Rich (an old friend of ours) and Enchantee (a new friend of ours) met me in downtown Sevierville for some engagement photos. This great showbiz couple plans to tie the knot in May at Bluff Mountain Inn. We had a great time exploring some of the hidden treasures around town.
Enchantee and Rich are Engaged
Michelle and Machael’s Combined Family
These girls were ready for the events of the day. Here they are in warm up suits testing out the tiaras.
Michelle does a few final touches before her wedding portraits.
Fun shots while getting ready for the big day.
Michelle has a beautiful natural smile.
Her Dad had to give her a little grief about the lipstick on his cheek.
How about this lineup for a wedding party?
This shot of Michelle taken through the stained glass window at the chapel as she prepares to walk down the aisle.
Here the bride and groom share an intimate moment alone in the chapel.
At the reception we got several staged photos. I don’t know what the story is on the finger crossing, but I’m sure there is one..
Saying the blessing before dinner.
Another intimate moment at the reception.
Amanda’s Comments: Michael and Michelle were a delightful couple to work with. They arrived for rehearsal with quite the crew. Almost Brady Bunch style w/ twin girls, and 3 boys. What a photographers dream! All the different emotions of the day were fun to capture and you’ll enjoy some of the candids we shot of the little ones.
Towards the end of the reception I heard Michelle tearfully thanking Michael with a heart overflowing with joy saying, “You are so amazing! The kids love you so much and you are such and amazing father!” Those are the comments we love to hear…
Our best wishes to this great family on their wedding day. Thanks for coming to Bluff Mountain.
- These pictures are amazing! I could not have asked for a better experience than what we had. It had to be very difficult working with 5 children all under the age of 7! But you've done beautifully!March 2, 2010 - 4:13 pm
- These are some of the most beatiful pictures that i have seen. it helps that the photography had such sweet and beautiful subjects.March 2, 2010 - 7:02 pm
Highlights from Bluff Mountain 2009
Bluff Mountain Inn is an all inclusive wedding and reception facility, as well as serving as our magnificent outdoor photography studio. While we’re settled in for the winter and busy booking events for next year, we thought it might be fun to take a look at some of our favorite events from the past year or so. This is a bit of a long post but I really enjoyed putting it together. It shows you just how many options there are for photos in the mountains.

It was cold out that night so we had to shoot quick!!!


Some drop them as they go. Others have their own technique...


On their way to the reception.


Kathleen and Jeremiah tied the knot.

Afternoon reception.
In addition to the sites at Bluff Mountain Inn, just around the corner are some incredible photo locations. We love to get out and shoot in the Smoky Mountains.

from Ashley and Andrew's Engagement Session

Ashley and Andrew's Wedding departure.

Fall colors make for wonderful photos.

Beth and her girls decide to take the plunge after an incredible evening. This shot on location at Smoky Cove.

Beth and Pete's wedding on the lawn.

Natasha and Roberto share an intimate moment before their wedding.

Catching the bouquet.

Hattie and Jason were always up for a fun shot.

LeAnn and her bridesmaids on the front porch.

Scott and LeAnn on the hillside.


Kathleen and Jeremiah's Engagement Session. This shot on location in Sevierville.

These were just some candid shots at a reception. We love capturing magical moments that most people don't see.

Meagan and Richard's Fall Engagement session

Beautiful autumn wedding at the pergola.

We love photographing kids, especially cute ones that love puppies! Three generations of this family came over from Nashville for this fun afternoon shoot.

These images are from a family reunion who wanted to remember their wonderful vacation in the Smoky Mountains. The view is from their cabin in Pigeon Forge.

What a great bunch of people they were. We're so fortunate to be able to work with happy people at such a special time in their lives.

Becky and Nick on a borrowed bike.

Here's our hillside wedding site and a reception in the pavilion on a beautiful summer evening.

Tramaine and Ladawana were married at a local chapel then came to us for some unique wedding day portraits. You can just see the love...

Lori and Joshua were two of the happiest newlyweds we've ever seen.

