Mr. and Mrs. Smith | Chattooga Belle Farm | Atlanta and Destination Wedding Photographer

I have an awesome wedding to share with you guys today! Ryan and Sarah were married at the gorgeous Chattooga Belle Farm in Long Creek, South Carolina.

Ryan and Sarah initially met by both swiping right. They were each other’s first Tinder dates. They had both used the app, but had yet to actually go on a date with someone from it. Sarah says:
“From the moment that we started talking, we couldn’t stop. We spent the first two days texting almost all day and night. On a Monday, Ryan called me after work. I was so impressed that he had the courage to actually pick up the phone since so many people don’t think it’s important. The next night, after we had texted back and forth all day, he face-timed me…I was shocked. The first thing that I actually said to him was, “I can’t believe you face-timed me!” and he quickly responded, “I can’t believe you actually answered!”. I immediately loved his confidence and felt that it mirrored me in a way that I had yet to find. He asked me out for our first date and I was so excited! He came walking up with flowers in his hand and a great big grin on his face and I can still see it in my mind!”

Ryan proposed to Sarah on a New Year’s hike at Kennesaw Mountain. Sarah had the initial idea to do the hike and Ryan thought it would be the perfect way to completely surprise her! Ryan picked the perfect spot and his brother in law Chris hid in the bushes to take photos. Sarah was so surprised and of course, she said yes!

The wedding day was truly perfect and everything flowed so effortlessly. I really think Sarah could be a wedding planner, she was so organized and had every impeccable detail planned out. I started off the day with the girls when they were finishing up with hair and makeup. Kingwood Resort, where they got ready, had a really pretty view that was perfect for the fun robe photos and Sarah’s first look with her dad. While I was hanging out with Sarah and the bridesmaids, Kim went over to the lake house with the guys for their getting ready photos and a few fun photos on the golf course at Kingwood. After the guys made their way over to Chattooga Belle Farm they had a tasting in the distillery.

One of the highlights of the day for me was Sarah and Ryan’s ceremony. I loved that Sarah’s grandfather officiated and that Sarah and Ryan shared personal vows. I definitely cried a few times during their ceremony. Sarah and Ryan decided not to see each other until Sarah was walking down the aisle. I loved watching Ryan’s reaction, one of the sweetest moments of the day. I asked Sarah and Ryan about their favorite moments from the wedding day and Sarah said, “my favorite moment was the moment the barn doors opened and I could see Ryan’s smiling face staring back at me and the moment that my grandpa pronounced us husband and wife!” Ryan said his favorite moments were seeing “Sarah walk down the aisle and their last dance to “More of You” by Chris Stapleton.”

After the ceremony we took the formal photos on the gorgeous grounds at Chattooga Belle Farm, the venue has so many places to take photos, it’s really a photographer’s dream venue. The sun was starting to set at the end of Sarah and Ryan’s portrait session and made for some of my favorite photos ever.

The reception was so much fun. From the speeches to the all night dancing, you could tell that Ryan and Sarah were loving every minute of their reception.

I asked Sarah if she had any photography-related advice or advice for wedding planning in general. For photography related advice Sarah said, “Pick someone who you feel comfortable with from the moment you meet them. Ryan and I looked at countless websites and met some photographers at wedding expos and the decision was probably the hardest one we made during wedding planning. But as soon as we met Mishaun we knew that we wanted to work with her because we felt comfortable talking to her from the beginning and she felt familiar and relatable.”

Sarah had some of the best wedding planning advice I’ve ever heard “Make sure that the wedding planning doesn’t become your whole life! Ryan and I put just as much commitment into planning our marriage as we did into planning our wedding. It was important for us to keep the idea that this is a journey we are preparing to take together for the rest of our lives which is much more important than how fancy the paper is for the program.” I could not agree more!

Ryan and Sarah thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your wedding day! I wish you a lifetime of love, happiness, and many more selfies!