Michelle + Adam

A few years ago when I was first starting out as a photographer in Charleston, a close friend and artistic mentor gave me some excellent advice: "Find a way to work only with great people." For many people in the creative industry, this is simply not possible. I have been lucky enough to work with some truly great people since I received that advice, but I really struck gold with Michelle and Adam. 

I did an engagement shoot with them last November on James Island and I was impressed with their sense of adventure, their patience, and their deep connection to one another. They brought along their dog Daisy, who had more fun than any of us humans and featured prominently in the engagement photos. She rarely left their sight and was a surprisingly good dog-model for photos. Sadly, Daisy died in February. I thought of Daisy at Michelle and Adam's wedding and how much she would have loved to be with her two favorite humans on one of the happiest days of their lives. 

The sense of excitement and glee was downright electric. Many of Michelle's family members traveled from The Philippines to be present for this special day, and Adam and Michelle's colleagues brought a level of energy and stamina that I have rarely seen (shout out to the three gents who performed the 'Single Ladies' moves). Oh, and of course the weather was perfect and the late-afternoon light was blasting through the stately live oak trees in all the right ways. Oh, and did I mention that some naughty raccoons showed up to eat some of the extra food left out by the caterers? Or that Michelle and Adam collected almost all of the flowers themselves and dried them at home for the centerpieces? 

In short, all of the ingredients were present for a fun and memorable day (raccoons included).
And it was.

First Dance Song: Hold onto My Heart - Graham Colton
Father/Daughter Dance Song: Forever - The Beach Boys
Mother/Son Dance Song: My Wish - Rascal Flatts
Michelle's Occupation: Healthcare Credentialing
Adam's Occupation: Fisheries Biologist
How You Met: Graduate School at College of Charleston
Interesting Facts About You: We love the outdoors and we try to "live off the land" as much as possible. We enjoy everything from fishing, shrimping, and hunting to gardening, mushroom foraging, and raising 2 chickens.
Honeymoon location(s): Philippines (hopefully next year)

Vendor Credits: 
Venue - Edisto Hall at James Island County Park
Officiant – Joe Evans
Band/DJ – Brandon from Jay Maxwell's Music by Request
Florist – the bride (and groom)
Cake/Dessert Bakery – Publix Bakery
Caterer – Smoky Oak Taproom
Hair/Makeup – Krystal from VSKI Salon
Coordinator – Rebecca Balazs

Megan + Chad

After shooting Megan and Chad's engagement session back in February, I couldn't wait for their October wedding in Charleston. If you get to spend any time at all with Megan and Chad, you'll quickly see how comfortable they are with one another and how natural their relationship feels. They are so right for each other that it seems inevitable that the universe would have brought them together.

Their downtown wedding was small and filled with personal touches. I was surprised to learn that the tradition of the bride having "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue," concludes with "and a sixpence in her shoe." Who knew? Megan, that's who. Depending on the culture, the coin can represent good luck in marriage, prosperity, or generosity. As Megan put the finishing touch on her outfit by placing the coin, the Clemson Tigers were about to go into overtime against North Carolina State. She knew Chad and his groomsmen were watching the football game and she worried that if the game went on too long, they would be delayed in arriving at the venue.

Little did she know that the football game was not Chad's primary concern of the moment. Chad (a personal trainer) had realized that he had been lifting a bit too vigorously since purchasing his wedding suit. His proportions had changed so much that he was afraid of "Hulking out" of his jacket. It was with much determination that he carefully limited his range of motion for the rest of the afternoon, until the jacket could come off after the ceremony. He was impressively restrained.

Later on, rather that coordinate a complex exit, the couple simply said their goodbyes to friends and family and walked off quietly into the night, the first Saturday night of the rest of their lives together. Congratulations to the happy couple!

First Dance Song: Carry You by Dispatch
Father/Daughter Dance Song: My Girl by the Temptations
Mother/Son Dance Song: Days Like This by Van Morrison

Megan's Occupation:  Research Specialist at MUSC
Chad's Occupation: Personal Trainer and Lifeguard
How They Met: Worked together in Wilmington, NC
Interesting Facts:  We were together for 6 years before getting married!
Honeymoon location(s): Curacao

Vendor Credits: 
Venue - Upstairs at Midtown
Officiant – Rev. Clarence Derrick, grandfather of the bride
Band/DJ – Mike Root
Florist – Charleston Florist
Cake/Dessert Bakery – Charleston Cakes, Etc.
Caterer – King Street Hospitality Group
Hair/Makeup – Krystal Hill at Vski Salon
Coordinator – Stuart with KSHG

Hannah + Wyatt

On Tuesday, October 4th, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley stated that a complete evacuation of the state's coast would take place beginning the following day. Hurricane Matthew would soon be bearing down on Charleston and The Gadsen House, the site of Hannah and Wyatt's wedding. Downtown Charleston is notorious for flooding during large storms and unusually high tides. The projected record-breaking storm surge made it seem unlikely that the Sunday evening wedding would take place as planned. 