Lauren and Scott made great use of some rose petals at their reception.
Thanks for visiting our blog. We also say thanks to all of the great couples who put their trust in Bluff Mountain Inn and RIK Photography for their weddings. Have a great 2010!
Today’s Fun Fashon Shoot





Thanks to Elizabeth and Toschani for pushing the limits of their comfort zones this afternoon and allowing me to get some fun shots. What a couple of beauties… also thanks to Liz of Fringe Salon for hair and makeup.
Actor’s Bridge Studio

My lovely cousin, Vali Forrister, is artistic director for Actor’s Bridge Ensemble, a theater company in Nashville. While taking some publicity shots of an upcoming performance I was able to get her to pose for some new publicity shots of her own. What a lovely cousin I have, both inside and out…




Here are a couple of the candid shots from the rehearsal and around the studio.





I guess my Aunt Caroline had the best comment…


Dana downtown nashville
Today I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon shooting photos of my friend Dana Romanello in downtown Nashville. Dana is a beautiful lady both inside and out and an amazing talent. We have worked together for the past couple of years at the Opryland Hotel’s Country Christmas show featuring Louise Mandrell.
I feel like Dana will be a big star one of these days, so when I was planning this shoot I wanted to take her around the places that are the roots of country music. Lower Broad Street in Nashville, the home of the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium, along with some pretty famous bars and record shops. It was a fun walk around the block…












- Cool stuff bro! Saw you on the Pictage Forum and wanted to drop by and say hi!December 22, 2009 - 6:34 pm
- Great work by you both Rick! No doubt it was a fun time!December 24, 2009 - 7:29 am
Engagement session in Nashville
Hannah and Mike live in Nashville are going to be married at Bluff Mountain Inn in June. When we were trying to figure out a time for an engagement session things just worked out right to be able to do the shoot in Nashville. We went to Union Station, an old train terminal that’s now a 5 star hotel. What a great place… what a great couple!










Thanks to Hannah’s mom for the location suggestion. We look forward to seeing you all in the mountains in June.
From Key Largo to the Smokies
Here are some recent engagement photos of Cheryl and Craig, an amazing couple from Key Largo. They’re set to be married in March and we’re really excited about their wedding because we’ll be traveling to Key Largo to shoot it on the beach!!! Rhonda is handling all the wedding planning and Amanda and I will be taking the photos. What a great opportunity for all of us.



Natasha and Roberto

What a beautiful and interesting couple. Rather than try to tell the story, we asked Natasha to do so. In her words…
“I am from a small provincial town in Siberia (called Zhelesnogorsk) and Roberto is a city boy from Buenos Aires. Roberto studied aerospace engineering at UT and I participated in the student exchange program.
Roberto’s best man who was his roommate at the time (who also later married my best friend) invited my friend and I to a party at their house in Knoxville. Roberto was there. I was not in the mood to meet anyone, but he liked me and we started dating.
(When he proposed) He was soo cute. Took me to our favorite restaurant and said that it has been a long time since we have been out and we really deserve a nice time togther. He had everything set up, the whole restaurant knew what was going on. I, on the other hand, was completely clueless. He wrote me a letter, the best I have ever gotten. I cried as I read it. And then there was a ring. And then he flew to Russia to ask my parents permission to marry me.



“Planning a wedding from far away and on a tight budget is a tough thing. Especially, if you have to gather all different vendors together. I googled a few places in Sevierville-Gatlinburg area before I found Bluff Mountain. So, I had an idea what I was looking for. From all the places, Bluff Mountain offered the most complete service that fit into our budget. I had a friend drive by and take a look. She loved it and said it would be perfect for us. And when we came in October to look at the place, there was no plan B, and there was no need for it, we loved it from the minute we saw it.”



“We had people from USA, Russia, Argentina, Georgia, Cuba, Switzerland, Serbia, and Puerto Rico, for the total of 8 nationalities and 5 languages (Russian, Spanish, Georgian, German, and Serbian).”


“Thank you so much for all your work! We truly had an unforgettable day, we enjoyed every minute of it, and everyone in the party had a blast! The place was set up perfectly, we could not ask for anything better. And the snow added a perfect touch. Don’t know if you had anything to do with it …..
:):) I cannot believe it really happened, out of all the days. People say it is for good luck…..”
It was a great day and we appreciate these folks so much. We wish you many years of happiness.


















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