Ideas for Elopement Receptions
If your wedding ceremony is just the two of you, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a reception. It’s your wedding day, and you still deserve to celebrate it!
Elopement Reception Ideas:
1. Have a meal catered for two at your ceremony site.
Some caterers will deliver and set it up, just like they would for a traditional reception. A local restaurant might offer this as well. Eat some good food, cut your cake, pop some champagne, and enjoy the rest of your wedding day!
2. Make a dinner reservation.
You can celebrate at one of your favorite places to eat together, or you can treat yourselves to a new restaurant that’s a higher-end dining experience than what you’d normally choose.
3. Bring your own food to have a picnic with a view.
Make your own food, order takeout, or use a picnic service! Yes, picnic services are a thing—check out one service based out of Greenville!
4. Have a big reception with your family and friends on a different day.
It might seem counter-intuitive, but there are three reasons that come to mind for why someone might want to do it this way:
You like the idea of celebrating with other people, but still want the privacy and intimacy of an elopement ceremony.
It’s hard to get both of your families together. For example, my cousin married someone whose family lived overseas, so they had one reception with her family and one reception with his.
I’ve seen some couples who have a smaller ceremony before their planned wedding date to accommodate extenuating circumstances, like military deployment or to include a relative who is terminally ill.
Ready for the best day ever?
Photo by Shehzad Ziaee
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 47 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
How to Choose a Trail for Your Photos
I absolutely love going on hiking trails with couples! We can do this for an engagement session, or you could even have an intimate wedding ceremony out on a trail! I have some guidelines for trails so you can have a good time AND plenty of photos you love!
1. What is the scenery like along the trail?
Are there multiple spots along the trail that can look pretty in your photos, or is there only one tiny overlook? For example, this trail has plenty of variety before you get to the waterfall, like plant life, a pond, and a bridge over a stream.
2. How difficult is this trail?
I don’t want it to be too strenuous because I don’t want you to be red, sweaty, and exhausted in your photos. I also don’t want any of us to not feel well during/after the session. I know plenty of views here that overlook mountains and waterfalls, and won’t take a toll on your well-being or how you look in your photos.
3. How long is this trail?
It needs to be short enough for us to get good light on the trail and still get out before it gets dark or the parking lot closes. For example, getting to a scenic view for sunset on the Table Rock trail can take hours, and it could be completely dark and after the park’s operating hours by the time we get back to the trailhead.
4. Does it get crowded here?
The trail needs to not be too crowded so there aren’t a lot of people in the background. Also, your session is a lot more intimate if other people aren’t around. For example, any trail at Paris Mountain will probably have lots of hikers and mountain bikers on a Saturday. ⠀
5. Most importantly:
We need to be able to do this safely—I don’t want to risk anyone getting hurt to get good photos. A 3-mile scramble might not be worth the photos, and I need to be able to pose you safely. The Falls Creek Falls trail, for example, is mostly covered in rocks and tree roots, so it’s easy to trip or roll an ankle. There also aren’t a lot of places in front of the waterfall where I’m comfortable standing or telling someone else to stand.
Believe it or not, this photo was taken at a drive-up overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway. No hiking with that baby!
If you and your partner still want to head out on a trail for your session or elopement, awesome! I know plenty of trails in the upstate that meet most, if not all, of these bullet points. Also feel free to check out my blog post to give you ideas of what places in the upstate might fit your vision—you can check it out here!
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
Chimney Rock Proposal | Leah and Jacob
Leah and Jacob were engaged at Chimney Rock, right above the clouds on a perfect spring morning!
They decided to spend the weekend in Asheville for Jacob’s birthday. Jacob drove up from Orlando and Leah flew in from Chicago. They were planning to check out Chimney Rock, which they heard was beautiful, and hike to Hickory Nut Falls. What Leah didn’t know was that Jacob’s friend Courtney, who is now an event planner, was actually the one planning the whole day, and that the timeline started with getting engaged!
Jacob, Courtney, and I got on a Zoom call and looked at the maps, since none of us had ever been to Chimney Rock State Park. There was a windy 3-mile road from the entrance to the park to the base of the overlook. From there, we could either take an elevator or a 500-step staircase to the overlook. We decided to get there right when it opened for two reasons: the light would be better when the sun was lower in the sky, and it would be less likely to be crowded that early on a Saturday. I had no idea if we would have cell service, so I told Jacob what my car looked like and we came up with a plan for me to signal to him when I’d found the spot with good light and a good background.
