Juliette Georgia - Morgan + Logan

Ashah Smith January 25, 2016

Morgan + Logan

Location: Juliette, Georgia

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Morgan & Logan, Y'all kill me with how cute y'all are. I had so much fun photographing y'all! I can't wait until the next time;) - Ashah

Aska Farms of Blue Ridge Wedding - Kathryn + Blake

Ashah Smith January 20, 2016

Kathryn + Blake

Venue: Aska Farms of Blue Ridge - Blue Ridge, Georgia

Hair & Makeup: Hannah Sikes & team with Clay & Company Salon

Florist: All About You Wedding & Events

Videographer: Imagine Video Productions

DJ: Sentelle Music Group

Second Photographer: Candice Emerson

"We met at a tire store of all places! I, (Kathryn) had gotten new back tires put on my car, and had rode with my parents back to the store to pick my car up. When I went inside the office to pay, I heard someone behind me say "Kathryn?" I turned around and it was Blake. But I had no idea who he was at the time, so I was trying to place him... do I know him from work, or from church, or did he work there... I had no idea! He said "I know your parents, but you don't know me... good to see you!" Then he turned around and started to leave. Mike, a man who worked at the store, called out "Dude! Are you going to tell her how you know her parents, or are you just going to leave her hanging?" Blake then came back inside, and as we got started talking, he explained how he knew my dad and Uncle Ricky, had grown up in the same Sunday School class as some of my cousins, and knew my grandmother and had gone to her funeral, and saw me there. So he told me all this information, but I still had to ask... "Now, whats your name?" And he just told me "Blake," no last name, no nothin'! He pretty much left right after that. So after I had paid, I went to talk to my parents, who were waiting in the parking lot until I was done, and told them I had just met a guy named Blake who said he knew them and had gone to Nanny's funeral. My dad had no idea who I was talking about, but my mom said "I know who that is! That's Barbara Thornhill's grandson! It sounds like he likes you!" A few days later, out of curiosity, I added him on Facebook, and the rest is history!"

"I (Blake) was going by the tire store in Flowery Branch to get Mike and the guys to check out a tire that was going slack. Turns out the tire was fine. While I was waiting, I saw this beautiful girl walk into the office. I recognized her as Kathryn, who I had seen at her grandmother's funeral a couple years earlier. I went into the office and proceeded to make a fool of myself, stammering and stuttering. I tried to leave before making too big a fool of myself, but Mike, who works there, made me stay. I figured I would never hear from Kathryn again. A couple days later, I had a friend request from her on Facebook. I asked my Mom why she would want to be friends, considering how badly I thought things had gone at the tire store. She said that I probably made a better impression than I thought. We went on a date, and then another, and now we're married. How cool is that?"

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There is a cool story behind this veil. If you look to the left of her veil you will see a little hole. This was her mother's wedding veil. During her mother & father's wedding she leaned up near a candle and burned a little whole in it. Kathryn said she thought about fixing it but decided not to. I love that she didn't "fix" it. What a cool keepsake to pass down to your daughter!

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How did you feel when you saw each other for the first time on the wedding day?

From Kathryn: "For me, I felt really calm when I finally saw Blake. I had been really nervous in the minutes before the ceremony, especially when I was waiting to talk through the doors, but when I saw Blake I was like, "Okay. This isn't a big deal.""

From Blake: "When the doors opened and I saw her in her dress for the first time, I was overwhelmed and began to cry. She was, and still is, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. That afternoon, as the sun shone on her, she was absolutely radiant".

What was the most memorable moment of the day?

From Kathryn: "Mine has to be a tie. When the ceremony music started, and I heard all the songs Blake and I had picked out for the ceremony, I started crying. Then when my dad linked arms with me right before we walked down the aisle, he whispered "It's okay, it's okay." Which of course, only made the the crying thing worse, but was really sweet. My other moment was during the reception, after we had been outside doing the night shots, Blake and I came back into the house, went into the bridal suite, and closed the doors. We sat in the chairs and just laid back for a few minutes. We could see everyone dancing through the french doors, and it was just a calm, private moment between us where we soaked it all in."

From Blake: "For me, there are two moments that jump to mind...the first is when I saw her for the first time, as the doors opened and Kathryn and her Dad began walking down the aisle toward me. The second happened only a few minutes later. The ceremony was over and we were walking back up the aisle as a newly-married couple. We passed the last row of seats, then looked at each other and said together "We're married!" It was a moment caught in one of the pictures and may be the happiest I have ever looked. I know it was one of my happiest moments ever."

If you could do it all over again, would you change anything?

