A gorgeous Lake Burton wedding near the Chiggerchaw Lodges.

Officially Rocheal Photography’s first wedding.

After many years of enjoying photography, I quit my day job (spoiler alert: I was a teacher) and this year officially opened the doors of my own business. It’s been a wild ride.

I had been in close touch with Austin’s sister Savannah, who (by the way) is a stellar sister! The bride and groom stay very busy in their careers, so I would be meeting them for the very first time on their wedding day. (I was so nervous!)

The wedding preparations were done, all the decor was up and everything was primed and ready to go night before the Big Day. How exciting! And then on the morning of Austin and Marielle’s wedding, I get a text from Savannah. Due to a mix-up, their wedding venue was no longer available. (Yeah, seriously! NOT joking at all.)

A wedding can be one of the most stressful events to plan… This situation definitely was no exception. After some tears and worries, a fantastic family member saves the day and secures a new venue. Unfortunately, it still needed to be decorated!

It is in these special times life tends to lend us that families strengthen their bond, link arms, and Get Things Done. I’ve never seen so many people working together to make a wedding happen in such a short period of time. (This is a beautiful family, y’all)

While everyone was bustling about between the lake houses, breaking down and setting up, I was able to take advantage of precious time with one of the most beautiful bouquets I have ever seen. Funky Mountain Flowers— you’ve outdone yourselves. (Wowzers was this thing gorgeous)

The greens and the purples and pinks and the textures are simply a dream come true. Gorgeous! I was quite immediately stoked to do detail shots.

Austin and Marielle enjoy fishing together and showed me a ring shot they absolutely had to have. (Disclaimer: I’m unsure who the photographer is of the photo they shared with me.) I thought it was such a fun idea, and was excited to try it out! It was a windy day, (have you ever hung rings from a branch above a dock with a lake below it on a windy day?? Me neither.)  and my only free arms were holding my camera and my lens, but I feel like their idea came together perfectly. 

I love how you can almost see the motion in these photos as the rings swayed in the wind.

As Austin and Marielle’s wedding came together, the rest of the day unfolded naturally. Their ceremony was so perfectly intimate, and the weather was just stunning.

Family photos were so much fun! I think everyone was happy to finally have a chance to relax and enjoy each other. You can just see their love!

Marielle and Austin, thank you so much for having me capture such a special day in your lives. I truly enjoyed your beautiful wedding.

Savannah– I don’t have words. Thank You. So much. You are so special to the success of my business. You just really cannot possibly understand. 

To the families– I hope you all enjoyed me as much as I enjoyed you. Thank you for your help and your laughter. Thank you for your support and encouragement! I hope to see some of you again in the future. (Please be in touch!)

I hope you enjoy some more of my personal favorites. 🙂