September East Tennessee Micro Wedding

Emma + Austin – September 26, 2026

Emma and Austin’s September East Tennessee micro wedding had pretty weather, warm fall colors, four generations of family tradition, and one potentially cursed Bible.

So, obviously, we’re going to need to talk about the Bible. 😂📖 But before we get to mysterious flat tires and Grandma’s theories, we should probably start with the actual wedding.

Emma and Austin gathered their closest family together for a sweet September celebration in the woods. Their day was full of little details that connected them to the people they love—from siblings standing beside them during the ceremony to parents and grandparents participating in the processional.

They were young, ridiculously sweet together, and SO excited to get married. And with four generations of wedding history making an appearance, they also got to add their own chapter to a pretty special family story.

Warm Fall Colors for a September Wedding

Emma and Austin dressed the chapel in white and textured rust fabric, bringing in warm autumn color while the East Tennessee forest was still hanging onto plenty of summer green.

September weddings around here sit in that funny little space between seasons. Everyone is mentally ready for fall. We’re thinking pumpkins. We’re thinking sweaters. We’re thinking crisp air.

Meanwhile, the trees are often like, Absolutely not. We’re still doing summer. 😂 That makes warmer wedding colors especially pretty because you can bring a little fall into the day even before the leaves have fully gotten the message.

Emma and Austin added their own personal touches to the chapel setup with small hanging vases filled with flowers and lanterns lining the chapel steps. They also created a memory table honoring loved ones who couldn’t be there with them.

Emma had family there to help get everything arranged before the ceremony, which felt especially appropriate for a wedding where family would end up being such an important part of nearly every moment.

The Bride, the Flat Tire, and the Suspicious Bible

Emma’s journey to the chapel was a little more eventful than she’d planned. She got a flat tire on the way. Thankfully, she made it safely, everything was okay, and the wedding could continue as planned. Case closed, right?

WRONG.

Grandma had a theory. It was the Bible. 😂📖

Now, before we start accusing an innocent piece of religious literature of automotive sabotage, you need the backstory. Emma’s family has a Bible that has been carried in weddings for four generations. Her sister carried it at her own wedding, and now it was Emma’s turn to continue the tradition.

For Emma’s wedding, the family attached florals to the Bible so she could carry it in place of a traditional bouquet. And it was BEAUTIFUL.

It was personal, completely unique, and full of family history. Instead of simply carrying flowers down the aisle, Emma was literally carrying something that had been part of her family’s weddings for generations.

Sentimental? Absolutely. Gorgeous? Yep.

Potentially responsible for flat tires?

According to Grandma, we cannot rule it out. 😂 Listen, I love a family heirloom. But I love a family heirloom with lore even more.

Emma and Austin Brought the Fall Vibes

Emma looked beautiful in a sleeveless wedding gown with a wonderfully fluffy skirt. There was so much pretty volume and movement to it, and it gave her that classic bridal look while still feeling right for their relaxed woodland wedding.

Austin, meanwhile, apparently understood the September assignment. He wore jeans with a white dress shirt, burnt orange tie, and matching burnt orange suit jacket.

HELLO, FALL. 🍂

His outfit brought another rich autumn color into the day and coordinated beautifully with the textured rust fabric at the chapel. Together, they looked young, happy, and completely like themselves—which is always better than trying to force a wedding look that doesn’t actually fit the people wearing it.

Four Generations Surrounding Them

Family wasn’t simply attending Emma and Austin’s wedding. Family was woven all through it.

Their grandparents and parents were included in the processional, giving multiple generations a special part in the ceremony instead of having everyone simply waiting in their seats.

Emma’s sisters stood beside her as bridesmaids.

Austin’s brothers stood beside him as groomsmen.

And Austin’s bonus mom had one of the most important jobs of all: she performed their ceremony.

For a September East Tennessee micro wedding, it was a perfect example of how a smaller celebration can still include so many meaningful people and traditions. The guest list may be smaller, but that doesn’t mean the day has to feel less important. If anything, it can make every person there feel even more connected to what’s happening.

Austin’s Reaction to Seeing Emma

Eventually, everyone was in place. Then it was Emma’s turn.

Her dad walked her down the aisle toward Austin, and Austin got a little choked up when he saw her coming. 🥹❤️ I will never get tired of that moment.

You can see your person approximately four million times before your wedding day, but apparently something happens to the human brain when they’re suddenly walking toward you in wedding clothes.

All bets are off.

The person you’ve seen tired, laughing, annoyed, eating snacks, watching TV, running errands, and doing completely ordinary life is suddenly walking toward you because they’re about to become your spouse.

And sometimes your eyeballs betray you. Austin’s did. Just a little. ❤️

A Ceremony Filled With Family

With Emma’s sisters and Austin’s brothers standing beside them and Austin’s bonus mom officiating, the ceremony felt wonderfully personal from beginning to end.

There was family in front of them. Family beside them. Family behind them. And four generations of family wedding tradition literally in Emma’s hands.

They made everything official surrounded by the people who had helped bring them to this point, and then Emma and Austin got to become the newest marriage in that family history.

I love that.

Especially because someday, when everyone talks about the family Bible and all the weddings it has attended, Emma and Austin’s story will come with a very specific footnote:

Oh, yes. That was the wedding where Emma got the flat tire. Grandma will know. 😂

Family Photos and Grandma’s Entertainment

After the ceremony, we gathered everyone around the chapel for family photos.

With so many important relatives involved in the day, those photos felt like a natural extension of the ceremony. We documented Emma and Austin with the people who had stood beside them, walked in their processional, helped prepare the wedding, and watched them begin married life.

Then we got to concentrate on the newlyweds. We started their couple portraits right around the chapel. Grandma was still nearby for some of this. Which meant Grandma also got to hear some of our…less dignified posing instructions and jokes. 😂

Wedding photography can be romantic.

Wedding photography can be elegant.

Wedding photography can also involve me saying things that perhaps you did not expect your grandmother to hear that afternoon.

It’s all about balance.

Fortunately, Grandma seemed to enjoy the entertainment.

Newlywed Photos Around the Property

Once we’d finished around the chapel, we wandered down toward the road with Emma and Austin.

By this point, the ceremony was over, family photos were finished, and they could finally relax into that Oh hey, we’re actually married now part of the day.

Those are some of my favorite moments to photograph. The pressure is off. Nobody has to remember vows or worry about where they’re supposed to stand. The couple can just walk together, laugh, snuggle, and enjoy a little time without everyone else’s attention on them.

From the road, we finished their photos at the old truck, adding a rustic East Tennessee backdrop that fit perfectly with Austin’s jeans and burnt orange jacket and the relaxed feeling of their wedding.

And the weather?

SO GOOD.

A Beautiful September Day in East Tennessee

September can be a bit of a wild card in Tennessee. It can feel like fall. It can feel like the absolute center of July. Occasionally it tries to do both on the same day.

But Emma and Austin lucked out with beautiful weather for their wedding.

That gave us plenty of time to wander outside without fighting rain or dealing with the kind of heat that makes everyone question why human beings ever invented formal clothing.

The forest was still green, their rust and burnt orange colors brought in those early autumn vibes, and the whole day had that lovely transitional September feeling.

Not quite full fall. But getting there.

Adding Their Own Story to the Family History

What I loved most about Emma and Austin’s September East Tennessee micro wedding was the mix of something brand new with so much history.

These two are at the beginning. They’re newlyweds. They’re starting this enormous new chapter together, figuring out what their own marriage and life will look like.

But on the day they started it, they were surrounded by generations of people who came before them. Parents. Grandparents. Siblings. A bonus mom who got to pronounce them married.

And a Bible that had already been carried through four generations of weddings before making its way down the aisle with Emma.

That’s pretty special.

The Bible wasn’t just an old object included because someone thought it would look nice in photos. It represented family weddings that had already happened and people who had already stood where Emma and Austin were standing.

Now their wedding is part of that story, too.

Flat tire and all.

😂❤️

A Pretty Great Beginning

Emma and Austin were so sweet together and so genuinely excited about becoming husband and wife. That happiness followed them throughout the day—from Austin getting emotional when he saw Emma walking toward him to the two of them relaxing together during their newlywed photos.

They didn’t need a giant wedding to make the day feel important. They had beautiful weather, warm fall colors, the people they loved most, and generations of family history surrounding them while they started something new.

Four generations of wedding tradition. Parents and grandparents in the processional. Sisters and brothers standing beside them. A bonus mom making everything official. One suspiciously timed flat tire. And Grandma keeping a watchful eye on that Bible.

I’d say Emma and Austin have officially contributed a pretty excellent story to the family archives.

😂❤️

Congratulations, Emma and Austin!!

May married life bring you plenty of happiness, lots of adventures, and considerably fewer unexplained tire problems.

And Grandma?

We’re not saying it wasn’t the Bible.

We’re just saying we don’t have enough evidence yet. 😂📖❤️

From the Bride: 

Austin and I met in 2019 at the end of our 8th grade through mutual friends. We went onto our end of the year field trip for school and we hangout without the mutual friends. A few days later he added me on snapchat and we started texting each other, and then started sitting next to me at lunch. When school got out he asked me on a date to the movies, of course I said yes. Then a few days later he asked me to be his girlfriend. We went all through high school together, we had some ups and downs but I believe that is what made our relationship stronger. We graduated high school together in 2023, and he proposed to me in 2024. We waited about a year before we started planning the wedding. We are so excited to get married at Chapel in the Hollow this fall!

For the first date, we went to watch a movie, it was a little awkward because we were only 14 and had just started talking to each other. It was a really good date though. 

Austin proposed when we were in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan duck hunting. Since it was late October I asked his sister in law to take nice photos of us with the leaves changing, I thought it would be really nice. Little did I know Austin was planning on proposing during the photoshoot. When he finally decided to do it his step mom made me look at more photo ideas and when I turned around to get ready for the next photo he was down on one knee asking me to marry him. Everyone that was there was crying it was definitely a special moment.

We wanted a destination wedding, and we really love Tennessee and the mountains. We found Chapel in the Hollow and fell in love with the pictures we saw. I’m most looking forward to getting married with just our immediate family there to make it more special and not have a lot of people and a lot less stressful. There is not really a significance to the date, we wanted a fall wedding and chose the date with it still warm and not too cold.

For fun, we like to go hunting, fishing, sit at home and relax, and just spend time together.

September East Tennessee Micro Wedding Vendors

Photography: Star Noir Studio
Officiant: Austin’s Bonus Mom
Venue: Chapel in the Hollow

Relaxed East Tennessee Micro Wedding

Bruce + Elysse – September 25, 2026

Sometimes the best wedding-day plan is having a plan…and being perfectly willing to throw it out the window when necessary. 😂

Bruce and Elysse joined us for a relaxed East Tennessee micro wedding on one of the first days that genuinely felt like fall. After what seemed like seventeen consecutive months of summer, East Tennessee FINALLY decided to turn down the temperature, and OH MY GOODNESS, it was glorious.

Cooler air. Beautiful mountain views. A forest beginning to feel like fall. Two people who were incredibly sweet, funny, and easygoing. And then traffic decided to rearrange the timeline.

Fortunately, Bruce and Elysse were exactly the kind of couple who could roll with it.

Instead of stressing over a few guests running late, we simply flipped things around, headed out for their newlywed photos before they were technically newlyweds, and let the wedding happen when everyone was there.

It worked beautifully.

Fall Colors in the East Tennessee Forest

Bruce and Elysse dressed the chapel in white fabric paired with our blush and marsala florals. It was such a pretty combination for an early fall wedding. The white kept everything soft and bright while those deeper blush and marsala tones brought in just enough autumn color against the forest.

