Okay. You know when you're a little kid, and you get a new toy... and it's so awesome that you don't even want to play with it because you're afraid it'll get dirty? That's how I felt about this wedding. I have coveted it, and nurtured it and poured over this wedding because I adore Kristen and her fiance Tyler so incredibly much. You may have gotten to know these two through their engagement session, posted back on my blog in June (click here!) - but I hope that you can truly see how much love there is between them and all parties involved.

Kristen (seriously, go follow her on tumblr) is a super creative person. She literally put so much heart into their wedding, hand-melding each decoration together to completely represent their personalities. I can honestly say I have never had such a detailed filled wedding. They're my favorite! I love feeling overwhelmed by all of the details that you don't even know where to start photographing them. I literally just started crying when I walked into the reception hall, partially because of my relationship with Kristen and how happy I was for them.. but seriously, look at this place!

I will forever remember the moments of this wedding that have set it apart and made it completely different than any wedding I've shot before, both aesthetically and because of the mood that was set by Camp Sky Ranch. The wooden cabins where the separate parties were getting ready, the Bon Iver playlist (which was coming from my phone! Whoo!) that softly played in the background of the ceremony while the rain was POURING down outside, lightly misting everyone in the chapel (and thankfully cooling all of us off).. the beams of sunlight coming over the umbrellas and backlighting our portraits. Baby Jude (Kristen and Tyler's sweet boy) running around, making everyone laugh, the absolutely delicious southern dinner & family style seating.. I could literally go on and on with how special this wedding was.

I never do posts this big, and this is a part one of two because I had so many images that I couldn't pick and choose. Between a first look with bridesmaids, then with Kristen's father.. a gorgeous little chapel with open windows, a surprise Katy Perry performance (just wait for the video).. I just had to split this up!

{From the bride...}

"This wedding had been a long time coming. After we had Jude, it was only a matter of time as to 'when' we would tie the knot. Even through all the craziness of an unplanned pregnancy, there was never an 'if' we would get married.... it was just when. So this left me a lot of time for planning while I waited for the “when” part.

During that time, so many ideas bounced around in my brain of what I wanted. The most important thing was having The Blue Ridge Mountains incorporated. Of course, this is where we met so it made the most sense. This idea eventually led me to find Camp Sky Ranch, which was very much under the radar in the wedding world and even better, was in Blowing Rock which also held sentimental value in our relationship .It was a stellar find for us because it captured everything I could have ever wanted in a venue: rustic comfort full of love and originality. The owners were beyond sweet and accommodating, which really helped me because I was planning everything 3 hours away. The food was from one of the best restaurants in the High Country, which specializes, in unique tasting of game like duck, trout, pheasant, ostrich etc. After the food and venue were decided everything else just came along naturally. I spent months researching color palettes, themes and wedding blogs like every other future bride. And just like others, it just seemed overwhelming and confusing. That's when I decided to go ahead and ditch the normalcy of what I was supposed to do...This was the fun part.

I guess if I had to describe my wedding, I would want it to be portrayed as a fun bohemian family cookout. Maybe this is why I avoided going over themes. I wanted my wedding to convey a feeling and a mood, rather than a matching color scheme attached to a generic wedding tradition. I would ask myself the same questions over and over... Is this all going to go together? Are people going to understand what I'm doing? And fortunately it did. I couldn't help but cry tears of joy after I saw the final product of all of my hard work...and let me tell you, wrapping over 30 bottles of yarn by yourself is worth it. Don't let anyone steer you away of those precious details you hold dearly. My wedding was beautiful beyond words and went so smoothly I couldn't believe nothing went wrong. I even squeezed in enough time to perform "Firework" by Katy Perry for Tyler (he’s her biggest fan) who also cried tears of joy during my performance! It was the best thing I've ever done and I would suggest for other brides to surprise their guy with something special too.

Overall, everything was perfect... the music, mood, food and decorations came together. Even the weather was beautiful because you know they say its good luck to rain on your wedding day!"

I knew from the moment Katie e-mailed me, this would be an amazing wedding to be a part of.

Even from her e-mails, I could tell she was as laid back as they came, open for anything and a true southern girl at heart. After about fifteen emails exchanged back and forth, we determined that her and Jonathan would be doing a "first look"..

SIDE NOTE: There are huge debates on weither or not to do a first look. Some argue in favor, saying that it's such an intimate moment to share between the bride and groom that shouldn't be shared in front of everyone else.. and some are against it, saying it's a totally non-traditional thing to do. Personally? I'm in favor. It gives not only breathtakingly emotional and intimate photographs, but it captures that moment of excitement for the bride and groom to see each other that first time, forever.

Anyway, as the details unraveled, I became more and more excited that they chose me for their wedding photographer. I went to school at ASU in Boone, and miss it dearly. I knew that the location, no matter where it would be- was bound to be beautiful. I also knew that between Katie's laid back attitude and the decision to be my FIRST first look- we'd be just fine. While I am not too familiar with their background, I can tell you from the look on Jonathan's face when he saw Katie for the first time at the top of the mountain, overlooking all of Boone- these two crazy kids are madly in love. And you'll be able to tell that by the smile Katie couldn't seem to wipe off her face the entire day.

After eight hours of time with both Katie and Jonathan on their wedding day, I can also tell you that they have good people and even more amazing families surrounding them. Sarah (my second shooter) and I were greeted and given farewells with giant hugs and best wishes. The food was delicious (catered by Bandana's BBQ), the venue (The Harvest House) was beautifully decorated with giant slideshows of family pictures, and the cheer of that day was infectious.

Katie and Jonathan: I wish for you guys to have a lifelong desire for each other. I hope for many, many hours of laughter- of peace wherever you are led by Jonathan's career and for those smiles to never, EVER be wiped off your faces.