Anna + Hank: May 7, 2022

Anna + Hank had a true Southern wedding celebration this past weekend at Liberty Baptist Church in Henagar. From the timeless details of Anna’s dress and jewelry to the Sacred Harp singing during the ceremony, the entire day was filled with Southern charm. Anna + Hank were so thoughtful with every part of their wedding day and there was a sense of calm over everything, even with the threat of rain all day. A few showers didn’t stop us from capturing all the special moments these two shared, and we loved exploring the beautiful church grounds to find the best spots for photos. Enjoy some of my favorites from Anna + Hank’s best day ever!

Anna and her girls got ready at Simply Blessed Vintage Barn just down the road from the church. I loved their little touch of “something blue” in their matching PJs. Anna’s makeup by Brittany at Merle Norman was on point with the perfect amount of subtle glamour.

Hank and his groomsmen were so fun to work with and went along with all my crazy prompts, even coming up with some of their own! Wedding days are so much better when the wedding party is friendly and easy going, and this whole group was great.

The girls’ beautiful bouquets were made by Thistle and Vine in Ider, and they were the perfect pop of color to Anna’s muted color palette. I also loved the simplicity of the dark green bridesmaids’ dresses, especially when we paired them with the guys’ navy suits.

Anna and Hank had one of the most unique ceremonies I’ve ever photographed. Instead of pre-recorded music or a string quartet, they had a group of old book (Sacred Harp) singers perform during the processional and recessional. If you’re not familiar with Sacred Harp singing, do yourself a favor and look up some videos. It’s a beautiful art form, and one that’s very special to Anna and her family.

After the ceremony, the singers continued and Anna was able to join them for her late grandmother’s favorite song. These images are some of my favorites from the entire day, especially when you see the joy on Anna’s grandfather’s face at being able to be in church singing his favorite songs again.

Church weddings can be tough as you never know what you’ll have to work with outside, but luckily we had lots of great places to shoot nearby, including this wooden bridge over a big, beautiful pond.

Just look at that face! You can tell these two bring out the best in each other, and it makes my job so easy when it comes to capturing that moment.

We fought against the rain for these portraits in front of the church, but it was so worth it! You’d never know it was spitting rain all around us.

With rain threatening once again, we decided to do Anna and Hank’s exit a little early and lucky we did, as the bottom fell out just as we finished up! Sparklers are great, but I love a traditional church exit with some bird seed or dried flowers. We were able to end the day with the same joy we felt all day long. Thank you, Mr. + Mrs. Oliver for letting us capture your wedding day!