Wedding days tend to be SO STRESSFUL. I hate that they’re that way, but no matter how much you plan, a wedding is a day packed full of activities, photos, and to-dos. Aubrey + Karl didn’t let the stress get to them at all. I’ve never seen a couple smile so much on their wedding day. They both had huge smiles all day, and were just so cheerful to be around. Their energy spread to their family and friends, and the entire day was just full of so much joy because of it.

Although we were on schedule most of the day, a lot of our time for photos got pushed back, and as I was photographing the bride and groom with their families after the ceremony, the venue coordinator came up and asked how much longer we needed. She explained that we needed to be done as soon as possible… “20 minutes…Can I just have 20 more minutes,” I pleaded. She gave me 20 minutes and I finished all of family formals, bridal party photos, AND bride and groom photos in that timeframe. I looked back at the time stamps on the pictures afterward and I did all of their bride and groom portraits in SEVEN minutes. That is a record, y’all. And one I never want to beat! Even though we were very rushed, these are some of my favorite wedding photos I’ve ever taken. I looked at Aubrey + Karl before I started photographing just them and I said, “No one is standing around watching you. We aren’t in a hurry. Take a deep breath and just think about each other. Just be together.” And even with everyone staring, they relaxed. Their smiles were so big and I could just tell how much they loved each other. They were so happy to be together, and to be married, and it really shows in their photographs. I could write a whole blog post on this topic, but it really is so important to just BE and FEEL on your wedding day. Trying to look in love in your photos doesn’t work if you’re feeling stressed about all of your guests, and the cake, etc. etc. If you want to look joyful and in love, you have to really feel it—just like Aubrey + Karl did.

It was an absolutely wonderful wedding day, and I am so happy for these two! Enjoy some of my favorite photos from their day!

Vendors who helped make their day so special:
Venue: Belle Crane Inn // Florist: Publix // Catering: Family Catering Service // Cake: Teresa Rowand // DJ: Martin Holhouser // Dress: Poffie Girl’s – Essense of Australia // Hair and Makeup: Up’s and Do’s, Lizzy Barrett // Bride’s Shoes: David’s Bridal // Groom’s Attire: Joseph A. Bank // Officiant: David Pharr