They remind me that my job as a photographer is not just shooting images but about people. A wedding is a sacred event filled with memories of the past, stories of the present, and promises of the future. The fact that I have the responsibility to capture the essence of life in images throughout the day is responsibility that I treasure, not a job that I punch a timeclock on. Seeing the joy and happy tears of families and friends coming together amid the hustle and bustle and sound of laugher and the brush of satin and tulle is always an honor.

Thank you to all of the brides and grooms and families that entrust me with capturing your day!

And best wishes to Ben and Jill!

Outdoor wedding portraits in Murfreesboro, TN

Wedding Reception Photos

Ryan and Kelly had the perfect day for the perfect wedding! I met this couple last fall and spent a fun fall afternoon shooting their engagement photos. One of my favorite parts of shooting weddings is how much time I get to spend with couples before their special day from pre-wedding meetings to engagement shoots and photo coverage planning sessions. By the time the wedding day comes I feel like I have gotten a glimpse into the personalities and styles of the bride and groom and how to better capture their story on their day.

The Belle Meade Plantation just a few miles outside of Nashville, Tennessee is definitely joining my short list of favorite Middle Tennessee wedding locations. The mansion was built in 1853 and is located on 30 acres of beautiful historic grounds. The reception took place in the Carriage House and the staff couldn’t have been more pleasant and easy to work with.

The very best to you both!

Wedding photos at the Belle Meade Plantation

Wedding photography at a historic location in Nashville

Erin and Michael are a delightful couple and I am so looking forward to being a part of their special day next month! A few months ago we did engagement photos and designed a ‘Save the Date’ magnet for them. The background of both the magnet and matching invitations and response cards was a photo of the lace on Erin’s wedding dress. (Sorry Michael, that is all you get to see of that beautiful dress for a few more weeks yet!) One of my favorite parts about designing custom wedding invitations is the stories and styles behind each individual couple, their journey to finding each other, and even the reasons for certain colors used on their special day.

Custom Wedding Invitations and Response Cards

(The return address on the response card has been blurred out for privacy.)

Factory at Franklin – www.factoryatfranklin.com
230 Franklin Rd, Franklin, TN‎ – (615) 791-1777‎

The Factory at Franklin is an incredible spot for photos of any kind. It is a national historic factory with 15 buildings with dozens of shops for shopping, dining and entertainment along with special event facilities – and of course beautiful photo spots! While some locations are dependent on weather and time of year The Factory is a special place no matter if it’s bright and sunny or the dead of winter. There are always wonderful places for photos with everything from fun stairs, broken down walls, courtyards, trendy hallways, and retro buildings for limitless possibilities for your photos.

Winstead Hill – www.franklin-gov.com
Columbia Ave Franklin, TN 37064 – (615) 794-2103

Winstead Hill Park is located south of downtown Franklin on Columbia Highway and consists of 61 acres with a walking trail, parking area, and restrooms facilities. I love taking photos here. Winstead Hill seems to be an undiscovered gem of a park where sometimes we can do an entire shoot and never see another person. It’s especially beautiful in the fall with the gorgeous color leaves that we can play in while we shoot. In the spring and summer the green grass is lush and walking along the paved trails we can find wonderful photo opportunities. Alongside the park is a beautiful road with interlacing branches that form almost a tunnel with the light shining through the leaves.

Pinkerton Park – http://www.franklin-gov.com/parks/pinkerton_park.html
405 Murfreesboro Road, Franklin, Tennessee (615) 794-2103‎

Pinkerton Park is located on Murfreesboro Road and is the most popular park in Franklin. The Harpeth River is along the west side of the park while Fort Granger lies to the north. There is also a playground with perfect places for family photos and children’s photos. There is a one-mile paved pedestrian track that goes around the entire park. There are great places for photos along the river, bridge, and the fort. If you’re up for a short walk there is a pedestrian bridge that connects Pinkerton Park with downtown Franklin and some great railroad tracks for more photos!

Historic Downtown Franklin – http://www.downtownfranklintn.com/

Downtown Franklin should count for about 20 favorite photo spots! There are fifteen blocks that are listed in the National Register Historic District with more than 70 unique shops, restaurants and antiques. Franklin has been cited as one of the most beautiful downtowns in the South. There are old churches, the downtown square, sidestreets with historic buildings and homes, railroad tracks, old trees, the historic movie theater, benches, and of course Starbucks for a little coffee break if needed! There are so many places for photos downtown that many of my clients will take a walk around the area prior to our session to pick some of their favorite spots.

Downtown Franklin Wedding Photos by Allison Hendrickson

I did some research as well and found some of the trends that are a buzz right now for cakes for 2009. There seems to be a varied consensus as to what trends are hot for this year. I am going to list the links I found further down below, which should help any brides out there who are still making cake decisions. The ones that stood out the most to me where:

• Mixing shapes like hexagonal and square cakes
• Parisian chic cakes using black, white or monochrome colors, and taking lace designs right off your gown or the runway
• Cupcakes! Yeah, but not round this year! Any other shape is in now. Think square, or diamond or hexagonal!
• Acid and bright colors such as green, hot pink and tangerine
• 3D cakes! Jessica Claire had an awesome Rubik’s cube cake made for Chenin Boutwell’s baby shower!
• Dummy cakes! Have a beautiful small top tier made and then use dummy sheets for guests. Save that money and spend it on GREAT photography or a down payment on a house!

Check out these resources for more information on hot wedding cake trends for 2009:

• Unique Wedding Cake Trends for Spring 2009
• Top Wedding Cake Trends for Summer 2009
• Wedding Cake Trends 2009 from Lifestyle Lounge
• Wedding Cake Trends for Spring ‘09 – Bridal Fashion Collections Provide Inspiration
• Unique Cake Trends for 2009 – From Cakella
• 2009 WEDDING CAKE TRENDS – Calligraphy; not just for invitations at Wedding Cafe Online
• Video: Watch Brides magazine editor in chief Millie Martini Bratten give tips on how to choose the perfect wedding cake.

Here’s a fab video featuring the hottest trends in wedding cakes with new thinking on shape, size, decoration, and flavor. Carley Roney of The Knot magazine shares the latest with Harry Smith of the Early Show.

We’ve kicked off this year to a great start with lots of photography sessions and an exciting wedding season coming up! Last month we launched a new website and new packages for the new year, this month to celebrate such a great start to the year I’m offering my own version of the stimulus package especially tailored to brides! As I’m talking with couples about their wedding plans, I know that for some the economy and their wedding budget are bigger factors than normal in planning their wedding right now. I don’t want concerns about budget and finances to be something that gets in the way of any couple getting the photography coverage that they’ve dreamed of.

From now until March 31st, book photo coverage for three hours or more and receive an additional one hour of coverage for free! This is a $250 value and applies to any new booking for 2009 weddings that mention this promotion at the time of booking their coverage.

For more wedding photos go to our main site and click the numbered boxes on the lower left hand side of the photos!

March Studio Promotion