As I post about another fantastic wedding that I am always so honored to capture I am also reminded that every wedding is so very different. Being an image maker and a storyteller can be the most gratifying part for me and any wedding photographer. Every client has an idea of where they would like to celebrate their special day in the Lowcountry and there are so many different options here in our beautiful city. For this couple, Lizzy & Brandon, who met on Tinder and never looked back decided to have their destination wedding at the beautiful Wild Dunes Resort and why not? It’s a beautiful resort, with first class service, so many beautiful backgrounds; a truly unique venue.
Lizzy reached out to me when the lovely Samantha Martin gave her my contact, as she was looking for a fine art wedding photographer who was familiar with Wild Dunes. When I found out that the wedding was at Wild Dunes Resort and the ceremony was on the beach at Sea Side Point, and the reception taking place at the lovely Palmetto Hall, I knew that this would be quite a fete, being that her family and guest were flying in from around the world. In fact, the actual theme for this wedding was “travel”. When I first spoke to Lizzy, she had an accent that I was very accustomed to, that beautiful Australian accent, where I must admit the most talented wedding photographers come from. Being a Ph.D., MPH, RNutr, I realized she was not only very smart but was very selective in her vendors for her special day. It did not take long after that conversation for her to give me the honor and privilege to capture this special wedding for them.
This day with the perfect autumn with the island nuptials could not have been any better: clear blue sky and the perfect weather. I arrived at the house that Lizzy had rented. There I started taking pictures while she and her bridesmaids had their makeup and hair was done. Lizzy wore a gown by Madame Trousseau (an Australian-born designer), and the bridesmaids had a perfect blue pallet amazing style dresses custom made by Gelique in South Africa which mimicked the blue of the sky. The flower girl and Lizzy’s mom and siblings enjoyed that special moment while I captured everyone, we then proceeded to the ceremony at Sea Side Point for the island nuptials. Stephanie Manns sang and played guitar, surrounded by 100 of Lizzy and Brandon’s family and friends. Mom walked her daughter down the aisle, with everyone in awe of both of them. It was an emotional and heartfelt moment for them both while Brandon stood there smiling in happiness. After Brandon kissed his bride, family and friends enjoyed the cocktail hour at Grand Pavilion, and the reception at Palmetto Hall, with the room vibrant and well decorated by the very talented Arielle Stratton of Party Love Birds. Everyone enjoyed the amazing service and food catered by Wild Dunes Resort; always a special treat, with DJ Stephen from Darby Events doing what he always does best and bringing his music to life by having the now married couple Lizzy & Brandon, family and friends enjoy this amazing soirée as they danced the night away.
Thank you so very much, Lizzy & Brandon, for having me capture this once in a lifetime moment for you both, I am deeply honored and very appreciative, may you have the best loving life together.
A little story from the lovely couple in their own words about how this day became:
Brandon and I met online via Tinder and very quickly arranged to meet in person. It’s crazy to think how we almost didn’t meet each other, though! We arranged to meet on a Sunday evening at 7 pm, and at 6.30pm Brandon texted me to ask if I would mind if he showed up late, around 7.30pm. For most people, they might be flexible with this, but all my friends and family know that I HATE people being late and am ALWAYS on time or early to every appointment. So I told Brandon no, that I would leave by 7.10pm if he wasn’t there by then. I expected him to get annoyed, but instead he phoned me right away and apologized and said he would be there on time. So at 7 pm exactly he called me and asked me where I was. I told him I was sitting on the blue sofa. I heard him ask the barman, “Where’s the blue sofa” and heard in reply “We don’t have a blue sofa, but the bar in Carrboro does”. Brandon had turned up at the wrong bar! It happened that there were TWO bars with the same name in two different towns, and Brandon was at the Durham bar while I was in Carrboro. We both laughed, and he jumped in his car and turned up 15 minutes later at the right bar where I was still waiting. I knew within 20 seconds that I liked him, and by the end of the night I knew I REALLY liked him (Brandon says the same about me), after eight days we had said “I love you” and within six months we were engaged and 15 months later we are still crazy about each other.
When we had been dating for just a few months, Brandon took me on a weekend trip to Charleston, one of his favorite cities in the US. I also fell in love with it, especially being from Australia where you are always near the ocean. I loved that Charleston was close to the water. So when we started planning our wedding, we knew Charleston had to be the place. We chose Wild Dunes for a number of reasons; it was on the beach (very important to this Aussie!), it was a resort that could cater easily to guests visiting from so many cities and countries, and our guests could relax at their beach houses, but be close enough to visit downtown Charleston for a day or two. Many of our guests said they were happy we chose Charleston because of the amazing food too!
The couple choice vendors are:
King Street Photo Weddings, Photographer, Michel Berda:
Wild Dunes Resort, Isle Of Palms, SC 29451. Ceremony: the ceremony was on the beach at Sea Side Point, Reception Palmetto Hall: Amber Williams (Caterer/Venue/Bar)Venue:
Party Lovebirds, Charleston, SC. Planner: Arielle Coordinator, Planner:
Officiant: Collin Kerr:
Hair and Make-up: Paper Dolls (Shayla Battle):
Florist/ Lighting: Justin Wham:
DJ: Darby Events, Stephen Darby:
Bakery: Lauren Mitterer:
Bride Dress: Madame Trousseau:
