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I’m afraid I am going to make this post much longer than it needs to be, because of all of the wonderful things I want to say about Sadie, Clayton, and both of their families. At least now I can say you’ve been warned.

 Let’s rewind.

The first time I ever saw Sadie, I was a recruitment counselor at the University of Memphis. I remember watching her to see what chapter she would join. Even though I am several years older than Sadie, I could tell what an asset she would be to any greek chapter at the U of M. Sadie’s college roommate was in my sorority, and she told me that she and Sadie would avidly ‘stalk’ mine and John’s wedding pictures online, but let’s face it, who doesn’t do that. That’s what Facebook is for!

When Sadie emailed ME inquiring about her May wedding at Dunleith Plantation in the charming Natchez, Mississippi I tried my absolute best to put on a poker face so I didn’t automatically nerd out in front of Sadie and her precious parents (who bought us lunch when Sadie met with us initially to discuss booking, precious I tell you.)

Sadie and Clayton are wrapping up their bachelors degree at the University of Memphis, which is actually where these love birds met. Both Sadie and Clayton are mature beyond their years, and I know they have two wonderful familes to thank for that. Sadie is the definition of fearless. She is bold, brave, and knows exactly what she wants. When Sadie and I sat down to discuss engagement plans/locations, I was surprised to hear what was important to her. In a nutshell: Clayton’s family’s home in Jackson, TN, Sadie’s parent’s home in Collierville, and Clayton’s apartment which will soon be ‘home’ for both S & C. Sadie’s requests speak VOLUMES to me. Most 21 year old girls could care less about their families homes, let alone most 21 year old girls are not mature enough to make such a huge commitment, and I admire Sadie for cherishing what is really important in life, family.

When we traveled to Jackson, to Clayton’s family’s home, I was greeted by the most beautiful Pug I’ve ever seen. I had to compose myself. Clayton was raised by amazing parents, like Sadie, and they too invited us in with open arms (and fed us before we left to drive back to Memphis, I think these guys know the way to our hearts.) At Sadie’s parent’s house, they ALSO fed us after we finished shooting. Talk about southern hospitality!

Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson, and Mr. and Mrs. Williams, I can’t even imagine how incredibly proud you must be of such wonderful children. The love that they have for each other, their families, and all that they come in contact with is admirable.

Sadie and Clayton, we can’t wait to document chapter one of your story in Natchez, Mississippi.

Enjoy.

Sadie has a love for all things Jadeite.

These are just too adorable!

Sadie has green eyes, red hair, and freckles. I’m pretty sure that is the definition of adorable!

I love the 1960’s feel of this.

SADIE. I can’t even. You are gorgeous.

melting.

Some of my favorites.

SO. ROMANTIC.

Sadie…..wow.

As I was editing these, I kept singing “It’s a love story, baby just say yes.” What else is new?

Sadie has such a rare beauty, she is hauntingly beautiful.

One of Clayton’s pups!

I.love.pugs.

I bet you’re wondering why this engagement session is called ‘Sadie and Clayton take the plunge’ huh?

wait for it

SO.DREAMY.

Congrats, you guys!

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  • October 13, 2013 - 12:08 am

    Becky Seals - Beautiful photos…beautiful couple…beautiful romanceReplyCancel

What’s NOT to love about Rachel and Whit? Remember these cuties? Click here.

The amount of love I have for these two people is ridiculous. The amount of love that Rachel and Whit have for each other is even more ridiculous. I think in one of the first emails Rachel sent to me, she called herself awkward. If she is awkward, then I’ll have whatever she ordered, because she is constantly glowing. The way Whit watches Rachel is mesmerizing. You can tell that she is his entire world, and that’s how it should be.

I can honestly say that their bride and groom portraits are some of my all time favorites. Rachel and Whit were dressed to kill. Rachel had one of the most stunning, keyhole, white lace dresses I have ever seen, and Whit was dressed to impress all the way down to his loafers. Together they ruled the world. The bridal party was nothing short of stunning either. The contrast of the navy satin dresses with the giant yellow sunflowers, and the gorgeous groomsmen and their trendy hipster sunglasses, made for an extremely flattering combination all around.

Rachel is a bride turned friend. She has been so supportive since day one. She’s quick to compliment my work, encouraging at all times, and her thoughtfulness puts her in a league of her own. I’m thankful for such wonderful clients, I constantly have a heart that soars because of you all.

Rachel and Whit decided to stray from tradition and do a first look, this enabled them to relax and have fun before the actual ceremony. Looking back, I wish I would have done one as well.(A word of advice to all brides who are on the fence about a first look, do it.)

Rachel and Whit, congrats. I hope you enjoy these lovely images as much as we did!

