From an 11:30 AM text to a night worth remembering

At 11:30 that morning, I received a message from Reid. Their original photographer had canceled, and they needed someone to photograph their rehearsal dinner that evening at The Pines Downtown in Sevierville, Tennessee.

I was at the gym in Atlanta when the message came through.

A few hours later, after packing my equipment and making the drive into the Smoky Mountains, I was standing outside a historic theater beneath a marquee that read “Celebrating the Montagues.”

What started as a last-minute booking became four hours of laughter, champagne, family portraits, and more than 200 photographs documenting an evening full of personality.

Reid and Deanna hold hands in front of the blue Pines theater facade.

Reid & Deanna, completely themselves

Within minutes of meeting Reid and Deanna, I knew we were going to have fun. Reid’s quick sense of humor kept people laughing, and Deanna matched his energy with warmth and spontaneity.

Reid is also a photographer, which made our portrait session especially entertaining. He understood what I was trying to create and was willing to experiment with movement, poses, and lighting.

I could give them a simple prompt and let their personalities take over. Sometimes that meant pulling each other close beneath the theater marquee. Other times, it meant dipping into a kiss or laughing together over a bottle of champagne.

The portraits worked because they felt like Reid and Deanna.

Reid and Deanna embrace beside the entrance to The Pines.

A rehearsal dinner at The Pines Downtown in Sevierville

The Pines Downtown has a story of its own. The theater opened in 1944, and a young Dolly Parton gave her first paid performance there. Today, the space combines dining, entertainment, duckpin bowling, and private events with reminders of its theater roots.

For Reid and Deanna’s rehearsal dinner, the personalized marquee made the building part of their story, too.

I love incorporating architecture and environmental details into portraits. Here, the blue facade and “Celebrating the Montagues” sign gave us something specific to their evening: a setting they could recognize immediately, years after the celebration.

Champagne and portraits beneath the marquee

Before dinner, we stepped outside for portraits in the evening light. Reid wore a blue plaid jacket and colorful floral tie; Deanna wore a white halter-neck dress.

We made close portraits at the entrance and wider photographs that included the theater. Then came the champagne. Between the spray, their laughter, and the excitement of the weekend, the expressions took care of themselves.

One of my favorite frames shows Reid dipping Deanna into a kiss in the crosswalk with The Pines behind them. Another catches them holding hands outside the venue. Together, those photographs give the story both energy and a little breathing room.

Reid kisses Deanna on the forehead as they hold a champagne bottle outside The Pines.
Reid and Deanna laugh as he sprays champagne toward the camera outside The Pines in Sevierville, Tennessee.
Champagne, laughter and the start of a wedding weekend. A playful moment outside The Pines Downtown in Sevierville, photographed by Square Atom.

The people who made the evening

Throughout the evening, Reid introduced me to friends and family. Everyone was welcoming, and the camera quickly became part of the celebration.

We photographed family groupings, close friends, and spontaneous interactions. The illuminated Pines sign inside became a backdrop for guests gathering together. Some wanted a straightforward portrait; others crowded into the frame and turned the moment into a joke.

There were playful poses, piggyback rides, and a guest in Reid’s arms. Those pictures belong beside the family portraits because they show the relationships behind the occasion.

At dinner, the pace shifted. Photographs around the table captured another side of the gathering: people sitting together, reacting to one another, and enjoying an evening before the wedding-day schedule began.

Reid, Deanna, and friends gather for a playful group portrait beneath the illuminated Pines sign.
Reid and Deanna sit together at the dinner table with drinks and flowers.

Documentary moments and cinematic lighting

My approach combines documentary storytelling with intentional portraiture. I want room for what happens naturally, along with time to make photographs that use the setting and light thoughtfully.

For this celebration, I used my Sony A7 IV, a 35mm lens, and a Godox AD600 Pro off-camera flash. The 35mm lens let me stay close to the interactions while including the surroundings. Flash helped me balance the people with the existing light and keep the atmosphere of the venue in the frame.

After dark, I combined slower shutter speeds with flash for some of the street portraits. Reid and Deanna remain prominent while passing people and streaks of light bring movement into the scene.

Those photographs capture something I wanted to preserve about the evening: a quiet connection between the couple, with a celebration continuing around them.

Reid dips Deanna beneath The Pines marquee at night, surrounded by light trails in Sevierville, Tennessee.
A dramatic portrait after dark at The Pines Downtown. Flash and a slower shutter bring light and movement around Reid and Deanna during their Sevierville rehearsal dinner.
Reid and Deanna kiss outside The Pines while guests move through the foreground.

What the photographs meant to Reid

After seeing the images, Reid described them in a public Instagram comment as:

“some of the absolute best photos that have ever been taken of us.”

— Reid, on our Instagram post

Hearing that from someone who also makes photographs meant a lot. My goal was to create something personal enough that they could recognize themselves in it, from the playful portraits to the quieter embraces.

Why photograph the rehearsal dinner?

A rehearsal dinner gives you time with the people closest to you before the wedding day begins. It can also give a photographer space to document friendships, family connections, and a different side of the couple’s story.

For Reid and Deanna, that meant champagne outside a historic theater, photographs with family, laughter around the dinner table, and portraits beneath their own marquee.

Thank you both for trusting me on such short notice and welcoming me into your celebration. What could have been a stressful change became an evening I loved photographing.

Congratulations to the Montagues. Here’s to more laughter, spontaneous adventures, and moments like these.

Black-and-white portrait of Reid dipping and kissing Deanna in the crosswalk beneath The Pines marquee in Sevierville, Tennessee.
A kiss beneath “Celebrating the Montagues.” Reid and Deanna’s black-and-white portrait outside The Pines Downtown during their Sevierville rehearsal dinner.

Planning a rehearsal dinner or wedding in the Smoky Mountains?

Square Atom Films & Photography photographs weddings, rehearsal dinners, engagements, proposals, and elopements throughout Tennessee and beyond. Our work blends natural moments with cinematic portraits, whether you’re celebrating in Sevierville, Gatlinburg, or elsewhere in the Smoky Mountains.

Photography, videography, and combined wedding coverage are available, with planning assistance.

Explore our wedding photography portfolio, or tell us about your celebration.

Photography by Elijah Holyfield | Square Atom Films & Photography