Raccoon Mountain Sunset Engagement | Tess + Webb

I’ll be shooting Tess and Webb’s wedding at The Homestead at Cloudland Station later this year, and if that’s anything like their Raccoon Mountain sunset engagement session, it’s gonna be a good one (see other weddings I’ve shot at The Homestead at Cloudland Station)!

Man in light blue suit and glasses leans in to kiss woman at golden hour during Raccoon Mountain engagement session

Raccoon Mountain, not just for caving and mountain biking

When Tess contacted me about engagement portraits, she wanted to give me some creative liberty and to style her and Webb a little for the photos. I suggested a flowy gown and more formal outfit and an outfit change mid-session to vary the tone of things a bit. The couple wanted a mix of water and mountain scenery, and I knew Raccoon Mountain offered both features. I knew we also had the possibility of an incredible sunset for their engagement portraits, so we scheduled our timing with this in mind.

If you haven’t been up to Raccoon Mountain, you really need to go exploring. It’s a little tricky to find info online about the park. Raccoon Mountain is technically part of TVA’s hydroelectric system, and the other sort of main draw is the cavern system underground. But above ground is a huge reservoir surrounded by a 1-way loop drive with a couple of unreal overlook spots! You’ll just have to take my photo evidence here as proof that you need to get up there and check it out.

We began the evening with their more formal outfits, and I got some shots of Tess and Webb in the woods. With such incredible scenery coming up, I really wanted to capture these two in a more “neutral” setting, something that wouldn’t be too distracting from the couple. This also helped Tess and Webb get used to my direction and cues.

Man in light blue suit and woman in white lacy dress stand beneath tall trees on Raccoon Mountain

Man in light blue suit and woman in white lacy dress hold hands beneath tall trees

Man in light blue suit and woman in white lacy dress stand beneath tall trees

Man in light blue suit and woman in white lacy dress stand beneath tall trees on Raccoon Mountain

Man in light blue suit and woman in white lacy dress stand beneath tall trees

Man in light blue suit and woman in white lacy dress kiss beneath tall trees

Man in light blue suit and woman in white lacy dress stand hugging, looking at each other beneath tall trees

Man leans over woman's shoulder, almost kissing her neck while they both smile

Mountainside serenade

I always encourage my couple’s to bring something special with them as a way to personalize their session. Webb brought his guitar because he plays a lot of open-mic nights, and Tess is always there to cheer him on. Music is something the two have bonded over, and it was really cute to watch him serenade her as part of their engagement portraits.

Man leans over woman's shoulder, hugging her, while they both smile

Man in light blue suit and woman in strapless white dress sit on large rocks near woods. He plays a guitar while she smiles.

Man in light blue suit and woman in strapless white dress sit on large rocks. He plays a guitar while she smiles.

Man in light blue suit and woman in strapless white dress sit on large rocks. She plays a guitar as he reaches over the frets

Diamond engagement ring sits on guitar frets

A sunset engagement session on Raccoon Mountain

The sky start to change, and we knew it was time to work in some of those amazing sunset shots. This light still kills me. We definitely got in those mountain views that Tess wanted in her engagement portraits with Webb! Haha! I am over the moon at the swoon-worthy close-up shots as the couple leans in for that kiss.

After photos at the overlook, Tess and Webb changed into their less formal outfits. We did some styled, more moody photos on the loop drive around the reservoir. If you ask me, Tess couldn’t have picked a better dress to match that sky.

Man in light blue suit and woman in flowing lacy white dress kiss at sunset with rolling Tennessee Valley hills behind them

Man in light blue suit dips woman in flowing lacy white dress at sunset with rolling Tennessee Valley hills behind them

Man in light blue suit twirls woman in flowing lacy white dress at sunset with rolling Tennessee Valley hills behind them

Man leans over woman's shoulder, almost kissing her neck while they both smile. Behind them the sun sets over several hills.

Man in light blue suit picks up woman in flowing lacy white dress with rolling Tennessee Valley hills behind them

Man leans over woman's shoulder, almost kissing her neck while they both smile. Behind them the sun sets over several hills.

Man leans over woman's shoulder, almost kissing her neck while they both smile

Man in light blue suit picks up woman in flowing lacy white dress with rolling Tennessee Valley hills behind them

Man in light blue suit and glasses leans nose-to-nose with woman at sunset during Raccoon Mountain engagement session

Man in light blue suit and glasses leans in to kiss woman at golden hour during Raccoon Mountain engagement session

Man and woman walk hand-in-hand on Raccoon Mountain's loop drive at golden hour. She carries a bouquet of white flowers.

Man and woman stands hand-in-hand on Raccoon Mountain's loop drive at golden hour. She holds a bouquet of white flowers.

Man uncorks champagne and champagne sprays out. Woman in pink dress stands next to him laughing.

Man drinks champagne from the bottle. Woman in pink dress stands next to him laughing.

Man and woman stand next to each other on paved road near metal guardrail. She holds champagne bottle and laughs.

Man and woman stand hand-in-hand on Raccoon Mountain's loop drive at golden hour.

Man and woman stand kissing on Raccoon Mountain's loop drive at golden hour.

Man and woman walk hand-in-hand on Raccoon Mountain's loop drive at golden hour. He has a guitar hung over his shoulder.

Man and woman walk on paved road at golden hour. He strums a guitar hung over his shoulder.

Man and woman walk on paved road. He strums a guitar hung over his shoulder.

Man dips woman in long pink dress back and kisses her at golden hour on Raccoon Mountain's loop drive

Tess and Webb, thanks for the creative freedom for your engagement portraits! Can’t wait till the wedding!

Researching where to have your engagement portraits taken? We’ve got so many amazing locations within a pretty short drive from Chattanooga! Raccoon Mountain is only about 20 minutes from downtown. And don’t forget, I’m always ready to book tickets to meet you in your dream destination! CONTACT ME, your friendly Chattanooga wedding photographer, so we can start planning!

Hi, there! I’m Rachael Crowe of OKCrowe Photography, and I hope you enjoyed seeing Tess and Webb’s engagement photos. In need of your own engagement session inspiration? Consider my Top 5 Chattanooga Engagement Photo Locations. Or interested in a couple’s portrait session out of town? I do that, too! Check out Liz and Brock’s Joshua Tree Adventure couple’s session.

January 19, 2020

Engagements