Fran and Geoff’s Wedding at First Scots (Part 1)
Posted on July 2, 2009
Fran and Geoff’s Charleston wedding was such a feast for the eyes that I am going to break it into two blog posts. To start with, we have their lovely ceremony at First Scots, which took place last Saturday, June 27.
There were many special touches to the ceremony. In addition to a couture wedding gown there was also the very exclusive and world renowned quintet, Empire Brass. This is only the second wedding for which they have performed, the other being at Carolyn Kennedy’s wedding. The brass quintet played as the guests arrived to the church as well as several hymns and it was like arriving to a world class concert! They sounded amazing.
Flower arrangements were created by Dale Wallace Fine Floral Creations. Wreaths hung from the gates and flowers adorned the ends of each pew. In lieu of a traditional wedding videographer, they hired Richard Almes to come and do a documentary of the wedding and their relationship. Over the past few months, Richard has interviewed them and shot footage of them talking about their relationship and the wedding planning process. I can’t wait to see the final cut!
The couture wedding gown was created by designer Angel Sanchez. And like a true artist, he conducted the final fitting for Fran himself. He is famous for also having designed Eva Longoria and Sandra Bullock’s wedding gowns, just to name a few.
Geoffrey, who is English, decided to forgo the traditional English morning dress (”tails” as we say here) and wore a very classic tuxedo.
Two of Geoff’s grandchildren served as the ring bearers. How can you now fall in love with this little boy?
An artist from Stella Nova came over to help Fran with the final touches for her hair and to put the veil on.
First Scots before the guests arrived. It is a stunning church with gorgeous stained glass. 
Mr. & Mrs. Geoffrey Griffiths.
I love the little girl waving to Fran on the left and that’s Mayor Joe Riley and his wife on the right.
Newlyweds!
I love how Fran’s veil is spilling out of the frame in this photo!
Fran told me that Angel Sanchez, the dress designer, was an architect before becoming a fashion designer. I can believe it just in seeing how beautifully her dress falls on her.
This is one of my favorite shots of the two of them.
Stay tuned for the reception at McCrady’s in Part 2.
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Paper Airplanes and Little Boys
Posted on June 30, 2009
Here is a cute little preview from Fran & Geoff’s wedding that took place last Saturday.
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Geoff & Fran’s Grand Arrival
Posted on June 30, 2009
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of photographing the stunning wedding weekend for our latest newlyweds, Geoff and Fran.
From the moment Fran first contacted me, I knew this was going to be a fun-filled weekend full of special details and a close group of friends and family. Every time I spoke with Fran on the phone, she was full of unbridled enthusiasm and it was hard not to get excited with her.
On Thursday morning, they began the weekend celebration. I arrived at a private airstrip to photograph their jet arrival into Charleston from Bermuda, where they reside. Out of the planes came their friends and family and a very smiley and excited Fran and Geoff. Richard Almes was also there with his video camera to capture footage for use in the documentary he is putting together on the couple.
What a fun way to start the weekend!
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Ashley & Stephen’s Charleston Wedding
Posted on June 29, 2009
Ashley & Stephen were married on June 13 here in Charleston. They are both Charleston natives and had a big group of family and friends come to help celebrate their union.
The wedding was held at the Second Presbyterian Church on Meeting Street. I love the blue interior of this church. Not only did it look amazing with Ashley’s blue eyes, it matched the blue bridesmaids dresses as well. The rain began just as the bridesmaids and groomsmen were arriving, but the light for the photos was amazing on the portico of the church. And the skies cleared up just as the ceremony was ending. Perfect timing!
The reception followed at the Carolina Yacht Club with a cocktail hour followed by dancing. The band, Momentum, played all night and had everyone dancing!
Ashley, the beautiful bride.
Don’t you love the blue bridesmaids dresses! 
Stephen in his captain’s pose!
Second Presbyterian Church with the flowers by Nancy McKee
Stephen and his groomsmen
Ashley and her grandmother. Her grandmother’s bracelet was wrapped around the handle of the bouquet as Ashley’s “something old”.
The ceremony.
The wedding party photos in the park.
Stephen (aka T-Bone) with his bride.
Mr. & Mrs. Chandler
Wedding cake at the Carolina Yacht Club
The band, Momentum.
The Carolina Yacht Club has a sweet staircase!
And the grand sparkler finale!
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Lots of Color for “Blue Moon Events”!
Posted on June 23, 2009
This past Saturday, I had the fun job of taking the detail and set-up shots for a wedding reception that Calder Clark of Blue Moon Events was putting together at the William Aiken House. There were all sorts of groovy details to photograph and LOTS of color, which I love!
My job was to go around before the guests arrived and take colorful shots of all the little extras that go into make an ordinary wedding extraordinary. Every little thing counts, from custom gift baskets to exotic flowers, flip flops for the guests upon arrival and having color and/or theme that is carried throughout. Calder does an extraordinary job of carrying a theme all the way through with fresh ideas and attention to detail.
