Miranda | Bridals at Craggy Gardens, Asheville North Carolina

Shooting one of your best friend's bridals adds an entire extra level of emotion to the entire day of shooting and the next day of editing. Even better than just shooting Miranda's bridals, I also got to make her bouquet and that made me SO HAPPY! I love playing with flowers and making arrangements and was delighted she trusted me to take not only her bridals, but also make her bouquet. My mom and I went foragaing in Piedmont, South Carolina a few days before and I made the bouquet with those flowers, plus a few from Miranda's own garden. We drove up to Craggy Gardens and danced around in the rhododendrons for a bit, shot some fun photos, and ate a delicious vegan lunch in Asheville to finish of the day. (I say that, but we really finished off the day by going back to Miranda's and taking a nap. Ha!) Miranda, I had the best time and love these images. Thank you so much for the perfect day of shooting and fun.  

Jessie & Zeke | Table Rock Lodge Destination Wedding Photographer

Jessie and Zeke were married in a tiny cabin with a view of Table Rock in February of 2017. For them this was a destination wedding, but for me it was the backyard mountains I grew up in. Jessie found me on Instagram and I'm so happy she did. We clicked instantly through emails and I loved meeting up with her and her mom at The Village Grind in Greenville. This wedding was unusual for me because it was on a Monday! Something new, right?! New and fun! The wedding was made up of so many sweet touches-from dinosaurs in Jessie's bouquet-all of which her mom made, the many very cute cakes (Jessie made them HERSELF), the sign's around the venue her son's wrote, their personal vows, and on. I loved shooting this beautiful wedding and am so happy for Jessie and Zeke. It's been fun keeping in touch with them and seeing their first year of marriage together.  

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. 

Erin & Lucas | Moore, South Carolina Wedding

I met Erin & Lucas over coffee at Due South Coffee at the Taylor's Mill last summer to discuss their big wedding day. They told me from the start they were doing things a little different and I was all for it. We began the day with a tearful first look and ended it with amores over a fire pit. They were married in Moore along a river surrounding the most beautiful property and their closest friends and family and then the party began with a crock pot meal of chili and LOTS of dancing to follow. Erin & Lucas, thank you for having me at your wedding! Brett and I had a BLAST shooting with the day for you.

Thank you to my second shooter, Brett Willbanks. Some of his images are below! 

Venue: Gatherings by the River, Moore, SC
Florals: Coggins Flowers

Alyssa & Daniel | The Barn and Stables at Forevermore Farms, Moore, South Carolina

 When I met Daniel during my time in the Visual Arts Program at Greenville Technical College I had no idea he would design my logo or that I would be photographing his wedding the next year, but here we are! Daniel and Alyssa have the coolest style and I knew we would be fast friends when our meeting for coffee lasted over three hours. Plus, Alyssa does roller derby and basically held my hand while giving my bangs. I owe a lot to this awesome lady. 

Daniel & Alyssa got married on a semi-over cast day last October at the The Barn at Forevermore Farm in Moore, South Carolina. The rustic white barn was a great counter to their edgy vibes and the banana pudding inspired cake still makes my mouth water. Their family embraced Brett and I with hugs and their laid back wedding party had us laughing all day. These two are some of my forever friends now and I couldn't be happier for them and I'm so happy they seem to like me as much as I like them! ;) Thanks to my second, Brett Wilbanks, for shooting with me! Some of his images are below. 

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.  

Melissa & Luke | Fall Engagement Session in the Pisgah National Forest

In the very early beginning of fall Melissa & Luke took me up, up, up, to a spot that resides deep in their hearts-the Pisgah National Forest. This area of the forest, The Pink Beds, is where they first camped together and we decided it would be the perfect area for their engagement photos. It was a very chilly morning that quickly warmed up with our exploration of the trails and streams. I was trying so hard to urge them to just go ahead and elope in the middle of this gorgeous spot, but they weren't having it. ;) We ended the morning with a ride down the Blue Ridge Parkway and lunch at the coolest Jamaican restaurant in Asheville. I CANNOT wait for your wedding, Melissa & Luke!!! Thank you for taking me to such a special spot and for having some fun with these photos!

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!    

Jess | Spring Bridals | North Carolina

It's not every wedding where you meet such a free spirit like Jess who says upfront "Let's just do it!" when you throw ideas at her for the photos. I mentioned I knew a place with a river and some mountains and she said, let's go and we did! This girl is an adventurer and my time with her had my heart singing. She climbed into a river bed and lugged a chair up a giant hill with me (in her wedding dress)!! You're amazing, Jess! I cannot say enough wonderful things about the time and adventures we had together! 

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!