Aaron & Chelsea | Engaged

 

I simply ADORE these two! I was thrilled when they told me they would love to have their engagement session somewhere that was special for them and that it would be at Aaron’s family lake house. Lets just say, I immediately started imagining amazing things and it did not disappoint! Not only do I love Chelsea’s fashion, but even better than that was the way Aaron was completely enthralled and in love with Chelsea! He made my job sooooo easy!

Aaron & Chelsea also have had the distinct pleasure (or lack thereof) of having their wedding date affected by the University of Tennessee football schedule. Oh yea. TN changed their opening football date (which pretty much runs the city) so Chelsea & Aaron made the decision to change up their date so their friends and family could still sport their Orange & White and NOT be running to any back rooms for play by plays! 🙂 I love how they chose to share the news! (Pun totally intended)

I’m beyond excited for August 30th and can’t wait to see how beautiful this wedding is going to be!!!

katie & robert {the question}

There is just way too much cuteness and sweetness in this session for me to NOT share! {As a precaution…I am ridiculously behind on blogging. And well, that’s about to change!} I have known Katie for years! We went to middle and high school together and when she asked me to take her wedding photos I just about fell over. {I think my mouth stayed open for a solid 3 minutes}.

I’m absolutely in LOVE with this little family! Robert and his daughter Hadley {as if there was any question, she looks just like her daddy} are two peas in a pod! You can just tell when you are around them that there is an incredible amount of love between those two! I felt so honored to be able to experience and capture Katie fitting right into their adorable family! Hadley was so silly and cute and sweet and just loved watching Katie and Robert have their picture taken. I’m not going to lie…she wanted to be in the pictures more than watch and I was SO happy for that! She was a little firecracker!

Katie and Robert decided to have their engagement session downtown and we were greeted by very chilly weather! But they were such champs! Robert did a very good job of keeping his girls warm! Snuggle up while peeking at these…they are so worth it! 😀

A fav…I just love this one! 😀

blake & lauren {the question}

My heart is happiest when I not only get to share this passion, but especially when I get to share it with those I love. Blake & Lauren are a very, very big part of mine and Rob’s life. Blake is Rob’s best friend. Lauren and I torture them about their “bromance” but it is honestly one of the most sincere friendships I have ever witnessed. They would do anything for each other, so when Blake told Rob that he was going to propose to Lauren (because they can’t keep any secrets from each other) I think I got just as excited as when Rob proposed to me. 😉

I was absolutely over the moon when Blake & Lauren took me up on my offer to shoot their engagement pictures. I was nervous…I mean butterflies in your belly, hand sweating while holding the camera nervous. I wanted them to have the best pictures I could possibly give them, not only as an engagement present, but because I know those will be images that they look back on for years!

I’m in LUST with these images! Ahhh, they honestly just make me super giddy! Not only was the weather absolutely perfect (it poured rain before the session and the Smokey Mountains totally lived up to their name) but backdrop was just to die for. I had never been to Cades’ Cove before, but after this visit, I would be more than happy to go again and again!

 This image makes my heart skip. I feel like it should be my poster child of Kayla F Photography I love it so much!

 Lauren is the free bird in my life. She is whimsical, thoughtful, and incredibly down to Earth. When she walked over and started picking flowers I think I even called her my little flower child. She eventually stuck them in her hair and it couldn’t have been more fitting.

Swoon! Seriously…

Lauren is such a beauty! I can’t wait to see how stunning she is going to be at their wedding!

 We ended our session and on the way out of Cades’ Cove we met this Momma and her adorable 3 (yes THREE) cubs! East TN never disappoints!

July can’t get here fast enough! Rob and I are more than excited to celebrate and enjoy their wedding festivities…tears will definitely be shed (at least by Rob and Blake). 🙂 

Smiles,

Kayla F

Emily & Blake {the question}

“Quintessential Knoxville” is what she asked for, and Quintessential Knoxville is exactly what she got! 😀 Emily & Blake are not originally from Knoxville, but have fallen in love with the city as most do when they go to the University of Tennessee! I loved listening to Emily talk about how much of a die-hard Volunteer fans her and Blake are (Emily worked for the football team while going to school) and knew that we had to start this session off down at Neyland Stadium! We were totally bummed that the field was closed, but decided to tromp around and we discovered the backside of the stadium. The area all of us alumni are familiar with…the student entrances! What could be a more perfect spot to start the session off? 

