W E L C O M E .

I’m glad you’re here. I’m Alyssa — newlywed, tea drinker, book lover, cozy-sweater-wearer. I’ve been photographing weddings for over six years, based in Nashville, but shooting weddings across the US and even Europe. I just recently moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, so I am now expanding my business to Canada as well!

My favorite couples to work with are kind, patient, and loving. They enjoy having a good laugh, a good meal, and good wine (preferably at the same time). They deeply love their family and friends, they love to travel the world but also love their home, and they appreciate art and beauty. They value their wedding vendors, and treat them like good friends. They aren’t afraid to wear their heart on their sleeves on the wedding day — letting tears and belly laughs and meaningful words flow freely, which in turn yields some of the most memorable photographs that I can create.

If this sounds like you — I want to hear from you!

“Alyssa was communicative and helpful from our engagement photos to receiving prints after the wedding. Several family members and friends offered unsolicited feedback about how much they loved her personality and the images she captured. Alyssa added to the overall experience for me and my guests, and I can't thank her enough! Every picture perfectly conveys everything I felt on the day. We couldn't have been happier working with Alyssa, we only hope we will get to see her next time we travel north of the border.”

— Emmy & Will | wedding in Nashville, Tennesee

“Being a photographer planning my own wedding, photography was something super important to me. I knew I wanted to hire someone I connected to and Alyssa came to mind immediately. Not only did I know she would capture our wedding beautifully, her sweet spirit would keep me calm during the day, and I love her eye for capturing all those in-between moments that make your wedding day your own. She ran with all the hiccups of the day with grace and I'm so glad she got be a part of our wedding day!”

— Amanda & Chuck | wedding in Lyle, Washington

“I have known Alyssa for a few years now, and always knew that it would be a dream to have her as my wedding photographer. Being that my wedding was in Michigan, I never thought that it would work to have her there . . . I was floored when she told me she would be honored to travel and be a part of our big day! She made everything so extremely easy and thought of everything down to the last details. A few things we really appreciated were how interested she was in learning more about our personalities and how we wanted our day to go, taking into account our family dynamics, and what we envisioned our captured moments would look like.”

— Keeley & David | wedding in Holland, Michigan

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@alyssajoyphoto

Today's my birthday! 26 was pretty wonderfully eventful, with getting married and moving to Canada (no big deal). Here’s to 27! 🥂🍰🎉
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Photo by @erinmccall_

Beautiful bridesmaids all in a row 🌿

Venue: @allenbrookefarms
Dresses: @amsalebridesmaids
Hair stylist: @maryfieldsbeauty @one10beauty
Floral design: @jojobirk_________

Are you interested in learning more about food photography?
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I would love to hear what you want to know, what resources would be helpful, and what you’ve found to be difficult about shooting food. It’s so different from photographing people, if that’s what you’re used to!

Comment below or DM me your questions and I’ll answer them in my IG stories!

Meanwhile enjoy this photo of some very tasty strawberry kiwi popsicles made & styled by @ahappyhealthyheart for @veganlife_mag 🍓🥝

When I think of summer, I think of traveling to Paris.

I’ve visited Paris several times, always in July where it’s hot and sweaty and full of tourists. But sometimes you can find small moments of quiet, away from the tourists and amongst the locals.

I’ve taken some of my favorite photos in these spaces, like this one ♥️ #seemyparis #parisfrance

“I believe that there is nothing more sacred or profound than this day. There may be a thousand big moments embedded in this day, waiting to be discovered like tiny flecks of gold. The big moments are the tiny moments of courage and forgiveness and hope that we grab on to and extend to one another. The big moments are in every conversation, ever meal, every meeting. That’s the drama of life, swirling all around us.” - Shauna Niequist, Savor

Shot for @cottagehill.co with @locklaneevents @ambarnhart @ahappyhealthyheart @featherandoaktn

Beautiful Mary on her spring wedding day at @thecedarsatcarrfarm 🌿

As seen on @nashvillebrideguide & @aislesociety 💕

I‘m brainstorming ideas for things to make & photograph for new food photography content (check out my other account @alyssajoybustin for more).
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I’d love to hear if you have any great ideas for me. What yummy foods should I shoot?

Boston Cream Pie from @stylesweetdaily’s cookbook ‘Layered,’ made by @betsums and styled by @ambarnhart 🍰

Happy Mother’s Day to my wonderful mom! Sending big hugs from Canada 💕

Photos by @erinmccall_

Tea with jam and bread ☕️🍓🍞 Follow my food photography account @alyssajoybustin for more posts like this!

It's so wild to me, that after living my whole life in a land-locked state, I now live in a coastal city. The views I catch of the water still surprise me every time!

