the journal

This Sewanee University of the South and Chattanooga Basilica Catholic Wedding was full of southern elegance, classic details, and elevated portraits which have made our entire Fall 2026 season. I knew from when we first met at their engagement session, also at Sewanee, last spring, this wedding would bless my southern Catholic photographer heart, and it sure did.

Celebrating Bri and Max for their Catholic wedding was the biggest honor. This was the fourth wedding I’ve been asked to capture for this sweet friend group between Dayton and Louisville. They were aiming for a fun, relaxed, and classically elegant wedding and it absolutely was. Luke and I love getting out to Dayton for weddings so this Our Lady of the Rosary and The Brightside Dayton Catholic Wedding was the perfect way to spend a July weekend as Catholic wedding photographers.

Two words: Studio Bridals. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we can do so much artistically with a short time frame for wedding photography. Between you and me, I often do my best work with a time crunch. Elizabeth and Jonathan wanted their day to focus on what was truly important to […]

Victoria and Juan’s wedding was such a love letter to each other and their downtown Nashville home. Weddings like these are truly my favorite. As a Nashville Catholic Wedding photographer, I love when couples choose to start their marriages in the Catholic church and then also want to incorporate the vibrant and exciting energy of […]

Two runners, a stunning Catholic church, a lot of best friends, and a beautiful sunny Knoxville, TN day. This St. John Neumann Catholic Church and Abby Farm Wedding had all the ingredients for a perfect East Tennessee Catholic wedding. Laid-back weddings are the best. I love how Jaclyn and John focused first on the sacrament […]

I will take any chance I can get to travel out to East Tennessee to photograph weddings and I am absolutely obsessed with Savannah and Michael’s Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart Knoxville wedding. From finishing touches at the Embassy Suites in downtown Knoxville, to a rainy arrival at the Cathedral for their traditional Catholic wedding, to a sunny intimate dinner at The Lonesome Dove, this wedding radiated joy, grace, and style. I met these two over the summer for their engagement session and immediately fell in love with this beautiful couple.

You’ve started planning your beautiful Catholic wedding, you’ve booked your reception, we’re designing your portraits, and then, you get an email. It’s from your church coordinator outlining the rules of wedding photography in their church. You don’t panic! First, because you read this, and second, because your Catholic wedding photography team is well-versed in Wedding Mass Photography Etiquette.

Sara and Matthew’s St. Andrew’s Clemson Spring wedding was the most perfect wedding to return from maternity leave and way to open my Spring 2026 season. Sara and Matthew’s St. Andrew’s Clemson Spring wedding was the most perfect wedding to return from maternity leave and way to open my Spring 2026 season.

After five years in the wedding industry, I’ve seen trends come and go. I’ve worked with brides, grooms, and vendors of so many different backgrounds and cultures. I’ve also noticed patterns in the questions I’m asked during consultations and discovery calls. This is in no way exhaustive, I could probably make this list and then three more, but here are some of Madeline Oakley Photography’s Frequently Asked Questions as your Nashville Catholic Wedding Photographer.

Kayla and Martin’s Sewanee University of the South engagement session was such a dream. I absolutely loved getting to visit the University of the South and it’s beautiful architecture. Even more though, I loved getting to meet this lovely couple and learn about their relationship as we visited different spots around campus that mean so much to each of them.