Kayla and Chris // Walking in Memphis

This week I made a day trip up to Memphis to shoot Chris and Kayla’s engagement session, and I have to admit I was super nervous, because the weather forecast did not looking promising, and this time of year in the south, you really never know what you’re going to get. When I first arrived in town, my stomach dropped because rain was literally pouring from the sky. While I don’t mind an overcast- even drizzly- shoot by any means, a downpour makes things quite a bit more complicated. Miraculously, 30 minutes before we were scheduled to begin, the skies literally cleared, and we ended up getting an afternoon full of sunshine, big dramatic clouds, and a glorious sunset. (And yes, quite a bit of wind too… but I was kind of loving it. ;) ) It was one of those incredible things that just made me feel so thankful, and our session was just an absolute blast.

Chris and Kayla are just about as sweet as can be. Not only did they greet me with a Starbucks gift card to get coffee for the drive home (aw!), but they also pretty much immediately jumped into the session like old pros- laughing, joking, being ridiculously cute together. I feel like I hardly had to do anything! And I loved watching how attentive Chris was to Kayla, always making sure she was happy, and being a good sport for all our crazy ideas. And Kayla’s freckles? Pretty flipping adorable!

What I also loved about this session was how it ended up turning into a mini tour of downtown Memphis. We started at the National Ornamental Metal Museum, which had really cool art sculptures all over the grounds, and then we headed to the train station, passed by the Lorraine Motel (where Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed and which has since been turned into the National Civil Rights Museum), saw the views from the top of the Peabody Hotel, and ended the afternoon on Beale Street. Despite having grown up in Tennessee in cities everywhere from Nashville to Knoxville, I actually never visited Memphis until last October, and this was the first time I got to see the attractions. Maybe next time I go I’ll hit up Graceland. ;)

But for now… enjoy!

Big thanks to Chris and Kayla for our adventure, and I can’t wait to come back in September for your wedding! :)