Grace represents the modern Southern woman, through and through. Charm, hospitality and adventure are three words that I would use to just start to describe the any great qualities she has!

After studying fashion design in college, Grace moved to Chicago with friends and worked for Nieman Marcus, every fashionistas dream. Not fully satisfied with the fashion world and wanting to make more of a difference in people’s lives, Grace returned to school to study nursing.. Then! Grace met Bayne, her new husband, who is an Army Apache helicopter pilot and fell head over heels. Feeling the need to support her country like her beau, she decided to join the Army as a nurse. From the sounds of it, she was quite a hit, being the only debutante in her platoon!

Let’s just say, Grace has personality. But at the heart of it, she’s a strong Southern woman with a huge and loving family centered around tradition and, well, grace.

The day of her bridal portrait in Columbia was unfortunately a gully buster. It rained like you wouldn’t believe. So we were a bit limited on the outdoor photos, but it was  great taking her bridal portrait in her childhood home.

This is her favorite shot, mine too!

I love the muted colors in this along with her profile.

Brides + Blue = A Great Combination

A classic Southern portrait in Grace’s childhood home.

Grace with her sweet dog Jasmine

Stainless Steel Kitchen Shelving – $225 w/out casters, $300 with castersStainless steel kitchen shelving with 5 shelves.
60 inches long, 72 inches tall
I bought it from Berlin’s Kitchen Supply less than a year ago and have hardly used it.  It is in excellent condition.
It retails new at Berlin’s for $350 + $100 for the casters.

Shelves with out casters- $225
Shelving with the 4 casters (wheel)- $300

Kitchen Stainless Steel Equipment Stand – $260

Equipment Stand with adjustable undershelf, 30″ x 72″, 24″ high, stainless steel top, galvanized legs and undershelf
I bought it from Berlin’s Kitchen Supply less than a year ago and have hardly used it. It is in excellent condition.
It retails new at Berlin’s for $340 + $100 for the casters. (http://www.berlins.com/Product.aspx?productID=238294)

Table with out casters- $260
Table with the 4 casters (wheel)- $340

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Call or email me if you are interested in either! I am selling them because my studio moved from a big industrial space at 10 Storehouse Row to a smaller boutique spot at 41 Cannon Street and Ijust don’t have room for them. Thanks!!

843-697-0376

Leigh@LeighWebber.com

This little bundle of joy, also known as “Baby Henry”, came into this world on New Year’s Eve. What an incredible birthday to have! He is the first child and grandchild to both sides of the family and needless to say, he is very much loved!

Henry decided to skip the newborn clothes altogether and move right on into the 3 month old size. I actually photographed him twice during his first few weeks and it was amazing to see how much can change over 15 days.

These are some of my favorite shots of him. Don’t you just want to eat him up!

Wallis and Nick were married on October 24, 2009 at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, SC. (You may remember reading about it on my blog here!)

I’ve been promising Wallis a slide show from her wedding photos since Christmas and I’m excited to say that it’s finally up! I’m a newbie to Animoto, but what an awesome way to show your photos to friends! Enjoy!

Last night was the big opening party that Stems and Leigh Webber Photography held at our new space on the corner of Coming and Cannon Streets. (Technically, Stems is at 208 Coming and Leigh Webber Photography is at 41 Cannon Street, but we share the same building.)

Both of us were very excited and a totally astounded at the number of people who turned out on a January night! There were lots of friends from the Charleston wedding industry here along with some of our favorite gals from a few magazines including Skirt!, Charleston Weddings, Garden & Gun and Weddings Unveiled. It was especially great to connect faces with names and take those Twitter and Facebook friendships to the next level. We appreciate everyone coming out in support and to check out the new digs!

Cynthia Groseclose of Canape did the catering for Stems and served up delicious bites such as Bloody Mary Shrimp, Cherry Brandy Mac & Cheese, and Arugula, Fig, Prosciutto & Parmesan crostinis. In addition to catering, Cynthia is also a food stylist and needless to say, everything looked picture perfect.

One of my favorite bakeries, Sugar,  served up the treats in my new studio, sweetening everyone up. Treats included Bite-Sized Cupcakes in a variety of flavors (caramel’s my personal favorite!), Raspberry and Lemon Tarts and the cutest little Linzer cookies. I was the personal taste tester for the party and took it upon myself to taste them all, conclusion: delicious!

If you missed the party, here are a few photos for you. My apologies for not having more action shots during the party, I was too busy enjoying all the guests!

Leigh Webber of Leigh Webber Photography & Anne Bowen of Stems

The details were amazing at Stems. Anne intertwined bunches of pink peonies and red roses that hung among branches wrapped around the pillars.

“Flowers as Art”

Here’s a view of Stems before guests arrived. Canape catering had cute little cones of Gruyere & Thyme Gougeres that were perched like flowers in the green grass, ready for picking.

The Leigh Webber Photography side!

My studio was the “Sweet Side Lounge” with decadent treats from Sugar bakery.

I was too busy chatting with all our great guests to get a chance to take many photos. Needless to say, it was packed.

Last but not least, the picture perfect Bloody Mary Shrimp by Canape

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be in my new space downtown! Besides the fact that it’s minutes from my house, right in the heart of the wedding corridor and a block from both Sugar and Hope and Union, the best part is all the talented women that are starting to congregate here!

As you know, I share the building with Anne Bowen of Stems. In fact, she is responsible for totally renovating the space and turning it into the bright and modern hub bub that it is. In addition to creating gorgeous flower creations, Anne is teaming up with the sassy and stylish ladies of  Southern Protocol and the superbly talented Cynthia Groseclose, chef and owner of the boutique catering company, Canape to teach a range of entertaining classes.

