My husband and I have struggled with infertility since 2005.  Without too many details, we tried a few rounds of in-vitro, fertility drugs, and lots of prayer over the years without success.  But when God wants to show off, there is no stopping Him!  After completely giving up, we found out we were pregnant (naturally!) last July.   Our little girl is due in about 4 weeks.  We couldn’t be happier!

–  You can see a video of our story here  –

The day I knew this was really going to happen, I started thinking about maternity portraits.  I suppose that is normal for a photographer?  There was only one person to call–Mrs. Kate of Kate Crafton Photography.  Kate and I danced together in college at MTSU (go Blue Raiders!) and she is one of the most talented photographers I know.

Visit her blog here to see our baby belly session!

I know that I am most humbled when my clients tell me that their images moved them to tears…and now I know exactly how they feel.  I cried looking at our photos this morning!  So, thank you, Kate, for capturing this most precious moment for us.  It may very well be the only pregnancy I get to experience in this lifetime.  xoxo

Paula & Ken have spent 2 anniversaries here and I love capturing their weekend celebrations.  Not only are the colors gorgeous, but I get to hang with one of my favorite couples!  I’m looking forward to it again this year.

You can see their 1st anniversary session here, and their wedding in Nashville here.

©2012 Bledsoe Photography

You, you, and more of you!  Show it off with classy photos–the perfect, sexy Valentine’s Day gift!

Our Nashville boudoir day is finally set for Jan. 29th.  We will have 2 mini-session specials available starting at only $125 including on-site professional makeup by the smoky eye specialist & M.A.C. artist, Candle Kincade.  Just bring your lingerie, accessories, and sassy personality.  Wine & snacks will be provided.

These mini boudoir appointments go fast, so email now to get your spot.  For additional packages and info, please visit my boudoir website, Smitten Boudoir.

I will be blogging their wedding soon!

© 2011 Bledsoe Photography

Knoxville Wedding and Engagement Photographer

Smitten Boudoir by Bledsoe Photography.

©2011 Bledsoe Photography

No detail was spared and the fall decor was both beautiful and sentimental.  All of the wheat, chaff, and hay in the centerpieces was grown on their farm.  The wedding cake was surrounded by other cakes and goodies made by friends and family.  Between the popcorn balls and the caramel apples, it was the best smelling tent I’ve ever entered!

I love the story of how Ashley & CR grew up very close to each other, but did not meet until their senior year in high school while on an FFA trip:

“…we both still remember the first time we saw each other! I introduced myself  with my flirty, country accent and I asked, ‘How come I’ve never met you before?’ He mumbled with an adorable southern drawl, ‘I have no idea!’  The sweet thing held my hand standing there for what seemed like years before he let go. He says he was so shocked that I talked to him he couldn’t hardly move! I always hoped to marry a man as humble and God-fearing as my Daddy, and I guess my parents prayers finally paid off because I finally found him!”

Agreed, Ashley.  Thank God for praying parents!  Ashley filled us in on her details below.  We also did an AWESOME after-session which I will post later!

Florist: JBotanica- Judy Johnson & Julia Pendleton

 “These ladies are AMAZING and were such a pleasure to work with. The made me feel so special and they truly made my dreams come true for what I described to them as a ‘country but classy’ reception!”

Gown:  Bridals at Regiss Park of Glasgow, KY

Bridal gown was designed by Mori Lee by Madeline Gardner

Hairdresser: Brandy Hogan (sister-in-law) of Brandy’s Hair Shop of Orlinda, TN.

“Brandy is wonderful and offers very low prices for great work!”

Makeup artist: Mary Kay Consultant, Kate Cortner of Nashville, TN.

“Kate is great and since I also sell Mary Kay there was no other option for makeup! It is amazing stuff! Kate did a beautiful job on the bridesmaids makeup and I did my own.”

