Photographer: Melissa Hankins Photography

Venue: Cherokee Creek Farms

Suit: Southern Belle Bridal

Dress: Thrifted 🙂

Florals: Meg - The Flower Girl Tennessee 

When Sydney reached out to plan an anniversary session for her and Bryant, I immediately asked her if they wouldn’t mind me planning everything about it for them…I had a vision for it and wanted to make it come to life in the right place, with the right dress and suit, as well as the perfect florals. She said YES! And so I got to work.

First, I wanted to make sure we shot in the perfect place. And when I say perfect, I couldn’t stress more that we found the definition of that word at Cherokee Creek Farm. 

This venue is INCREDIBLE. Not only are the grounds so beautifully manicured, but they also had the most glorious, historic home to shoot in. When Angie walked me through the house for a tour, I almost felt embarrassed for how I behaved because I couldn’t contain my shock with how beautiful everything was! Each room had its own unique styling. The intentional effort made to restore this house into a better-than-original design could only have been done by someone that had a special skill in doing so. Angie was that person! I loved getting to meet her and her sweet husband Don that evening. They were incredible enough to let me use their property on such short notice and I will forever be grateful for their kindness! 

Now that we had the perfect place to shoot, we needed a dress. But wait, I already had one! I have been thrifting wedding dresses for a little bit now, and came across this beautiful, elegant dress that Sydney is wearing in the photos. Would you believe me if I told you it was only $50?! I still can’t believe it. For Bryant, I knew we needed something to equally match Sydney's vibe, so I reached out to my good friend Amanda at Southern Belle Bridal for a suit. I was able to rent this sharp looking suit and it was the perfect compliment to Sydney’s chic elegance. 

The last thing we needed were some beautiful florals. My friend Meg at The Flower Girl Tennessee was my first thought!! I sent her some inspiration photos for the shoot, and girlfriend DELIVERED. The florals were absolutely stunning and Meg is a gift to work with.

Now that we had everything in place, it was time to make some magic. And my goodness… I know we did!