How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...fifteen years of them, as a matter of fact! Congratulations to Steve and Melissa on their fifteenth wedding anniversary, celebrated with a vow renewal at Honeysuckle Hills. Plenty of tears and laughter filled the afternoon. My favorite lines during the renewal of vows were spoken by Melissa, "And dear, I love how you end each night with, 'Honey is there anything I can lick, stick...or poke?'" There was little time for wiping tears, for the guests were too busy clutching their stomachs with laughter!

After I heard how they met, (Steve pushed Melissa into a swimming pool,) and after watching Steve admire her legs with his tongue hanging out, I knew we needed to do some photographs to reflect his admiration.

The remainder of the evening was spent doing family photographs for all the guests. Melissa's number one concern was having time to create all these images. Photography is extremely important to her... and she came to just the right place!

May is the season for Proms, and around here eighth grade proms are as popular as junior / senior ones. Traditional photography provided at the prom is simply not enough for some. After spending hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on a dress, jewelry, hair and make up, many parents schedule a session with us. The result is an image destined for the wall to truly remember the evening. The prom is just the beginning of a young woman's life. It's her chance to shine and show that she is coming into her own.

Courtney and Steve are an incredibly sweet couple. They wed on May 1st, surrounded by all their friends and family. I became quite attached to her grandfather, who loves flowers even more than I do.

Courtney's bridesmaids were filled with an energy that led to antics like jumping in the air and running barefoot in our little creek. I suppose it's a relief to be able to get rid of all the nervous energy that builds up just before the ceremony.

For Courtney's Signature Art Print, we combined a few files from previous sessions. She loves Cades Cove, the mountains, horses, and spontaneity. I combined a mountain scene with our horses along with their original image in our field of buttercups. Magic...

High School Senior photography gives us a chance to really push our minds to the limit when brainstorming for ideas. Turner will be a senior at Gatlinburg Pittman High School next year. By talking to him and his mother, I discovered several things that make Turner smile. He loves football, enjoys a good storm rolling in, loves his truck, and loves mud even MORE. We all know that the girls count down the days until their senior portrait session, but the boys yawn and roll their eyes every time... that is until you tell them you're willing to get right down into the depths of sludge right with them for an image they will be proud to brag about.

Brad drove us to his favorite muddin' spot tucked away in a holler. I've never been so glad to touch solid ground in my life... Brad insisted on providing the "right atmosphere" by running our own truck through bumps, over stumps, splashing mud, and making me dizzy!

Kayla and JJ will be married at the end of May. and decided to take advantage of an engagement session a few weeks before their outdoor spring wedding in the Smokies.

The number one draw for us this time of year is our field of yellow buttercups. The primary colors of red and yellow simply scream, "love in the spring!" Someone recently described Honeysuckle Hills this way: "If you're not in love when you get here, you will be by the time you leave." I have to say I agree.

Kate and Anson's wedding on April 24th has got to be the funnest wedding we've had at Honeysuckle Hills, hands down! Even though we had to move all 100 guests downstairs in the barn for the ceremony because of rain, everything went off without a hitch.

I witnessed my first "keg stand," and laughed until I thought I would bust! There was quite a bit of friendly competition going on, but everyone had a safe ride home.

The flower girl caught the bouquet, and she was super-proud! She danced and pranced and showed off her prize... no doubt her wedding will be just as fine.... many years down the road, of course!

A bridal session before the wedding is an excellent way to spend more time for creative images, play with hair and make-up, and build the excitement for wedding day. Nikki scheduled hers for when the dogwoods and redbuds were in bloom.

We really don't have a pond in our horse field... A little out-of-the-box artwork provided that for Nikki's wall portrait. Our horse, Sugar, was happy to do some real running in the background, though.

Jessica and Glenn were married on April 22nd...just the two of them. Many brides are choosing exactly this option not only to save money, but to truly enjoy their ceremony without all the stress and fuss involved with larger weddings.

I absolutely love how Jessica "takes control." If a photographer watches carefully, a moment can be captured that really tells the story about the couple.