Rachel brought one of my photos in from a May wedding for her hair stylist. I loved seeing it!

I.love.this

RACHEL. You are so cute!

One of my all time favorites, so soft, so lovely.

If you wear red lipstick, I’m more than likely going to take 100 pictures of them.

These groomsmen seriously made our life.

This funny groomsmen let me call him Tebow all day!

I may have had a little bit too much fun with these.

Rachel and Whit were excited to also get some portraits at their wedding reception. I like how light and fun these are, especially the sunglasses.

Stunning.

Rachel and Whit dance when they’re happy.

There is something about sitting portraits in your wedding attire, so casual, while still being formal.

I did not tell them to dance, they’re just that adorable.

What up, John Ginn original

You guys know these balloons made my day!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Whitaker!

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I am so incredibly psyched to finally be posting this engagement session. Get ready, because you are about to fall in love with Lena, Sallis, and good ‘ole Clarksdale Mississippi.

When John and I sat down with Lena and Sallis, alarms went off in my head. I KNEW I had to have her. She was so unique and stunningly gorgeous. She sat there with such great poise and posture (something I am fresh out of). Lena and Sallis came with a list of great questions to ask me, some I am frequently asked, some, not so much. I loved how prepared they both were. At the end of our meeting, the sorority girl inside me slipped out, I told Lena I considered her a ‘target’ bride. I loved how edgy she was, and how well she and Sallis complimented each other. John and I really felt like we were all on the same page. Luckily, Lena and Sallis felt the same way about us!

I always ask my bride and groom’s where their story started. I love hearing their uniques tales, but this one in particular, is one of my favorites. Technically Lena and Sallis’ story started when Lena was in kindergarten, 1995.

Lena is the adorable little girl to the right of the chess board, and Sallis is the first boy on the far left with his arms crossed.

Lena and Sallis went to high school together, but Sallis was three years ahead of her, so they lost touch for a bit, then reconnected in 2010. They’ve been attached at the hip ever since. Sallis is a fourth year medical student, with interest in internal medicine. After Lena received her degree from Memphis College of Art in sculpture, she became an apprentice for a jeweler. I have seen some of her work, Sallis wears a ring she made him, and she is VERY talented! This adorable couple is getting married this April, and we are SO excited to be a part of their big day.

 We met up with Lena and Sallis at our favorite place, Flying Saucer. They told us they had a great idea for their engagement session. This was the first time I had ever head of the Shack Up Inn. I knew we HAD to go there for Lena and Sallis’ session. It’s a little less than two hours away, and DEFINITELY worth the drive. When we arrived I was in awe. This charming, bizarre plantation is a MUST see. If you appreciate history, then you will absolutely LOVE the Shack Up Inn. Head on down to the deep south! The Shack Up Inn’s website says “Shacks are loved by artists, musicians, writers, and just plain cool folks. I could have stood there for hours just looking around. According to the Shack Up Inn, ‘they aint no Ritz.’ That they aren’t, but they do have the original cotton gin, and multiple authentic sharecropper’s shacks that you are able to reserve for the night. The shacks are virtually unchanged from when it was a working plantation.

Before I get TOO wordy, I’ll let you decide how incredibly awesome the Shack Up Inn is.

Enjoy!

As inappropriate as this probably is for me to post, I just HAD to. Johnny Cash is my absolute favorite.

You’ll notice I took about a million of Lena, she is so gorgeous!

Sallis is equally stunning!

Lena is so creative. Every time I’ve seen her, she has the coolest nail art. I drink so much caffeine, I am too shaky to be so precise.

Both Sallis and Lena were dressed to impress!

“Put on some red lipstick and live a little.”

All of the shacks have their own name. L&S’s was called ‘The Chicken Coop.’

Lena’s hair!!!

Most definitely my favorite. So romantic.

I was honestly in love with ALL of the vintage appliances.

Being the art fanatic that Lena is, she proposed we recreate ‘The Kiss’ by Gustav Klimt. I love it.

We can’t wait for April!

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Remember Caitlyn and Zach’s Spring Creek Ranch wedding I did back in May? (https://kellyginnphotography.com/caitlynzach-a-spring-creek-ranch-wedding-525-at-525/)

I am SO completely honored to announce it was featured in The Pink Bride’s 2013/14 edition.

This was the first wedding I have ever done at Spring Creek Ranch, and let me tell you, it is a BEAUTIFUL venue. Toni from Spring Creek is sure to take care of you, and make your bridal experience the best you can ever imagine! They have such a variety of locations for portraits at Spring Creek; the rustic abandoned barn, the wooden rickety bridge, and the modern clubhouse is absolutely to die for. If you are planning a 2014 wedding, you should definitely give Toni at Spring Creek a call!

