Engagement Session at the Narrows of the Harpeth: Frances + Ian

May 26

I very much appreciate clients who are willing to try something new, and for that I will go out of my way to see what we can do together, even if it means a drive across time zones.

And so I found myself heading eastbound to Harpeth River State Park, just southwest of Nashville. Frances and Ian, two beautiful minds in academia, are getting married in July at St. Mary's of the Seven Sorrows, the oldest Catholic Church in Nashville, with a reception to follow at the University Club on Vanderbilt's campus. So, the engagement session would be in Nashville. But where?

I did some sleuthing online and found the Harpeth River State Park, and specifically the section called the Narrows of the Harpeth. I had never been there, and nor had my couple, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

What we got was a beautiful river park that had recently undergone some flooding (actually, seeing boulders strewn about is a sobering witness to the power of water). But the spirit and joie de vivre that Frances and Ian embody - as well as love they have for one another - overcame anything nature could throw at us.

Indeed, I love engagement sessions like this - exploring someplace new with fun and intelligent people like these two! Getting to know one another means there is a little less stress on the wedding day.

But for me, the real challenge came when we climbed up to the lookout rock. The view over the valley with the river far below was spectacular.

And scary as hell.

I confess, I have a fear of heights. And sheer drops like this tend to generate a subdued panic in me. Even Frances and Ian were cautious with their seating. But I also hold to the words of the famed photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt: When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear. So, I stood atop a cliff near its edge and did what I needed to do.