clemson wedding

Clemson Bridal Portraits in South Carolina Botanical Gardens | Brittany

Brittany and I met at a wedding expo in February of 2020.  It was only a few weeks after she got engaged, and a few weeks before the world turned upside-down, which made it hard to set dates for anything in stone. We eventually scheduled her bridal portraits a week after her Clemson graduation portraits.  She totally lucked out on the weather—about 70 degrees and partly cloudy both days!

We started Brittany’s bridal portraits at the South Carolina Botanical Gardens, which is technically part of Clemson’s campus.  I love doing sessions here because it’s such a rabbit hole—there are obvious places that are pretty, but there are little pockets of hidden gems everywhere.  Since Clemson has so many different majors involving plants and wildlife, it’s no surprise that there’s so much diversity in the garden and it changes so much throughout the year.  On this beautiful day in May, the gardens didn’t have the pink and white blooms that it had when I did a session here in March, but there were some colorful flowers that weren’t there before, and a lot more green overall.  The garden was so quiet and peaceful, with the occasional splash in the pond or rustle through the bushes.  We caught the scents of different blossoms as we walked down the trail, including something that smelled like bubblegum! 

I loved that Brittany’s veil complemented her ruffly dress so well, and bridal headbands are some of my favorite accessories!  She found her dress at The Castle in Spartanburg.  She said she loved having another opportunity to wear everything—she loved feeling like a bride and she could know a few weeks before the wedding day how her whole ensemble felt. She was so smiley the whole session!

Brittany also wanted to have some of her bridal portraits at Clemson’s main campus, since it’s become such a special place to her and held a significant role in her relationship with her now-husband.  She wanted some pictures with Tillman Hall/Old Main, since she’s an education major and that’s where most of her classes are.  We spent a good amount of time at Sikes Hall, which both of us love.  I thought she looked like Cinderella in some of the photos we took on the steps at Sikes!

I’m so happy to have met Brittany and I’ve loved getting to know her at both her graduation session and her bridal portraits.  Check out a few of my favorites that I’ve been dying to share!


Are you thinking about having photos done at Clemson? Click here to check out some of my favorite galleries from Clemson, including wedding, engagement, graduation, and pageant photos! To schedule a session, fill out my contact form to tell me all about it!


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Clemson Elopement | Katie and Matt

Katie and Matt knew they wanted their wedding day to be unique and intimate. A year and a half after I did Katie’s Clemson graduation portraits, she told me they were planning to elope and asked if I could do their wedding photos. Since so much of Matt and Katie’s story takes place around Clemson, it felt like a perfect fit for them. They said they shared a lot of memories at the amphitheater, so we made a plan for them to get married there on New Year’s Eve.

Katie, Matt, and I met up at the amphitheater with my friend Rebecca of A Different Officiant. Since it was New Year’s Eve, there weren’t hardly any people around, and only the bells of the clock tower broke the silence around them. Even though there was a high chance of rain for the whole day, none came down while we were together! We went through so much of campus that day, even through some of the botanical gardens. Since there were no guests, Katie and Matt could spend their wedding day wherever. They popped a bottle of champagne together on Bowman Field, which made for plenty of laughs as it sprayed everywhere. They even cut their wedding cake right in front of Death Valley!

Katie and Matt spent years walking this campus with no idea that they were passing by the place where they would someday get married. This was such a fun day that was totally centered around them and their story. Check out some of my favorite photos from Katie and Matt’s wedding!


Special thanks to Rebecca Inman of A Different Officiant for making it possible for Katie and Matt to get married in a place that was so special to them. Their cake came from Sugar Mama’s Cakes and Desserts in Seneca.


Ready to have a wedding ceremony that’s super intimate and totally unique to you? I’d love to help you make that happen!

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First Look or No First Look: What to Consider

The decision of whether or not to have a first look can have an impact on how you feel throughout your wedding day.  Almost every wedding vendor I know or follow insists that everyone should have a first look, but I think a lot needs to go into making that decision.

What is a first look?

A first look is when you and your almost-spouse have your pictures taken together before the wedding instead of not seeing each other until ceremony.  Traditionally, couples have their wedding pictures taken after the ceremony, which is often attributed to the idea that seeing each other beforehand is bad luck.  Here are a few things to consider when deciding whether this is a good fit for you and your wedding day.

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What’s the timing for the day?

If your ceremony is close to when it gets dark, you might want to consider a first look so you can have natural light for your pictures.  If your ceremony and reception are at different venues, there may be a big gap between when you finish the ceremony and when the reception starts, so you might as well make use of that time!  If your ceremony is early in the day, having a first look means you’ll have to have your hair and makeup done earlier (and therefore wake up earlier).

Where do you want to go?

If you really want your pictures to be somewhere that’s not close to the venue, having a first look will give you more time to get there and back without missing your reception and time with your guests.  If you want to stick around the venue for your photos, your guests will still be nearby.

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Are you already seeing each other that day?

Some couples see each other the day of the wedding, but they don’t want to see each other dressed up until the ceremony.  If you know you’ll wake up next to each other that day, is it worth it to be apart for so much of the day?  You decide!

How will you feel?

The moment you see each other across the aisle is one that you’ve probably waited for your whole life.  Many married couples say that having a first look did not change that moment for them.  If you think you might cry, think about whether you want that moment to be while everyone’s watching or while you two are alone.  A lot of people who think they’ll be nervous on their wedding day choose to do a first look so they can find comfort in each other and be more relaxed before the ceremony.  If you don’t do a first look, you’ll take your wedding pictures in those exciting and relieving first few minutes of finally being married!

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What could happen before the ceremony?

Are you worried about getting your dress dirty before you walk down the aisle? Do you want to stay hidden from all your guests until they see you at the ceremony? Would you rather not risk being late to your own ceremony? It’s all up to you!


I hope this helps you make the decision that’s right for your wedding day! As always, I’m happy to help you decide—send me an email to tell me your thoughts so far!