charleston wedding photography

Amanda & David | Married at Greenbrier Farms in Easley, SC

You know how sometimes you meet those couples who you’re instant friends with? That’s how David & Amanda are for me. From our first meeting at Grateful Brew in Greenville, to their engagement session in West Columbia and finally their wedding day. Seeing them get married and sharing in their joy was like witnessing dear friends say “I do.” Thank you for allowing me to capture your big moments, Amanda & David. You two and these days will always have a special place in my heart. (Give the cats hugs for me!) <3

Kate & Jordan | Married at Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

Jordan & Kate were married on a beautifully breezy day on Clemson University’s campus where they met years ago. Their family and friends (and puppy dog) surrounded them in a intimate ceremony, officiated by Kate & Jordan’s brothers. The party continue at Occasions at Wedgefield where a beautiful sunset welcomed them.

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!

Taylor & Aaron | Lake Jocassee Engagement Session

Taylor & Aaron met me on a warmer than normal fall day at Lake Jocassee for their engagement session last fall. This was their first time being there, but I've spent many days kayaking and enjoying the water and amazing views the park has. We had a wonderful afternoon climbing rocks and exploring the landscape. Aaron was a jovial presence and I can see perfectly why he and Taylor are so happy with one another. I'll be blogging their 2018 wedding soon!

Samantha & Grant | Easley Presbyterian Wedding, Easley, South Carolina

Samantha & Grant got married in the beginnings of spring at Easley Presbyterian Church and had their ceremony across the street at Easley's new reception center, South & West. This wedding was FUN for so many reasons! I was honored to second shoot Samantha's younger sister's wedding two years prior with Hannah Woodard Photo and was able to shoot Samantha's older sister's baby photos! (Twice!) The Lake family has been a favorite for a while. They throw the -best- parties and this wedding was no exception. Grant and his friends were a blast to hang out with and Samantha's girls treated us like friends. I ADORE her bridesmaid's dresses and the touches of significant throughout the day. Samantha's bouquet was adorned with the pins of her sorority sisters and her veil has been worn by her two sisters and her mother at her own wedding. Not to mention-this is the same church where her parents and two sisters got married. I'm so pleased to have been able to shoot this fun day and almost a year later still enjoy looking back at these photos. Thank you Sam & Grant! (And thank you, Sophie Hopkins, for helping me shoot this beautiful wedding!)

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. 

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.  

Kayla & Josh | Lake Hartwell, South Carolina Engagement

If you wanted to meet the sweetest couple in the upstate of South Carolina-then here they are! Kayla and Josh contacted me about photographing their wedding (which is TODAY!) back in march and I knew right away we would get along so well. We met up at Spill the Beans in Greenville and had the best time laughing and talking about the wedding. Kayla is extra giggly and Josh always knows how to bring her back to what we were originally supposed to be talking about. Hanging with these two is a great time and I couldn't be happier for them. Can't wait for the wedding, Kayla and Josh!! 

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. 

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!