Kate+Dan // Wedding at Sugar Hollow Retreat. Butler, Tennessee.

We have been looking forward to photographing Kate+Dan’s wedding for so long, ever since Kate sent us a picture of Dan playing ultimate frisbee when his hair and beard were really long and I casuuuually commented that he looks like John Oates. Then Kate said that Dan gets really excited whenever anyone tells him that he looks like John Oates, to which I responded that I “made his dreaaaaams come true (woo oo, woo oo, woo oo)” and then sent her a link to the Yacht Rock series on Youtube (if you’ve been following any of what I just said, look up Yacht Rock and you’ll enjoy it). Anyway, we’ve talked apocalyptic terror and Connie Britton and pixie cuts and Kate sent me a cute camera card asking if we’d follow them around all day long, to which we responded with a JPEG of John Cusack holding a stereo above his head, and the rest is history.

So we ended up in Tennessee and had the best time ever! We stayed in a retreat with the family and guests and people fed us and were nice to us and we took walks in the woods and had a view of the mountains while we ate some oatmeal. I had recently cut my hair into a pixie cut that was near identical to Maggie’s, one of their officiants, and people sometimes told me I did a good job marrying Kate and Dan. I hope that Maggie got some compliments on her ninja photography skills. Dan played some tunes with the super awesome Laura Lackey’s Rhythm Revue and his relatives talked about how he liked to put ketchup on things he disliked as a kid. The wedding party found an apple tree and we ate them and they were delicious (the apples, not the wedding party). Kate and Dan – you’re wonderful and we love you. Thank you for being gracious hosts to us and treating us like family and for that gluten-free chocolate torte because that thing was fantastic.

  • Date: August 6, 2016
  • Ceremony + Reception Venue: Sugar Hollow Retreat // Butler, Tennessee
  • First Dance Song: “Dream a Little Dream of Me” – Performed by Laura Lackey’s Rhythm Revue
  • Kate’s Occupation: Behavior Analyst in Training
  • Dan’s Occupation: Physical Therapist in Training
  • How You Met: Dan and Kate met through mutual friends while she was visiting for a job interview. One hour after Kate landed in San Francisco to move there permanently, Dan found Kate and asked her out every day until she said yes.
  • Interesting Fact: Kate bought her own engagement ring and sold it to Dan. Also, Kate played football in high school and Dan plays ultimate frisbee professionally!
  • Honeymoon: Montreal, Quebec
  • Vendor Credits: Officiant – Maggie Downey and Josh Neff. Band – Laura Lackey’s Rhythm Revue. Florist – Shady Grove Gardens & Nursery. Cake – Stick Boy Bread Company. Caterer – CR Catering. Lettering – Jordan Reed Calligraphy & Floral Studio.