Samantha + Wes: A Candid Wedding in the Georgia Pines
REAL WEDDINGS · GEORGIA · A CANDID WEDDING IN THE PINES · [VENUE / TOWN]
Some love stories need a ballroom. Samantha and Wes just needed a clearing in the pines — a handmade arbor, a white tent, and everyone they love standing in the trees. This is storytelling without staging. This is their day, exactly how it felt.
01
The Morning — Slow, Loud, and Full of Love
Wedding mornings always split in two, and I love both halves. On Samantha’s side: curling irons, inside jokes, and a dress hanging on the door just catching the window light. Her girls crowded around the mirror, and somewhere between the laughter and the quiet, it hit her — today’s the day. Dance party in their pjs and just true peace knowing that this day will be a great day.
Downstairs, Wes and his guys were “basically ready” three hours early — which meant jackets on couches and smash brothers tournament going. Nobody was posing. Nobody needed to. Those in-between moments are the whole reason I shoot candid. Best thing for the guys is the feeling of not having to pose for every shot. The knowledge that they can hangout with their guys and truly just be present is more restful.
DOCUMENTING EVERY MOMENT
FEELS LIKE MEMORY. STYLED LIKE ART. WITNESSED, NEVER STAGED.
02
A Ceremony in the Pines
When the trees are your cathedral, you don’t need much else. Their ceremony sat in a clearing ringed by pines — a wooden arbor built by hands that love them, draped in white, with pastel florals lining a runner through the pine straw. Sunlight kept slipping through the branches like it wanted a seat too.
Wes took his place at the arbor, doing that thing grooms do where they hold it together right up until they can’t. Then the music shifted, and Samantha stepped onto the aisle on her father’s arm — blues and creams in her bouquet, petals underfoot, every single head turning at once. The thought that the rehearsal run through has equipped you for success and now the action is no longer staged but the real thing. I didn’t have to direct a thing. I just had to be ready. Stolen glances, sunlit stillness, smiles beaming. This is why I do this. Capture the moments that will forever live in your heart and mind.
★★★★★
“THANK YOU FOR THE PICTURES!!!! They look amazing! Thank you so much for being a part of and capturing our special day 🥰”
— SAMANTHA + WES
03
The Little Things Worth Remembering
Your story lives in the details, and theirs were handmade in the best way — rings tucked in a green velvet box, pastel arrangements on white pedestals between the trees, folding chairs carried into the woods one at a time by people who love them. None of it was for show. All of it was them. That’s the kind of day that deserves to be seen — clearly, softly, truthfully. Your day is special, so don’t let anyone change or take over your vision of your special day. It’s your day so enjoy it.
DREAMING OF A FOREST WEDDING? A FEW NOTES FROM THIS ONE
- A tent close by is your best friend — shade, rain plan, and reception space all in one.
- Lay a runner down the aisle. Heels and pine straw are not on speaking terms.
- Trust the trees. That soft, filtered forest light? You can’t buy it — and it’s the most flattering light there is.
Want to game plan your own day in the woods? Shoot me a message — I’m always down.
ROOTED IN ATLANTA · ALWAYS READY TO GO ANYWHERE YOUR HEART LEADS
Have a story to tell? I’d love to hear it.
I only shoot candid — so relax, have fun, and let’s create something magical together.
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