We all got together on Friday, along with a few extras including my friend Jen Bearden of Jennifer Bearden Photography and and the English rose, Louise, to put together a photo shoot of these ladies in action, teaching their classes. I was really honored to be a part of this amazing  group of women and found myself marveling at how we could have a room so full of diverse and creative women, all of whom respect each other and work together amazingly well. One thing you’ll notice about Charleston is how many strong, independent and smart women business owners there are.

Want to see what these classes will be like? Check out the photos below! The schedule of classes is at the bottom of the post.

A vintage Mother’s Day table set up by Southern Protocol

Lizz Ackerman & Sara Hosch of Southern Protocol

How sweet are these vintage photos of Lizz’s family?

Anne Bowen of Stems creating an arrangement for the antique silver.

The ladies in the midst of one of Anne’s flower arranging classes

Anne teaching a class at Stems.

Cynthia Groseclose of Canape will be catering the opening party we are having on Wednesday, January 27th from 4:30-8pm as well as teaching in the upcoming entertaining classes

Here she demonstrates a Southern favorite, pimento cheese. Mmm!

I can’t wait to take these classes and learn more about wine pairing, and following along by sipping and sampling, of course!

Here is a sampling of what they will be offering and  there are more classes to come.

Spring Entertaining, March 24, April 21, 6-7:30pm, $30 per seat

Wedding Seminar, March 20, 6-7:30pm, $45 per seat

Girl’s Night In, May 26, 6-7:30pm, $30 per seat

Southern Entertaining, June 8, 6-7:30pm, $45 per seat

Summer Entertaining, June 16, July 13, 6-7:30pm, $30 per seat

Classes are held at Stems at 208 Coming Street. Price includes wine and food. You can’t beat that!

I met Cat and Adam several months ago at Luke Wilson Special Events to talk with them about being their wedding photographer. It was one of those meetings where I walked out thinking, “I really hope they use me because what an energetic couple!” Lucky for me, they did decide to use me for their April wedding! These two have known each other for years, but reconnected more recently. They have tons of shared friends and families that are excited to see the two of them get hitched. On top of that, they are really into each other, that always makes taking portraits more fun.

We rescheduled from a potentially rainy day shoot to a more “Charleston” style day with lots of sunshine and took a little walk through the historic areas of Charleston. Both Cat and Adam were looking quite dapper and we had a bit of a fashion shoot on the streets of Charleston. Here are a few classic shots of these two. Enjoy!

I love her smile and the way she’s looking at Adam. Very sweet!

Even the camellias bloom here in January.

I thought that finding this orange door was a bit serendipitous! It matched Catherine’s dress perfectly!

I’m looking forward to the wedding!

One of the fun things about sharing my new studio space on Cannon & Coming Streets with Stems is that there are always gorgeous and colorful creations being made before my eyes! I love love love photographing flowers and was thrilled when Anne asked me to photograph flowers for Stems’ new website. (Link coming soon!)

If you have been in Stems, then you know it is filled with light and has a very fresh and modern feel. It has the perfect conditions for photographing her drop dead gorgeous flowers. I had so much fun with these and look forward to taking more photos as the wedding and Valentine’s seasons take off and there are flowers galore.

Now that I’m thinking about it, it only seems appropriate to go ahead and tell you about our opening party! There is a more formal invitation coming soon to all of you on my mailing list, but go ahead and get it on your calendar as we’d love to have you!

The Details:

Opening Party for Leigh Webber Photography & Stems

Wednesday January 27, 2010

4:30-8pm

208 Coming & 41 Cannon Street: (We’re in the same building with two different addresses. It’s on the corner of Coming and Cannon Streets)

Feel free to drop by for a drink and a nibble!

Right after Christmas, I was invited out to Seabrook Island to photograph the extended Fennell Family, who was in town for a family Christmas trip to the beach. It was a little chilly and windy for splashing around in the waves, so we met at the new Seabrook Clubhouse, which is a gorgeou new building across the street from the old Clubhouse.

In addition to taking a big family portrait of the whole family, I really enjoyed taking photos of each of the grandkids as well! These were my favorites of each of the kids!

Over the holidays, I got a rare invitation. It was an invitation to a long running Hickory institution that is all male and members only. Thus, I was extremely honored when my dad invited me to come with him to “Coffee Club”.

The Hickory Coffee Club has been around for decades. I’m not sure of an exact start date, but judging by the photos and memorabilia, it’s been around long enough to have accumulated a whole lot of character, and characters. It was like stepping into a time capsule, with an old rotary dial phone on the wall and brown wood paneling.

All of the members are long gone from their busy professional lives and have relaxed into the sweet life of retirement. They gather here Monday through Saturday for an hour or so in the morning to catch up over coffee. They talk politics, they tell dirty jokes, they pass along news of their friends and family.

One of the most striking features in the room is the wall of photos. On the right side are the Current Members and on the left, photos of the Deceased Members. Once a member, always a member. Another wall holds the personal coffee cup of each member. Each is responsible for washing and hanging back up his own mug. I hear the place gets vacuumed once a year in time for the Christmas party, as that is the one day of the year when the wives are invited.

Each morning session is adjourned by the banging of the gavel and a pocket change lottery whose winner is determined by  what color gumball you get out of an old penny gumball machine. Then, they pack up their papers, and perhaps give or take a book from the “Carnegie David Webber Library”, humorously named after my dad who organized all the books (and Andrew Carnegie, of course).

Thanks, Dad, for the invitation! And to all the members, thank you for letting me take photographs to document the rare experience.

Time Capsule

Dad, far right, telling a joke,  I’m sure!

The coffee cups

As my brother Michael said, “It seems to me, the goal is to stay on the wall of Current Members.”

A penny gumball machine