spence+claire :: married :: nashville wedding photographer

Our last wedding of the year was one for the record books, as my dear friend Claire married her sweetheart, Spence, the weekend before Christmas at Nashville Event Space's aVenue in downtown Nashville (you may remember them from their engagement session in the fall of 2012 - it's one of my all-time favorites). To say it was a crazy wedding day would be an understatement - it was an unusual 70-degrees in December with a 90% chance of rain (and possibly the windiest day ever), I was as sick as I've been in 3+ years with a fever (purposefully unbeknownst to the bride - no need for unnecessary stress!) and getting through the day with the help of Dayquil and cough drops, and during the reception, everyone was sent down to the basement of the building due to tornado warnings (that was definitely a first for Glessner Photography). But in spite of the craziness, or perhaps because of it, the day was absolute perfection. Claire looked gorgeous, Spence wore a grin from ear-to-ear all day, the guests had fantastic fun, and tears of joy flowed freely.

The day began at Claire's brother and sister-in-law's home in Franklin, which was full of beautiful spaces to photograph the bride's attire...

While I was with the girls, Josh joined the guys at a hotel downtown to capture their getting ready rituals...

How awesome is this groomsmen gift?! Festive holiday socks, an awesome plaid tie, and most importantly, a little Jack and Coke to start the day off right.

Claire headed to aVenue to finish getting ready with the girls...

Claire's gift to her bridesmaids was a lovely gold and ivory scarf and a pair of earrings for each lady, presented beautifully.

It's no secret that a First Look is one of my favorite parts of a wedding day, and Spence and Claire's was an absolutely lovely moment on the Shelby Street Bridge downtown.

Isn't Claire absolutely stunning?!? I swear, she's one of the most beautiful people I know.

I can't help but be a bit emotional when a daddy walks his little girl down the aisle, and this one certainly resulted in a few tears...

I always think the first dance results in some of the best photos of the day, filled with pure joy. It's usually one of the first events of the reception, after the most stressful parts of the day are over, and the bride and groom are able to relax and reflect on the day thus far... so sweet!

We stepped outside after dark to photograph some of the best Nashville scenery that can't be seen during daylight hours...

Claire's dad was loving the camera during the father/daughter dance - the image below is definitely one of my favorites!

Claire+Spence :: We love you guys to pieces and wish you all the very best for a long and happy marriage that feels like Christmas every day! 

Venue :: aVenue
Accommodations :: DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown
Coordinator :: Natalie Finley of Randi Events
Videographer :: Bruce Karcher
Caterer and Cake Artist :: Chef's Market
Reception Band :: Party of 5
Makeup Artist :: Kaley Schwab Consulting
Hair Stylist :: Shay Hart of Troubadour Salon
Wedding Gown :: The Bride Room by designer Augusta Jones
Bridesmaids' Dresses :: Nordstrom
Men's Attire :: Jos. A. Bank
Stationer :: ChampagnePress via Etsy
Rings :: Genesis Diamonds
Officiant :: Dean Barnham of Woodmont Hills Family of God
Photographer :: Glessner Photography

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All images ©2013 Glessner Photography. Please do not save, copy, edit, or use in any way without Glessner Photography's express written permission. Violators may be prosecuted.

featured :: melissa hearts weddings :: nashville engagement photographer

I was so honored to photograph my sweet friend Claire and her fiance Spence last year in Tennessee, and I was even more excited to have their engagement session featured on Melissa Hearts Weddings over the weekend! They are such a sweet couple, and Claire is seriously one of the most beautiful people I know.  I can't wait to capture their wedding day coming up in December! In the meantime, you should check out their engagement feature here.

Many thanks to Melissa for sharing our work! 

Engaged? Contact us today to reserve your wedding date and schedule your engagement session.

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reunited and it feels so good :: high point photographer

This past weekend was one I had been anticipating for months... months, people. Each year or so, a group of my girlfriends from Belmont University and I try to plan a girls weekend, and finally, after nearly two years since our last ​reunion in the Outer Banks, we were all together once again at my house here in North Carolina.

​It's crazy how much our lives have changed in just four years... Christina is engaged and officially a doctor, Claire will be married and graduated from P.A. school by the end of the year, Megan has already been through grad school and is an academic advisor at a university half way across the country, and Kaley owns her own business and is an aspiring country artist. We all have different dreams and we're each in different places in life and geographically, but somehow, we always manage to pick things up right where we left off. It's a rare find to have a group of people who are invested in each other's lives for the long haul (like always having an encouraging word... or a lecture dragged out over the course of three days :) ... to give you the kick in the pants you need), and I thank my lucky stars to have such an amazing group of women to call my friends.

​The weekend was filled with cupcakes, Riesling and margaritas, some incredibly amusing wedding dress shopping experiences, sleep deprivation, road trip sing-a-longs, and mostly laughing so hard that I thought I legitimately might die. ​And finally, we got a group photo...

I can't wait to see what the next year brings for everyone, and I'm already looking forward to the next reunion!!
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​See more from our girls weekend here. To keep up with the latest news and photos from Glessner Photography, like us on Facebook.​