East Tennessee doesn’t always immediately cooperate when the calendar says fall has arrived. Sometimes September still feels suspiciously like July, and the trees can stay green long after everyone has mentally moved on to pumpkins and sweaters. However, on Bruce and Elysse’s wedding day, the air finally got the memo.

It was cool enough to actually enjoy being outside, which was especially wonderful considering we ended up spending even more time outdoors than originally planned.

Elysse Did Her Own Hair AND Makeup

Elysse arrived already dressed and ready to go, and she looked FABULOUS.

She wore a three-quarter-sleeve wedding dress with a soft, flowy skirt that moved beautifully when she walked. Her medium-length veil was edged in delicate lace, adding a little extra detail without overpowering the simplicity of her dress. And Elysse did her own hair. AND her own makeup.

👏👏👏

Listen. Doing your own everyday makeup is one thing. Doing your own wedding makeup while knowing someone is about to photograph your face approximately four million times? That requires confidence. And she absolutely nailed it.

Bruce was looking pretty darn fabulous himself in black pants, a crisp white dress shirt, and a tan vest. His look felt dressed up without being overly formal, which suited the relaxed feeling of their wedding perfectly.

They looked like themselves. Just the fancy getting-married versions.

A Little Something Borrowed

Their rings were a fun contrast, too. Bruce chose a black wedding band, while Elysse wore a delicate yellow-gold diamond band that fit beautifully around her engagement ring.

She also had a sweet little something borrowed stowed away in the bridal suite: a bracelet loaned to her by her mom. I love details like that.

They’re small enough that most people looking at the photos later may never know the story, but the bride does. Her mom does. And that makes them special.

And Then Traffic Happened

Bruce and Elysse had guests joining them for their wedding, but a few of those guests ran into traffic on their way to the chapel. Wedding-day timelines everywhere just shuddered. 😂

We had two options.

We could sit around watching the clock while everyone got increasingly anxious.

Or…

PIVOT.

One of the nicest things about having a relaxed East Tennessee micro wedding is that there’s often a little more freedom to adjust when something doesn’t go exactly according to plan. So instead of waiting around, we flipped Bruce and Elysse’s timeline.

Couple photos first.
Ceremony second.
Problem solved.

Wedding Photos Before the Wedding

Since Bruce and Elysse were already dressed and looking fabulous, we headed straight out to the field with the mountain view, and honestly, I loved getting this extra time with them before the ceremony.

Usually, the ceremony happens first and couple portraits are the moment when everyone finally exhales afterward. In this case, their photos became the thing that helped fill the waiting time and gave them somewhere to put all of that pre-ceremony energy. Instead of standing around wondering where everyone was, they got to hang out together.

We wandered through the field with the mountains stretching out behind them, enjoying that gorgeous cool fall weather and taking photos while their guests worked their way through traffic.

They laughed.
They snuggled.
We played.

And by the time we moved on to the road for another round of photos, it felt less like we were killing time and more like this had simply been the plan all along.

That’s a pretty good outcome for a last-minute timeline change.

Sometimes a Little Flexibility Makes the Day Better

I think there’s a lesson somewhere in there. Weddings involve people. People involve traffic, forgotten items, wrong turns, slow-moving relatives, wardrobe malfunctions, and approximately nine thousand other things you cannot completely control.

You can either let every tiny change feel like a disaster or build enough breathing room into the day to say, “Okay. What can we do instead?” Bruce and Elysse went with option two, and because they did, the delay didn’t become the story of their wedding.

We simply rearranged things. They got beautiful mountain photos. Their guests eventually arrived. Everybody was ready. And Bruce and Elysse got married.

Finally, Ceremony Time

Once everyone had made it safely to the chapel, we headed back for the ceremony. Elysse’s dad walked her down the aisle toward Bruce, and after all of our wandering around together beforehand, it was finally time for the part that made everything official.

