Melissa and David scheduled an engagement session with us the day before their wedding. The autumn colors are getting brighter every day, and so we did a family portrait among them just before the rain started to fall. Melissa's daughter is a big "liger" fan, so we did a Signature Art Print just for her, blending her in with her favorite creatures!

On wedding day we walked to the far end of the horse field for a soft wedding portrait with our white horse, Sugar, in the background. I love Melissa's delicate face, and the way David holds her so close!

Leah and Jace have a love for music proven by their sky-high stacks of CD's. It's no wonder they hired the Jones Boys band for their reception. Mmmm...what a great sound those boys made! Those who weren't dancing were at the very least tapping their toes. I thought it appropriate to include a few musical notes and one of the band members in their Signature Art Print.

While we were doing their wedding photographs, a rainbow peeked across the mountain ridge for about two or three minutes. What a perfect symbol for a couple in love!

Leah has the most vivid blue eyes I have ever seen. They rival the color of the sky, I swear!

Richelle and Zack, like most of our October couples, reserved their wedding a year in advance. I knew they were going to be a lot of fun to work with, and it was difficult to wait so long to finally meet them! For their Signature Art Print, we combined their love for four-wheeling and horses.

Richelle has the best set of legs I've ever seen on a bride! My assistant, Leslie, held Richelle's bridal gown off to the side for a nice, sleek angle.

One of Richelle's requests was for the "blowing veil on the bridge" shot. The veil in this image is not the one she wore for the wedding ceremony. It was purchased specifically for this photograph, and I must say worked extremely well!

Let's not forget the ring bearer, "Foxie!" This is Richelle's little baby, and she was certainly the star of the show! I always love it when my brides include their pets in their wedding.

Angel and Ashley were married by their best friends during an intimate wedding with only the four of them present. This gave them an opportunity to choose the location of their choice for their ceremony, and they chose the rock garden beside our bridge, surrounded by fall mums and pumpkins.

After the wedding they changed clothes for "engagement" style images, and we laughed until it hurt! Angel and I are both flower lovers, and so I sent her home with some of our seeds and flowers . I can't wait until she sends me the Mexican Sunflower seeds in return!

Angel's Signature Art Print was inspired by her wedding gown. It had a mythical, fantasy look to me when she danced beneath the maple trees. Our horse, Sugar, needed only a unicorn horn to make it complete...

Ashlee and Michael came to us for an engagement session because she loves our red barn and the rustic atmosphere. I completely fell in love with this couple, because they seemed to enjoy each other's company so much, and Ashlee has such an open, honest, and sunny disposition.

Walking along our creek is one of our couples' favorite things to do. And with the autumn colors bursting out everywhere, it makes a great photograph, too!

Angela and Joey reserved the day with us at Honeysuckle Hills for their wedding on October 17th. Miss Kitty still tries to steal the show, even if she has to climb to the top of the barn outside the bridal dressing room windows!

The autumn colors in the Smoky Mountains are just now starting to put on a good show. The deep auburns and golds provide the perfect background for romance...

I did two signature art peices for Angela. One includes my sister's newest horse, "Shaker," who was feeling pretty frisky and wanted to show off while we walked to the top of the hill where our mountain ridge view is located.

Jen and Scott were married at Brother's Cove, a beautiful log cabin resort in the Wears Valley area, on October 16th. She was a site to behold as she descended the stairs of her cabin in her wedding dress for the first time. No one could keep their eyes off of her! Don't let the beautiful gown deceive you; beneath it she wore brand new hiking boots. The boots not only fit her personality, but were extremely beneficial as we explored the grounds of Brother's Cove for wedding photographs.

Despite all the rain we've been getting in the Smoky Mountains this year, there was plenty of sunshine in the form of laughter at Emiley and Andy's wedding on October 13th. For her Signature Art Print, we included another popular image of Gambler, our horse who still claims to be "retired" from Dixie Stampede.

