Crystal and Robert

When I first met Crystal and Robert I immediately knew that they would enjoy every bit of their wedding. At Crystal’s bridal portrait session I quickly realized that she and her mom were some of the nicest people I had ever worked with. We had scheduling difficulties and many other minor setbacks that could have negatively affected our day. I was amazed by how Crystal and her mom handled these situations with such grace. I immediately knew her wedding pictures would turn out great just because of her positive attitude. Sure enough, we ended up with a beautiful day and it was easy to capture great moments from their wedding.

I want to thank Crystal, Robert and their families for making me feel so welcome. I wish you the best as you begin your new life together!

A little twist on the typical getting dressed shot.

Beautiful Flowers by Cannon House Florist

We tip-toed out back just minutes before the ceremony to get this shot. This was an important place for Crystal so, I am glad we managed to get this one.

Robert smiles 99.9% of the time.

This shot is one of my favorite since I rarely get to set up my tripod behind the back pew anymore. . I love that the aisle was fairly short too. It really tells a great story. I also love the cameras (with flashes). I’m so jealous that they get to use their flash and I can’t!

I love when the sky turns blue right after sunset.

Whisked off to the reception…

Gray & Ashley: Hitched!

I grew up on a farm and even though I didn’t appreciate it growing up now I miss those country fields. I always joke to people that I really need a few acres and a pickup truck to haul all of the stuff I wish I could use in my photo shoots. So, when Ashley mentioned a field next to the church where she would like a few pictures I was so excited. Ashley is the bride every wedding photographer hopes for. She enjoyed her wedding day and did not worry about about the small stuff. She has a great spirit and it was amazing to see her helping others on her wedding day. This spirit is what made her an absolutely beautiful bride. Gray is a lucky guy and I wish them the best. Here are a few from the day.

A sun-kissed shot….

I like a bride who willingly kicks her heels off and runs through a field minutes before her wedding! Beautiful!

I love this shot! The bride with the groom’s sister.

The church had a beautiful wrap around balcony where I was able to shoot from above to get this neat angle.

Cool ride to the reception!

The First Dance

The Tams played at their reception! Famous for their beach music, they have 2 gold records and the #1 platinum single, “What Kind of Fool.” They were unbelievable.

Tara and Jesse = Married

I had great time at Tara and Jesse’s wedding. It was such a relaxing day as the ceremony and reception were all in one place. I went to Tara’s mom’s house first to catch a few shots of Tara getting ready. She was so calm! These photos are actually some of my favorite. The wedding was an intimate gathering with their closest friends. The day was perfect with the ceremony ending right at sunset. Here are a few from the day.

Baby Love

Every time I schedule a baby session, I fall in love! I laugh when I think that my husband had to convince me to do my first baby session. I was terrified (keep in mind I’m a dog person . Babies were foreign to me. Boy, he didn’t know what he was getting into. Ever since then I love every baby I get a chance to photograph.

I met Emily when she was a bridesmaid in a wedding I was shooting about 2 years ago. It was so much fun to see her new baby (well 6 months old). It really gave me baby fever! The pictures brought tears to my eyes. No special posing, I just watched them as a family and it was amazing. It felt great to be able to give them photos to document this special time in their life. I have a million favorites but here is a little sneak peak.

 

 

Wendy and Scott’s Wedding

When I showed up in Camden for Wendy and Scott’s wedding I felt immediately inspired by this small town’s charm. The architect of this beautiful church (circa 1822) was Robert Mills and it was simply amazing. There were so many perfect un-staged moments that were captured throughout the day. Take a look below to see a few pictures from this couple’s romantic southern wedding.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Floral Design by Susan Shaw at Naturally Flowers, Camden SC

Pumpkin Time! Please Vote

For our annual pumpkin contest we joined forces with some friends for this highly competitive event. A power drill was even used for some of the carving. Luckily no one ended up in the ER.  When it came time to take the pictures I realized I forgot my camera. I had raced home from a bridal portrait session earlier that day and completely forgot to pick up my camera on the way out. Luckily, Angela had a camera on hand. Thanks for capturing these amazing works of art!  

Everyone please vote! The winner receives bragging rights for the entire year. Voting will officially end at midnight on Monday November 3rd. This is serious stuff!  Happy Halloween!

 

Amanda & Jeremy’s Fall Wedding

If this wedding doesn’t give you fall fever nothing will. Amanda and Jeremy’s wedding was so much fun and I loved working with them.  They gave me total creative freedom at the wedding and I had such a great time. Even the guys were extremely cooperative while I tried a few different things for the otherwise ordinary wedding group shots. We had plenty of time before the ceremony so luckily we didn’t lose those nice candid moments (which are my favorite).  

Amanda picked my favorite shot for her large 16×24 canvas framed portrait (first picture below).  I think so many times we think too much about location when it comes to bridal portraits. This picture was taken on the side of the street! Yes! We were in route to the “pretty spot” when the wind blew at just the right time. It’s that simple. For me it’s all about the lighting and timing. Thanks Amanda for being such an awesome (and beautiful) bride!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Cake by Dianna Tornow

The Aisle Runner

 I ran across this photo last week while editing Paula and James’ wedding. Too cute! 

 

 

A Garden Wedding at the Seibel’s House

I think Paula and I chose the hottest day of the whole year to go out for her bridal portrait session. I was amazed by her positive attitude despite the heat. Her makeup and hair remained flawless. While I am still begging her to give me makeup lessons, (she was once a makeup artist) I did get my hair cut by Rebecca at Cho who did Paula’s hair. She did a fabulous job.

Luckily, we were blessed with great weather for the wedding day. This made my job so much easier! The wedding and reception was held at the Siebel’s house in Columbia. The landscaping is really amazing. I almost felt like I was on a tropical island with all of the palm trees. And with Jill from By Invitation Only handling the wedding planning and design I was able to really enjoy the day and get great pictures.  Below are a few images from the wedding day and the last one is from our bridal portrait session. 

*For more information on the Siebel’s House, By Invitation Only, or Rebecca at Cho simply click on the links above.

The wedding and reception was held at the Siebel's House

 

 

Event Design by Invitation Only

 

 

 

 

The Bridemaid's Gifts

 

 

  

After being a little shy earlier in the day this cute little flowergirl decided to come out of her shell. Rather than take her out of the shot, I couldn't help but get this one. Too cute!

 

 

Just Married!

 

The Bridal Portrait

A Walk in the Park

 

Kathy and Gray drove from Charlotte for our session and luckily it turned out to be a great day. The weather is almost perfect this time of year. They are a great couple and really didn’t mind getting a little dirty. The water was down a bit so we were able to play on the rocks. I’ve been trying to catch those rocks for quite some time now. So I was really glad that they wore flip-flops and could just wade through the water to get to the best spots.  Their wedding is in the spring of next year so we had a great time talking about the planning. Here a few from our shoot at Riverwalk Park in Columbia.