Weddings, Engagements, Prep Tips, & Vendor Spotlights Don't you wish someone would be straight up about some of this stuff?? Me too.

Sarah and Tony: A Memphis Cadre Wedding!
So today is October 16, which just happens to be the 11 month anniversary of these two lovebird’s anniversary!!
I know what you’re thinking. It’s ABOUT TIME. Y’all. I know. Life just got in the way. But at least it’s BEFORE the year! Wahoooo!
But we’re back on track now, and I’ve had the pleasure of going back through these wedding photos and being reminded of just how gorgeous Sarah and Tony’s day really was!
The Cadre is such a gorgeous venue for a wedding, and Court Square just down the street did not disappoint in those perfect fall views!! Ahhhh, swoon!
I’m so glad I got to be a part of their day, and I can’t wait to show y’all (albeit slightly delayed) Sarah and Tony’s Cadre Wedding in Downtown Memphis!
Congratulations on your day…eleven months ago! I’m so glad I got to be a part.
I would be crazy if I didn’t throw a quick shoutout to my amazing second shooter Emily Kalmon who makes every shoot so much easier by her calming presence! <3 Thank you!!
If you’re planning your Memphis Wedding, check out their vendors below!
Photographer: moi. 😉
Venue: Cadre Building
Planner: Betsy McKay with Salt Style & Events. Y’all, Betsy is on top of it. I would always trust her with my events!!! <3
Caterer: Paradox
Videographer: Message in a Bottle
Band: OMG, y’all! The band was the BEST! Soul Shockers
Ceremony Quartet: Memphis String Quartet
Cake: Miss Muff’n Bakery
Flowers: Deedra Stone
Dress: Maggie Louise
Rentals: White Door Events
Makeup: Heathers
Photobooth: Velvet Rope Photo booth
Hair: Epic
Till next time, y’all!
xoxo
maddie

Memphis Wedding Photographer: Ned and Jennifer’s Pink Palace Wedding
Memphis Wedding Photographer: Ned and Jennifer’s Pink Palace Wedding
OMG, can you believe we are in 2019?! Holy Cow. And already I feel behind!!! (Especially on blogging! Eeek.)
I have a wedding from allllllll the way back in October that I want to gush about. I know it’s taken me forever to get this up on the blog, but since today is so stinking cold, it’s the PERFECT thing to warm us upppppp!!!
So Jennifer and Ned are good friends with Anne and Srikanth! (Do y’all remember their gorgeous Indian style Botanic Garden Wedding??) And, as it turns out, they are all good friends with one of my very best childhood friends from my old tennis life! Small world, right?? I first really met Ned and Jennifer while I was visiting my friend in Philly. They were driving up the East coast for a vacation in their sprinter van. After they explained what exactly a sprinter van was (lol), I was immediately interested in them and pretty much everything they were doing. In fact, it is because of them that I have been seriously eyeing a little Airstream trailer to travel around the country in and do some more exploring in the US. Can you imagine the photos I could take while living the #vanlife?!? That all to say, this couple really opened my eyes to traveling. You don’t always have to get on a plane to have an adventure. And when I get tired of the cities, it will be time to start exploring the national parks. 😀 Maybe one day soon, I can make that a thing. Anyways…back to their wedding!!
Before I got sidetracked by the travel part, I meant to talk about their wedding deets! Their wedding was so perfect! The weather, omg. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect October day! As far as logistics, Jen and Ned did do a first look, and they read their vows to each other in private, which I loved! If saying your vows in front of a huge crowd kinda freaks you out, this is a great way to still say what you really want to say, but have a more private moment between just y’all (…and me too. hehe). It definitely takes a little pressure off the public speaking part.
As far as the day goes, my favorite part was the getting ready. This part of the day usually is my favorite, just because I love the nervousness of the bride when she’s putting on her dress, and I know all of the fun they are about to have. Not to mention the Pink Palace went through a LOT of needed renovations. Holy guacamole. It’s NOT the same getting ready suite as it was before! It was gorgeoussssssss! Brides, cough cough…. And then the other part of the day that I loved….of course….was the the first look portion with the bride and groom portraits. Their sweet moments saying their vows to each other definitely made me tear up. And this section is usually the calm before the storm! Haha
I love this couple AND their day! I know you will, too! So without further ado, I present Ned and Jennifer’s Pink Palace wedding through my lens!
