September Evening Micro Wedding
Arica and Mike September 18, 2026
Arica and Mike’s September evening micro wedding managed to squeeze several different versions of East Tennessee into just a few hours. We started with a hot, muggy September afternoon, moved into beautiful golden-hour light, watched storm clouds begin rolling across the Smoky Mountains, and finished just as dusk was fading into darkness.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that, Mike absolutely LOST IT when he saw his bride coming down the aisle.
We’re talking full-on ugly crying.
No discreetly wiping away one dignified tear. No staring toward the sky and pretending the pollen was unusually aggressive. Mike saw Arica walking toward him, the emotions arrived all at once, and that was it.
It. Was. Glorious. 😂❤️
A Warm, Romantic Look for an Evening Wedding
Arica and Mike chose sand and champagne fabric for the chapel and paired it with our bohemian florals. They also added the gold and mini candle package, which brought a warm, romantic feeling to the space that worked especially well as the afternoon slowly transitioned toward evening. Arica brought two tall floral arrangements of her own to place beside the small table they would use for their hourglass sand ceremony. The combination of the neutral fabric, boho flowers, gold accents, candles, and her additional florals looked beautiful against the still-lush September forest.
That’s one of the funny things about September weddings in East Tennessee. Mentally, everyone is ready for fall. We’ve started thinking about pumpkins, sweaters, changing leaves, and cooler weather. Meanwhile, Tennessee is frequently still serving up summer temperatures and a whole lot of green. Arica and Mike definitely got the warm version of September, but by the end of their wedding, Mother Nature finally started giving us a few hints of the season ahead.
A First Look With Her Son
Before the ceremony, Arica’s sister and friends helped her get ready. Those last few minutes before a wedding can be such a fun mixture of excitement, nerves, fixing tiny details, and everyone making sure the bride has absolutely everything she needs before walking out the door.
Once Arica was ready, though, she had one more moment planned before seeing Mike.
She had a first look with her son.
I love when couples make room for moments like this during a micro wedding. The day may ultimately be about two people getting married, but marriage often joins and celebrates families, too. Taking a few quiet minutes for Arica and her son gave them a memory that belonged specifically to the two of them before the ceremony began. And he had another important job waiting for him. After their first look, Arica’s son would be the one walking his mom down the aisle to Mike.
And Then Mike Saw His Bride
Mike was waiting at the chapel when Arica began making her way down the aisle with her son.
Then he saw her.
And that man CRIED. 😂
Not a cute little movie-star tear carefully rolling down one cheek, either. Mike’s entire face gave him away. Whatever plan he may or may not have had for maintaining his composure disappeared immediately. Honestly, these are some of my favorite ceremony reactions because you can’t manufacture them.
Wedding days can involve a lot of planning. Couples spend months making decisions about flowers, clothing, music, decor, photography, timelines, and a thousand other details. But you can’t schedule the exact feeling that hits when you suddenly see the person you’re about to marry coming toward you. Mike’s reaction was completely real, and it was wonderful.
Arica, meanwhile, got to walk toward a man who was very clearly thrilled to be marrying her.
I’d say that’s a pretty solid way to begin a ceremony. ❤️
Personal Promises and an Hourglass Sand Ceremony
Once Arica reached the chapel, it was time for these two to actually get married. They exchanged rings, made their promises to one another, and completed their sand ceremony together.
Instead of using a traditional vase for their sand ceremony, Arica and Mike chose an hourglass. They combined their sand inside it, creating something they can keep from their wedding day that is both symbolic and a little different from the traditional version. I especially like the idea of using an hourglass because time is such an interesting part of marriage. A wedding ceremony lasts a matter of minutes, but the promises made during it are meant for all of the ordinary days and years that come afterward.
Plus, it looks cool.
We can be sentimental AND practical here. 😂
Once the ceremony was finished and everything was official, Arica and Mike still had plenty to fit into their September evening micro wedding before we disappeared with them for newlywed photos.
Family Photos, Wedding Cake, and a Dance Together
We gathered their family and friends around the chapel for group photos first. With a micro wedding, everyone can stay close to the action, and there is something really nice about being able to document the people who actually shared the day with you without spending the next hour working through an enormous photography list.
After family photos, Arica and Mike cut their wedding cake and took a little time to celebrate before slowing things down for a dance together to their special song. I love that they included a few reception-style traditions without needing an entire traditional reception. A smaller wedding doesn’t mean you have to skip cake, dancing, toasts, or anything else you actually care about. You can pick the pieces that matter to you and leave the rest behind.
Arica and Mike got to have their ceremony, celebrate with the people they loved, cut their cake, and share a dance together. Then everyone else was officially released from photography duty.
Which meant things could get slightly less wholesome.
Newlywed Photos and Questionable Humor
As a former Marine, Mike was apparently VERY prepared for this portion of the evening. 😂
Once family photos were finished and everyone else could relax, we got to concentrate completely on Arica and Mike. This is usually where couple portraits become less about looking perfectly polished and more about getting the newlyweds to forget there is a camera pointed at them.