Coordinator or Wedding Planner: Jaclyn Konow, Tickled Pink Events of Franklin, KY

“Jaclyn does a wonderful job with organizing and she is very creative as well! She was so sweet and helpful throughout the entire planning process from beginning to end! Has great connections with many venders in the Franklin, KY/ Nashville, TN area!”

Bridesmaid dresses:  David’s Bridal

Tux Rental: Hullaballoos Party Supply & Rental of Springfield, TN.

“Excellent experience the them, loved the tuxes and the service was wonderful! The owners of Hullaballoos are very sweet and helpful!”

Tent Rental:  Tent Time Rentals of Franklin, KY

Caterer: Dianne Thurmond Catering of Franklin, Kentucky

“The food was excellent, tons of compliments and very filling since we did not choose a sit down dinner. Pricing beat everyone around by far & all servers were well dressed & professional!”

Cake/Bakery: Janet Wimpee. Family friend of Cross Plains, TN

“She is growing her business.  Extremely affordable compared to bakery pricing especially! The cake looked identical to the picture I gave her and tasted fantastic!”

{{I admit it. When CR sang a song he wrote for Ashley, I cried too!}}

Videography:  With This Ring Videography

“Brian Johnson of Nashville, TN, did a great job, everywhere we turned he was there catching every moment! Very nice and fun to work with too!”

Your favorite and least favorite part of planning?   “I hated trying to choose who to invite and who to leave off the guest list for the wedding! I wanted everyone I knew to be able to be there but I finally had to realize that just wasnt realistic. I loved spending time with my Mama and sisters throughout the entire planning process. My Mama was there thru every step and was always so sweet and supportive! It was a great way to spend the last days of my life a single daughter instead of a married one.”

The most memorable moment of your wedding day?  “Gosh that’s a tough question, probably the moment that C.R. and I walked into the tent at our reception for the first time and saw all the family and friends and felt all the love within that tent! Not to mention seeing how beautiful the tent decorations turned out for the first time! Such a blessed feeling at that moment for both of us!”

What you would change, if anything?  “It was more than I could have ever hoped or prayed for it to be!”

Where your budget was best spent?   “We knew from the start the 2 most important things were our photographer and videographer and we were willing to pay for excellent quality in both areas because we knew that the day would be a blur and we wanted it to be captured thru photo and video for us to enjoy in the future!”

Any advice for future brides?   “A very wise friend of mine gave me some great advice when I started planning. She said add your own personal touches to your wedding because those are what makes it yours! Also, on the wedding day be sure to stop every hour or so and look around to take in who is with you, what they are doing & all the little things that will fly by in the blink of an eye!”

Thanks, Ashley!

© 2011 Bledsoe Photography

Knoxville Wedding Photographer, Nashville Wedding Photographer

Colorful.  Sparkly.  BIG!

Those are the 3 words that best describe this amazing couple’s wedding day.  Elaina and Andrew said ‘I do’ at the beautiful Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Nashville with a reception at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel. I cannot decide which detail I loved the most:  the bridesmaids peacock blue headpieces, the 80′s cover band, or Elaina’s fabulous shoes.  (We all know how I feel about shoes)

I can say that I LOVE the fact that photography was super important to them.  They even rented a huge bus to transport the entire wedding party, me, and my 2 assistants downtown to Printer’s Alley for photos between the ceremony and reception.  Adding time to their photography package (and their busy day) to ensure unique, fun images really made my creative heart smile!

Elaina takes us through her vendors below:

Wedding Venue:  ”Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, the church I was baptized in and grew up in.  Father Paul is the priest that married us.”

Florist:  A Village of Flowers

“Melanie and Lydia did an amazing job. I met with them about 4-5 months prior to the wedding and explained what I was looking for- They completely understood my vision and did a fantastic job giving me what I wanted, but also staying within the budget, again, I’d highly recommend them to ANYONE. They did a beautiful job!”

Elaina had 3, yes 3 gowns!

“I bought the first dress at LaRaines Bridal in the Virginia Highlands in Atlanta. It is by Pattis Bridal; however Corinne, their alterations guru helped me transform the top of the dress into my own creation. She was my fairy godmother with this dress.”

