Carrie and Josh. Oh how we love thee. Let us count the ways. From Carries bubbly fun personality to Josh’s shy demeanor around us they just make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside! They really, really do!  All jokes aside. We Promise!

We actually met Carrie and Josh at the wedding of Katie and Andy Giffin that we shot this past summer of 2011. Carrie was a brides maid and of course Josh was her date. We we already feel like we know them.

We met with Carrie and Josh at the beginning of Fall end of summer this past year and talked all things weddings. Luckily with our fingers crossed they booked us for their big wedding shabang. Wahoo!

The slang “Wedding shabang” includes not only the wedding coverage and festivities but also the engagement photos which is what we shot  in early November.  The weather was perfect. Carrie looked adorable as usual and Josh was starting to really warm up to us. By wedding day, We will probably feel like one big happy family.

This year we decided to have a Christmas mini session. Only 1 month after the Fall mini sessions.  So you may ask, were we a bit insane doing this? Yes and No. Yes because November was a very very busy month for us. 2 weddings, engagement session, and regular sessions. We were busy bees. But we did it and we did it with our usual class and style. It was pretty fun too, we might add.

We decked our studio with Red, Green, and White. Threw in some Candy Canes, Christmas lights,  presents and props galore. Christmas mini session time was ready to rock around the Christmas tree!

There were about 19 families who attended the Christmas minis of 2011. Which means we will probably be having another Christmas mini for 2012. We really love our mini sessions. They are great for families who have young children and don’t want to waste money on a whole session that they will only get to use half of  because of an unhappy little camper.

Our families who came to this years Christmas minis just warmed our hearts.  Each family was dressed so cute and  made the Christmas spirit really come alive even though these were taken before Thanksgiving. Some of the kidos were very confused as to why the Christmas tree was up at the studio and not at there house, They wanted to know why the presents weren’t for them and why some were empty. They also asked us if we forgot about Thanksgiving. We really got some good jolly laughs at these sessions.  Kids say the darnedest things.

This families got a whole lot of love going on. In this session there was Jane and Jeff, Anna, Graysen, and baby Parker, Scotty and his wife Karen, Then Amy, Phil and Drake. They are kind of like a modern day Brady Bunch.  It was taken the day before Thanksgiving and they really were so greatful to have these taken because not everyone lives in town and Scotty was home from Iraq for the Holidays.

We all drove out to a special location also known as Red Clay. When we first arrived Anna, Graysen and baby P were already there. It is a bit of a drive so naturally we had to use the rest room. When walking into the bathroom an orange stray cat  jumped out at Dee and about scared her half to death! This cat proceeded to assist us through out the WHOLE session. It was very fascinated by Parker and Parker was very fascinated by the kitty.

Can we just say, Thank the good Lord for Photo Shop, because if not in almost every photo you would see the that darn orange cat. But with your little eye can you spy in what photo its in out these? We had to leave the cat  in just one to remember our little orange friend.

The ole tabby really did help us get Parker to smile. Parker thought it was just hilarious when we held the furry feline over our heads and made him dance a little jig! I believe everyone else thoroughly enjoyed it as well. Good times!

We are so glad that Jane asked us to do these for their family.  We feel very lucky to have been able to catch these family memories for them, especially around the Holidays.

We are waaaay over due for posting this blog. We have been swamped this
Fall and Winter season. First off we just want to say a big thank you to everyone who attended the 2011 Fall mini sessions. Yall are what make us get up and out of the best every morning because you let us love our job.

This years 2011 mini sessions were a bit different than 2010 Fall mini sessions. We had planned out what we were going to do in August and by October we were roaring to get started. We actually had little “stations” for all of our clients to go to during shooting time. There were 5 different areas that all incorporated a Fall theme to them.

We had been looking for over 2 months for inspiration, collecting old crates and palettes to really give it a country Fall theme feel. When the day of the first round of sessions had arrived we felt like we were awaiting a special babies arrival!

We usually only have “Mini Sessions” for 1 weekend but the first weekends spots went like hot cakes so we decided to open up another weekend and it also got completely booked. Again, We just love our clients!

Like we said before these are way over due but we just had to write a blog about all your wonderful families that came out to the 2011 Fall Mini Sessions. We hope to see you this year at the 2012 Spring and Fall Minis!

We are a bit behind posting about what has been going on in the Bloom world. So we will start off with this beautiful November weddings in 2011.

