Chattanooga photographer styled shoot Archives

When Moxy Chattanooga contacted me to photograph their styled LGBTQ wedding in Chattanooga, I jumped at the opportunity! I am so excited to show you this shoot, which was also featured by Equally Wed. Equally Wed is a beautiful resource for modern LGBTQ+ couples and promotes LGBTQ+ inclusive wedding professionals like me!

lesbian couple in strapless gown and black pantsuit cuddles on colorful pillows at Moxy Hotel at LGBTQ Wedding in Chattanooga

LGBTQ WEDDING IN CHATTANOOGA

Moxy Chattanooga, a hotel downtown, offers a wonderful venue space for weddings. While many venues aren’t yet open to LGBTQ weddings in Chattanooga, Moxy planned and hosted this styled LGBTQ wedding to highlight the fact that they are an inclusive venue for queer couples. I was beyond thrilled to work with Moxy and their event coordinators as their photographer for the day.

Something that made me appreciate this shoot even more: Moxy intentionally chose LGBTQ models. Although the models in these photos are not a couple, they are members of the LGBTQ community. They also were major players in creating the final looks of this styled wedding!

Alecia, a local artist, designed the backdrop at the ceremony site helped style other aspects of the day. Christina was the makeup artist on site. You can see more of their work at the links I’ve included below.

blue hair bride in strapless gown holding bright bouquet sits on floor of yellow vintage VW bus in Chattanooga Tennessee

bride with blue hair laughs with woman in yellow dress and woman in bright floral dress and hat

bride with blue hair and strapless dress laughs with woman in yellow dress inside a vintage Volkswagon bus

bride with colorful bouquet sits between two women in bright gowns in VW bus at Chattanooga lesbian wedding styled shoot

lesbian brides at LGBTQ wedding in Chattanooga styled shoot cuddle on running board of yellow Volkswagon bus at Moxy Hotel

bride with blue hair caresses her partner's chin in backseat of vintage VW bus at LGBTQ wedding in Chattanooga styled shoot

two brides at LGBTQ wedding in Chattanooga styled shoot wear a strapless white gown and black pantsuit in back of VW bus

lesbian brides at LGBTQ wedding in Chattanooga styled shoot cuddle in back of vintage yellow Volkswagon bus at Moxy Hotel

bride in black pantsuit hugs bride in strapless white gown at LGBTQ wedding in Chattanooga in front of yellow Volkswagon bus

lesbian couple sits on peacock rattan chairs in front of bright wall draperies at Moxy Hotel at LGBTQ Wedding in Chattanooga

lesbian couple in strapless gown and black pantsuit cuddles on colorful pillows at Moxy Hotel at LGBTQ Wedding in Chattanooga

LGBTQ wedding styled shoot in downtown Chattanooga at Moxy Hotel with two brides standing on street in front of vintage car

two brides at lesbian wedding styled shoot wearing white dress with red leather jacket and red pants with white jacket

two brides at LGBTQ wedding in Chattanooga styled shoot hold hands on the street in front of vintage car and Moxy Hotel

lesbian brides sit closely on an artistically painted platform with potted plants around them at LGBTQ wedding styled shoot

two brides snuggle and laugh on artistically painted platform for lesbian LGBTQ wedding in Chattanooga styled shoot

bride wearing red pants, white suit jacket and veil laughs with bride wearing full, tulle skirt, black crop top, and turban

two brides lay together against a black and white background at their LGBTQ lesbian wedding in Chattanooga at Moxy Hotel

two brides and two bridesmaids wear bright, colorful wedding attire on an artistically painted platform and backdrop

two brides stand at colorfully decorated table, feeding each other macaroons

two brides stand at colorfully decorated table, holding a rainbow decorated macaroon

two brides stand in front of wooden fence, feeding each other macaroons

two brides hold hands next to colorfully decorated dinner table

Enormous thanks to Moxy Chattanooga for including me in their LGBTQ wedding styled shoot! And a huge round of applause to the following vendors for creating such an inclusive and colorful event:

Venue -- Moxy Chattanooga
Event Planner -- V. Love Events
Design and Decor -- Alecia Vera
Design and Decor -- The Copper Quail
Apparel: Hemline, Embellish, Collective Clothing
Dress -- Monica’s Bridal
VW Bus Photo Booth -- Sunkissed Photobus
Hair Stylist -- Shaina Ramsey Beauty
Makeup Artist -- Sight of Stina
Bakery -- Crown Macaroons
Lighting -- Luma Designs
Heirlooms -- Dirty Janes Antiques

LGBTQ+ inclusive services

I recognize that our world and culture continues to change but that things move a little bit slower here in the South. My goal is to always make ALL my couples feel safe and seen on their big day. If you are seeking a photographer for your LGBTQ wedding (or engagement, family photos, etc!) in Chattanooga (or beyond!), I'd love to speak with you to see if I'm the right fit for you. Contact me to kick off the conversation!

Published by Rachael Crowe in Featured, Weddings

This styled shoot was so. much. fun. I teamed up with the most amazing, talented wedding vendors, and the results were SO gorgeous! I’m a huge believer in #communityovercompetition and giving back, and I’ve been lucky enough to receive some amazing mentoring over the years. I’m glad to be able to do the same, and since we had so many amazing vendors on board for the shoot, I sold tickets for other photographers to join in. We ended up having 14 photographers and videographers join us on the day of the shoot. As much as I wasn’t planning on hosting a big event, I’m SO glad it happened that way! This boho midwestern elopement styled shoot out was amazing, and I can’t wait for the next one!

We were hosted by The Gray Dove, which is now one of my favorite wedding venues! Everyone helped me put together a boho, midwestern inspired look for the multiple shoots we had organized, and it ended up looking so cool! It was such a collaborative effort, and the boho midwestern theme looked better than I thought possible!

Shaina Ramsey did all of the makeup, and she did SUCH a good job keeping it boho glam. Juliet's Beauty Lounge styled all of the model's hair, and kept it simple but elegant.

White Ink Calligraphy created the most amazing invitation suite. We put together a flat lay with cork, geodes, and antique jewelry from Hudson Estate, and it looked SO cool.

I’m a huge believer in #communityovercompetition and giving back, and a styled shoot out is an awesome way to build community and learn from your peers.

The shoot had tropical plants, cacti, amazing macrame, lace, fringe, vintage decor accents… I’m really happy with how it came together!

Prior to the shoot, I sat down with each of the vendors to discuss my vision. I gave each of them a mood board, and they RAN with it! They brought my vision to life, which was so cool. We ended up having 8 models and 14 photographers/videographers - one who even drove 14 hours from Kansas just to be there!

Ramblewood Co. put together the most amazing bouquets and floral installations that were boho and badass all at the same time. The Copper Quail provided all of the vintage furniture and decor for our indoor and outdoor elopement set ups, and everything pulled together so well.

I don't know anyone other than Sierra's Cake Werks who can make a plain naked cake look so amazing. It fit in with the rest of the shoot perfectly!

I taught a posing class during the shoot, which was super fun. It’s also nice to participate in a styled shoot, because it leaves more room for creativity. Wedding days can be hectic and don’t leave a lot of time to be experimental, but having a less restricted timeline during a shoot lets me try all sorts of fun new things. I got to try some new techniques and play around a little. I always tell photographers to do styled shoots if they can! If you don’t have time to organize your own, I have a waitlist for my next one coming up soon!

White Table provided the napkins for our table setting, and Chattanooga Tent brought their best plates and flatware for the tablescapes.

Can we just talk about this macrame backdrop for a hot minute? Mother Macramei created this specially for the shoot out, and it was EPIC. Together with the brick wall, rattan peacock chairs and green palms, it created such a cool vibe and I fell in love instantly!

I connected with Olia Zavozina for the model's dresses and Giorgio Men's Warehouse for the men's suits - and let me just tell you, all of our couples looked incredible. I could not have planned it better! We had a variety of styles for all of the photographers and videographers to photograph, and all of the dresses had such great flow and movement.

Mobile Moony joined us on set with their badass mobile photo booth, and everyone loved it!

I am seriously obsessed with how amazing the handmade jewelry from Sayuri Designs looked when paired with the vintage jewelry and bridal gowns.

And one last final shout out to the awesome hosts at The Gray Dove! I had such a great time at this venue, as did the rest of our crew, and it's so insanely versatile! The owners are amazing and I would definitely recommend booking it for your wedding!