Loved those cute little books!! What a cute detail!
Look at their cute cake topper!!
I LOVE that we were able to sneak out for some quick shots in front of this iconic house!!! Gah, what a fun couple!!
Congrats again Jen and Ned! I wish y’all ALL the best!! <3
And a special thanks to my amazingggggggggg second shooter, Amy!! Where would I even be without you?! 🙂
And for all my brides-to-be, here is their Memphis wedding vendor list!
Venue: Pink Palace
Photographer: Meeeeeee, Maddie Moree!!
Caterer: Drapers, Gibsons
Florist: The fabulous Lynn Doyle!
DJ: DeepBlu Entertainment
Wedding planner: The amazinnnnnng Michael Doyle with Lynn Doyle Flowers
Dress: Low’s
Photo Booth: Meeeeeeee, Maddie Moree!!
Till next time, y’all! Stay warm out there!
xoxo
maddie

Memphis Wedding Photographer: Bryan and Jordan’s Children’s Museum Wedding!
Memphis Wedding Photographer: Bryan and Jordan’s Children’s Museum Wedding!
HAPPY Monday, y’all! Can y’all believe we are HALF way through October right now? It’s a little sad. Time just needs to slow down for a minute so we can stop and catch our breath before we hit the holidays….eeek. Am I the only one NOT ready for Christmas to get here?! That all being said, I have some great news! I have a gorgeous, brand spanking new wedding to show ya. And I just want to scream it from the rooftops!! Do y’all remember Jordan and Bryan??
I don’t know if you read my last post, but in a nutshell, I came clean about where I’ve been the last couple of years. Why I have been slowing down on weddings, and what’s been going on behind the scenes. It was this past wedding where I realized that I was so stinking happy through the entire day. I laughed. I laughed so hard I cried. And then I cried even more because I got to see true love unfold before my camera. I danced and sang. And I cheered. It was the day I realized, “Hey, this job IS for me. And I’m ready to get back in there.”
And I have Jordan and Bryan to thank for that!
This couple…so laid back, happy, goofy, and sweet to each other. They’re families were awesome! They’re wedding parties were the bomb! They made my job easy!
Anyways, this post is not about me! This post is about Jordan and Bryan’s GORGEOUS wedding day. The weather could not have been more perfect! The flowers, ahhhhh-ma-zing. The shoes! Swoon. The dress. My Lord, that dress. Girls would probably kill people for that dress, Jordan (I may or may not be in that category………).
So, let’s chat a bit about the location and logistics for this one. They decided on a traditional look over a first look. Traditional looks definitely have their pros and cons. One pro being that you can start wedding coverage later and end later, so more time at the reception. Another is obviously the true reaction when you walk down the aisle, something that is so pure and emotional. It’s almost a non-negotiable for a lot of couples, which I totally understand. For more of a discussion on the first look vs the traditional look, check out this link.
That all being said, if you decide on a traditional look, I DEFINITELY recommend hiring on a second shooter. It adds way more angles and options for your bride/groom portraits, and I think it’s WAY worth it.
Their ceremony was at St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was really pretty, but veryyyy dark with strict photo rules during the ceremony. (I recommend having the ceremony as early as you can get away with so you can have the most natural light possible during the ceremony.) Also for this type of ceremony, I recommend keeping note that the ceremony will be about 30-45 minutes depending on the sermon style you go with. Just make sure that ceremony time is factored into sunset for bride/groom portrait time with the traditional look since those photos are taken after the ceremony. I was really happy with our Golden Hour light that we managed to snag right after the ceremony! It was purrrrrrrrrfect. Had it been ten minutes later, we would have missed out on it completely.
The reception was at the Children’s Museum of Memphis at the Carousel. This is a relatively new venue in town, and I loved shooting there! The lighting, oh my goodness. It’s been a while since I’ve shot a wedding with amber up-lights. Oh. My. Gosh. Everyone, drop the blue/green/red/pink lights now. JUST DO AMBER. I am in LOVE WITH IT. So good choice, you two! (Purple is still good, too though….) The actual carousel was a huge hit. Jordan and Bryan made their entrance on the carousel and that was awesome!! My only wish was that I had more time to play around with photographing kids and couples on it, but it was still fun!!
