Amber and Ben - Wedding at The Barn at Chestnut Springs - Jaclyn Paige Photography

Our coverage of Ben and Amber's wedding at The Barn at Chestnut Springs began with their First Look, with the groomsmen and bridesmaids standing as witnesses. Amber looked amazing in her gown, wearing her mother's veil.

There's something so iconic about military weddings. I love the way a uniform adds to a couple's story through their images.

Because Ben and Amber live in California and planned their wedding from such a distance that I wasn't able to meet with them before their wedding day.  But from what I saw, they seem like such a perfect couple!  You can tell a lot about a couple by the people they have chosen to stand with them at their wedding.  In this case, we worked with a super fun bunch of people who love to joke around... 

...And who are good sports!  (These girls were SO cold- in spite of the warm sunshine, the air was rather chilly on Saturday- but they were troopers for sure).

This is one of Joshua's shots- I love the colors.

The Barn at Chestnut Springs offers a wonderfully picturesque and rustic setting for a wedding with a beautiful Smoky Mountain backdrop.  It's fun for us to be able to move a little more freely than we can in a church setting- one big benefit to having an outdoor ceremony!

Look how much fun these two have together!

Amber requested this shot, and I love what it represents: generations of people loving each other.

A grand entrance, military style!

The whole crowd of Ben and Amber with their guests.  People traveled from all over the country for this celebration: from as close as North Carolina and as far as California! 

Ben wins the award for groom with the best moves of the year!  He surprised Amber with a dance before he removed her garter.  It's really fun for us to laugh along with everyone from behind our cameras.

What a fun reception: guests celebrated inside and out with the help of The Pour Guys and Drew from Ogle Entertainment (what an awesome DJ he is!).  After a great barbecue meal from Bennett's BBQ, people were playing corn hole, eating s'mores cooked over the fire, smoking cigars, and swinging under the tree on the hill all afternoon and evening.  Angie Froemel from Absolute Wedding Perfection kept everything running smoothly.

The gnome was affectionately called Chuck Norris,  He apparently had been accompanying Ben and Amber as they prepared for their wedding and traveled across the country for it.  We heard he's in a lot of pictures, so this blog wouldn't be complete without him.

Here are just a few favorites of the happenings on the dance floor:

Congratulations, Ben and Amber!  If you want to tag yourself in any of these images, please head over to Facebook and give Jaclyn Paige Photography a "Like", then you should be able to tag to your heart's content!

Pam and Tim's Sweet Backyard Wedding in Dandridge - Jaclyn Paige Photography

Last weekend, we photographed Pam and Tim's backyard wedding at Pam's parents' home in Dandridge. In spite of the rain, it was a beautiful day!  Pam chose an incredible champagne dress for the occasion from David's Bridal:

Even her dog, Muffin, thought she looked beautiful in it!

Being such an intimate event, Pam and Tim did not have a wedding party, but did include Tim's niece as the flower girl.  She was excited to be one of two princesses that day.  Here they are, just a few nervous moments before heading to the ceremony.

The ceremony and reception were both held in the tent situated in the back yard.  

Pam couldn't stop looking at Tim...

And Tim couldn't keep his eyes off Pam, either!  She was absolutely stunning.

During the ceremony, they decided to add their own personal twist to the sand ceremony.  I had never seen anything like this before, but it's a great way to include all family in the symbolism.  Each guest received a small vial of sand when they entered the tent in one of two colors: cream for the bride's side and light brown for the groom's.  At a specific point during the ceremony, the minister instructed the family members to pass along two small vases (one for each side of the family), and everyone dumped their sand into it as it was passed to the front of the tent.

Then, Pam and Tim poured the sand that the family members had contributed to their sand ceremony. They also added sand from their own vases.  Pam said this was Tim's idea- what a great way to incorporate the whole crowd of witnesses into their wedding!

After being together for seven years to the day, can you tell these two were excited to make it official?

Some of my favorite shots... They are so cute together.  I was really excited that the rain held off for plenty of time so we could get a nice variety of portraits without rushing due to weather.

I also wanted to highlight just a few beautiful and thoughtful details:

(Wish I had thought of this one for my wedding! I love this display!)

Pam's late father's ring attached to her bouquet ribbon.

Catering was provided by Buddy's Barbecue, and the guests also enjoyed appetizers and a well-stocked s'mores bar before the reception had officially begun. Pam and Tim entered their reception to "Welcome to the Jungle"!  So much fun.

When they fed each other their wedding cake from Magpies, they were very good to each other- no smashing cake tonight!  Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Headrick!  --Jaclyn