With a beautiful spring evening, three generations, and countless sweet moments, the Bueche’s family session was one to remember.

If you’ve ever been part of an extended family group chat, you know how it goes. Someone says, “We really need to get family photos!” Everyone agrees… and then life happens. Months (or years!) pass, and somehow it never makes it onto the calendar. 

Not the Bueche family! Elizabeth, the oldest daughter, reached out to me at the beginning of the year determined to make this extended family session happen. With her living out of state, her parents here in East Tennessee, and her sister in Nashville, finding a date that worked for everyone wasn’t exactly easy. Elizabeth knew everyone would be together at the beginning of May, so they seized the opportunity to get these photos taken. 

We met at Knoxville Botanical Gardens, and I don’t think we could have asked for a more beautiful evening. The golden light was absolutely dreamy, there was just enough breeze to keep everyone comfortable, and East Tennessee’s famous humidity hadn’t made its grand entrance yet. It was perfection! Elizabeth also did an incredible job coordinating everyone’s outfits (with a little help from yours truly). Getting one family coordinated is hard enough, but a whole extended family? That deserves some kind of award if you ask me!

The undeniable stars of the evening were Elizabeth’s two adorable little boys. (Sorry, everyone else… toddlers have a way of stealing the spotlight!) Watching Mimi and Brent soak up every hug, laugh, and cuddle with their grandsons was incredibly special, especially since they don’t get to see them every day. Those moments of connection are exactly why I love extended family sessions so much. 

We also captured sweet portraits of Mimi and Brent together, Aunt Natalie with her nephews, and every family combination imaginable. Extended family sessions aren’t just about the pictures. It’s also about documenting the love, laughter, and connections that make your family uniquely yours. Even better, the session itself becomes a memory! You’re not just preserving memories, you’re making new ones, too.

 I always tell people that extended family sessions make such a meaningful gift for parents and grandparents. As the years go by, printed photographs become some of their most treasured possessions because they remind them of the people they love most and the moments they’ve shared together. In fact, I wrote an entire blog post about why printing your photos matters so much if you’d like to read more about it. You truly can’t go wrong with giving the gift of memories. 

If your family has been saying, “We really need extended family photos,” consider this your sign. Don’t let the idea stay in the group chat forever. Pick a date, get everyone together, and make it happen. I promise you’ll never regret having these memories to look back on.