From Napa to Nashville
I met Melissa Morgan back in October or November of 2008 when she was planning her two-part wedding and was seeking a photographer to cover the Nashville portion of the event. Fast forward to April 2009, and she and then-fiance Alan jetted off to Napa Valley in California with just some close family and friends to say their vows. A week later, they returned to Nashville for their reception. That’s where we came in.
I met the couple and their wedding party at Centennial Park in Nashville. We first did some panoramas out on the east side of the massive building, having a little fun as we went along. The group was awesome to work with and were up for anything. We did a variety of group shots, even having the girls jump down together off of the huge steps. The hardest part was keeping track of the time since we still had several other locations to take advantage of.
Before Retouching
After retouching (notice the "extras" in the background now gone)
The place is gorgeous. Big open grassy area surrounded by stone walkways, two huge fountains flanking the building, and then of course the fountains that come up out of the sidewalk.
Oh yes and how can I forget about the mirror pools!? Those were a hidden treasure I hadn’t known about until I scouted the areas.
The great thing about working with this couple is that they are just so natural. Their chemistry and attraction is undeniable, and their sense of humor makes them easy to photograph. Melissa carries herself well and needs absolutely no direction. Alan’s a good sport and just goes with the flow. What I love about couples like this is that they are completely comfortable being themselves in front of a camera. This is very rare, by the way! They are the epitome of what I mean when I say “just have fun, be yourselves, and play!” And just an added little bonus, Melissa’s dress for this shoot was also very fun & flirty and very different from what I typically shoot, so it was a refreshing change of scenery from the typical white satin, chiffon & tulle.
After the preliminary shoot, we finally made our way to the reception location at One Eleven Broadway, which is above Big River Grille & Brewing downtown. After some laughter over Alan’s name being spelled wrong on their sign (hey, if that’s the worst thing that happens, we’ll take it right?), Melissa went to change into her other gown, also from the White Room (aka “The Ribbon Dress” as my friend who works there says it is referred to between the employees), while Rob and I made our rounds getting shots of guests, the location and all the details. We also met up with Blake from Nashville Event Lighting, who did an amazing job on the lighting of the space. They had these vertical pink and purple LED beams that skimmed the edges of the glass walls and flooded the ceiling, put accent lights on the enormous weeping willow centerpiece on the food table, as well as spotlights on the centerpieces at the guests’ tables. It was amazing, and he is a pretty cool guy. Totally recommend them if you’re looking for some fantastic lighting!
The rest of the evening was a lovely time of dancing and mingling, and of course enjoying the wonderful food! The shot above was taken later in the evening after the sun had gone down. I made sure to drag the shutter to allow the streetscape to burn into the background. On camera flash fire froze their slight dance movements.
