I had one word constantly running through my head the day of Emily & Adam’s wedding: lovely. The setting couldn’t have been more perfect – a gorgeous rustic home in Wadley, built by Emily’s dad. .jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer01")
Emily put a personal and vintage twist on every last detail. She made her own bouquet and the cameo that was pinned to it was given by her dad to her mom on their wedding day. She wore the same veil her mother wore. And her dress? She bought the lace bodice on Etsy before she bought the dress – and just happened to find a dress later that the bodice fit over perfectly. Serendipity at its best!.jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer02")
Adam arrived at the house all ready to go, just in time to see his bride before the ceremony:.jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer03")
When they first saw each other, they hugged, then started spontaneously singing and dancing to the music that was playing over the speakers nearby:.jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer04")
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Ceremony time: harpists played the entrance music, including some Irish tunes in honor of Emily’s time spent living there. .jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer08")
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Earlier in the day, Emily asked if we could take some time after the ceremony for more pictures since she was changing from her mom’s veil to a birdcage veil for the reception. Uh, more time for pictures??? Can you say “photographer happy dance”???.jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer10")
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Did I mention she made the birdcage veil headband herself? The flower was originally attached to the top of her dress – she took it off to overlay the lace bodice, and then repurposed the flower for the new headpiece. Genius!.jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer12")
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One side of the tent was decorated with vintage handkerchiefs, pinned on a lace clothesline:.jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer16")
Pieces of Emily’s grandmother’s wedding dress hung in the tent as well – and family wedding pictures hung on distressed shutters nearby:.jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer17")
Remember when I said Emily made her own bouquet? Well that creative little bugger also DIY’d her centerpieces – using tea canisters, Mason jars, old bottles, and a teapot as containers:.jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer18")
Their cake table had not one, not two, but five cakes, courtesy of Teresa’s Catering, so guests could choose what they wanted. The mini cake buffet featured traditional flavors like white cream cake and yellow cake, and Southern favorites like red velvet and caramel cake..jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer19")
I was (and still am) madly in love with their cake topper. If you look closely you can see that their outfits are painted to match the bride and groom’s clothes, down to the swirly lace on the top of Emily’s dress. (Edited to add: since I originally posted Emily & Adam’s wedding here, this picture has been mentioned on the vintage inspiration section of the Austin Wedding Blog!) .jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer20")
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They left for their honeymoon in a shower of Rice Krispies. When I asked, “Why Rice Krispies?”, the answer was simple: “Because it hurts less than regular rice!” Future brides, take note!.jpg "orangecountyweddingphotographer22")
Thank you Emily and Adam for being the perfect clients – I couldn’t have asked for more time to shoot, and more awesome things to shoot! I’m sure if you ever want some work as a florist I can get you some, Emily! And I still think your folks could make some money as a wedding venue! 😉
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Back for her third session, AddiBeth was still one of the friendliest babies I’ve ever shot (somehow that still sounds bad no matter how many times I say it). She wasn’t a fan of having things on her head (like the hat and headband we tried to sneak up on her), but at 9 months old, she was more than happy to show off the beginnings of her walking skills!.jpg "montgomerybabyphotographer3")
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Matthew most definitely wins the “most changed baby” award – and I’m not talking diapers! When I arrived at his house for his second session, I was shocked at how different he looked. He didn’t even look like the same baby (click here to see his first session)! As an added bonus, I had a built in assistant for the day – his big sister kept him entertained by singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. I asked if I could hire her, lol!.jpg "alabamababyphotographer3")
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Questionably cloudy skies could have put a damper on Polly & Stu’s wedding, which was supposed to be held outdoors on the Ocean Terrace at the Seabrook Island Beach Club. But even with the threat of rain, there was a vibe of such true, honest joy about the occasion that nothing could get Polly & Stu down. You could literally feel the happiness coming out of them. The wedding was full of touches of sea and sand….jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer5")
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…and deeply personal touches as well. Stu’s ring was inscribed with the words “LAST WIFE”:.jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer2")
On her back, Polly wore a firebird pin that had once belonged to her sister….jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer4")
…and her brother walked her down the aisle..jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer3")
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My heart melted a little when Stu, ever the musician, sang to Polly as part of his vows….jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer7")
…and my heart smiled as I watched Polly’s face when the officiant dropped the rings!.jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer9")
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Remember that joy I mentioned? This is what happened when it was announced that they were husband and wife:.jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer10")
Their exit from the ceremony was trumpeted by Stu’s longtime friend, who was once the lead trumpeter for Les Miserables on Broadway:.jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer14")
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The reception at the Seabrook Island Club House was decorated with more touches of the sea, and at each place setting was a drawing of the bride and groom, created by Stu’s granddaughter, Ruby..jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer15")
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If I had to pick my favorite moment of the day, it would have to be watching Stu rock out on the drums, as he and his trumpeter friend played along with the band!.jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer13")
And one of my favorite images of the day, as Bowen the videographer captured their last dance:.jpg "charlestonweddingphotographer12")
Special thanks to Robbin Knight for second shooting with me, and thanks to Polly & Stu for sharing such an amazing moment with us. I hope you enjoyed your honeymoon in my old stomping grounds in the Bay Area and Wine Country of California!
When it came time for Cassidy’s second session, the main thing I noticed that was different about her was that she was a mover and a shaker – and a climber! But she still has her perfectly round head and big blue eyes, and that engaging smile..jpg "orangecountybabyphotographer1")
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Beautiful photos, Julie! Especially the b&w portraits.
WOW to the photographer…and to the creative director(s)…the Bride! What an “antique” and classic wedding. So southern!