Annie and Josh's Wedding

September 30, 2006

I went to east Tennesee this past weekend to photograph my friend Annalysa's wedding. Annie and I were in the VSU Art Dept. together back in 2000. She's from Roswell, GA. We'd kept in touch sporadically over the years and she called me back in the winter to say she was "getting mahhried!" I was ecstatic when she said she wanted me to photograph for her.

Josh is from Michigan, so they decided to pick a "neutral" place for the event. Annie's family owns farmland in east TN, Rogersville, to be exact. It's about 30 minutes away from Knoxville. We spent a lovely, lovely weekend, drinking in the rolling hills, white steepled churches dotting the countryside and exclaiming over the spectacular views. There is nothing like the east coast area of the U.S. I hope I retire there one day...

Annie looked like a true Southern belle straight out of "Gone With the Wind." But she defied the traditional paranoid bride's attitude of "don't mess up my dress!" as you can see below:

That dress never had a spot on it! And these photos were taken before the ceremony.

Another tradition blown to smithereens: here are Annie's lovely "flower ladies" artfully strewing petals down the runner.

Immediately after the ceremony, the wedding party broke out the bubbly.

Two of the Loveatt girls, toasting the bride and groom.

Annie's dad, David, worked his tail off for four months to restore this old T-bird so Josh and Annie could make their escape in style. Her brother Evan said the brakes didn't work so great, but they made their way out successfully.

All in all, I shot 1,405 pictures. Man! A record. It was a fun wedding, and in the immortal words of Steve Smith, "a good time was had by all."
I'm still recuperating from the trip, but it was worth every moment, and those who kept Hannah for me back in Texas have my heartful and eternal gratitude. Thanks to Annie and her family for hiring me and letting me be a part of an unforgettable celebration. Love, Rachael