It was a Smokey Mountain affair like there ever was! Kim and Eric were getting ready in side by side cabins that are family owned with the Pigeon River running right behind them. Talk about quintessential Smokey Mountains! Plus, having their ceremony in St. Francis Church of Assisi in Townsend just topped it all off! I adore all of the little details from Kim's rosary to the handkerchief and note her mom wrote her, to Eric having a beer while he was getting ready.
Seriously, one of the sweetest first looks, but not with her future husband, with her father. This one totally tugged at my heartstrings!
I simply adore this photo of their grandmothers!
There was such an incredible and memorable moment when Father called up both Kim and Eric's parents in order to pray over them. I always remember moments of prayer when those surrounding the couple are able to place their hands over them. It is always so powerful.
I have never taken bride and groom portraits SO fast! This was a very long conversation that I had with Kim and Eric leading up to their wedding day. Because they were getting married in mid-October and weren't doing a first look, we would have limited time after the ceremony for photos simply because of the light. These were literally what I would call my seven minutes in Heaven!!
I think now is the perfect time to have some words from Kim & Eric on why they chose to stick with tradition and save that first moment of seeing each other for the ceremony!
"Instead of a first look, our intimate moment came after pictures when we had a 20 minute drive to our reception. The most important detail of the day was to drive in the car Eric drove when we first started dating which up until the week before the wedding we weren’t sure was going to happen. We were on cloud 9 driving down the road with the top down in the car, just as we had done when we first started dating (one of the many reasons how I fell in love with him) but the big difference was, was that we were MARRIED. We had truly come full circle. We were able to celebrate as husband and wife first before we went on to celebrate with others. Waiting until after the ceremony to be alone together made it reality for me. It also helped calm my nerves for our first dance which I think we were both the most nervous about!" - Kim
"All couples want their day to be special, and my wife and I were no exception when it came to our wedding; homemade decorations, hand-built furniture and a collection of unique cars for the wedding party were just a few of the preparations that occupied my wife and I's year-long engagement in an effort to make our day unique to us. In the end, however, what people noticed more than all of those things was the way my wife and I looked at each other that night. In hindsight, even though we felt we'd seen it all, it turns out that we were still amazed at the future we saw before us that day, and I like to think that we both agreed that we'd waited so long that all our waiting would have been somewhat in vain if we didn't hold out till the last possible second and skip the first look. (Have I mentioned how incredibly stubborn both of us can be at times?!) I guess you could say that I built up that moment intentionally all along, knowing that I'm not always the best at showing my emotions and secretly hoping for them to rush over me in front of the love of my life, right there for everyone to see. In spite of the stress of the day, I took immense comfort in knowing that regardless of what else happened that day, what was most important was her and I and celebrating our love - and when she finally walked down that aisle, all I can say is that our patience paid off. Big time. (And just as I'd hoped, I couldn't hide it!)." - Eric
I still consider this little gem one of the most epic groomsmen pictures. It may be circa 1982, but please...its a classic!
Kim & Eric, I not only adore that you two are my beer drinking, cupcake loving, sit by the creek and enjoy spending time together couple, but that you trusted me to capture this amazing day! I adore your friendship and mostly that I was there to be a small part of your incredibly big day!
Smiles,
Kayla F