The sun has finally been out more than not this week, and it really is so beautiful here. The trees have budding leaves, the daffodils are in bloom, and the breeze smells like spring. Everyone seems to be coming out of hibernation, including myself. It’s a good time of year to be in Halifax!
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Photo from my first trip to Canada to visit @jayc.bustin when we were first dating 💙

I remember during high school being so jealous of people who knew exactly what they wanted to pursue for a career or degree. They just knew what they wanted to do, and went after it confidently. There was so much pressure to figure out what you wanted to do with your life at 18 years old (so crazy to me). The stress of figuring it all out really weighed on me the second half of my freshman year of college - I lost weight, had panic attacks (but didn’t know that’s what they were), and it was just a rough time all around.

I remember crying in bed one night that semester, and this random thought popped into mind: maybe you should go check out that photography program you've heard about.
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Somehow that seemed like the right thing. I transferred to a community college for a 2-year photography program, interned with @rachelmoorephoto (who ended up referring my first wedding client to me and is a close friend of mine to this day!), and the rest is history.
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The experiences I’ve had because of photography still blow me away. I’ve shot weddings in Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, California, Oregon, Michigan, and France. I’ve been shooting recipes every month for LifeWay out of my kitchen for over 5 years. I’ve traveled to Ireland, Norway, France & Costa Rica on missions trips as a photographer. And I’ve met the most amazing creatives/business owners through this business, which is invaluable.
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Now, as I settle into living in Canada (5 months this week!), I am especially grateful that this business is flexible and moveable. I can’t imagine going through the visa and moving process with a “normal job” - it would’ve been so much more stressful and daunting. And financially it made this move possible in the first place, which is huge!
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I’m thankful for the privilege of this being my job (I recognize it is a *huge* privilege). I’m thankful I get to make art and also be a business woman. Thankful for my wonderful, kind, lovely clients. I’m even thankful for that stressful, tearful night and that random thought that I truly believe was God nudging me in the best direction possible.

“The deeper the cut of sadness, the greater there is room for joy — I think they are very much related. It’s important to understand that you have the capacity always to accommodate for immense sorrow and immense joy, which is not just the pay off – it’s part of the whole experience.” - Sufjan Stevens

P.S. Laughing at myself for how #enneagram4 this quote and image is. I paired them together in my planning app without really thinking about it. @suzannestabile mentioned in one of her podcast episodes once that 4s often really love lavender and Paris and all things French, and I remember cracking up when I heard that because that literally was me from when I was little (and still now) and it’s way too accurate 😂

I love those “oh my gosh you’re married now!” hugs. Absolutely priceless 😭
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Planning by @adrielnutterevents
Floral design by @hgflorals
Venue @hachlandhill

Beautiful Cheekwood all set for a stunning wedding reception 🥂
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Floral design by @maryloverichardson & planning by @rose.colored.days 🌸

Something I’m hearing so much in my business circles these days is this: relationships are everything. It seems like it should be obvious - but somehow in 2019 it can be so easy to forget. Networking with real people is more powerful than just about any marketing strategy out there. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It is easier to stay in Instagram and emails and DMs and not actually get face-to-face with people. It’s easy to not make real connections. The harder thing, something I’m working on now (especially in a totally new city and market) - is putting myself out there, asking people to coffee, sending emails to meet up that I’m worried will never get read. It might be slow and take some extra effort but I know it’s worth it.
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P.S. Business cards are not outdated, and still so important. You never know who you’re going to bump into! These arrived this week from @vistaprint and now I’m gonna take a stack with me everywhere ✨

Here are some beautiful flowers for the first day of May!

May is one of my favorite months - and this year it’s especially fun! Spring is finalllly coming to Canada, flowers are blooming, it’s my birthday month, and @cozyrachel is coming for a visit next week 🌸

My feed just really needed a little pop of color 💎
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Photo from @aleqbateman & @hitchcockkait’s wedding at @thecordelle, coming to @caratsandcake later this year! ✨

I’ve been spending a lot of time this week going through past weddings and shoots, searching for images that really stand out to me. There is so much work that I haven’t shared, and that needs to change!

Here are a few favorites from a bridal shoot with @marisolaparicio_ @thebrideroom @alice_and_mae @amykuschel, with @lauraandrewsphoto modeling 💕

“Do few things but do them well, simple joys are holy.” - St Francis of Assisi

Styling by @hannahjonesfloral 🍐

Alyssa Joy Photography - Wedding & Editorial Photography in Nashville, TN

© 2019 Alyssa Joy Photography
Wedding & editorial film photographer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and available for travel worldwide.
Photographing weddings in Canada, Tennessee, Europe, and beyond.
Site Designed by Pine

W E L C O M E .

I N S T A G R A M@alyssajoyphoto

I N S T A G R A M
@alyssajoyphoto