Wedding photographer & videographer in Chattanooga
The Tennessee River sets the frame in Chattanooga: a 13-mile Riverwalk from the Chickamauga Dam to downtown1, Coolidge Park on the North Shore2, and the Walnut Street Bridge, built in 1890, linking downtown with North Chattanooga3. We plan each day around that water.
Last updated
- Coverage
- Photo · Video · Photo + Video
- Collections
- Half day · Full day · Two days
- Travel
- In the quote
- Booking
- Direct with your photographer
In short
Troth Weddings introduces you to an independent photographer and videographer for Chattanooga weddings, with one team for both. The Hamilton County Clerk issues Tennessee marriage licenses with no waiting period, valid for 30 days4, and National Park Service ceremonies at Point Park are limited to 40 people5. Travel is built into the quote.
In pictures
How we shoot Chattanooga
In Chattanooga we plan elopements on the ridges and riverbanks, full-day weddings that move between the river and the high ground, and two-day weekends.
Collections
Every collection comes as photo, video, or both, with the same team on the day. Half day covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits; Full day runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception; Two days adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session. Travel to Chattanooga is built into the quote, not added later.
Prices depend on the date, the team and how far we travel, so we send a price list for Chattanooga rather than publishing one number for every town. Ask for it below; it arrives within one business day.
Half day
Covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits.
- Edited gallery
- Print rights
- Sneak peek within days
- Feature film
- Teaser
- Full ceremony audio
- One crew
Full day
Runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception.
- Edited gallery
- Print rights
- Sneak peek within days
- Feature film
- Teaser
- Full ceremony audio
- One crew
Two days
Adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session.
- Edited gallery
- Print rights
- Sneak peek within days
- Feature film
- Teaser
- Full ceremony audio
- One crew
Where we shoot in Chattanooga
Chattanooga was incorporated in 18396. The places below are the ones we build portraits and ceremonies around, and we confirm access and any rules on the planning call.
- Walnut Street Bridge a 2,376-foot truss bridge built in 1890, linking downtown with North Chattanooga3. Long lines for portraits on the move.
- Coolidge Park a North Shore park along the Tennessee River, with a restored antique carousel and a pavilion2.
- Tennessee Riverwalk a 13-mile riverside path from the Chickamauga Dam to downtown Chattanooga1. The route we use to link one stop to the next.
- Stringer's Ridge a 92-acre wilderness park in North Chattanooga; the ridge overlooks the North Shore, the river and downtown7. Where we send couples for the last light.
- St. Elmo Historic District a neighborhood in the valley of Lookout Mountain, below the river bend known as Moccasin Bend8. We use its streets when a portrait needs a neighborhood backdrop.
- Fort Wood Historic District a historic neighborhood just east of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus9. A residential backdrop away from the river.
- Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center a 317-acre nonprofit arboretum with 15 miles of trails10. Room for a walking ceremony or a longer portrait session.
The day
The day,as we shoot it in Chattanooga
A sample April Saturday in Chattanooga. The sun rises at 07:09 and sets at 20:13 on the 15th11, and the month averages a high of 73.6 °F and a low of 49.9 °F6. The sun times are sourced; the clock times are our plan around them.
- Getting ready; rings, shoes and letters photographed while the room is still quiet.
- First look on the Riverwalk.
- Ceremony.
- Family groups, from a list you give us beforehand.
- Couple portraits on Stringer's Ridge, which looks over the North Shore, the river and downtown7, in the hour before the 20:13 sunset11.
- Sunset, and a last few frames on the water as it fades.
Rain is a factor all year. The monthly normals run from 3.59 in in October to 5.34 in in March, and April averages 4.87 in6, so every date carries a sheltered backup. July's average high is 90.5 °F6, so a summer day moves its portraits to the ends of the light; January's average low is 32.4 °F6, which makes a winter ceremony short and the warm-up part of the plan.
If the ceremony is on the mountain, Signal Point is the National Park Service ceremony site on the grassy slope above the river gorge overlook5. We move the schedule earlier so that the drive down to the North Shore still leaves the hour before sunset for portraits.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 07:48 | 17:52 |
| Feb | 07:27 | 18:23 |
| Mar | 07:52 | 19:48 |
| Apr | 07:09 | 20:13 |
| May | 06:37 | 20:37 |
| Jun | 06:26 | 20:56 |
| Jul | 06:38 | 20:55 |
| Aug | 07:01 | 20:29 |
| Sep | 07:24 | 19:48 |
| Oct | 07:47 | 19:06 |
| Nov | 07:15 | 17:35 |
| Dec | 07:41 | 17:30 |
Sunrise and sunset computed for the 15th of each month, local time.11
How we match you with your photographer
Troth Weddings is a network of independent wedding photographers and videographers, built location by location. When you inquire about Chattanooga, we introduce you to the partner photographer matched to it. We share their recent galleries and films and set up a call. You book directly with them; we stay in the loop until your gallery is delivered.