 I finally got Blake to loosen up a bit and to see Emily blush like she did was just the cutest moment ever!

 Oh Emily, you are going to be a stunning bride!

I am beyond excited to see Blake & Emily’s wedding day and all the hard work I know Emily has put into it!!! Can’t wait to see your amazing pictures you two! 

Smiles,

Kayla F

the question | erica & jared {knoxville, tn}

I am crazy thrilled to share this session with you all! Erica and I go WAY back…well, not really WAY (lets not age ourselves or anything) but we tended to hang out and “work together” during our Information Management courses at good ole University of Tennessee! I swear…I don’t think I would have made it through those classes without Erica! Lol!! So when she got in contact with me about having her session here in Knoxville and wanting ME to shoot it, I just about died!!! I might have secretly been FB stalking Erica and when I saw she was engaged I might have done a fun little dance to celebrate for her! 🙂 She’s all the way out in Cordova, TN so I never in a 100 years would have thought I would get an email from her…but I most certainly did! Yay!!!!

Fast forward to Erica telling me that she and Jared would like to have their pictures at…dun dun dun…Neyland Stadium!!! SCORE!!! :huh, no pun intended on that one: I was elated, but nervous. You just never know with the stadium! Sometimes you can get in, sometimes, theres just no such luck. I won’t give my source away (bc I don’t want him to get in trouble), but my dad would be so proud of me by just walking up to someone and asking him to let us in. My heart raced, especially when he told me I only had 3-5 minutes…Whoa! Here is the magic that happened!! 😀

Ok, so I’m happy I’m not the only one that was CRAZY excited!!!

 My FAV!!!!

Our 5 min was up FAST! But, we still had the rest of campus to tromp around on! I love this session so much! Erica and Jared were so awesome…and their puppers were pretty stinking cute too! 

Yes, that is a Rottweiler and a Dotson. Too funny, I know!

Ahhhh Erica & Jared! I know your wedding will be absolutely STUNNING and tons of fun!!!! I can’t wait to see pictures! 

Smiles,

Kayla F

the question | kendra and greg

You know when you meet two people and you think, “YES…they’ve got it right!” Well, thats exactly how I felt when I met Kendra and Greg. These two…man oh man, they’ve got it. They are over the moon in love with each other, they are sincere, and they are just so genuine. Not to mention, they are super fun!!! Kendra is actually old college roommates with one of my FAV brides Katie (see Katie and Henry’s wedding here) so I was thrilled when Kendra said she loved Katie’s pictures and they wanted to book me! :insert BIG smile here:

Kendra and Greg actually live out near Murfreesboro, but decided to come into town and head out to Ijams Nature Center for their engagement pictures and I am thrilled they did! I’ve shot at Ijams before, but this time I wanted to find new and awesome places! I think I succeeded! I loved shooting there…LOVED it! 

Kendra and Greg actually met while working at Carmax and had to keep their relationship on the quiet for a bit…so they wanted to have some fun shots of them in their uniforms for the pictures. I thought this was adorable!!! 

 Kendra had the CUTEST style!!!! Loved her spring dress, cardigan and her awesome necklace!

Omgsh…do you see what I mean about being so sincere! They were the cutest and cuddliest couple EVER!!!!!

Something happened when Kendra and Greg changed clothes. It was like the first part of the session was practice for all this magic that started to happen. I sound so silly, but things just started to click! This is definitely one of the number one reasons why I HIGHLY suggest an engagement session. I figured out how they work best together and they were so comfortable with me. 😀

 Yes…Yes…this is a tent. I died. Well, not really, but I did lay on the ground and just die over the pictures. It was amazing! I could have put 30 images of just the tent in here, but thought I would use some form of self control! 😉

Kendra and Greg, you two know how obsessed I am with you! Can you imagine how crazy I’m going to be at your wedding?!?! Squee!!!! I can’t wait! 😀

Smiles,

Kayla F

abby & andrew | the question

These two. Seriously. These two brightened my week during their session and then again when I was editing it! These two, Abby & Andrew, are perfect. They know how to hold eachother, Andrew knows the perfect time to kiss Abby (whether its an endearing kiss on the forehead, a sweet peck on the cheek or an eat your face with my beard kiss on the lips – you’ll see what I mean later). They are amazing together. I had the HONOR of taking their engagement pictures and am ecstatic to be witness to their amazing wedding coming up at the beginning of June.