I love taking these types of photos at every wedding I photograph. It’s one of my favorite things to do!
Going away basket by Blue Moon Events
The custom bar
Flowers and bouquets by Blossoms Events
Guests were invited to write a wish for the newly married couple as well as taking a wish out of the wish jar.
The cake is by Elaine’s Events
Don’t you love the red and orange pattern that is behind the band!
Specialty drinks for the guests as they arrived to the party
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Amy & Autumn: Mom & Baby Photos
Posted on June 22, 2009
On Friday evening, I had a great photo shoot out on Folly Beach with Amy and Autumn for some mom & baby photos! Autumn was quite the charmer and smiled graciously for about 30 minutes, during which I snapped like crazy. And then the bedtime hour hit and she was done for the evening. But thank goodness for all that cute cooing and smiling as I was able to get lots of great shots of the two of them!
It’s a perfect time of year for family and children’s photos out at the beach. Give me a call or send an email if you are interested in setting up a family portrait!
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Jamie & Judson Get Married Citadel Style!
Posted on June 17, 2009
If there were ever a bride who was proud of her bling, it was Jamie! I got to know Jamie and her mom a couple of months back when I took her bridal portrait here at the studio at 10 Storehouse Row. They could not be more fun and genuine people to work with.
Judson and Jame got married at the Summerall Chapel at the Citadel. Judson is a graduate of the Citadel, which means they got the sword ceremony on the way out. This is where 6 Citadel men, dressed to the hilt, stand on the steps of the chapel as the bride and groom exit the church. They had their swords held high for Judson and Jamie to pass under. At the last sword, the cadets stopped them, had them kiss, and then as a surprise to Jamie, one of them gave her a little pat on the behind with a sword! (Another Citadel tradition!)
Ooh! Events coordinated the event and did the flowers, which were gorgeous. The reception followed at the Wickliffe House where they danced and partied on a monogrammed dance floor, which was a nice touch. The band hailed from Myrtle Beach and there was a great moment when the lead singer sang “She’s a pretty girl!” a cappella to Jamie. Congrats you two!!
The rings
Jamie and her girls
Jamie’s bouquet, adorned with a special brooch and accessories.
Judson and his guys head for the chapel.
Look at that smile!
The ceremony
The Sword Ceremony! It’s a Citadel tradition to stop the bride and groom and to have them kiss. 
Mr. & Mrs. Lindsey
The band had a great lighting set-up going. It looked cool with a few long exposures!
The Wickliffe House at night. 
Thank goodness she caught the bouquet because I have never seen anyone happier to have caught it. I love this.
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Published in Great Outout Magazine
Posted on June 16, 2009
I just received a copy of the latest Great Output magazine and I am in it!!! Many thanks to Eileen Fritsch, the editor of Great Output Magazine and the mother of the bride to Valerie, my Memorial Day bride! You might remember seeing Valerie’s stunning bridal portrait photos and her wedding photos!
The main article of the magazine is on “Refreshing Your Marketing Strategy For New Generations of Customers“. It is all about using social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook for PR and marketing in conjunction or in lieu of print ads. I use both Facebook and Twitter to get my name out there and I also continue to advertise in several magazines such as Charleston Weddings Magazine and Weddings Unveiled. Check out the link to learn why!
That’s my photo in the bottom left corner! And a little piece about how I choose to advertise.
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Two Adorable Kids and a Rabbit Named “Bun Bun”
Posted on June 16, 2009
One thing I love about the summer is all of the family photo sessions that I get to do for families on vacation. I really enjoy photographing kids and would love to come up with some sort of project where I got to do it more regularly. Anyone have any book project ideas based around photos of kids for me?
This was a last minute photo shoot for a family who was in town for the week. It was a sultry evening and right after we finished the photo shoot, the heavens opened and it poured rain. But I am so glad we were able to get these shots just in time!
Betsy, the mom, was very wise and brought bubbles to use as a distraction for the kids so I could get a lot of candid shots. They worked perfectly! And bubbles just look cool in photos, I think.
Here’s a peek into some of my favorite shots!
I was told that “Bun Bun” (a stuffed rabbit) would make it into most of the shots. I think this one will be classic in years to come!
The bubbles!
The Family
Chasing Bubbles
Two Adorable Kids
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Cute Kids Make Me Smile!
Posted on June 15, 2009
Last week, I got the chance to photograph some of my favorite clients for the third year in a row! We had a morning session down at Waterfront Park and in addition to some family group shots, I took a lot of fun photos of the kids. Here are some of my faves:
I love how she’s making her little sister smile! So darn cute.
She loves her mama! 
Funny faces for the camera.
A little love between siblings. 
I love this!
This cracks me up. Not even a bag of M&Ms could get a full smile out of her. A half smile, maybe.
This young man has gone from running from the camera to being quite the charmer in three years!
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