And then came the vows. Bruce and Elysse had both written their own.

Apparently, they had also entered into some sort of secret agreement that neither person would be allowed to cry alone.

🥹❤️

They both teared up while reading their promises to each other.

Bruce especially had a hard time getting through his. A couple of times, he had to stop, collect himself, and then try again. Those are some of my favorite ceremony moments.

Not because I particularly enjoy making grooms cry. Okay. Maybe a little. 😂

But mostly because there’s something so beautiful about watching the emotions temporarily win.

When the Words Actually Mean Something

Personal vows can be funny. They can be romantic. They can tell stories. But my favorite thing is when you can tell the person reading them isn’t simply reciting words they wrote earlier.

They’re feeling them.

Bruce had to pause because what he was promising Elysse actually mattered to him, and Elysse was emotional right along with him. Those moments don’t need to be polished. Nobody gets points deducted for crying. Nobody cares if your voice shakes or you have to take a second before you can keep reading. If anything, those little interruptions are often what make the ceremony feel real. Bruce and Elysse eventually made it through their vows, though.

They said “I do,” shared their first married kiss, and officially became husband and wife.

Family Photos and One Last Round at the Chapel

After the ceremony, we gathered everyone together for family photos around the chapel.

Since we’d already taken Bruce and Elysse out for their mountain and road portraits earlier, there wasn’t any pressure to squeeze a huge photography adventure into the remaining time. We could document their family, let everyone celebrate with them, and then finish exactly where the wedding had taken place.

Just Bruce. Just Elysse. And the chapel tucked into the forest behind them.

There was something really nice about ending there.

We had started their photography adventure out in the open field with the mountains in the distance, wandered along the road, returned for their emotional ceremony, and then closed everything out with a quieter set of newlywed photos at the chapel.

A little backwards from the original plan? Yep. Did that matter? Not even slightly.

A Relaxed East Tennessee Micro Wedding That Rolled With It

Bruce and Elysse’s wedding is a perfect example of why “relaxed” doesn’t have to mean you don’t have a plan. It means the plan isn’t more important than the people.

Their guests got caught in traffic. Okay. We changed the order. The ceremony started later than originally expected. Okay. Everyone who mattered made it there.

And instead of spending that waiting time worrying, Bruce and Elysse got to wander through a field, enjoy the mountains, take beautiful photos, laugh together, and get some of their wedding-day nerves out before standing in front of everyone.

I’d call that a win.

Their relaxed East Tennessee micro wedding wasn’t special because every minute unfolded exactly as originally planned. It was special because when things shifted, these two shifted right along with them. And once it was finally time for the ceremony, nothing about the delayed start mattered.

Bruce was standing there.

Elysse was walking toward him with her dad.

Their people were there.

Their vows were waiting.

And judging from the tears, those vows had PLENTY to say.

Fall Finally Showed Up

I also cannot overstate how happy we were about that weather. 😂🍂 After so much summer heat, spending a cool day outside with Bruce and Elysse felt amazing.

The trees may not have completely transformed into fall color yet, but you could finally feel the season changing. Add in mountain views, blush and marsala flowers, a flowy wedding dress, heartfelt vows, lots of laughing, and two people who were genuinely fun to spend time with, and this felt like a pretty fantastic welcome to fall in East Tennessee.

Bruce and Elysse were sweet. They were emotional. They were funny. They were easygoing. And they were SO much fun to photograph. More importantly, they seemed incredibly happy to finally be husband and wife. That’s always the good stuff. ❤️

Congratulations, Bruce and Elysse!!

May married life bring you lots of laughter, plenty more adventures together, and significantly less traffic. Although if the traffic does show up… You two already know how to pivot. 😂❤️

From the Bride: 

We met on Facebook Dating. He was respectful, honest and seemed genuine from day one and – a year later – nothing has changed <3. 