I honestly can’t express the joy this session brought me. I don’t want to talk about it too much…because you will see it in the pictures. However, I will let you know a little bit about the day. They wanted it to be like a date. Literally. Me tag along while they did things they normally do. Check…I’m yours! So we started off at Coffee & Chocolate downtown and then did a little people watching at Krutch Park. 😀

 See what I mean about it being a date and me just taking pictures?!? Gah! I love it!

 A little bit of people watching…mixed in with some explanation of the Picard Maneuver

 We then decided to duck into Union Books for some fun!

And ended this amazing session down at World’s Fair Park with a little game of catch and getting our toes wet. Love these!!!

 This is totally what I mean about Andrew’s beard eating Abby’s face. Lol! I cracked up!

Abby & Andrew…You know how much I loved you two and your session! June 9th can’t get here fast enough! Its going to be crazy awesome! 😀

Smiles,

Kayla F

barbara & danny | the question

Barbara and Danny went out on a complete limb when they asked me to do their engagement session! Now, thankfully, they are friends with two of my FAVorite clients ever, Jessica and Justin (you may remember their insanely awesome Christmas Tree Farm session from back in December), and they recently became friends with Keely and Scott (because who wouldn’t want to be friends with them)! Isn’t the phrase “It’s a small world” so incredibly true?! 

I fell in love with Barbara before I ever met her! She told me she was bringing peacoats…LOTS of peacoats! And when she said an ORANGE peacoat…I about died! The crazy thing is, Barbara and Danny are big ole University of Kansas fans, but they work here in Knoxville on campus. So like all transplants, they’ve fallen in love with the University of Tennessee too! I loved their outfits! Talk about being coordinating without being matchy! Perfect!!!! 

Danny and Barbara also decided to bring along their pooch Shadow! I love, love LOVE anytime couples bring along their puppers! I love me some puppers and had Diesel in our engagement photos too!

These three were troopers! Actually, all 5 of them were…Jessica and Justin tagged along to help out with Shadow and take care of him while I shot snaps of just Barbara and Danny, Lol! The rain started the night before and just continued all day long. I’m a lover of rain, it makes me giddy and I always think it smells SO good, plus it tends to bring along clouds…which are amazing for photos. But shooting in the rain presents some obstacles. However, Danny and Barbara totally rolled with me and did whatever I asked them to! Seriously, they get the trooper award! 😀

I love LOVE these next two images! We happened to find this little location because we were trying to look for some shelter from the drizzle…and lo and behold, there was Neyland Stadium in the  background. I was giddy! 

 Isn’t Shadow just the prettiest pupper ever?!?

 LOVE Shadow in this one! I see a canvas in someone’s future! 😀

Danny and Barbara, I had the BEST time with you guys on this session and I am BEYOND thrilled about your wedding day!!!! 2014 is going to be phenomenal! 😀 

Smiles,

Kayla F

Vaishali and Salt’s: the question

I am so incredibly excited to share this next session. Vaishali and Salt are the sweetest, most sincere couple I have met in quite a while. The way Salt looks at Vaishali had me squealing and jumping around with excitement the entire session! I love seeing couple so incredibly in love and especially love having them in front of my camera! It makes my job SO easy…and FUN! 😀

So Vaishali contacted me about doing her engagement session. She and Salt wanted to do it somewhere that meant a lot to them and Fall Creek Falls was perfect! This just so happened to be the spot that Salt proposed! AND not only did he propose here, but the day that worked the best for both of us just so happened to be their anniversary!!! Meant to be?? I think so! 