Lastly, for the exit, they decided to do a champagne toast, and that was a blast. It’s a great alternative to the typical sparkler exit, especially if you can get the crowd going!
Anyhooooo, enough chat, let’s get to the photos! I present to you: Jordan and Bryan’s wedding day through my lens!
Jordan presented to Bryan a signed pair of PENNY HARDAWAY Nikes at the reception!! It was an awesome surprise! Cough cough, GO TIGERS!
Congratulations you two! I wish y’all a lifetime of laughs and love! <3
I want to send out a special thanks to my second shooter, Emily! You rocked the whole day. I loved your angles, and I’m sooooo glad I had you!
For all my brides-to-be, here’s Bryan and Jordan’s Memphis Wedding Vendor List!
Photography: Meeeeeeeee, Maddie Moree
Ceremony: St. John’s Episcopal Church
Reception: Carousel at the Children’s Museum of Memphis (CMOM)
Caterer: Me and My Tearoom
Makeup: Matt Gosset
Still waiting on the rest, but I’ll update it as soon as I get it! 😀
Till next time, y’all!
xoxo
maddie

Memphis Wedding Photographer: Matt and Lauren’s 409 South Main Wedding
Y’all, I’ve got a BAD case of the Mondays. It’s like we had this awesome week of goofing around with 4th of July. And nowwwwww, we are back to work. Boo.
But to cheer EVERYONE up from the Monday Blues, I have super sweet new wedding photos to show you from 409 South Main.
Meet Matt and Lauren!
OMG, aren’t they super cute??
I loved Matt’s white suit. And then during the ceremony and some portraits, he wore this awesome lei, which was great contrast. I loved how they incorporated fun Hawaiian touches since that is where Matt is from. They had cute little favors and the flowers were gorgeous!!
And then there was Lauren. Like, no words. Her dress was amazinggggggggg! The criss cross back was gorgeous. The train with the buttons going all the way down. Ahhhhhhhh! It was literally a dream dress…
Before I gush about the photos, I wanted to mention a few things. Matt and Lauren did do a traditional look. This worked out well because they had a nice little cocktail hour in the downstairs area of the venue, so we had some time upstairs alone that was very warehouse-y industrial. I loved the distressed brick and the gorgeous windows!
They did have a second shooter for their wedding, which comes in super handy when you do a traditional look. They help to get some different angles of portraits since we are usually on a pretty tight timeframe for those.
And lastly, instead of a sparkler exit, we did a ribbon exit. I think these are good alternatives to sparklers, so maybe something to keep in mind if you’ve chosen a venue that is not ok with sparklers. Also, they are a lot safer if people have been drinking… 🙂
Enough chit chat. Let’s get down to business.
Here was Matt and Lauren’s wedding day through my eyes!
Again, I want to send a big ol’ CONGRATULATIONS to Matt and Lauren! Your day was perfect, and I’m SO glad I could be a part of it! <3
I want to give a shout out to Emily, my amazing second shooter. Every wedding, you keep me on track and capture amazing shots! Thanks for all that you do! 🙂
And for ALL of my BRIDES-TO-BE, here is Matt and Lauren’s Memphis Vendor List!
Venue: 409 South Main
Photographer: Maddie Moree
Caterer: Donnelson’s
Cake: Muddy’s Bake Shop (Sooooo tasty!)
Florist: Lynn Doyle
DJ: DeepBlu
Wedding planner: Michael Doyle with Lynn Doyle
Makeup/Hair: Brittany Cobb from Estelle’s in Cordova
Dress: Paloma Blanca from the Gown Shop in Ann Arbor
Till next time, y’all!
xoxo
maddie 🙂

Memphis Engagement Photography: Bryan and Jordan
Helllllllllllo WORLD!! What a crazy week it’s been! I’ve been working on some new projects, but I just had to get this Tyin’ the KNOT Thursday post out there because it’s been foreva since I posted!! And I’m not even going to lie. I’ve been sitting on this engagement session for a minute (Ok, ok. Longer than a minute). But, nevertheless…
I’m SO EXCITED to show you Bryan and Jordan’s awesome at home engagement session!