For the first date, we met at a coffee shop. I like coffee. He doesn’t. 🙂
I was having a hard time with some family drama. He hugged me outside while I cried, and told him all about it. After that, we went to a local festival and spent the day poking around.

He proposed to me at Pensacola Beach. He awkwardly tried to get someone to take a video with no prior warning. They did. And it was adorable.

We chose Chapel in the Hollow for our relaxed East Tennessee micro wedding because we live in Johnson City and thought the location was very beautiful and affordable. I am most looking forward to having my loved ones there while I promise to spend the rest of my life with the man I love. We planned the date around a cruise he wanted to take for our honeymoon. XD

For fun, we binge watch 90 Day Fiancée and murder documentaries. We’re doing some home improvement together. And we have 5 cats 😀

Relaxed East Tennessee Micro Wedding Vendors

Photography: Star Noir Studio
Officiant: Ian Parrott
Florals: Chapel in the Hollow
Venue: Chapel in the Hollow

Fall Elopement in the Smoky Mountains

Noelle + Dillon – September 25, 2026

Every once in a while, a couple arrives for their wedding and within about five minutes I’m thinking…

Oh. These are my people.

😂❤️

That was Noelle and Dillon.

They joined us for a sweet fall elopement in the Smoky Mountains, and somewhere between their emotional ceremony, wandering through the woods for photos, talking about books, and discovering that their honeymoon plans involved Halloween Horror Nights, I basically decided we needed to be friends.

Fortunately, I was also supposed to be photographing them, so following them around for a while was already part of the plan.

Their wedding itself was wonderfully simple and centered entirely around the two of them. There wasn’t a big processional or a crowd of people waiting for their attention. They walked into their ceremony together, shared vows they had written themselves, exchanged meaningful rings, and then spent the rest of their time exploring the property and chasing beautiful views.

Exactly the kind of relaxed wedding day that lets a couple actually enjoy being married.

Soft Boho Details for an Early Fall Elopement

Noelle and Dillon kept their ceremony setup soft and natural, dressing the chapel in white fabric paired with our bohemian florals. Early fall in East Tennessee is still very green, so the white fabric looked especially pretty against the forest. The boho flowers brought in a little warmth without making everything feel overly decorated.

It was simple. It was romantic. And it fit these two perfectly.

One of the best things about planning a forest elopement is that you don’t necessarily have to bring in a ton of decorations to create something beautiful. When you’re already surrounded by trees, vines, moss, and greenery, sometimes a softer setup lets the natural setting do its thing.

And Noelle?

She was definitely doing her thing.

Because GOOD GRIEF, she looked glorious.

Noelle’s Flowy Elopement Dress

Noelle arrived already dressed and ready to get married in a gorgeous sleeveless gown with an empire waist and a flowy chiffon skirt. The dress had a short train that moved beautifully around her, especially once we started wandering through the woods later for photos. It was romantic without being overly formal and had exactly the kind of movement I love for an outdoor wedding dress.

A little breeze?

Pretty.

Walking through the forest?

Pretty.

Snuggling with your new husband?

Still pretty.

Meanwhile, Dillon kept things classic in a black suit, which looked fantastic beside Noelle and against all of the greenery surrounding them. They looked amazing together. More importantly, they were very obviously happy to be there together.

Walking Into Their Marriage Side by Side

There wasn’t a big traditional processional for Noelle and Dillon. Instead, they walked down the aisle together. Hand in hand. Side by side. ❤️ And honestly, I kind of love that.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the traditional version of walking down the aisle, but I also love when couples look at wedding traditions and decide which ones actually feel right for them. For Noelle and Dillon, that meant beginning their ceremony together.

There’s something pretty sweet about the symbolism, too. Nobody waiting at the other end. Nobody being given away. Just the two of them walking toward the next part of their lives the same way they were planning to tackle it afterward.

Together.

Personal Vows and One Very Emotional Groom

Once Noelle and Dillon were standing together at the chapel, it was time for their vows. They had each written their own. And Dillon’s emotions came prepared.