As we were driving up to Fall Creek Falls, I had to constantly tell myself to stop looking at the trees and concentrate on the road! The leaves were beautiful! Since we were up on the plateau, the leaves were about 2 weeks ahead of the leaves here in Knoxville and I swear they were ten times as vibrant! There wasn’t a brown tree in sight! So mix in beautiful colors, Salt and Vaishali’s outfits and some beautiful waterfalls and you get this amazing session! I couldn’t be happier hope to see Vaishali and Salt soon! 😀

 A little rain never hurt anyone…until it started to pour. Lol! 

 Probably one of my favorites of the session. I love how sincere they both are with each other! 😀

 Salt lead Vaishali on a treasure hunt for his proposal. Vaishali had no idea and hoped that at the end there would be a picnic because she was so hungry! Love them!!!!

Vaishali and Salt! I can’t even begin to tell you both how much fun I had with you two! You both rock and I hope to work with you guys so soon!!!! 

Smiles,

Kayla F

My Love for Engagement Sessions

Engagement sessions are my favorite! There, I said it! Whooo! They really and sincerely are so much fun and so relaxing and just all-around awesome!!! I highly, highly recommend to every couple that I book that they have an engagement session! If you’re out of town, and you feel like there is no way you can fit in an engagement session, let’s a least talk about it! 😀  Let’s take 2 hours the week of your wedding and just hang out and take pictures. You don’t need to get all jazzed up; it can be a fun, laid back session that also serves as a nice break from all the crazy-week-of, last minute details and also allows you and your love to spend some fun, “un-wedding” time together…leave the tool and ribbon at home! 🙂 

I know a lot of grooms (and even brides) don’t see the benefit of doing an engagement session. This just absolutely breaks my heart! Let me tell you firsthand how beneficial engagement sessions are. Robby and I had an awesome engagement session. Now, it wasn’t with our wedding day photographer, but still being in front of the camera made us learn a lot!! Here are some things that you might not have thought about!

1.      I have never (and I say never) had a bride or groom say they regretted doing the engagement session. They are so.much.fun! Not only do you get to hang out with me for 2 hours (just kidding) but you also get to hang out with your love! There are no expectations, no rules, no limits!! It’s just you guys having fun! Who could ask for anything more?

2.      It allows for me to get to know you even more for the big day! It lets me learn what makes you comfortable and uncomfortable and allows for you to better understand me and how I work. Plus, when I tell you on the wedding day, “Oh, remember that pose we did at the engagement session that you totally rocked,” you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Or if I say, “Oh James, remember that cute little thing you told Ashley that made her feel absolutely stunning…tell her something else”, you won’t feel silly. It sounds corny but we will have a connection on the wedding day! This in turn makes wedding day pictures go SO much more smoothly!

3.      You can use the engagement pictures FOR the wedding day! Need an announcement for the paper? Want to send out photo Save-The-Dates or Thank You cards? Want to have a photo guest book? There are so many fun things you can do with your engagement photos that make your wedding day even more unique.

4.      If you are able to do an engagement session…and it doesn’t frighten you ;), it is a fantastic time to do a trial run of your makeup! Having your makeup done will not only make you feel insanely beautiful, but it will LAST through the engagement session. No raccoon eyes in the middle of July or barely there lips in chilly November!

My amazing December bride, Keely, was insanely sweet and wrote a little something something about her engagement session:
“Our session for our engagement pictures was AMAZING with Kayla! Scott sometimes gets tired of having his picture taken, so I was initially concerned with how long his smile would last, but Kayla kept us laughing the entire session so he had a great, natural smile throughout all of the pictures! We also felt completely comfortable with Kayla. We took our pictures outside near the Grist Mill at Norris Dam, and Kayla took us around to multiple spots and just observed us how we are. She got great shots that did not look posed at all. Needless to say, the pictures turning out wonderful and the quality was so great we printed them on magnets to send out for our save the dates. Can’t wait to see how our wedding day pictures turn out!!” – Keely

And because I absolutely LOVE my engagement pictures, I thought I would share one that shows just how much fun we really did have! 😀

So if you are a future or current bride, please definitely consider an engagement session! Its a great time for you and your love to spend some time together just having fun, and in the end…you’ll have some amazing pictures! 🙂
Smiles,
Kayla F