Phillip & MaryAnn E-Session. Columbia, SC

I heart engagement sessions. I hope you can tell. I kinda think that everyone should do one. Why you ask? It is an awesome opportunity to work and connect with your photographer before the wedding day, and it gives you fun playful images to remember this time in your life! I was so excited to join Philip and Mary Ann in Columbia for their e-session. I have known these two for some time now, and working on getting them to snuggle and laugh together was hardly work at all...they're just totally at ease in each others presence. Philip and Mary Ann have dated since high school. crazy! They both have a fabulous sense of humor and are very easy going. We jumped around to a few different locations, but I have to say we finished the day with the dreamiest of light down by the river. I heart them. Enjoy my favorites!! 

Lindsay & Monty: Trash The Dress, Charleston, SC

This post has been a looooong time coming. Lindsay is a photographer in the Rock Hill area, so I know she understands well that when it rains it pours during "wedding season". I was so excited to do this session for the Alexanders. Monty and Lindsay tied the knot five years ago and have had quite some time to dream up this fun shoot! Lindsay really wanted to incorporate their sweet little man Charlie in some of the images. We ended up splitting the shoot into two days after an epic hail storm complete with flooding rains hit us within the first thirty minutes of their session! No big deal- The Alexanders are easy going for sure. I cannot begin two say enough good things about this sweet family. A joy to work with whenever I get the chance! I am so glad that Lindsay didn't let the "it's been years since our wedding" reasoning hold her back from creating fun new memories in her dress! Enjoy my favorites!! 

Wedding: Mike & Christie, Winston Salem, NC Wedding Photography

This wedding was very special to me as it was a dear friend from my childhood. Christie and I would spend afternoons running around the tennis courts across from her parents beautiful Hendersonville, NC Bed and Breakfast. We were fast friends as kids and then lost touch after high school. And that brings us to this wedding....truly awesome that my job can reconnect me with past friends with a chance to share my passion for capturing life's big moments. Christie and Mike contacted me shortly after they got engaged to shoot their Old Salem NC wedding. Christie's family has a long standing connection and history with Old Salem and the Moravian Church, her ancestors were tinsmiths in this village in the colonial days. So much history in this place. Christie's petticoat she wore under her wedding dress was handmade and passed through multiple generations, along with her handkerchief given to her that day by her father. Christie has been "blog stalking" E.S.P. for a while now watching for the best colors and backdrops for photos. She did her homework well. This wedding was just stunning and these two brought so much joy to the table that was infectious. 

   The reception was held at her godparents home a short drive away. They have the most beautiful property complete with fields of sheep! Oh heavens was that fun! It was a beautiful backyard reception complete with BBQ and blue grass! The talented duo MelonBelly entertained guests and some of the best barbecue and smoked salmon I have ever tasted in my life was provided by Kate Clyde's Catered Creations and The Little Red Pig. Christie's good friend literally made phone calls to the State BBQ board to find out who was the best! 

It was such an honor to document the memories for these two and their families. Every so often career-changing weddings and moments happen that just humble me so much. Christie's grandfather (who was behind his camera a lot this day and very clearly has a fond affection for photography) went out of his way to thank me for what I was doing. I know I can't describe this interaction adequately in words, but the quiver in his voice and the look in his eyes truly said it all, and it is a moment that in all my career I will never forget. 

I cannot say enough about this day and this couple and the lifetime of happiness I know is ahead. Also a million thank you's to my assistant Andrea for helping me this day! Enjoy a sneak peek at my favorites! 

Wedding: Joe Ross & Whitney, Savannah GA Wedding Photography

I am honestly not even sure where to begin describing this beautiful wedding to you. I could tell you about the gorgeous dresses, awesome succulent bouquets and boutonnieres, fabulous Savannah backgrounds, or the fact that my bride groom and all of their bridal party look like they jumped off the cover of Vogue. But honestly what stands out more to me was the amazing character of these two, the genuine thoughtful and caring nature of these families, and the feeling I walked away with from being a part of such a special day. I was fortunate to have my sweet husband along for this wedding helping me in anyway needed, and even he said at the end of the night, "that was fun...we could be friends with them". My thoughts exactly! It is rare that I feel so closely a part of a wedding day that I am treated almost as family- but I think that is a testament to Joe Ross and Whitney and their wonderful friends and family. What a treat. I made the initial connection with these two through Whitney's cousin Jessica of J Rawlings Photography- an amazingly talented wedding photographer based in the Atlanta, GA area. She told me I was in for a treat working with these two...and after my first conversation with Whitney on the phone I knew she was right. The raw honest emotion from this wedding day just sings through their images- they adore one another and no special framing of the images on my end could create this. Just beautiful. Joe Ross and Whitney decided to do a "first-look" so that we could hit some great Savannah locations before their ceremony. We finished the evening at Vick's on the river with a gorgeous sunset. Here's a sneak peek at a wedding that reminded me why I am so blessed to document life as it happens. 

 

And now for a little Otis Redding....seemed perfect for this charming southern soiree....