So, I (Joel) love the Fox Theater. LOOOOOOVE the Fox. Apart from being one of my favorite places in the world, it is also one of my favorite places to shoot. It ticks all the things I love most in a place…1) dark, 2) incredibly stylish, 3) extra challenging, and 4) lends itself to incredibly opulent photos. Oh, and it’s very challenging…in case I did not mention that, and if I did it bears repeating. When shooting in a place like this, you need a couple that will be both patient and willing to let you do what you need to do to get the images they want. That might seem like a given, considering they booked the venue for how amazing it is and hired us because of our photos, but on a wedding day, there are SO many moving parts and so much anticipation and excitement that it can be challenging for couples to make room for what they wanted when there were in the planning process. That’s just par for the course and part of our job of balancing the long-held wants with day-of realities. With Natalie and Nick, though, they were 100% on board with whatever we wanted to do, and it made the work not only incredibly productive but also so much fun.
We first met Nick and Natalie in person at their engagement session a few months before their wedding. They live in Tenessee where Nick works in the aviation industry and Natalie is an amazing stylist. Even though we did not have a lot of time with them in person before the wedding, we had a great connection with them right away. It was insanely cold on the day of their engagement session, so our time together huddled around a radiator helped. Also, when they told us they were having a full-service espresso bar at their wedding, we knew we were meant to be together (because I am a huge coffee nerd, since we own a coffee shop and all).
The wedding day was incredible. And, the coffee bar came in very helpful because I was very sick that day! (just the regular flu…not the coronavirus. and even though it was months ago, I am not contagious through the internet, so stay calm). One of my favorite moments was during Natalie and her dad’s dance. They had a woman sing a song for them that she sang at her parents’ wedding! Father-daughter dances always make me emotional…even moreso now that I have a daughter, but this one really nailed me.
Here are some of my personal favorites from the day. Hope you enjoy them. Special thanks to the incredible Madeline from the Fox who not only referred this wedding to us, but is an incredible event manager and makes our lives and jobs SO much easier. She’s the best!
Joel