Emiley was a beautiful bride, complete with full, voluptuous lips and a veil that looks oh, so good in black and white!
The rain stopped just in time for the arrival of the horse and carriage. Emiley and Andy exited the wedding ceremony, escorted by Rod (driving) and Barney (pulling.)

Let us not forget all the merriment going on! Everyone, including the bride, wore crazy socks and masks. There was laughter all around, and enough fun to make her wedding memorable to all!

The color red signifies many emotions, passion being one of my favorites to capture on film. Cynthia requested a version of a signature art piece I did back in February of a couple by the mountain stream with buckets of fire. Cynthia's husband, Robby, works as an electrician for the Navy, so I added a little "spark" in the upper right hand corner of their signature art piece. Their excitement during the wedding photography was contagious! They truly have a passion for each other that will last a lifetime.

Dana and Mike scheduled an engagement portrait session with us because they wanted images that make their friends say, "wow...where were those taken?" With Mike's assistance, bringing out every facet of Dana's personality, I think our mission was accomplished! The weather during their session was the best it's been all year. Gorgeous sunshine, a nice autumn breeze, and smiles and laughter as the cherry on top.

Mike and Dana met at their home-town church, and will marry in that very same place next June.

Autumn in the Smoky Mountains always inspires families to have a portrait session created. I've been told by my brides and colleagues many times that "Honeysuckle Hills is a magical place..." I believe that with my entire heart.

I'm not sure if Gambler was trying to give Garrett a kiss or what...but it sure was cute!

Scout is featured in Garrett's family portrait. I have no idea this child is going to be a huge heart-breaker one day!

I think this field is becoming a favorite of mine! Family portraits at Honeysuckle Hills often begin on our farm and then expand into a full-blown adventure along the miles of beautiful country near us as well. Tashia decided to include their family pet, Odie, in their family portrait. What a hoot! After he wallered and slobbered all over everyone he settled down as the perfect accent to their image.

Our horse, Gambler, has been itching to model for us again this year. He's taken a back-seat to Sugar for way too long. I think his color goes extremely well with the girls' hair and complexion. Add a little fall color and art work, and here's an image that brings a smile and motivation to get up and enjoy life like a child again...

You may remember seeing Christi and Mark's engagement images from earlier this spring. They're one of our home-town Smoky Mountain Wedding Couples! The first thing I have to brag on is Graybeal's Catering for all their delicious food and incredibly beautiful displays! Any bride still searching for a caterer should contact Keith Graybeal at 865-429-6474 or e-mail him at kgraybeal@charter.net.

I love the way our new balcony photographs from the outside, especially against the deep red of our barn. How lucky can one photographer get for the perfect clouds framing the wedding couple, though? There was no artistic liberties taken here, I promise!

This image of Christi and Mark on our bridge was enhanced to give the appearance of beautiful autumn color. It's still just a little early for the Smoky Mountains to have the fall colors they are renowned for, but there's never any harm in taking a few artistic liberties!

Last but not least, I always love to share the "snuggly" moments from a wedding. Christi's daughter was being a little shy during the family portrait session, and it made a cute shot! And who can hold back tears when you see a father dancing with his daughter after walking her down the aisle only moments earlier? Those are memories one will carry with them for the rest of their lives. It's what MAKES a life....

The first time Emily's mother met Jeremy, she left knowing in her heart that she had just met her future son-in-law. Finding one's soul-mate is rare enough, but when your parents recognize that love as well, it's akin to finding a fine diamond in a haystack.

Emily and Jeremy are both students at MSU working on a white-tail deer project that consumes most of their time. However, like my own profession of photography, because they love what they do it's more like play!

Emily and Jeremy chose Honeysuckle Hills because of our closeness to the Smoky Mountains, and they wanted a beautiful outdoor wedding. They scheduled enough time for an engagement session the day before wedding, and we took advantage of the mountain streams near by Honeysuckle Hills. On wedding day we also traveled up the road to a field of white flowers in full bloom.

Notice the fawn in this image? This is their signature art print, in which I added the fawn from one of our wildlife images taken a few years earlier.