Brianne and Josh tied the knot. Brianne was one of the most laid back brides of the year. Even at the engagement session back in  when her zipper wouldn’t cooperate she was pretty calm about that and just used another dress she had in the car. Now that is a prepared woman!

But back to the wedding. It was a beautiful Fall day with love in the air at the Signal Crest United Methodist church. Josh, the groom was also very laid back until some of his grooms men were running a few minutes behind. No worries though, they made it in time for the ceremony!

Following the pretty ceramony we all headed to the reception which was held at the Mariott. It was so pretty in all of its bronze and golden Fall colors. Brianne and her momma made the wedding favors that were little pumpkin and apple pies! Too Cute if we do say so ourselves.

The night was filled with dancing  and laughter along with some yummy looking fresh cooked foods. oh and we cant forget how delicious the cake was. YUM!

Congrats Josh and Brianne!

Listen up! Did you get engaged over the holiday? Or…do you know someone who is planning a wedding? Send them our way!

It’s Bride War time, folks!

Last year we had an awesome response to this contest and met some of our favorite brides of the year this way, we are so excited to do it again!

Ok…so…If you, or someone you know (who appreciate discounts and free things) could use our services for their upcoming wedding, NOMINATE THEM! We are taking nominations until this Sunday, January 8th! Then, nominees will be collected and placed in their own album right here on Facebook. 

Then the voting begins! (details about that later)

After the one week voting period is over, the grand prize winner will get 2 tickets to the Pink Bridal Show, 10% off their photography package with us, and a FREE engagement session! And no worries, we play fair…so the 1st and 2nd runners up will get a ticket to the bridal show as well. 

Ready to nominate? Email us at bloomchattanooga@gmail.com with your favorite photo of the lovebirds and a brief story about the couple. Please also include the nominees contact information. 

READY??? OK! Go!!

Hello there beautiful clients!  

In light of this fresh new year we are offering a special on our bombshell sessions! Which will be the PERFECT gift for that special someone in your life this Valentines day.  Or, it would be a great gift to give yourself as an anti-Valentines day celebration of your bombshell-ness!  

It’s time to crank up the heat on this old holiday…

There will be a limited number of sessions booked at this price.  In order to be able to have the images edited and the album back in time for V-Day these sessions will have to be completed before January 31st.  So book it ASAP!

A disc of your images is available for an additional $150 plus tax.

Here is an example of the mini album that is included (except…umm…it won’t have children’s photos in it!):

We will only be booking 2 sessions per day.  

The days we have available to be booked are:

Saturday, January 14

Thursday, January 26

Friday, January 27

Saturday, January 28

Sunday, January 29

We will update this blog as sessions become unavailable.

To keep cost low for you we will not be offering hair and makeup.  We can refer you to some amazing stylist and makeup artists though, if you need any suggestions.  We will have some hairstyling supplies on hand in case you need just a little touch up.  :)

A $50 (plus tax) deposit is required to hold your session time.  

Please email us at bloomchattanooga@gmail.com to book your session!

Our bags were packed, and we were ready to go!  We have been so excited about the wedding of Bailey and Traverse, it was hard to believe the time had come.  These two are some of the sweetest people on earth and we are so happy that they found each other.  We are also beyond thrilled that they chose us to document their most special day.

We came to Brentwood Tennessee a day early to scope out the venue and get a feel for the wedding day.  When we pulled up to the gated entrance our jaws dropped.  The Governors Club is beyond pristine and immaculate, and the homes on the property were so big, we were convinced we would see Puff Daddy driving his golf cart around.  The grounds of the Pleasant Hill Manor only made us more excited.  We looked at each other and said, ‘This is perfect.’  The rehearsal went off without a hitch and everything seemed calm.  After some yummy italian food (Amerigo’s is a must eat when in Nashville/Brentwood) we headed to the hotel to rest up for the big day.  

Early the next day we went to meet Bailey at the hotel where she was getting all ‘brided’ up.  All the bridesmaids were getting ready in one suite and Bailey was in another suite all to herself.  She said she just wants to be as calm as possible, which proves she is a smart girl…she knew the rest of the day would be crazy.  

