The Barn at Oak Ridge Wedding | Bethany + Caleb

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Bethany and Caleb’s wedding at The Barn at Oak Ridge was one of my favorites! I had just come from a different wedding the day before where it rained the entire day, which we didn’t let ruin anyone’s day! But the very next day at The Barn at Oak Ridge, the weather was perfectly Spring like . . . in the low 70s with a breeze the entire day and bright sunshine to complement this bright and beautiful wedding day. I had not met Bethany or Caleb in person before their wedding day, but we had met over a zoom call (which I commonly do since I serve quite a lot of couples who live over an hour from me). I was so happy to get to meet them, and I honestly felt like we just immediately were friends and focused on the happy day ahead.

Bethany was finishing getting ready with her bridesmaids and her Mom when my second shooter, Jessie, and I arrived. The excitement and joy in the room was evident from the moment we walked in. Caleb was also busy finishing getting ready with his groomsmen. Everyone was pretty low key and calm as they awaited everything that was to come. The beginning part of a wedding day sometimes feels like it is moving slow, but then all of a sudden after getting ready and detail photos, the time starts speeding up and just keeps going!

I always have a timeline planned that I have discussed and tweaked with my couples, but of course on the wedding day things have to be flexible, and we did just that on this wedding day. Bethany had wanted to have a Bridal Session before the wedding, but our schedules couldn’t align so we decided to add on a time of just Bridal Portraits to the day. Bethany and Caleb also decided in the week before their wedding to have a First Look. Once we sat down and looked at all of the different family combinations they wanted photos of, we knew that their guests would have to be waiting quite a long time after the ceremony if we didn’t do most of the bride and groom portraits, wedding party, and family photos before the ceremony started. I suggested several different ways we could work the timeline, and in the end they decided to go with the First Look. I think they were happy they did that, and once couples experience the first look, they often realize that it really was such a special moment between just them. Then they get to spend most of their wedding day together instead of apart . . . and that special walk down the aisle is still a special, memorable moment all on it’s own! Thank you Bethany and Caleb for trusting me to help you through planning the timeline for your day!

I had learned that Bethany and Caleb were high school sweethearts. Caleb also later shared with me that he had known Bethany since the 8th grade. I just love seeing couples marry who have kind of grown up together. What a wonderful story they already have and will continue to have as they enter into marriage! Well enough about my thoughts on their wedding day, here are more of the best moments from their day in photos!

Some of Bethany’s Bridal Photos:
And just look at this First Look! Such a sweet time between these two. I love how Caleb took the time to really take in Bethany and stepped back to admire his bride-to-be during this time. It truly was special.
Bride and Groom Portraits: Even though I had never worked with Bethany and Caleb before on a previous session, they both did such an awesome job taking my direction on posing and just enjoying being together. They were such naturals!
Wedding Party Photos: This wedding party was pure gold. Seriously. They all were there supporting Bethany and Caleb and just having fun along the way . . . they all took my direction well too and did anything I asked them to do in a laid back and fun way. I love when my couples have awesome friends to support them and be there on their important day.
Time for Family Photos! The fact that Caleb and Bethany put such importance and care in developing their family shot list, just shows how much they value their families. It really was one of the main reasons we changed up their timeline in the days before the wedding so that they would have enough time to get all of their family photos they wanted without being rushed. When we do large groupings of family photos before the ceremony, it often happens that some people don’t make it at the time they were supposed to. Well, not with these families! I was so impressed that they all, extended family members and all, started showing up even well before the scheduled time for photos to begin. They also were cooperative and took my direction with patience as we worked through a list of family photos that took a full 45 minutes to complete. (These are only a few from these photos . . . more to share in the final gallery of course!). But I just wanted to share some of these, because this family was some of the most organized as a whole that I’ve ever seen. They made my job easy of getting through all the different combinations with little to no stress – and that really isn’t always the case on wedding days. I complemented and thanked Caleb and Bethany’s families for being there on time and helping make the wedding day go so smoothly for them! If you can’t tell, I really was impressed!! Thank you again, families for all of your love and support of Bethany and Caleb.
The Ceremony followed not long after Family Photos were complete. This was such a special time of love and commitment as Caleb and Bethany pledged their love and devotion to one another. I’ll never get tired of witnessing two becoming one before God, family, and friends! It is such an honor for me to capture these moments.
After the ceremony, we went out to quickly do just a few “just married” photos with Caleb and Bethany (look for those at the end of the post!), and then they were able to take some time to freshen up and get ready for entering their reception. This is also a plus to a First Look timeline on your wedding day . . . having a moment to take a breath after the ceremony, and still get in to be with your guests in a short amount of time. The rest of Caleb and Bethany’s day was just as sweet as the first part . . . visiting with family and friends, special first dances, eating good food, cutting the cake, having a bouquet toss, and a fun exit with bird seed . . . their family and friends even followed our directions of not hurling the bird seed AT the newly married couple, but just tossing it up in the air around them. It made for such a perfect day time exit and some great photos! Check out the rest of these highlights from their day below. And be sure to keep scrolling to the end to see all the vendors that helped make their day complete.
Bethany and Caleb, it truly was a joy to serve you both on your wedding day and capture these photos for you. I hope you’ve enjoyed this large sneak peek of photos from your wedding day, and enjoyed reliving your wedding day again through these memories.
The Vendors that helped make Caleb and Bethany’s Wedding day complete: