (yet in public) and then share it immediately with some of our close friends. What is really neat is that you can donate to the restoration of the Walnut St. Bridge and have a dedicated plaque set into the sidewalk planks of the bridge. Josh actually has already completed a donation and there will be a plaque on the Walnut St Bridge that will be engraved with our married name. There will be a plaque set into the wood somewhere on the bridge where he asked me to marry him. I could not be happier.

What is your ring like?
My ring is a band that Josh had transformed into an engagement ring. It is a pavé band that he set a cushion cut diamond into the center as though it was a traditional band with a solitaire. It has a traditional feeling while still being slightly contemporary. It is perfect and everything that I could have ever wanted.

Do you have any special plans for your wedding that you’d like to share?
We will say our “I do’s” on the morning of Sunday, April 22, 2012. The ceremony will take place at Patten Chapel, on the campus where we both attended college. The ceremony will be followed by a brunch reception held at Miller Plaza in downtown Chattanooga, TN. We are excited to share such a special moment in our lives with family and close friends.