Once she got all done up she met us at Pleasant Hill and it was time to get in her dress and to see her soon to be husband for their first look.  Traverse was so cute and acted a little nervous, somewhat fidgety when she was walking up behind him.  Once they saw each other it’s almost like he was speechless, frozen in his tracks, and utterly amazed by how beautiful she looked.  It was truly adorable.

Every wedding is different, but all in all this was the most calm and organized wedding we had ever been a part of.  The weather that day was amazing, they couldn’t have asked for anything better.  The ceremony was so sweet and the reception was a full on party.  

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs Read and thank you again for having us share in your special day.   

Hey guys, it’s Dani.  I thought I would take a moment and share with you this beautiful wedding since it is really close to my heart.  I have know the bride Andraya since I was about 12 years old.  I met her when the boy I was dating at the time, Anthony introduced me to his older sister.  This is kind of how it played out:

(I can say this only because Andraya is quite aware that this is in fact how her brother spoke of her at 12 years old.)

He warned me, “She’s a freak, but don’t be afraid.  She just tries to look scary…you know, like Marilyn Manson”.  

I remember thinking, “Oh my God.”

But, when I met her it was clear that on the outside Anthony and Andraya could not be any more different from each other.  At the time Anthony was a tough talking preppy jock who didn’t seem to be afraid of anything.  Andraya was a goth/metal princess who wanted to give the impression of being unafraid of the world.  But once you get to know them… underneath their ‘tough’ exteriors… they are so much alike.  They are both loving, caring, and emotional people who would give you their last dime or the shirt right off their back.  Together, these two could give an alternate meaning to the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’.  Labels and stereotypes don’t really mean anything, it’s just a cover.

Ok, fast forward if you will 10ish years (hey, I’m not giving my age away…) to the most beautiful day in May when I married my 7th grade sweetheart Anthony.  This day is important to this story because that is the very same day that Andraya became my sister.

In the years when I was between 12 and 20ish, we watched Andraya go through a whole lot.  After her high school loves, she was married and had a beautiful little girl named Lydia.  Later on, she went through things that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.   Torment and torture from a husband that didn’t deserve her love.  These years changed both her spirit and the spirit of their darling little girl.  The girls almost seemed broken.  

But then the most amazing thing happened.  Andraya met James.

Let’s be honest though…this isn’t a ‘he met her and they lived happily ever after’ kind of story.  We were skeptical at first.  After seeing her go through so much we wanted to make DARN SURE that this guys is not going anything bad to her.  Anthony, his Father, and I were going to really have to be convinced that this guy is legit.  Well… very quickly we learned that he is made of pure gold.  Lydia became a big sister when Andraya and James had a baby girl named Evelyn.  For the first time in a long time it appeared as though Andraya was really happy, her spirit seemed to be healing.  

Then it’s like a bomb went off in our lives.  Anthony and Andraya’s father Tony was diagnosed with advanced terminal lung cancer about a year and a half ago.  Now, usually something this devastating for a family would be sure to ruin a new relationship.  And since we didn’t really know him all that well we wondered if James would run.

But he didn’t run, he was right there through everything.  He was holding her hand through her fathers chemo treatments, last birthday parties, hospital visits… and in the end he was holding her had at the funeral.  James even held my hand when I took on the tradition of Thanksgiving.  I had a moment of nerves and wondered if I could get it all together, it was a very small gesture that I will never forget.  We made it through, all of us together.  Then shortly after, James’ father fell very ill, so they traveled hand in hand to California and since his father was not able to travel they got officially married while they were there.  Sadly, James’ father lost his battle as well. 

But guess what?  Together, they made it through.

When Tony was alive he gave everyone his stamp of approval for James.  It meant the world to him to see his little girl finally happy.  Although we never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gardner, we would like to think that he gave the same stamp of approval to their union.

So when they decided to get married here in Tennessee and celebrate their love, I was honored to be able to document their celebration.  It was a laid back enchanted evening at Pot Point park.  The wedding was ‘classic Andraya’, and guests were in costumes, belly dancers performing at the reception, the girls wore victorian style dresses, and the groom was in a top hat.  It was perfect.

Congratulations Andraya and James!  Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your special day.  

the first look

he approves!

she is stunning.

yes, these cakes.  yes.

my husband and his best friend.  :)

Lil!

Anthony giving his sister away.

Lydia telling secrets.  

the kiss.

they set up a little tribute to Tony and James’ father who also passed this year.  I caught brother and sister holding hands.  

yes, brides can bellydance!

happy love.