“My bridesmaids dresses came from Bridals by Lori in Atlanta, and Ashley Kudzick was absolutely FANTASTIC to work with. Again, she really understood by vision and didn’t second guess my decisions. She gave me great advice and even got on the phone and called the girls to make sure everything was as easy as possible. With having a lot of bridesmaids, she really made the process extremely easy on me and I’m very grateful for that.”

“My bridesmaids/flower girls hair was done by two of my best friends and  bridesmaids,  Mackenzie Marchman of A Shane Buffkin Salon, and Marie Griffies of Jon Alan Salon in Franklin, Tennessee. They both did such an amazing job! They worked ALL day and got 9 girls ready (whew!) I am so grateful to them and everyone looked so beautiful! I’m so lucky to have so many talented friends. This again, was really special to me. I am so thankful I had these talented ladies there!”

“My hair was done by the amazing Shane Buffkin and Bree Buffkin, from A Shane Buffkin Salon in Pechtree City, Georgia, where I also work. They have been so supportive and helpful and it was really special to me having them there. I’m lucky I work for such amazing people!”

“We went with Joseph A. Banks on the tux rental; however we purchased the ties for the groomsmen.”

After the formal family photos, we loaded up the bus and headed to Printer’s Alley.  Transportation:  Grand Avenue Limo

“Highly recommend them. They were prompt, great to work with, and were the ONLY transportation company in the entire Nasville area that was able to get us handicap accessible transportation (I called nearly 12 other companies) Our driver was amazing and very helpful.  He even managed to get the police to block off part of Printer’s Alley so we could get the pictures we wanted!”

Cake:  ”Sandy Nash made our beautiful and delicious cake. She came all the way from Georgia to make our cake (luckily her son lives in Nashville). She makes the most gorgeous and delectable cakes ever! It was so special that she was willing to do this for us.”

Reception venue:  Loews Vanderbilt Hotel.

“Erin Wilkinson and the Loews entire staff was AMAZING to work with, they were flexible and made us feel so special.  I would recommend Loew’s for their impeccable customer service to ANYONE!! We were very happy with them, also the food was amazing. We spoke to almost every hotel and reception venue in Nashville, and this was BY FAR the most accommodating and friendly venue we came across. There was no pretentiousness. This is by far one of the best decisions we made. Can’t say enough about them!”

*Side note:  I concur!  The food was the best reception food I’ve ever had!*

Enter gown #2:

“The second dress I purchased at Priscilla of Boston in Atlanta. Again, my neighbor and friend, Patricia Nava helped make this dress fit me perfectly and altered the hemline to make it fun and easy to move around in. She really did an amazing job, and she got it done so quickly! She made it perfect!”

“The Band was 80z Enuff from North Carolina. We worked with Mathew Thomas at East Coast entertainment to book them. They were amazing! We had so much fun. We didn’t want your typical ‘wedding band’, we wanted to have fun and enjoy great music. These guys are amazing musicians and we were really excited that they could be a part of our celebration.”

Elaina and her Dad danced to a recording of a song on which she sang and he played guitar.  Sweet!And finally some traditional Greek dancing in dress #3:  ”The third dress was my little white dress from Bloomies, it is BCBG.”

Elaina and her ladies jumped on stage and rocked out to ‘I Love Rock-n-Roll.’Your favorite and least favorite part of planning? “Favorite- picking out the flowers with my mom.  Least favorite- planning, planning, and more planning! I’m not a planner! It was hard to work, it kind of took over my life.”

The most memorable moment of your wedding day? “I have a few.  My dad walking me down the isle and then seeing Andrew, he had tears in his eyes. It was very special. And the topping on the cake was to look over at my beautiful girls and see them lined up, standing by my side and they were so radiant and colorful and SPARKLY! I was so just excited to see everything come together.  Another was when my mom walked down while we were taking pictures. She looked so beautiful, she took everyone’s breath away.  My other favorite memory was when we were being announced, I had changed into my second dress and Andrew picked me up on his shoulder and walked me into the ballroom. The look on everyone’s faces was priceless. It was completely unrehearsed and it was just a lot of fun, I’ll never forget that moment.”