🥹❤️

He cried his way through his vows to Noelle, making his promises while she stood there smiling at him. I love personal vows for exactly this reason. They don’t have to sound polished. They don’t have to be a performance. They don’t have to make everyone laugh or contain some giant dramatic declaration worthy of a romantic comedy. They just have to sound like you.

When couples write their own vows, we get these tiny glimpses into the relationship that exists outside of the wedding day. The inside jokes, promises, stories, and things they value about one another are suddenly part of the ceremony. And sometimes one person gets approximately six words in before crying. That’s allowed, too. 😂❤️

A Wedding Ring With a Story Hidden Inside

After their vows, Noelle and Dillon exchanged rings. And Noelle’s ring had the kind of detail I absolutely LOVE. Tiny red rubies had been incorporated into the design as a nod to one of their special stories as a couple. ❤️💍

To anyone else looking at the ring, the rubies might simply be a beautiful design choice. Noelle and Dillon know better. They know the story tucked inside.

Those are some of my favorite wedding details because they’re personal without needing an explanation to everyone else. A piece of jewelry can be beautiful on its own while also carrying an entire memory that belongs only to the people wearing it. Years from now, those tiny red stones will still mean something.

That’s so much better than choosing something simply because wedding tradition says you’re supposed to.

Officially Married and Ready to Explore

Once Noelle and Dillon were officially married, we had the rest of their time to concentrate completely on them.

No giant family photo list. No reception timeline. No wedding party waiting for instructions. Just newlyweds.

We started their portraits around the chapel while everything was still fresh from the ceremony. That gave us the forest, the chapel, and all of those soft bohemian details as the first backdrop for their photos.

Then we started wandering. And this is where a fall elopement in the Smoky Mountains gets really fun.

Within one wedding gallery, you can go from an intimate little forest setting to mossy logs, wooded areas, open spaces, and eventually those wide mountain views that feel completely different from where you started.

Noelle’s dress also turned out to be perfect for exploring. That chiffon skirt moved beautifully as she walked, which meant I was probably spending an unreasonable amount of time watching fabric move through my camera.

Occupational hazard. 😂

From the Log to the Highlands

After our photos around the chapel, we headed toward the log for another little pocket of forest portraits. Then we wandered up toward the highland area.

Each location gave Noelle and Dillon a slightly different feeling without turning their wedding into a giant photo production. We could let them walk together, snuggle, talk, laugh, and occasionally follow my directions when I spotted something pretty.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, Noelle and I started talking about books. And then I discovered that she loves books. 📚❤️ Welp. There went any remaining professionalism. 😂

There’s something extra fun about photographing a couple you immediately click with. Instead of the time between locations being quiet or awkward, we were chatting while we wandered through the woods.

Wedding photography but make it book club.

I support this.

Ending Their Elopement With a Mountain View

For the final part of Noelle and Dillon’s wedding adventure, we headed out to the field with the mountain view. After spending so much of their day surrounded by the close, intimate feeling of the forest, suddenly everything opened up. Sky. Mountains. Fields.

And the two of them finally getting to stand there as husband and wife.

That contrast is one of my favorite things about photographing weddings in East Tennessee. The woods give you that tucked-away, romantic feeling, while the mountains make everything suddenly feel big and open.

For a fall elopement in the Smoky Mountains, getting a little bit of both is pretty darn hard to beat.

Even in early fall, before the mountains and trees have completely transformed into autumn colors, there’s already a subtle seasonal shift happening. The light begins changing, little hints of fall start sneaking in, and you know the colorful season is right around the corner.

Noelle and Dillon got to enjoy that transition together.

And THEN They Told Me About the Honeymoon

Okay. So we’d already established that Noelle likes books. Excellent. Then I found out what they were doing for their honeymoon.

Halloween Horror Nights.

AT UNIVERSAL.

