Happy Anniversary to a special couple!

Ten years ago today, two things began... the first a happy marriage for a wonderful couple that would yield two beautiful daughters and millions of laughs and good times. The second, a side career for Danielle and I that would eventually grow bigger than we could imagine. Today is the anniversary of our very first official wedding couple, Angie and Dave Pointer!!

I worked with Angie at the Daily Beacon when we were both students at the University of Tennessee. A couple years after graduation, she called me up and told me she was getting married and wanted to know if I shot weddings. Danielle and I had experimented on a family friend's wedding to see if we could do any better than our crappy wedding photographer so I told her that, yeah, I thought we could do it. We scratched together a contract, went to Staples to have it printed, and boom, Hope Photography was born.

I do have to say though that honestly, if we had photographed any other couple as our first official wedding, I don't know if we would have stuck with it. Angie and Dave were awesome. The perfect bride and groom. Laid back, fun, and so full of love for each other that it just warms your heart. They really inspired us that day and taught us what a privilege it is for us to be a witness to so much love.

So in honor of Angie and David and Hope Photography's tenth anniversary, I dusted off the Way Back Machine and found a few old film scans from our archive...



The ceremony was at Ijams Nature Center. Our first and only one there in ten years.


Walking out.


Right after the ceremony. Look at the joy on their faces!


One of my first ever detail photos.


I remember I *borrowed* some lighting equipment from the newspaper to do the portraits. Oops.


Bubbles!


I was so good back then, I even used off camera lighting during the reception!

(Not really… my shutter caught someone else's flash and I thought it was the coolest thing ever when I got the film back.)


UT boxers, $15.
Tuxedo rental, $200.
Dropping trough to surprise your new bride at the reception, PRICELESS!


I remember being so proud of this one! Experimenting with dragging the shutter and rear syncing the shutter… I was cutting edge back then! It's crazy to think that I would try something new at a wedding and then have to wait three whole days for the film to be processed before I saw the results! Man, digital has spoiled me. :)

So congratulations Pointers... congratulations on your life together, your two super cute daughters, and your careers! We're so happy that you all have made it ten wonderful years and we hope you have a hundred more!

And thanks for calling and asking us if we shot weddings ten years ago Angie… I'd probably still be rotting away at a newspaper if you hadn't!