Nashville barn weddings can bring out the best in a couple – whether they're from the city or the country! Hailing from the country, you may remember Courtney + Alan from a previous post on our blog. We featured Courtney + Alan's fun summer engagement shoot at the Tennessee State Fair! I'm so happy photographer Derek Couts helped us connect their love story from engagement to wedding day. So please enjoy these photos of the Harris' barn wedding and read more about their story from the pro behind the lens, Derek!
Courtney + Alan Harris
10.30.16
Bagsby Ranch
150 Guests
Wedding Team:
Photographer | Derek Couts
Cake Artist | Bake a Wish Cakery – Stefania Vital
Band/DJ | Dj Danco – Dan McNamara
Makeup Artist | Rachel Edwards
Bridesmaid Dresses + Tuxes | Bridal Warehouse
Officiant | Jacob Haywood
Venue | Bagsby Ranch – Angela Bagsby
Tell us about the couple's vision.
Derek: Courtney is a country girl at heart, so for her to have the wedding at Bagsby Ranch only makes sense. A big thing for Courtney was to make sure there was a way to honor her dad as well. Her dad will be deploying in March, so the wedding was a huge deal for the both of them. Although the day was about Alan + Courtney, they made a point to honor her father by having a beautiful wedding ceremony on the dock.
What was their theme and what inspired it?
Derek: Courtney and Alan had a classy ranch themed wedding. One of the key features they told me when choosing Bagsby Ranch is how classy the venue felt, “even though it was a barn.” With the location of the ranch and fall season, they built their wedding day around that, using deep reds and purples as their primary colors and gold to compliment these.
Can you share any special moments or highlights of their wedding day?
Derek: A special moment during the wedding day was about an hour before the ceremony. Alan and Courtney wanted to speak encouragement and love to each other, but did not want be seen before the wedding. Because of how open Bagsby Ranch is, we were able to find a room where Alan could hide and hold Courtney's hand as he prayed for their marriage. It was especially nice however, as I was given the opportunity to be the only witness of this event as others had given them the privacy they wanted. It really is a blessing as a wedding photographer to build relationships so close to the couple that even in their most intimate moments, they trust you to not only capture that moment, but to be present and the only witness of that time.
Did they have any special requests or unique challenges that you had to work together to overcome?
Derek: There was not a cloud in the sky on October 30, 2016. For anyone who is not accustomed to photography, this seems like the perfect day (and in all honesty, the weather really was perfect). From a photographers view, however, this can be problematic as it causes harsh light, which in turn, creates unflattering light. As mentioned before, Bagsby Ranch is very open, and shade that is away from guests is hard to find. Thankfully, this is something I had discussed with Courtney and Alan prior to their engagement session, and they understood the importance of good quality light vs. a picture taken in bad light. So, regardless of where the best light was (even if guests could see Courtney prior to the wedding), we were able to get photos they are in love with. The best part? During the timeline we created a month before their wedding, we built in enough wiggle room for time that when we were off schedule by a half hour, we were still early. Her entrance was still grand and no one saw the bride prior to the ceremony! (:
Thanks so much for giving us the opportunity to feature Courtney + Alan's love story full-circle, Derek! You can check out more on Derek Couts Photography here on his website or Instagram page. And be sure to view this beautiful short video of the heirloom album Derek designed for the couple – gorgeous work!
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