After some consideration, Hannah and Wyatt made the difficult decision to move their ceremony and reception to Summerville, SC, twenty-five miles north of Charleston and presumably out of the flood zone. Wedding number two: planned.

As the hours turned into days, it became clear that the storm would not spare Summerville. So, for a third time, Hannah and Wyatt needed to plan a wedding. They settled on Magnolia Manor B&B in the small town of Westminster, SC, five hours upstate and out of the path of Hurricane Matthew. With a lot of help from their families, they moved their flowers and their food (pre-made by the caterer), and began figuring out logistics for this third (and final) location.  

And... they totally pulled it off. Despite it being a near-nightmare scenario for a typical bride and groom, it is absolutely a testament to Hannah and Wyatt's down to earth attitude that they were completely relaxed throughout their wedding day. Not only that, they had a blast! Their wedding was filled with personal and unique details, like Wyatt's cufflinks depicting Christopher Gadsen's (remember the Gadsen House?) 1775 design for the "Don't Tread on Me" motto flag. After planning not one, not two, but THREE weddings, no couple deserved a honeymoon more than these two.

Congratulations and best wishes to Hannah and Wyatt!

First Dance Song: "Dream a Little Dream of Me," 
Hannah’s Occupation: Master's student in Marine Biology
Wyatt’s Occupation: Teaching Fellow at Georgetown Law School
How You Met: at a skating rink in high school!  They went to each other's senior proms and remained friends through college.  It wasn't until after college, while Hannah was dating someone else, that Wyatt told her he liked her.  It took Hannah a year and a half to move back to Nashville to be with him.
Interesting Facts About Hannah and Wyatt: their wedding was cancelled due to a hurricane... 
Honeymoon location(s): road trip on Southern Coast of Iceland, then to Bergen, Norway, Oslo, Norway, Stockholm, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark.
 

Vendor Credits: 
Officiant – Pastor W. Bryan Bellotte
Band – The Great Society Band
Florist – Carolina Floral Creations
Cake/Dessert Bakery – Publix
Caterer – Salthouse Catering
Hair/Makeup – Wendy.... I'll have to track down this information
Coordinator – Jessica Cruz (for Gadsden and Summerville weddings), Hannah's mother and sister for the Westminster wedding!

Megan + Chad

After a week of windstorms so strong that area schools let out early so children could get home safe, a calm sunny weekend arrived in Charleston, SC. It was chilly (for Charleston) but Megan and Chad aren't the kind of people who are bothered by weather. Or, for that matter, much of anything! They are delightfully easygoing people.

Megan is a trained marine biologist and Chad is a personal trainer working primarily with disabled and elderly folks in Charleston. In other words, they are the most interesting people at the community table. They met while they were lifeguards together in Wilmington, NC and the rest is history. They've planned an October wedding in downtown Charleston, and that's where our engagement shoot began.

If you're looking for charming scenery, you can't really go wrong anywhere in historic Charleston. But Megan and Chad knew exactly where they wanted to spend the most time: Philadelphia Alley. Located behind St. Philip's Church, Philadelphia Alley was named in honor of the aid Charleston received from the city of Philadelphia in the wake of a citywide fire in 1810. Lined with ancient brick, shaded by palm trees, and dappled with sunlight, it was the perfect place to start.

Megan and Chad did mention that Philadelphia Alley also happens to be a popular stop on the ghost tours of Charleston, due to its colloquial name, "Dueler's Alley." Dueling with pistols to defend one's honor was common in Charleston in bygone days. Visitors have reported everything from unexplained mist, gunshots and whistling, to the feeling of being nudged out of the way (presumably, of gunfire). 

Let the record show that we had a lovely time and experienced no such haunted activity.

After that, we headed south of Charleston to the city of Folly Beach. At the northernmost point of Folly Beach, you can see the Morris Island Lighthouse. Constructed in 1876, the lighthouse is now in the National Register of Historic Places. History aside, it also serves as an excellent backdrop for beach photos. 

It was so clear throughout the shoot how much these two love each other. A little glance, a joke, a casual touch... they are completely at ease with one another. I can't wait to photograph their wedding this fall!