Brooke + Josh // Tennessee Intimate Wedding

Today’s blog post is of a sweet + intimate wedding that I photographed earlier this year. You may recognize Brooke + Josh from their engagement session that I photographed in the fall of 2019, which you can see here! (We did these photos in the same place that Josh proposed!) Because of the pandemic, their original wedding plans, and wedding date, changed almost immediately. Their wedding was originally scheduled for October, but they decided to elope and have an intimate wedding earlier in the year with only their family there because of the uncertainty of COVID.

I typically photograph weddings with between 150-200 guests. Normally they follow a pretty standard wedding day timeline. The average wedding day for me involves photographing the getting ready process, possibly a first look, portraits before the ceremony, a ceremony, family photos, sunset portraits, and a reception with cake cutting, special dances, a bouquet/garter toss, and several other traditional moments.

But after photographing several intimate weddings/elopements in 2020, I’m relearning how to photograph weddings in a totally different way. Intimate weddings have less guests, less events, and less coverage time. However, with less events and no rush, it almost feels easier to capture genuine in-between moments. Everything is slower, calmer, and less focused on following wedding traditions.

Brooke + Josh

Mr. + Mrs. Thompson got married in the yard of the little white church that they attend, with a beautiful wedding arbor and tons of florals. Brooke and her dad came to the church in a horse-driven carriage, and Josh cried as his future bride walked down the aisle. (They had opted out of a first look, and this was the first moment that they had seen each other all day. )

Their wedding reception was a dinner at one long farmhouse-style table right next to their ceremony site, and everyone talked and laughed as the sun went down after their intimate ceremony. We snuck away for a few sunset portraits, and then the new Mr. + Mrs. had their sparkler exit out the front doors of their little white church.

Vendors:

Photographer: Jayna Biery Photography

Venue: Locust Grove Missionary Baptist Church

Planning, Decor, DJ, Catering: Margaret Claire’s Weddings & Events LLC

Wedding Dress Shop: Lillian Ruth Bride

Suits: Belk

Makeup Artist: Jessica Hyde

Hair Stylist: Darla Dalton Daniel

Rings: Kay Jewelers

Cake: Leigh Holt Cameron

Hand Lettering: The Lovely Lettering Company

Unity Board: Chelsea Butler, Butler Farmhouse

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I’m a wedding and lifestyle photographer based in Knoxville, Tennessee but available anywhere. If you have questions about booking me for a session or wedding, click here! To follow me on social media, check out my Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.