"Nothing at all! There were small things that went wrong during the day, but for the most part it was perfect! We would like to give a shout out to all the vendors that helped make our day so special! Alex and her team at Aska Farms of Blue Ridge, Dina and her team at All About You events, Hanna from Clay and Company Salon and her crew that did mine and my bridesmaids hair and make- up, Jess Clark and Rodney Thornton that made all the wood pieces for the ceremony, Ryan Lindsay and his team with Imagine Video productions who made our beautiful video and, of course, our amazing photographer Ashah and her assistant Candice!"

Do you have any advice to other brides & grooms?

"For us, the greatest source of stress during the planning process was the guest list! We both are blessed with such big families, church families and and friends that the number got out of hand very fast! I would tell other couples just to invite who you have room for, and not to stress about the rest!"

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

"Gatlinburg, Tennessee"

Oconee Ridge Wedding in Tennille Georiga - Brittany+Ben

Ashah Smith January 14, 2016

Brittany + Ben

Venue: Oconee Ridge Outfitters

Florist: Warthen Lane Interiors

Caterer: J.T. Jeffords Catering

Cakes: Vanessa Ashley & Susan Haywood

Hair: Kaitlyn Coffee & Chelsea Garner with Designing Line

Makeup: Paige Walters

Videographer: Justin Peay Productions

Band: Reunion Band

Coordinator: Sharon O'Neal

Second Photographer: Candice Emerson

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How did you feel when you saw each other for the first time on the wedding day?

Brittany - "I was so excited for him to finally see my dress and just have some time together just the 2 of us. Seeing him made it all so real. It's an indescribable feeling I will never forget."

Ben - "Stunned. I turned around and saw her and she looked so beautiful. All I could do was smile."

What was the most memorable moment of the day?

Ben - "First look." Brittany - "The vows of course. But we both come from a musical family (even though we didn't inherit any of it) so they played our first dance live. My dad played the drums, my uncle on the bass, Ben's brother Thomas on acoustic and then my sister in law and first cousin sang the duet. The song talks about being part of God's greater plan and Him bringing two people together. In that moment I just wanted time to freeze. It was so special and something I will always cherish."

If you could do it all over again, would you change anything?

"No! We still talk about how perfect and smooth everything seemed to go."

Do you have any advice to other brides & grooms?

Ben - "Take it easy the night before at the rehearsal dinner. You want to feel good the next day. It's the most important day of your life."

Brittany - "Stay calm and really take the time to think about the commitment you're about to make. We were the first wedding at our venue so it was a big undertaking to bring my vision to life. We were out there the week of stringing lights , working in flower beds, building an arbor, etc. I was so scared if wouldn't all come together but finally convinced myself to just relax. The morning of I took time (by myself) to walk around the venue and thank God for the beautiful day. Just having some quiet time to myself really helped ease my nerves and I was so calm through everything. I wasn't nervous in the slightest."

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

"St Lucia - Sandals Grande"

How did y'all meet?

“We grew up 15 minutes down the road from each other but didn’t actually meet and get together until New Years Eve 2012 in Nashville, TN while both visiting our siblings who are friends. I knew of him through his brother and his cousin, who also happened to be one of my friends. She had always put little bugs in our ears that we should meet and hang out but it seemed like one of us was in another relationship when the other one was not so the timing was never right. After that New years, Ben started visiting me in Statesboro, where I was still in school at Georgia Southern, and I would visit him back home. I always said I wanted to move to Nashville upon graduating so when May rolled around, I went forward with my plans with the understanding we would try to make the long distance thing work. Things progressed and got more serious and after being there a year, I decided to move home so we could be closer and see more of each other. Fast forward to now and well.. now we’re getting married! I prayed about the situation constantly and felt like God was leading me back home. I missed my family too and was quite homesick. Even though it’s cliche, the saying “If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans” rings so true for me.”

My 2015 in Review - 25 Awesome Weddings

Ashah Smith December 31, 2015

- My 2015 -

Thank you all for such a great year! I had the incredible opportunity to photograph 25 weddings this year! I am so blown away by the amount of joy, beauty, and love that I have experienced. It has been an honor to be with each of you on one of the most exciting days of your lives. I always leave weddings with gratefulness that I get to do this job for a living. Seeing and capturing love in its purest and tender moments make me adore this job and I couldn't do it without you. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for allowing me to be a part of your wedding day. I can't wait to see how God blesses these marriages!

Happy New Year, everyone!

-Ashah

PS. I've posted 1 of my favorites from each wedding. The blog for each wedding can be viewed by clicking the couple's name. There are a few toward the end that haven't been blogged yet though;)