Georgia Mountain Engagement | Madeline and Frankie
Madeline and Frankie were engaged above a waterfall in the mountains of northern Georgia!
Madeline and Frankie had originally met when they were students at Furman University and lived near each other. They’ve been together for 5 years. One perfect spring day, they met up with their friends Drew and Christina for dinner at the Waterfall Club in northern Georgia, where they’d had photos taken before. After dinner, they decided to walk around on the golf course. As they reached the tee for Hole 2, which is at the top of the waterfall and overlooks the mountains, Drew offered to take a photo. Frankie said he wanted a photo of just Madeline in a pose he really liked, and when she was turned around, Frankie got down on one knee. Madeline couldn’t believe it was happening right then, and after they kissed, Frankie told her, “you have to say “yes” for it to be official.” And she did!
I was actually chilling in my car, which was parked right next to Hole 2 with the window open so I could get the perfect shot of the proposal without seeming too obvious. It was so quiet there and a car only passed by every few minutes, so I knew this would be the prettiest and the most peaceful place to get engaged! I coordinated with Drew leading up to the proposal so that Madeline wouldn’t see me texting Frankie. I told Drew where I thought we would get the best view and he made sure Madeline stood there. After Madeline said yes and found out I was there, we took a few more photos at the top of the waterfall before we drove down to the bottom. I barely had to pose Frankie and Madeline because they kept naturally getting into the best poses, and when I did give some posing suggestions, they knew right away what to do!
Check out some of my favorite photos of Madeline and Frankie on this beautiful spring evening in the mountains of north Georgia!
Ready for the best day ever?
My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.
One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.
I can’t wait to meet you!
Planning Resources
Photos with your Dog
The idea for this blog post may or may not have come from wanting to blog the first photos I took of Athena. Although I worked in a kennel in college and I’ve had plenty of people bring dogs to their sessions, I don’t have any experience in actual pet photography, so taking pictures of Athena was a new challenge for me. If you want to include your dog in your photos, here are a few tips!
Have realistic expectations. Most of the pictures will either have your dog sitting, standing, or walking. The pictures you saw on Pinterest where the dog is posing with your or holding a sign might not be feasible for a puppy or for an easily excited dog.
These photos were taken when Athena was 8 weeks old and we’d only had her for a few days. She was really excited to be out in an open area, and I was lucky to even have a few pictures of her sitting still.
Bring a helper. There will be photos that don’t include your dog, and there aren’t always places in sight to tie a leash. Your dog might not want to stick around the entire time either, so your helper can take the dog home.
Keep the dog on the leash. This might even be a rule for certain locations. Having your dog on a leash minimizes the chance of running into a dangerous situation or an unpleasant encounter with another human or animal in the area. I know Athena isn’t on a leash in some of these photos—there was absolutely nobody around and we were far away from the woods or the road, so she couldn’t run anywhere unsafe before we could catch her.
Choose a time and place where you would be unlikely to encounter other people or animals. For example, a session at Clemson on a weekday in June would be safer than the Friday before the homecoming game. This ties back into #3: the dog is less likely to be distracted or have an unpleasant interaction with someone. Even if your dog is friendly, whoever your dog approaches might not be.
Bring doggy bags. Nothing ruins the moment like realizing what you just stepped in. It’s something Athena likes to eat right now, which means I have to get it out of her mouth with my hands, and it drives me crazy! As new puppy owners, we’re also learning about how not picking up after your dog can spread all kinds of awful things to other animals. Keep the ground clean for us and for whoever comes through afterward.
Bring water. Athena is really good about drinking water, but if she can’t get to her bowl, she gets squirmy and whiny. Keep your dog comfortable!
Check yourselves and your dog for ticks afterwards. A tip I learned from the kennel is to keep a Dixie cup of rubbing alcohol next to you and drop the ticks into it as you pull them off. Otherwise, they could run away and you risk having them come back to you.
Dogs, as well as any animal who’s close to your heart, are always welcome as long as they’re supervised and they won’t harm anyone or anything. I’ve had one session with a chicken and one with a snake, and I’m up for pretty much anything else! Click here to contact me about setting up a session!
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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.
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.
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!
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!
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Kimpton Brice Wedding, Savannah, Georgia | Amethyst and Matt
Remember Amethyst and Matt, who had their engagement session in Disney World this past April? They celebrated their happily ever after on a warm and sunny December day in Savannah, Georgia!
My day started with a Forrest Gump impersonator chatting with me at breakfast and telling me to congratulate the couple for him, which I think is pretty cool. The day ended with a sparkler exit along the street with trolley passengers cheering and passing cars honking. Before the ceremony, I took pictures with Amethyst, her family, and her bridesmaids with ivy and palmetto trees. My second shooter, Shain, took Matt, his family, and the groomsmen to the nearby square with lots of giant oak trees and Spanish moss. The ceremony took place in the courtyard of the Kimpton Brice Hotel, which faces the Savannah River.
Although this was not a Disney-themed wedding, there had to be Disney references throughout the day, since that’s where Amethyst and Matt met and began their adventures as a couple. Not only were there some Disney songs carefully placed throughout the day (I especially loved the songs from The Goofy Movie as the wedding party entered the reception), each entrance into the reception space had a Disney quote about love on it. Like any Disney princess, Amethyst wore a tiara. Since Beauty and the Beast is one of Amethyst’s favorite Disney movies, Matt had notes and roses given to her throughout the day. As we took their photos in the square after the ceremony, Matt gave her one more note and a rose. I only know that part of that note said “I’ll love you until the last petal falls” because Matt pointed out that this rose was artificial, so no petals would fall.
When you’ve spent years working at “the happiest place on earth,” where do you go for your first adventure as a married couple? Well, “the happiest place on earth” actually refers to several places in different parts of the world, so I’ll just leave it at that.
Here are a few of my favorites from this beautiful wedding day!
Venue: The Kimpton Brice
Videography: Palmetto Digital
DJ: Jus Music
Florals: the couple and their families
