Today’s wedding is a special one because it’s a family wedding! I always love shooting these. :) My cousin Halie married Seth in Gallatin, Tennessee on a beautiful September day, and everything came together perfectly. AND it was fun because I actually got to work with my family… my mom did the coordinating and flowers, my dad was the officiant, my cousin Zach was the DJ, and my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins helped do the setup the day of the wedding. So it was really neat to get to spend the day with everyone and see the whole family come together to help pull off the wedding.
You might remember when I posted a preview photo on Facebook from Halie and Seth’s engagement session that Halie and my Aunt Heather are the queens of bargain hunting at Goodwill. No, REALLY. You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff they’ve found there! You also won’t believe how much of the stuff from the wedding came from Goodwill, from the decor to Halie’s accessories to the bridesmaids’ dresses. No kidding! It just goes to show how a little ingenuity can stretch a wedding budget a lot further than you think without sacrificing style. Prepare to be impressed. :)
Let’s get to the photos, shall we?
Another special part of the day was Halie’s dress. It was actually my Aunt Heather’s wedding dress, and they took it to a seamstress to remove the sleeves and modify it a little to make it more modern. I loved the result!
My mom made Halie’s brooch bouquet, which ended up being harder than she expected, but it turned out so beautifully. Thanks Mom!
I was eating up all the gorgeous natural light in the house where they were getting ready. Couldn’t resist using it for some portraits too. :)
Gorgeous!
Love these of Seth, looking very Southern-gentlemanly on the big front porch in his bow tie. :)
My mom, Aunt Amanda, cousin Hannah, and grandmother (“Nan”) putting the last minute touches on everything before the wedding:
…. And Jamie, my mom, and Uncle Ricky moving the cake. It was a little nerve-wracking, to say the least. ;)
This stunning house belongs to one of the family’s friends, Joe Howard. He graciously opened up his home to host the wedding, and it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Halie walked down the aisle to the same song that I walked down the aisle to, Ben Folds’s “The Luckiest.” It’s already such a special song to me and Jamie that I immediately began getting emotional as soon as the first notes began to play.
Love these!
Halie and Seth did their first dance to Dolly Parton’s “To the Moon and Back.” Y’all KNOW how obsessed I am with Dolly, so that was a fun moment. (This song is actually from the movie she did with Queen Latifah, Joyful Noise, which I dragged Jamie and my parents to see with me in the theater. Jamie’s impression was that it was a glorified Lifetime movie, and while I’ll admit that it was pretty terrible overall, the scenes with Dolly were wonderful. Of course. I love that woman.)
It was also fun to get to see my grandparents having such a good time and dancing, since I didn’t get to see them dance at my own wedding. Pop was even out there doing the Cha Cha Slide!
My cousin Hannah caught the bouquet!
So for many reasons, this wedding was obviously a special one. I’m so thankful to have created these memories with my family, and I wish Halie and Seth all the happiness in the world!
Melanie - Morgan, these are absolutely stunning! Weddings are always so much more meaningful when families come together to share in such an important day. So I too was feeling very nostalgic about your wedding, and am so happy that Halie also had the wedding of her dreams. Congrats Halie and Seth! Love you, Mom
Serena Severtson - Morgan - these are beautiful! It’s so awesome that you were able to work with your family at this wedding. That brooch bouquet, by your mom, is fantastic! :)
Aunt Heather - Morgan…..W.O.W.! I don’t even have the words to express the awesomeness of these pictures…. I am so grateful and thankful that YOU captured this day for us….I just keep scrolling up and down, up and down,……and probably will do it a million more times!! Love you!!
Aunt Amanda - I love all of the pictures!! Thank you so much for capturing all the things/people that made this such a special day. You did an awesome job, as usual. :) Love you!!
Morgan Lee - This is absolutely gorgeous. i stumbled on your page while searching for plantation wedding venues. Where is this? I’m in love! Beautiful photographs.