First off, meet Jordan and Bryan! These two, omg! Not only are they completely adorable (just look at them!!), they are super nice and ridiculously funny! I thought I was going to pee my pants a couple of times throughout this session because I was laughing so hard. TMI? Maybe, but what’d you expect from me anyways?? Lol!
They decided to do their engagement session at their house because they have this huge back yard with gorgeous trees and this cute little fence! And just look at the sun peeking through the trees. This was definitely one of those Golden Hour shoots, and I was LOVING the light. That paired with their cuteness made this a dream engagement session.
So, just a few short notes on “at home engagements:” You can opt for a 1 hour engagement over the 2 hour engagement probably because there’s not nearly as much walking and exploring…assuming you don’t have a huge ass property for us to explore. Hey, remember Derin and Bryan’s engagement?? That was their family farm, and we had enough spots to shoot to keep us occupied for hoursssssss.
I love at home engagements, though, because you really get a chance to shoot at a place that’s important and familiar to you (your home…). It’s super easy to incorporate animals for home engagements because you can just put them back in the house when you’re done, which is what we did with Jordan and Bryan’s pups! AND, you can probably even fit in an outfit change because you’re so close to a changing area. All great pros when trying to figure out locations.
That all being said, you really need to have a pretty yard or an interesting house (preferably with great light) so we actually have places to shoot. Just keep that in mind. Jordan and Bryan’s house and property was amazing, so that made it amazing!
These two are tyin’ the knot in September and I CANNOT wait for their day! But, enough talk. Let’s get to the photos! <3
OMG OMG OMG. Like, how STINKING CUTE?!?!
Alrighty y’all! That’s all I have for you today!!
Till next time.
xoxo
maddie

Memphis Wedding Photographer: Brad and Natalie’s Heartwood Hall Wedding
Happy Fri-YAY!! It’s practically the weekend, and what better way to celebrate than showing you a super sweet Heartwood Hall Wedding?!?
OMG, you guys. I have been SO bad about posting my latest wedding and engagement photography, BUT better late than never!!!
Maybe you remember Brad and Natalie from their cute little sunflower engagement session we did last summer. It was hot as hell, but they were champs about it. You can check out their engagement photos here!
It may have been hot for their engagement session, but the weather was P-E-R-F-E-C-T for their wedding day. The entire week, it was showing like a 100% chance of rain (oh our weather men…). But they both kept their cool, and the day ended up being a perfect 75 degrees and sunny. That being said, even if it had rained, I think Natalie would have been A-OK with it. She was literally the chillest bride I’ve ever shot with, no bridezilla here!!
For their day, kids played a huge part in the wedding day, so you’ll see quite a few photos of them throughout the post. They were the sweetest kids, super cute in their wedding outfits, AND there were zero meltdowns. That has practically never happened before with that many young kids on a wedding day! Haha
Logistic-wise, Brad and Natalie did a first look! Both the ceremony and reception were at Heartwood Hall, and they did have a second shooter! You’ll also see two areas of couples photos, which is definitely one of the benefits of doing a first look. You’ll have a few more looks for your portraits, AND often times the the lighting is much better after the ceremony, especially during spring and summer weddings.
But enough of that talk. Let’s see the photossssssss.
Without further ado, I give you guys Brad and Natalie’s GORGEOUS wedding day at Heartwood Hall!
This moment……so sweet.
Congratulations again, you two! I wish y’all SO much happiness!! <3
I just want to send out a big ol’ thank you to my second shooter, Philip! Great reception shots!!!
AND FOR ALL MY BRIDES-TO-BE, HERE IS WEDDING VENDOR LIST!
Venue: Heartwood Hall
Photographer: Meeeeee, Maddie Moree
Caterer: Heartwood Hall
Florist: Lynn Doyle
Cake: Cake Crumbs & Cookie Dough
DJ: Tyrone Mosby
Hair and Makeup: Taylor Addington
Dress: Low’s
Getaway Limo: A Posh Limousine
Thanks for hanging with me, y’all!! Enjoy your FRIYAYYYYYYYYYYYY!
Till next time!!
xoxo
maddie