charleston wedding

Sarah & Brecken | Downtown Greenville Engagement Session

Sarah & Brecken met me in downtown Greenville for their fun, early fall engagement shoot. This was my first time meeting Brecken, but Sarah is my cousin! So, I've known her my entire life! It's always so much sweeter shooting family and it made it even more sweeter because they will be married -today- at Larkins on the River. I know this is going to be an amazing party with some wonderful people and I cannot wait to meet all of their friends and get it started. Happy to have you in the family, Brecken! And happy to see my sweet cousin growing into this wonderful woman. Happiest for you both!

Lauren & Rony | Gassaway Mansion Wedding, Greenville, South Carolina

Lauren and Rony were married on the coldest day in December at a Catholic Church off Augusta and then hightailed it to the Gassaway Mansion for one of the best parties I've been to. Their wedding was an intimate gathering of about forty people who ate a spread at the Mansion, danced late into the night, and wished the couple a farewell into the cold. I loved shooting this wedding for how beautifully intimate it was, how much love surrounded the couple, how much fun the guests had on the dance floor, and for the fun I had shooting all of it. Thank you, Lauren and Rony! This day was sweet. 

Kayla | Clemson Botanical Garden Bridals

Kayla's bridals were done at the Clemson Botanical Gardens a few weeks before her August wedding and I had the best time meeting her family when we did them! Kayla is so sweet and so willing to walk and stand and pose and try all the things we did during her session. I miss working with you already, Kayla! So happy for you and Josh.  

Emily & David | Lindsey Plantation, Taylors, South Carolina

I could say so much about this couple, but we could be here a while and I think we should get to the photos as quickly as possible! October 16th, 2016 has been one of the longest days of my career as a wedding photographer. I don't mean that the actual day was really long, but that this day was thought about, prayed about, and worked towards for so long by so many hands and hearts and it couldn't have gone smoother. Emily & David were married on a warm Sunday morning overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounded by their closest friends and family. They had a personalized Sunday paper with details of the day, hand made bouquets made by Emily herself, and a large brunch waiting for everyone after the ceremony. There were pancakes, tea cups, hand made ribbon wands, a pie bar and some swing dancing to finish off the day. Emily & David, ya'll are some of the best people I'll ever know and I love running into you around town and I'm still waiting on my dinner at your new home! ;) Thank you for having me capture each moment in this big year of your lives and thank you for being such incredible friends. 

Thank you so much, Christa Rene Photography for shooting with me! Some of her beautiful images can be seen below.  

Ann Marie & Senthuran | The Westin, Greenville, South Carolina

This is the second part of this couple's big day! Back in August they had a very small and intimate American ceremony for their family , featured previously on the blog, and the next spring they finished it off by having a very large Hindu ceremony and reception! This was my first time shooting a non-traditional wedding and let me tell you-it was amazing! Senthuran had family flying in from all parts of the world and Ann Marie's family was following all of the beautiful Indian customs along side his. My brain was overwhelmingly happy to learn so many new culture traditions and to be apart of such a cool day. From the two hour Hindu ceremony, seeing so many beautiful sarees, trying so much new Indian food, tp hearing new languages and accents, seeing traditional Indian dances, and just being WELCOMED fully and completely this wedding day was a blast and full of so much happiness. 
 
Ann Marie & Sen, this wedding journey with the both of you and your family was terrific! I learned so much and was so blessed to be apart of both your ceremonies. I cannot thank you both enough for trusting me and inviting me into your lives. I'm so excited and happy for what the future has in store for you! 

Hanging with Creatives...

Being a creative myself, I love to meet and hang out with people that are also creative! Whether it's photography related or not! Being around other artists is a chance to have open conversations about our work, get critique, share ideas, and to have a friend who understands certain kinds of struggles that come with being an artist.
 
I met Lauren, of LC Photography, back at the very beginning of the year. We met in a very large networking group one night at Coffee Underground and have gotten together several times since for coffee and photo hangs. We've even shot a wedding together! A very hot, very humid, very June in South Carolina wedding. She's a true delight and I've loved getting to know her over these past few months.

The last time we got together we went to a little park and took some portraits of each other for fun. Thank you so much for letting me shoot with you and for the coffee and the "I'm having an internal melt-down over business" talks that we've had, Lauren. I'm super excited to keep working together and sharing our business advice and woes and everything in between!    

Courtney & Tommy | Easley Presbyterian Church/Clemson University

I've known Courtney for more years than I can even remember! We go way back into our teen years and maybe even before then since we grew up just two streets away from each other. She was someone on year book staff in High School that I looked up to and I have photos of us exploring Table Rock and from fun nights when she was a student at Clemson University. It's amazing how life can come full circle sometimes. In 2012 Courtney and I both attended a wedding for a very dear friend of ours at the Madren Center on Clemson University's campus. This is the same wedding where Courtney finally introduced me to her boyfriend, Tommy! Fast-forward four years and Courtney & Tommy are having their wedding reception at the Madren Center of Clemson University. When Courtney introduced me to Tommy four years ago I never would have envisioned I would be fortunate enough to be documenting their big day in that very same location!! 

The entire day was a dream. The flowers were stunning, the dress was a classic, the food Southern, and Courtney & Tommy were both glowing with excitement and love. We began shooting in Easley at the Easley Presbyterian Church before moving to Clemson University for a few shots and then off to the Madren Center for the party of all parties. If you want to throw a good party, just invite a large group of Clemson alumni, the Clemson mascot, and you're good. The reception was amazing! The Madren Center has lake side views with nice gardens, so the guests were able to enjoy some garden games along with dancing and dining before a bubble send off for the bride and groom.

Courtney & Tommy, I cannot thank you enough for the honor it was to photograph your wedding. My heart was so full and continues to be full from the memories I have of your big day. I felt so included by each family member and guest and you both will forever be in my heart.

Thank you, Sophie Hopkins, for assisting me this day!  

Emily & David | Spring Engagement | Easley, South Carolina

When Emily approached me about shooting her wedding I about scream/cried because I'd been waiting for this moment for YEARS! She and I were stand partners in our high school's orchestra class and have been long friends ever since. Emily and David are the sweetest and we had a BLAST shooting this 'Up!' inspired engagement shoot on David's family's land in Easley. There's nothing like hopping on the back of a mule with all of your equipment and a dozen balloons and having an enormous amount of land to choose from to shoot! Best part was I wasn't trespassing, or going to have to explain why I was standing in someone's yard shooting photos! Ha! Emily & David, I had such a wonderful time and every day we pass is a day closer to your beautiful wedding! I cannot wait for October!    

Shelley & Matthew | Camp McCall, Sunset, South Carolina

I met Shelley and Matthew at a small coffee shop in Easley over a year ago. We had some good coffee and laughs over remembering some yearbook staff days at EHS and got to business talking about their upcoming spring wedding. When Matthew began explaining their wedding venue I was very curious and excited at the thought of shooting their day at a boy's summer camp up in the mountains behind Pickens. The wedding day was everything I had pictured it to be! Quaint little chapel on the top of a mountain; filled to the brim with friends and family supporting Shelley and Matthew as they took this big jump into the future. They finished the night dancing in the mess hall and with a fun sparkler send off. Thank you so much for having me be with you on your big day, Mr & Mrs Trotter! It was a delight! Thank you, Sophie Hopkins, for being my second on this wedding! Some of her photos are below!