Brides, if you missed The Pink Bride show yesterday at the Hilton, make sure you get to go to the January 2014 show. You will NOT be disappointed!

Enjoy!

AND incase you were unable to attend The Pink Bride’s show yesterday, you can view the magazine online!

(http://issuu.com/thepinkbride/docs/memphispinkbride2013_flipbook/40?e=0)

(Vendor Credit: Venue: Spring Creek Ranch, Photography: Kelly Ginn Photography, Videography: VM Weddings Studio, Dress: Barefoot Bride, Florist: Angie Morton Design, Cake: KippCakes, Band: Terry Green and the Undercovers Band)

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You may remember this stunning couple from their engagement session back in February. (https://kellyginnphotography.com/juliamichael-a-meadow-engagement/)

I remember thinking “August feels SO far away.” It flew by, and before we knew it, it was Julia and Michael’s special day.

Julia and I got along so well throughout the duration of her engagement. She was completely opposite of me when I was a bride. She was SO relaxed, so calm, and so mature about everything. (Basically everything I should have been.) A month or so before the wedding Julia emailed me asking if I had any hair stylist suggestions, I knew JUST the girl. My best friend is actually a hair stylist, so I absolutely loved giving her information out, and getting to work along side her.

Brides, if you want your hair to look as amazing as Julia’s did (and man did it hold for the ENTIRE night) make sure to give Emily Lane a call at Custom Cuts by Caligaris!

When I arrived at Faith Presbyterian, where Julia and Michael’s ceremony was, I was greeted by the charming and extremely talented Michael Doyle of Lynn Doyle Flowers. I trusted him and his team to coordinate/style my own wedding two years ago, and my sister did the same six years ago. He is the best in Memphis, and he definitely lived up to that title at Julia’s wedding. Brides, make sure to give him a call for your 2014 wedding.

Julia and Michael decided they wanted to see each other before the ceremony. I secretly (not so secretly) LOVE first looks. It’s such a raw moment, and what better way than to have that documented? It was overcast for most of the day, but to be honest, I really loved the mood/tone the gloomy grey sky set. Michael and Julia’s bride and groom portraits are some of my favorite I’ve ever shot. They were relaxed and patient, and so very willing to go with my hair brain ideas. (I love when people accept my ‘crazy’)

Once the ceremony was over, we headed to the reception at Mud Island River Terrace. It is easily one of my favorite venues in Memphis. It makes you feel like you’re on a Carnival cruise. There are four levels, indoor and outdoor seating, and giant glass windows that surround the entire building which let the sunlight poor in. It was SO dreamy. Michael and Julia were willing to spend some time with me on the property to have more urban portraits as well as the traditional ones they had done at their church. I loved having the best of both worlds.

Julia and Michael, you are two peas in a pod. These high school sweethearts went to college together, and decided they couldn’t wait one more minute to be ‘each others.’

I can’t wait to see all of the adventures your marriage takes you on in Alabama!

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Obviously, I was obsessed with Julia’s mint lace oxfords.

There are NO words for how much I love this.

Michael made this for Julia in his high school spanish class. Michael, you may have gotten a 95, but Julia gave you a perfect score!

Emily Lane does not disappoint, Julia’s hair was amazing!

I love this!

This is what happens when you give the bride and groom an impossible pose, it made for an adorable laughing picture!

Lynn Doyle Flowers is absolutely incredible!

Two of Michael’s groomsmen brought this church pew out, and I promised them a shout our for being so helpful! Yall rock!

One of my very faves!

Mrs. Harris was ADORABLE filming alongside me!

Have I mentioned that Michael has a twin, Alex? They are identical, SO identical that their own church directory confused them!

Seeing double? This is Alex and Michael!

Sweet Katie, Julia’s sister was a puddle. It was so sweet!

I love how J&M looked at each other as they walked down the aisle, they were both ecstatic!

Per Julia’s request. I love this!

STUNNING

This wedding guest in particular, provided John and I with LOTS of laughs, he snapped the picture below!

Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw, congrats!

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  • September 6, 2013 - 10:40 pm

    Abby - I absolutely loved these! The reception shots were particularly fantastic. Your photos have such lovely composition and tell the story of the day so beautifully. Fabulous, girl!ReplyCancel

  • November 16, 2014 - 12:37 am

    Diane Bonner - Looking at these because daughter is considering this venue for next summer. Your pictures were very nice! Are you located in memphis?
    What do you think about this venue? Any major problems?
    Thanks!
    Diane
    Mom of future bride
    9014967741ReplyCancel