Ellis + Chase were transplants of Clarksville, TN like many of us are to this small area of the world. I met Chase through friends and like any good engaged man, he was always talking about Ellis. I guess it was happenstance that I asked if they had a wedding photographer for their Maine wedding in the Fall of 2023 and when the answer was “not yet”, I was excited at the thought of being able to photograph this sweet couple all around the Kentucky countryside and in the heart of Nashville.

Meeting Ellis was a blur for me because the same friends that introduced Chase and I had invited me out for drinks a year earlier and Chase + Ellis happened to be there and I met them both. The story goes, we were having “adult” drinks but my feet don’t touch the ground in bar stools (blah blah blah) and I ended up asking for the “just the sour part” of the Amoretto sour to drink the whole night, insert facepalm. So when it was time to meet Ellis again, she happily explained that we had met the year before when I had the “sour” to drink instead of the actual liquor. I think she said, “is this the one that drank the sour all night?” to chase and he laughed for minutes. How embarrassing does that get, but it was a great way to start this amazing friendship!

I love doing two sessions for couples because sometimes one just doesn’t do it and this idea fit perfectly for them because Ellis has such a mastermind for things that she likes. She’s not too spicy but not too sweet, if you get the drift…For the first session we drove down to Scottsville, KY to Riverbend Blooms and met Michelle, the sweetest lady you could ever meet. She has a place that is to die for in the Summer and during Sunset! She drove us all around, making sure we hit every perfect place for photos.

For the second session the couple chose to be in the heart of Nashville at sunrise and I couldn’t have been more happy! I love a good sunrise because you deal with less crowds in big cities and you get all the best parking (pro tip) in the downtown areas that you would never normally get during regular hours. It was super chilly and there was a strange influx of traffic on the 5am drive to Nashville but things went perfectly. Ellis picked this beautiful white pants suit and Chase was in the most dapper blue suit and the color combo was fire against the muted stone of the monument. At the very end of our session though, we were met by the traffic cops who gave us both tickets because we were parked 3 mins after the no parking rule came into play. What’s $50 on killer Nashville engagement photos?

Ellis + Chase we can’t wait to meet you in Maine this October for your beautiful wedding! Come back here for more on my journal.