Aimee and Gokul were married at the William Aiken House, back in August, when it was hot and sultry out. They had two very colorful and striking wedding ceremonies, one Hindu and one Christian and they were both amazing ceremonies to photograph.

They came back down to Charleston recently for another portrait session, and wouldn’t you know that it was one of the coldest days in Charleston’s history! We started with a few shots indoors at the William Aiken House and then continued on downtown to brave the cold for a few outside.

Here are some of my favorites…

I thoroughly enjoyed photographing Nick and Lisa’s wedding weekend here in Charleston a couple of weeks ago. After the rehearsal dinner at 14 George Street,  the party continues the next for the wedding celebration at Yeaman’s Hall.

Guests flew in from as far away as Australia, Hong Kong, and California to see these two tie the knot. Their friends and family and all the great things they said in their toasts were testament to what solid and passionate people Nick and Lisa are.

Luke Wilson, of Luke’s Events and Fleur, was the event coordinator and did an excellent job of keeping everything together, especially as it started raining minutes before the ceremony was to begin.

I love getting the detail shots that help put together the story of the wedding day. So much time in the planning is spent making decisions; finding the perfect dress, what flowers to use, flavor of the cake, etc., that I think they worthy of some special shots. That being said, the dress shot can be a tricky one depending on the surroundings and natural light. This is one of my new favorite dress shots, maybe it’s because I love the dress so much!

Lotus Flower comes through once again with a beautiful bouquet and centerpieces!

We did all of the group shots before the wedding, which is a great way to de-stress and get right to enjoying your cocktail hour after the ceremony! If you’re not paralyzed by superstition that seeing your bride/groom before the wedding is bad luck, then I highly recommend doing your group shots before the ceremony.

Carson was a Jr. Groomsman and an excellent portrait subject. I love the look in his eyes here.

The three flower girls, all nieces to Nick and Lisa, did an excellent job. Beatrice was very particular about how each petal was laid down and provided lots of entertainment and fun laughter.

Dr. & Mrs. Nick Fleming

Their cake topper was too cute and very descriptive of their personalities. Nick is an avid runner and from what I heard, these shoes are a special type of running shoe. The cake was by Elaine’s Events.

A seated dinner for the guests was held inside a Yeaman’s Hall.

This is the view of the guests enjoying their cocktail hour from where the ceremony would have taken place outside, had it not rained.

Jason and Leni are the kind of easy going couple that I love to photograph. Perhaps it comes with the fact that they have been dating for 8 years, but there was very little nervousness and lots of laughter on their big day.

Because their wedding ceremony was not to take place until 7pm, after the sun went down, we decided to meet earlier at Waterfront Park for some family and wedding party photos.

You can see that these two only have eyes for each other.

I had to get a shot of the shoes, check out Jason’s!

Here is Leni, having a hard time containing her smile!

Leni did all of the flowers herself, including these great boutonnieres, the bouquets, centerpieces, everything!

The wedding party!

These are Leni’s two younger brothers. They were two of the greatest kids I’ve ever met. You could see how much they love and look up to Leni.

Sean, the youngest, walked her down the aisle.

The ceremony was held outside of the Aquarium. A bras quintet played as guests arrived. And when they stopped, you could hear all the non-aquatic animals at the Aquarium starting tot pipe up. It was really magical!

The view from the ceremony. Not too bad!

I love this shot of the two of them in front of the open water tank. Jason and Leni love zoos and aquariums, so it is only fitting that they got married here! Congrats!

On Friday night, I had the privilege of photographing the rehearsal dinner for Nick & Lisa. It’s always a bonus for me when I get to come to the rehearsal dinner and see and meet the close family and friends. My favorite part is the toasts, as I really get an insight into who the bride and groom are as individuals and as a couple.

The Magnolia Singers, a local a’capella group that sings Gullah music and spirituals, serenaded the guests during the cocktail hour. I love this shot. They’re lit only by one of the flood lights set up in the garden and shot with a high ISO.

14 George Street is home to the Spoleto headquarters. As a Spoleto “social scene” photographer, it was great to be back at 14 George! And it fit Nick and Lisa well with their love for art and architecture.

Katey and Patrick were married at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, SC last weekend. They live in Ohio, but decided to get married here in the Lowcountry. Katey’s family loves to visit Palmetto Bluff and really, you just can’t get a more beautiful spot than the chapel that looks out over the May River.

They say that Charleston is the number one (or two, or three… depends who you ask!) wedding destination spot in the States.  And I’d guess that at least half of my brides & grooms in 2008 were in fact from out of town. So Katey and I had a long distance relationship in planning the photography for her wedding here in SC, and it worked out incredibly well.

The girls got ready in a house just a couple of blocks from the wedding chapel. I especially like this shot of her shoes!

Katey’s “something old” were the Mikimoto pearls she wore, which belong to her mother.

Photographing the guys was like photographing a band. They were tight, slightly crazy (in a good way!), and a lot of fun. I loved how they rode the bikes to the chapel!

The chapel is right in the heart of Palmetto Bluff and looks out over the river. It’s small and intimate and it was the perfect spot for their ceremony.

Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Harris

Katey had surprised Patrick by having an a capella group, Voices of Deliverance, sing as the came ot of the chapel. This shot was taken by Jebb, my excellent second shooter!

We did some portraits around the church as the sun went down.

They danced their first dance out on the 18th hole at the May River Grille. I love this silhouette action shot.

The May River Grille is where the reception took place with a seated dinner, followed by lots of dancing and of course, cake! Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Harris!!!

Hannah & Jason were married on October 25, 2008 at St. Philips Church with a reception following at the Daniel Island Club. The ever dedicated and inspiring Stacey Fraunfelter of Red Letter Events put together a full day of wedding events for Hannah & Jason and pulled it off with out a hitch. My trusty second shooter Jebb Graff helped me photogrpaph the 11 hour day. And we had a blast doing it!
Below are a few photos from the wedding, but stay tuned as tomorrow I’ll post their slide show!

Check out Jason’s ring! I love how it is engraved on the inside.

The flowers and bouquets were created by Lotus Flower. I seem to be on a roll with them! They’ve done the flowers for quite a few of the weddings I’ve shot this year!

Hannah’s dress comes from the Gown Boutique on Daniel Island.  It was one of two wedding gowns that Hannah would wear during the course of the night. Something that was very special is that a piece of her childhood blanket was sown into the crinoline of the dress, so that she would be able to carry it with her as she walked down the aisle.

Hannah and Jason pose separately for a few photos before the ceremony outside of St. Philips Church.  And what an amazing church to get married in in Charleston! Established in 1680, it is the oldest Anglican congregation south of Virginia.

These cuff links were a gift from one of Jason’s groomsmen.

And here they are, the groomsmen!

The bridesmaid’s bouquets were as stunning as Hannah’s.

The three flower girls were all students of Hannah’s from the elementary school where she teaches. These girls were having so much fun handing out programs and twirling around in their dresses. They really added some fun and character and were great flower girls.

The ceremony inside of St. Philips Church.

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Jason Bodie!

Jason signs the marriage register for St. Philips Church. This reminds me of the couple of weddings I have photographed in England where signing the church’s register is a part of the ceremony and equally important as signing the state marriage license.

The reception and seated dinner for 250 was held at the Daniel Island Club.

Here’s Jason rockin’ out with Plane Jane, one of the most fun party bands around. He was pretty good, too!

A little late night snack of grilled cheese and burgers kept everyone happy.

After a sparkler departure, Hannah and Jason sped off into their new life in the back of this Grace Kelly car. What a fun wedding to photograph. Thanks for having me!