I’ve shot a couple weddings at Holston Hills before. And I’ve always thought it was a gorgeous venue. But I hadn’t been there since the fall of 2017 and when I showed up for Kari and Stefan’s wedding, I was thoroughly impressed with the renovations they had completed. In particular, the new front doors and sidewalk leading up to it was my FAVORITE. It made for incredible photos. I’m sure you’ve heard people refer to images as “light and airy” and you might have wondered, what the heck does that even mean. Well when you see the photos below under the white drive space, that is the sole definition of “light and airy”. I mean, you don’t have to have a white space to achieve this, but it definitely helps. And the inside! They completely renovated the dining room, restaurant, and patio area. And the girls locker room looked a million times better. All in all, this venue went from being in my top 10 to my top 5. It was so so so much fun to photograph. Please, someone, hire me to come back here asap!!
I have so so much enjoyed getting to know Kari and Stefan over the last several months. They have been together for a super long time and really are each others’ better half. I was with both of them intermittently throughout the morning of their wedding. They were hanging out with their closest friends getting ready and I noticed how their whole demeanor would change when the topic changed to be about the other. All the girls would just be chatting about different things and as soon as Stefan’s name came up, I saw Kari just get all giddy and smiley and I could see the excitement welling up inside her. And the same thing with Stefan. The guys played golf at the country club that morning, then got some lunch before heading to the locker room to get ready. There were a couple times I had to pull Stefan away from them and as soon as it was just the two of us, he would ask me how Kari was doing, how she looked, if she needed anything and as I answered his questions I saw his eyes beaming with joy. These two are totally and completely made for one another and I am so honored to preserve these feelings forever.
I have seriously been the most emotional person this wedding season. Between losing my dad, having a baby, and nursing, I think my hormones are all out of sorts. At least, that’s what I’m going to blame it on. Used to, my favorite parts of wedding days were unique, quirky things that didn’t happen every Saturday… but here recently it seems like the moments I’m growing most fond of are first looks. I hate it too, because it’s such a cliche. I’m consciously sitting here thinking through every detail of the day, trying to find something I liked more than Kari and Stefan’s first look and there’s nothing you guys. The images below are going to speak for themselves, but when Stefan turned around and saw his bride it was perfect. He almost ran towards her to sweep her up in his arms. They hugged and kissed and he had her twirl and she told him how good he looked all cleaned up. And then just for a second, Stefan let a couple of happy, joyful, excited tears come down his cheeks. But what made that moment even more perfect was the way that Kari beamed back at him. And as I stood in the trees shooting down on their sweetest moment ever, I was wiping the tears off of my camera screen. I’ve grown so so soft. Really you’d think it would be the opposite. Seeing so many first looks would help me grow immune to the emotions… nope. not here. you can apparently always count on me to get weepy right there with ya.
Get excited because this wedding was B-E-A-utiful. Scroll to the end to see a list of AMAZING vendors Kari and Stefan used!
Vendors used by Kari & Stefan:
Venue: Holston Hills Country Club
Videographer: Walker & Bradley
Second Photographer: Leah Nicole Photography
Florist: Samuel Franklin
Cake: Cakes by Linda
DJ: Special Notes
Hair & Makeup Artist: Whitney Evans Beauty
Wedding Dress Store: The White Magnolia Boutique
Wedding Dress Designer: Augusta Jones
Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Men’s Suits: Men’s Wearhouse
Rentals: Campbell’s Tent & Party Rentals
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The Guide
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