There may have been dirty jokes.
There may have been canoodling.
There was definitely laughing.
Whatever works.
We started with some gorgeous photos of Arica and Mike sitting together on the chapel steps. By then, the light was beginning to change, and the whole feeling of the evening was shifting with it. The bright September afternoon was finally softening.
And that meant it was time to head toward the mountains.
Catching the Tail End of Golden Hour
We made our way out to the field with the mountain view right at the tail end of golden hour.
And OH. MY. GOODNESS.
This is where their wedding evening really decided to show off.
The harsh brightness of the afternoon had faded, leaving us with softer, moodier light over the field. The Smoky Mountains stretched out behind Arica and Mike, and in the distance, you could see that the weather was beginning to change.
Storm clouds were rolling in.
The breeze started picking up.
And then the leaves began drifting down around them.
It was one of those moments where everything happening in the background makes a photograph feel completely different. We didn’t arrange it. We certainly couldn’t have ordered it. The wind just picked up at exactly the right time and sent leaves floating through the scene while Arica and Mike stood together in the field.
We even caught video of it happening.
Apparently Mother Nature had reviewed the wedding timeline and decided to provide complimentary special effects. 🍂😂
Storm Clouds Over the Smoky Mountains
The incoming storm gave the mountains an entirely different mood from the bright sunshine we’d had earlier, and that’s something I love about an evening wedding in the Smokies. The scenery can change dramatically over a surprisingly short amount of time.
Arica and Mike’s wedding photos moved from the green forest and warm chapel to soft golden-hour portraits and then into darker, moodier mountain views as the storm approached. The weather wasn’t something we could control, but the timing worked beautifully.
We kept photographing while the wind moved through the field and the sky changed behind them. Arica and Mike snuggled, laughed, and enjoyed those last few minutes of light while the mountains did their thing in the background.
Then we wrapped up.
And we did it at exactly the right time.
From September Sunshine to Dusk
By the time we finished in the field, the weather was becoming noticeably stormier. We headed back toward the chapel just as dusk was beginning to slip into darkness.
It was such a fitting ending to a September evening micro wedding because we had gotten to watch the entire atmosphere change around us.
When the day began, it was hot, muggy, bright, and green. By the end, the sun was gone, the breeze had picked up, leaves were falling, clouds were moving over the Smokies, and darkness was settling into the forest.
Same wedding.
Same evening.
Completely different moods.
And right in the middle of all of it were Arica and Mike, who seemed perfectly happy just being married.
A Micro Wedding With a Little Bit of Everything
Looking back at Arica and Mike’s wedding, there wasn’t really one single thing that made it memorable.
It was all the little pieces stacked together.
Arica getting ready with her sister and friends. Her first look with her son and having him walk her down the aisle. Mike seeing her and immediately abandoning any hope of maintaining his dignity. 😂 Their rings and promises. The hourglass sand ceremony. Family photos with the people who came to celebrate them. Cutting their wedding cake. Dancing together to their song.
Then there was the quieter part of the evening, when everyone else stepped away and Arica and Mike could just be newlyweds for a while.
They laughed on the chapel steps. They survived our questionable photography humor. They headed out to the field as golden hour faded. They stood together with the Smoky Mountains behind them while storm clouds rolled in and leaves drifted through the air.
It wasn’t an enormous wedding.
It didn’t need to be.
Their September evening micro wedding had family, emotion, traditions they cared about, time together, beautiful scenery, and one groom who made VERY sure nobody had to wonder how he felt about seeing his bride.
That’s a pretty fantastic wedding day in my book. ❤️
Congratulations, Arica and Mike!!
May married life bring you plenty more beautiful sunsets, dances to your favorite songs, inappropriate jokes, and reasons for Mike to ugly cry in the happiest possible way. 😂❤️
From the Bride:
We met at our CrossFit gym in Murfreesboro about 5 years ago. The first date was just 2 friends watching Welcome to Deary. We’ve been together since the first episode.
Mike proposed at our gym during our warm up in front of the entire class and our friends. We decided on East Tennessee for our September evening micro wedding because of the mountains and package. I’m most looking forward to marrying the love of my life in front of our friends and our kids.
We chose the date because Sept 18th is my dad’s birthday. He passed away when I was 5, and it feels like he’ll be with me.
For fun, we like to work out and go to concerts.
September Evening Micro Wedding Vendors
Event Management: Taylor with Custom Love Gifts & Events
Venue: Chapel in the Hollow
Photography: Star Noir Studio
Officiant: Ian Parrott
Chapel Florals: Chapel in the Hollow
Bouquets: Etsy
Wedding Dress: Galina Signature from David’s Bridal
Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse
Rings: Brilliant Earth and Jared Jewelers
Wedding Cake: Publix
Hair & Makeup: Bailey Rouse