Jackson Terminal || Downtown Knoxville Wedding || Liz + Chris

I cannot even tell you how much fun this Jackson Terminal Wedding was. Today marks exactly a month since it happened and as I’m writing this post I can remember like it was last night how in love the couple was, how fun the bridal party was, and how every single guest hit the dance floor. There are more dancing pictures in this post than any other post I’ve ever written… I think a lot of that had to do with the AMAZING band that Liz and Chris chose! Plus Jackson Terminal has an amazing space to photograph dancing because no matter what direction I’m facing, there’s a gorgeous background!

If you don’t remember the weather on December 17th, let me remind you. It was a wintery, cloudy day, and pretty much misted all day long. The mist would occasionally turn to a sprinkle, then back to a mist. When it was finally time to step outside for pictures, it was the bride + bridesmaid’s turn to go first. Because there were SO many of them, they ended up getting ready at the Crown Plaza right off Summit Hill in one big room. We walked out the front doors of the plaza to start the pictures under the awning. When it was time to step out from under the cover, there was a definite misting happening. Anytime this has happened in the past, the girls are ALWAYS like, oh my gosh, I’m melting, I canNOT stand in the mist… my hair… my makeup… my dress… But not these girls. I quickly asked the bride how she felt about it to make sure she was comfortable and when she said it was okay, all of her girls immediately agreed. So we stood in the mist, which turned to a light sprinkle, to take all the bride and bridesmaids pictures and every single girl was supportive and on board. For a photographer, this is huge. Especially when you’re only indoor option at that point is the inside of the Crown Plaza. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful hotel, but definitely did not match the vibe of this more bohemian wedding.

I’m about to make you giggle just a little. After we finished up with the girls, I went and got the groom + groomsmen. I did not even think twice about stepping out into the mist (the sprinkle had backed off and was more of a mist again) with them. I didn’t even acknowledge that it was misting, when I start to line them up for the first shot and the guys (not the groom) start talking about their hair and their suits getting misted on – dead serious too. All I had to say was really? the girls didn’t mind it at all and they all immediately were like oh yeah, this is no big deal… we’re guys… we can handle a little misting… as they cleared their throats and took sips of their beer. The rest of the time with them there was not one complaint and we finished all of their pictures outside. And then it was time for the first look. I brought the infamous clear umbrellas, that all photographers own, to use for the couple just in case they wanted them. When the time came down to it, they both opted out and just stood under the mist. They didn’t care at all. What was important to them was to be able to hug each other with both hands… to be able to see each other fully and clearly… to have a moment on their wedding day where they could talk and kiss and just be together before joining the rest of their friends and family. They knew exactly what mattered most and it was beautiful.

I can honestly say that I have NEVER had this happen in all my 6 wedding seasons. And I know I just wrote a HUGE paragraph about how awesome it was to take pictures in a mist/sprinkle. But what all of this really boils down to is… I want to communicate what matters most on your wedding day. It’s not the hair, it’s not the makeup, it’s not the dress, or the shoes, or the suit. Sometimes things happen that are out of your control… and in this case it took the form of weather. But it could also look like a vendor getting stuck in traffic and being 2 hours late. It could look like the dress zipper breaking. It could look like a suit rental not fitting. It could look like curls falling out. But when the whole day is said and done, if you have committed your lives to love and serve each other, who cares about the rest of it. Yes, there is a ton of planning and money that go into wedding days and we do as much as we can to make them absolutely perfect, but when some tiny thing doesn’t go our way, it ultimately does not matter. This couple showed that more than anyone I’ve ever worked with. They were absolutely, undeniably, blissfully happy with exactly how everything was. It was SUCH an honor to get to work with them, and even though I’ve already had my wedding day, this lesson is can be applied to so many other areas of life too. I don’t think they even realized that I was learning so much from them in that one simple decision to stick it out in the rain 🙂

Don’t forget that at the very bottom of this post, I will have a full listing of wedding vendors that Liz and Chris hired for their day! So if you like what you see, make sure and click on their links!

I’m a Knoxville Wedding Photographer that loves to travel… I shoot anywhere! If you have any questions about pricing or booking with me, click here to contact me now! If you liked what you saw above, go ahead and follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see my daily updates of the latest sessions!

Vendors Involved:

Venue: Jackson Terminal

Getting Ready Location: Crown Plaza

Florist: Always in Bloom

Cake Artist: Publix

Band: The Company Band

Makeup Artist: Makeup by Chelsey H

Hair Artist: Hair by Desilee

Wedding Dress Store: White Lace & Promises

Bridesmaid Dresses: All over! They each picked their own

Men’s suits: Men’s Wearhouse

Rentals: All Occasions Party Rentals

Live Ceremony Music: Robyn James Ensembles