When couples tell me that they’re planning to incorporate nontraditional wedding details into their day, I immediately get butterflies, and Hailey and Chase’s day at Cove Lake State Park made me love them 1000x more. 

These two are the definition of doing things in a way that feels like you, and the best part was that none of it felt like they were trying to have a nontraditional wedding; they were simply planning a wedding that felt like them.

As a Knoxville wedding photographer, that’s what I wish more couples knew they were allowed to do. Keep the traditions you love, and change the ones that don’t quite fit. Your wedding should feel like stepping into your world for a day, surrounded by your favorite people and filled with details that mean something because they came from your actual life together.

What I hope you take from this blog is that there are no rules. I know it feels like there are when everyone online seems to be doing the same things or telling you what weddings are supposed to look like. I’m going to show you some of my favorite details from Hailey and Chase’s day, but I’m not going to tell you which ones you should steal or give you a list of ideas to add to your own wedding because your best ideas aren’t hiding in another “unique wedding tradition ideas” list. They’re already somewhere in your story.

What Makes a Wedding Feel Nontraditional?

A nontraditional wedding doesn’t mean throwing every tradition out the window and starting from scratch (although you can do that. No rules, remember!) Some of my favorite weddings still have first looks, big wedding parties, intimate vows, and dinner and dancing. The difference is that the couple chose the things because they wanted them there.

That’s the part I love photographing.

When you stop building your day around what you think a wedding is supposed to look like or include, there’s a lot more room for your personality to show up, and you’ll feel less like you’re performing your way through the day. You get to be fully present instead of wondering whether you’re doing everything “right” because there is no “right.”

Your venue can have a huge impact on that feeling, too. Choosing the right wedding venue changes how your day actually feels because the space you choose shapes how naturally the celebration can unfold around you.

From my side of the camera, that’s where everything starts to feel more like you rather than a checklist of wedding trends. I’m thinking about your final gallery from the very beginning and how it’s going to feel decades from now. I want you to look back and recognize your day as deeply personal, not just a snapshot of what weddings looked like then. I’m there for the intentional parts you planned and the in-between moments that can’t be staged. The ones that will still feel honest and personal long after trends have changed.

Hailey & Chase’s Nontraditional Wedding Details That Made Their Day Perfectly Them

I always get excited about pretty wedding details, but the ones that really get me are the ones with a story attached, and Hailey and Chase had more than enough of those.

This was one of those weddings where I kept noticing little things and thinking, yep, that is SO them. Every time I turned around, there was another piece of the day that showed me a little more of who Hailey and Chase are together, which is basically photographer catnip for me.

By the time everything came together, their wedding had its own personality without feeling like they tried too hard to give it one. These are a few of the details that had me extra excited to be behind the camera for their day.

Hailey’s Black Wedding Dress

Hailey chose to wear a black dress instead of a traditional white one, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.

If you’ve dreamed about the classic white dress since you were a little girl, go for it. But if you try one on and immediately think you’re pretending to be someone else, there are a million other directions you can go. Pink, blue, floral, polka dots, knee-length… whatever makes you look in the mirror and think, yes, this makes me feel like me.

From my side of the camera, Hailey’s dress was SO much fun to photograph. The darker fabric gave us this gorgeous contrast against the softer fall landscape of Cove Lake, and it made her stand out in every frame without taking away from the emotion happening around her.

That’s what I loved most about it. The dress made a statement, but you never looked at Hailey and thought she was wearing black just to make one. It felt completely natural on her, which made it even better.

Custom Tattoo Inspired Invitation Suite

This might be my favorite detail from the entire day because COME ON. 

Hailey and Chase had a tattoo artist draw the artwork for their save-the-dates, then decided to get the same design tattooed on themselves. Definitely nontraditional, but I love that something created for their wedding gets to keep living with them… literally forever.

Your version doesn’t have to involve permanent ink. Maybe there’s an artist you already love or something from your relationship you’ve always wanted to work into the day. Start with the things that already mean something to the two of you before searching for something nobody else has done.

The most original ideas are usually already sitting somewhere inside your story. Hailey and Chase just happened to make theirs permanent, which feels very on brand for them.

Hailey’s Uncle Stealing the First Look

Hailey and Chase decided to keep the traditional first look, but with a little twist. Before Hailey came out, her uncle stepped in for a fake first look with Chase, and yes, it was as funny as you’re imagining.

I love moments like this because they remind me that nothing on your wedding day has to be serious unless you want it to be. You can keep the traditions you love and still leave room for your people to put their own spin on them.

These are also the moments I’m always watching for behind the camera. Of course I want the beautiful portraits and the big moments you planned for, but I want the ridiculous little things your family does too. Those photographs are the ones that will pull you right back into how your wedding felt instead of only reminding you what everything looked like.

Your Nontraditional Wedding Details Should Feel Like You

Your nontraditional wedding details should come from your own story, which is exactly why I’m not sharing Hailey and Chase’s wedding because I think you should do the same things. There are already seventeen million people online telling you what weddings are supposed to look like, what’s been overdone, and what you absolutely need to add. Just do a quick Google search and tell me what you find.

But they don’t know you. They don’t know your relationship, your people, things you two think are hilarious, or what will still matter to you ten years from now.

If you’re looking for unique wedding ideas, I want you to start with your own life before you start scrolling. Think about the things you already love and the traditions you’re excited about. Ask the people who really know you. Pay attention to the ideas that make someone immediately say, “Yep, that’s so you.”

If you have a lot of personal ideas but aren’t quite sure how to turn all of them into one wedding day, that’s also where having the right wedding planner can make such a difference. They can help you figure out how those ideas work together without you spending your wedding day managing all the moving pieces yourself.

That’s where the good stuff is. Your wedding doesn’t need details nobody has ever seen before. It needs details that make sense because they belong to the two of you.

Trends Will Come and Go. How Your Wedding Felt Won’t

A nontraditional wedding doesn’t have to be wildly different from every wedding that has ever happened. It just needs to feel like the two people getting married.

Trends will come and go. Pinterest will find a new favorite color palette, and social media will decide another wedding tradition is officially dead. Ten years from now, you won’t care nearly as much about what was cool or in. You’ll care about how your day felt.

You’ll remember laughing together about the inside joke you decided to name a cocktail after, and the tiny moments nobody else noticed, but somehow your photographer caught. Those are the things that will bring you right back.

Hire a Knoxville Wedding Photographer for Your Nontraditional Wedding

Deciding to have a nontraditional wedding really just means letting go of all of the rules you’ve heard about what weddings are supposed to be and permitting yourself to choose what feels right for the two of you.

Maybe that means changing a tradition you’ve always loved so it fits you a little better. It could also mean doing something nobody has ever seen before. Either way, I want you to look back at your wedding gallery and recognize yourselves in it.

If you’re planning a nontraditional wedding in East Tennessee and want a photographer who will notice all the little details that make your day completely your own, I’d love to be there for it. From the traditions you put your own spin on to the ideas nobody else would’ve thought of because they only come from your story, I want your gallery to hold onto all of it. Reach out through my contact form and tell me what you’re dreaming up. I can’t wait to hear all about it.