🎃😂❤️

For anyone unfamiliar with my priorities, this is one of my favorite yearly traditions. So at this point I’m trying to maintain some semblance of photographer-client professionalism while internally thinking…

Okay, can we just be friends now?

Books? Check.

A beautiful forest elopement? Check.

Meaningful jewelry? Check.

An emotional groom? Check.

Halloween Horror Nights honeymoon? CHECK.

Noelle and Dillon, you were making this extremely difficult for me to play it cool.

😂

Also, can we normalize honeymoons that actually reflect the couple? If your idea of romance is lying beside a tropical beach, excellent. If your idea of romance is screaming together while something with a chainsaw chases you through a haunted house… Also excellent.

Possibly better.

A Fall Elopement That Felt Completely Like Them

What I loved most about Noelle and Dillon’s wedding wasn’t any single detail. It was how comfortable the whole day felt. They weren’t trying to turn their elopement into something bigger than it needed to be. They weren’t checking boxes simply because those things are traditionally part of a wedding. They walked into the ceremony together. They shared vows they’d written themselves. Dillon cried. Noelle smiled at him. They exchanged rings with stories hidden inside them.

Then we wandered through the woods together taking photos and talking about things we loved. By the end, they were standing in a field with the Smoky Mountains behind them, officially married and getting ready to head into the next part of their adventure.

And soon…

Haunted houses.

😂🎃

The Best Elopements Feel Like the Couple

There are a million ways to get married. Big wedding. Tiny wedding. Church wedding. Backyard wedding. Forest elopement. Mountain adventure. None of those options automatically makes a wedding more meaningful than another.

The magic happens when the day actually feels like the people getting married.

Noelle and Dillon’s fall elopement in the Smoky Mountains felt exactly like them.

Sweet. Relaxed. Personal. A little adventurous. Full of meaningful details. And very, very happy. They didn’t need a giant audience for Dillon’s vows to matter. They didn’t need a huge wedding production for those tiny rubies in Noelle’s ring to carry an entire story.

They just needed each other.

And apparently a photographer who would become way too excited when the conversation turned to books and Halloween Horror Nights.

😂❤️

Noelle and Dillon, thank you for letting us be part of such a sweet day. I absolutely loved getting to know you both, and I hope you have the BEST time on your honeymoon. May your HHN houses be terrifying, your snacks be delicious, and your wait times be miraculously short.That last one may require actual magic.

Congratulations, you two!! ❤️🎃📚

From the Bride: 

We met at work one day because someone called out and Noelle had to fill in for that person and was put together with Dillon to work for that one day.

The first date: *voice of Sophia from Golden Girls*
Picture it, it’s 2018 at a IHOP at 2am it’s empty and we can’t stop talking long enough for the waitress to take our order but we are enjoying coffee and each other’s company for a hour before we even order.

Dillon took me for a walk at the park downtown Maryville, where we both are from. We talked about getting married and I could tell he was nervous and trying to find the right place and time to ask me. We would meet up and like to grab coffee of walk around the park or to the coffee house in Maryville so that was one of the reasons he took me there because of the memories we have shared together there.

We are both from Maryville and bought a house in Knoxville. We both loved growing up in the foothills of the Smokies so this area is very close to our hearts.

I’m most excited about having that moment of saying I do to each other during our private wedding and it being more intimate and we can focus on each other in that moment of our vows….also Dillon is excited for the chocolate wedding cake 🙂

Sooooo the only available bookings for September was the 11th or the 25th….Dolly day it is RIP

We have two cats (Poe, a black cat and Pepè, our tux kitty) we enjoy spending time with them at home watching horror movies or any shows that catch our eye. On the weekends we like to grab an emotional support coffee, watch Bob Ross (Dillon is a big fan) or some love island. I enjoy gal hooting to the antique mall or having any kind of a date day together.

Fall Elopement in the Smoky Mountains Vendors

Photography: Star Noir Studio
Florals: Chapel in the Hollow
Officiant: Ian Parrott
Venue: Chapel in the Hollow