Partners join by invitation. Before we list anyone we review full weddings, not highlight reels, and how they handle contracts, backups and delivery.
How booking works
- Send the form with your date and location.
- We reply within one business day with the Chattanooga price list and the partner's recent work.
- Call with the photographer; if it fits, a deposit holds the date.
- A short questionnaire about people, places and timing, two weeks before.
- The day.
- A sneak peek first, then the full gallery and the film on the dates set in your contract.
Good to know in Chattanooga
Tennessee marriage licenses in Chattanooga come from the Hamilton County Clerk. The fee is $107.50, or $45 with a notarized certificate of premarital preparation4. That course is at least four hours, completed within a year of applying, and it exempts you from an additional $62.50 fee12. There is no waiting period, the license is valid for 30 days, and it must be returned to the issuing clerk for recording4. Bring a driver license, state-issued ID, certified birth certificate, military ID or passport; blood tests are no longer needed4.
The National Park Service allows ceremonies at Point Park and at Signal Point on Lookout Mountain, limited to 40 people5. There are no receptions, the site stays open to the public, participants pay the Point Park entrance fee, and the permit is a $50 application plus $100 if accepted5.
Marriage license
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan6 | 51 °F | 32.4 °F | 5.02 in |
| Feb6 | 55.6 °F | 35.6 °F | 5.03 in |
| Mar6 | 64.1 °F | 42.2 °F | 5.34 in |
| Apr6 | 73.6 °F | 49.9 °F | 4.87 in |
| May6 | 81 °F | 59 °F | 3.94 in |
| Jun6 | 87.6 °F | 67.3 °F | 4.18 in |
| Jul6 | 90.5 °F | 71 °F | 5.08 in |
| Aug6 | 89.8 °F | 70.2 °F | 3.67 in |
| Sep6 | 84.3 °F | 63.6 °F | 4.23 in |
| Oct6 | 74.1 °F | 51.4 °F | 3.59 in |
| Nov6 | 62 °F | 40.3 °F | 4.8 in |
| Dec6 | 53.2 °F | 35.3 °F | 5.25 in |
Questions couples ask
01How far in advance should we book a wedding photographer in Chattanooga?
Book when you have a date. If you want a ceremony at Point Park or Signal Point on Lookout Mountain, add the National Park Service permit to your schedule: it lists a $50 application and a $100 permit fee if accepted5. A deposit holds your date with the photographer once you have spoken.
02Do you travel to Chattanooga, and is travel included?
Travel to Chattanooga is built into the quote, not added afterwards, whether your partner lives nearby or travels in. If your plan spans several places, such as Lookout Mountain and the North Shore, name them on the form so the price list covers the whole day.
03Can we book photo and video together?
Yes. Every collection comes as photo, video, or both, with the same team on the day. At Point Park a ceremony is limited to 40 people and the site stays open to the public5, so one team that knows the order of stops keeps the footprint small.
04How many photos do we receive, and when?
The number of images and the delivery dates are set in your contract with the photographer, because they depend on the collection and the hours. A sneak peek arrives first, then the full gallery and the film on the contracted dates. Ask for the figure when you speak.
05What happens if it rains on our wedding day?
March is the wettest month in the normals, at 5.34 in, and April averages 4.87 in6. We bring a sheltered backup for every stop and keep the schedule loose enough to wait out a shower for the light that follows it. The decision is made together, early in the day.
Say when.
Send your date and the place you have in mind, whether that is the river, a ridge or the mountain. We reply within one business day with the Chattanooga price list and a partner's recent work.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Tennessee Riverwalk en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Riverwalk
- Wikipedia — Coolidge Park en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coolidge_Park
- Wikipedia — Walnut Street Bridge (Chattanooga) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walnut_Street_Bridge_(Chattanooga)
- Hamilton County Clerk — Marriage license, applicants 18 and older countyclerkanytime.com/marriage/marriage18.aspx
- National Park Service, Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park — Wedding Regulations nps.gov/chch/planyourvisit/wedding-regulations.htm
- Wikipedia — Chattanooga, Tennessee: history and climate table (Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, 1991–2020 NOAA normals) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattanooga,_Tennessee
- Wikipedia — Stringer's Ridge en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stringer's_Ridge
- Wikipedia — St. Elmo Historic District (Chattanooga, Tennessee) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elmo_Historic_District_(Chattanooga,_Tennessee)
- Wikipedia — Fort Wood Historic District en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wood_Historic_District
- Wikipedia — Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflection_Riding_Arboretum_and_Nature_Center
- Computed with suncalc (NOAA algorithm) for the 15th of each month, 2027, at 35.0456, -85.3097, local time (America/New_York) github.com/mourner/suncalc
- Hamilton County Clerk — Premarital Preparation Course law countyclerkanytime.com/marriage/marriagelaw.aspx
- Wikidata — Q186702 (accessed 2026-11-06) wikidata.org/wiki/Q186702