What you would change, if anything? “I wouldn’t change a single thing. I feel that we were both very blessed and we had so much support and we both worked really hard. I did so much research and I honestly believe I had the best of the best vendors. I think I had a great team and there wasn’t a single thing that I would do differently. I have a lot of thank you cards to write!!!!”

Where your budget was best spent? “I’d definitely say the photography- because pictures are what last and remind you of everything else about your day.”

Any advice for future brides? “Elope!! Haha! No, not really! I’d say surround yourself with amazing people. It doesn’t matter where you are or what your budget is, the only thing that really matters in the end is having amazing people around you that are going to be excited for you. Its the friends and family that make the whole experience so special. (and the groom, of course) but if you are struggling with numbers vs. Nicer food, etc… Go with the people. Invite everyone that is important to you, because thats what you remember. It’s not the food, or any of the other details, it’s always the people and memories.”

Thanks, Elaina!

©2011 Bledsoe Photography

Lil Erin, who is a bridal consultant at my favorite Nashville wedding shop, Arzelle’s, and Kamron plan to wed in 2012.  With these two creative minds coming together, the wedding will no doubt be quite the fete full of eye candy and vintage details.  Just look how adorable they both are!

We met up at Arrington Vineyards, just south of Nashville in Arrington, TN.  If you have the chance to visit, be sure to take a blanket, some great cheeses, and purchase a few bottles of vino.  Our favorite:  the Raspberry dessert wine–excellent with dark chocolate truffles!

xoxo  Congrats Erin & Kam!  xoxo

© 2011 Bledsoe Photography

Their nieces and nephew served as flower girl, ring bearer, and guest book attendant.  I must add, they did a spectacular job!  My favorite details of the day was the ring box that Ruf hand carved for Courtney (such a sweet touch!) and Courtney’s hot pink Chucks!

You can view their engagement session that we shot at Ruf’s family’s mill in Clarksville here.

Courtney’s gown was simply stunning!

“Fuente” by Pronovias from The White Room in Lebanon, TN.Ruf’s suit was purchased at Men’s Warehouse.Courtney & Ruf chose a guest sign-in book filled with images from their engagement session.  Custom designed by yours truly!The wooded ceremony site overlooking the lake at Hunter Valley Farm is perfectly shady and always green thanks to turf!Love the billowy hanging pomanders!Courtney & Ruf used soil from their family’s land in lieu of sand or candles for their unity ceremony.The look on the flower girl’s face is priceless!!High five!I could just chew on those chubby cheeks!The ice cream sundae bar was a huge hit!  I would have indulged, but alas, I was still suffering from morning sickness that day.“Everybody dance now!”<3 Gotta show some Chuck love <3Grand baby was all tuckered out. Beer, soil, wine, bouquet–check.  Let’s go!

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OK.  Talk to us, Mrs. Durrett…

Favorite and least favorite part of planning?

Favorite: “Trying on dresses!”  Least favorite: “Calling people who did not respond to the invite.”

Anything you would change?

“Would take more pictures (just the 2 of us).”

Where was your budget best spent?

“The venue since it included almost everything.”

Advice for other brides?

“Have someone to keep people from talking to you so you can eat!!!”

Vendors:

Caterer, cake/ice cream bar – Rosa’s Catering, Phillip Nussbaumer.  ”Excellent food, presentation, and easy to work with.”

Location, flowers, coordinator, tables, linens – Hunter Valley Farm, Nancy Elmore.  ”She is amazing!!!”

Bridal Salon – The White Room in Lebanon; “My dress was a Pronovias, my mom’s came from Dillards, young girls came from wonderfuldress.com.”

Hair – Jennifer at Regency Salon in the downtown Marriott (Knoxville)

Transportation/Limo – All About Style of Knoxville