Kristen Steele Photography

The Fairy Godmother Project of Music City

I was very excited to be a part of such a wonderful event last weekend: the 2nd Annual Boutique Day by The Fairy Godmother Project of Music City. I was on hand Saturday to take pictures of girls trying on and finding their perfect prom dress.

About The Fairy Godmothers of Music City

The Fairy Godmother Project of Music City began in 2010 as a grass-roots organization to assist students in the Nashville area who are unable to purchase their own prom attire.  We are proud to announce that the 2^nd Annual Boutique Day will be held at the Northwest YMCA of Middle Tennessee on March 26, 2011 from 9am to 3pm.  The YMCA of Middle Tennessee has a rich history of assisting those in the community and we are thrilled to be partnered with them for this project.

Everyone LOVED this red salsa dress, how fabulous is it?! The girls had a great time trying this one on!

Dimples with Sweet Temptations made this AMAZING cake and yes, it tasted even more amazing than it looks!

There were more than 600 dresses for the girls to pick from and try on to find their perfect dress!

My absolute favorite part of the day was seeing this sweet little girl try on and find her perfect dress! Isn’t she just GLOWING?!

After the girls picked their favorite dress then they got to go over to the accessories table where they could pick out shoes, a handbag, a shawl, jewelry and makeup to complete their look.

These girls were overjoyed to find their dresses for prom!

I was overjoyed to be a part of this event and am excited for all the girls who found their perfect dress for prom!

Tags: The Fairy Godmother Project of Music City

Nashville Engagement Photography | Not a Workshop II

Recently I had the great pleasure of speaking at the Not a Workshop II event! What’s Not a Workshop II you ask?? It was a group of photographers who got together and we all learned from each other, thanks to Josh Gull setting it up. I had a BLAST meeting new photographer friends and an up and coming Tri-cities wedding photographer Andrew Stacy proposed to his girlfriend AT our non-workshop!

One thing about speaking at a photography event is that you’re sure to have behind the scenes photos which I never have!! A big thank you to Ness Photo for the following photo right after Andy and Kayla got engaged! Can you tell I like to talk with my hands?!

I talked through my shooting style and {hopefully!} everyone learned something! Another big thank you goes to Paula Leach Photography for this photo.

Tags: Nashville Proposal Photographer

Matt + Alicon | Franklin TN Wedding Photographer

Matt and Alicon have a near and dear place in my heart. I have honestly never witnessed a more personal and touching wedding ceremony than the one of Alicon and Matt. They are so incredibly loving and honest and it was refreshing to hear them pronounce their love in tenderly-written personal wedding vows. They had an intimate ceremony at Matt’s family’s home in Franklin, TN and their reception was at The Red House.

I asked the newlyweds some fun questions about their wedding, so enjoy those answers below!

Isn’t Matt’s daughter Ryley just adorable!? She’s precious!

Alicon was such an exquisite Bride and I really loved her dress… fit her like a glove!

I adored the broach bouquet that Alicon made! She compiled different broaches that were meaningful to her as well and she also bought other turqoise broaches off of Etsy.

They wrote their own vows and it was so meaningful!

Matt & Alicon had a really fun and unique moment after they said “I Do!” Matt’s dad said a really sweet toast and then they handed out Sake shots for all their wedding guests to enjoy with them. I thought this was so fun!

Kelly of Perfectly Placed helped make everything go off without a hitch! Everything looked amazing and her attention to detail really made this wedding a huge success!

What was your favorite part of your wedding?
Matthew: Saying I do and seeing her for the first time in her wedding dress. Breathtaking.
Alicon: Hearing Matthew’s vows to me for the first time in a room full of family and friends!

Do you have any advice for couples planning their wedding?
Matthew: If any decision stresses you out at all, it’s not worth going down that road. Stay true to what you want. Also, if the groom wants to be involved, then it should be 50/50- just like a marriage.
Alicon: At the end of the day, it is all about two people who want to spend their life together! Matthew and I made the agreement that if anything became stressful, then we needed to take a step back and remember the important things. Make a list of specific things that are special to your relationship and each other.

Looking back – were there things you would do differently for your wedding?
Matthew: I would spend the money on a photo-booth. It’s just a classic way for people capture a moment.
Alicon: I think everything was perfect! I am glad that I took moments of time throughout the night to just enjoy the moments as they were happening.

What were some obstacles you faced in planning your wedding? How did you overcome them?
Matthew: Fear of the task at hand, staying true to our original budget and making sure to start the process earlier. A wedding planner really helped, but that’s not always feasible.
Alicon: Staying true to ourselves! It is so easy to get wrapped up in what other people expect to see at your wedding. It was nice that both Matthew and I took the time to make the event unique to who we are.

Wedding Planner: Kelly Spalding of Perfectly Placed || Reception Venue: The Red House || Videographer: Hartz Photographic || Florist: Always in Bloom || Cake: Hermitage Bakery || Caterer: Daily Dish || Rentals: Southern Events

And a HUGE thank you to my Second Shooters: Leslie Walker and Summer Safrit!

Tags: Always in Bloom, Daily Dish, Franklin TN Wedding Photographer, Hermitage Bakery, Perfectly Placed, Southern Events, The Red House

Gorgeous Wedding Bouquet | Wedding Wednesday

Happy Wedding Wednesday! I wanted to share this gorgeous all white bridal bouquet from a Franklin, Tenn. wedding at Old Natchez Country Club last year. I really like the mix of daisies, roses as well as lilies. I think it’s elegant and classically beautiful! Those big green leaves really complete this crisp look! I hope this helps and serves as inspiration!

Tags: Franklin Wedding Photographer, Franklin Wedding Photography, Old Natchez Country Club, White Bridal Bouquet

Nashville Newborn Photography | Sweet Noah

Jennifer and Brad are our dear friends and they were the first couple in our “Young Married” community group from church to start a family! Their sweet newborn Noah was born a month early, just itching to meet the world. Below you will see fun photos from Noah’s newborn photography session.

I absolutely loved photographing all of Noah’s different faces, as a newborn he had the funniest facial expressions!

This silhouette of Noah sticking out his tongue makes me laugh, it’s so precious!

I really love this family portrait of this new family, so sweet!

Tags: Nashville Baby Portraits, nashville family portrait photographer, Nashville Newborn Photography, nashville portrait photographer