After driving through fog for a while, I started to see some blue skies. I texted Jacob when I was waiting at the entrance, and he texted me that his car was right behind mine. I booked it to the elevator—if I got in there before them, it would have to go back down and back up before they would be up there with me, which would buy me some time to pick out a spot. For a minute, I was the only person up there, which was pretty surreal. Then, it was just the three of us. I stood across the overlook from where the clouds covered the mountains, and Jacob walked over with Leah and got down on one knee. Of course, Leah said yes, and we took some pictures in that “we just got engaged” feeling!
We were all so amazed at how beautiful it was up there that day. The American flag was at half-staff, which made for some cool framing, but also served as shade when I had Leah and Jacob facing the sun. I went up to the Opera Box for a few photos to show them with the whole overlook. We had to come back to the spot where they actually got engaged because the clouds went away, showing the view we had come there for in the first place. By the time we finished up, it still wasn’t too warm or crowded, so Leah and Jacob could still do their hike. I caught a few photos of them telling their family and friends the news before they left! Since the engagement was so early in the day, they had plenty of time afterwards to celebrate being engaged.
Enjoy these photos of Leah and Jacob’s spring engagement in the mountains of North Carolina!
Photo by Shehzad Ziaee
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
Edisto Engagement Photos | Jenni and Jack
South Carolina Mountain Elopement | Heather and Scott
Heather and Scott were married in an intimate ceremony on a perfect fall day in front of the South Carolina mountains!
These days, there’s a lot of chaos and uncertainty that comes with planning a wedding with a large group of people, so Heather and Scott decided to embrace the idea of an intimate ceremony with just each other. Their ceremony took place on the veranda of the Red Horse Inn in Landrum—right off of Scenic Highway 11. I had seen photos of the inn on Instagram, but when I walked up to the ceremony site, I couldn’t believe how beautiful the view from the mountains was. Their voices were the only sound breaking the silence around us.
After they signed the marriage license, we got to meet Phinney, the venue’s mini pig. We were given Cheerios to feed him and his tail wagged just like a dog’s! After we took some photos around the venue, we went to their cabin, where they cut their beautiful cake. One of their cake flavors was almond, which is one of my favorites, and a flavor I never see anyone else have at their wedding. We had to take a few photos with their dogs, Brie and Beamer, who were waiting for them at the cabin.
To finish, we drove about 5 minutes down the road to take some more of their wedding photos at Campbell’s Covered Bridge. This beautiful red bridge is the only remaining covered bridge in the state, and there’s some beautiful tall grass nearby. After we said goodbye, Heather and Scott had dinner together and enjoyed the rest of the perfect fall weather with each other and their dogs.
Check out some of my favorite photos from this beautiful South Carolina mountain elopement!
Vendors:
Venue and florals: Red Horse Inn
Officiant: Raya Jackson
Hair and Makeup: Kapelli Salon
Cake: All Good Things
Photo: Christine Scott Photography
Ready for your best day ever?
Photo by Shehzad Ziaee
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 47 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 Greenville is that it’s everything you DON’T think about when you picture South Carolina, but it’s still picturesque. Whether you’re into mountains, waterfalls, lakes, 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!
Elopement Planning Resources
How to Elope in South Carolina
South Carolina Botanical Gardens Engagement Photos | Courtney and David
My cousin Courtney came to visit with her fiancé, David! They live in Maryland and stopped in South Carolina on their way to Universal Studios. We set a date for spring engagement photos in the South Carolina Botanical Gardens and crossed our fingers that it wouldn’t rain in the short time that they were here.
Courtney and David met while David was studying abroad at a university near where Courtney lives. They kept a long-distance relationship while David finished school in the Netherlands. David came back to Maryland for graduate school and Courtney has visited the Netherlands with him twice now. They plan to be married next summer in Maryland, then have another reception with David’s family and friends in the Netherlands.
I had told Courtney that we’d find at least something in bloom by their engagement photos, since there’s such a variety of plants in the Botanical Gardens that bloom at different times. I like to think everything bloomed early here just for them. We were so excited when we left my neighborhood and saw a long row of white trees, which doesn’t normally happen this early in the spring. That meant that the gardens had to be full of color, and they were! There was so much pink to go with Courtney’s pink hair, lipstick, and dresses. It was cloudy most of the time we were there, but the temperature was perfect.
A few of my favorite things about this session include the design on Courtney’s nails (which you can see in some of the closeups), her Harry Potter dress in front of the caboose, and how amazing her hair and makeup looked—shoutout to Leigh and Meagan at Cotton Rouge for doing such an amazing job with that!
Check out all the pretty colors and laughter from Courtney and David’s engagement session!
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
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 for your 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 Greenville is that it’s everything you DON’T think about when you picture South Carolina, but it’s still picturesque. Whether you’re into mountains, waterfalls, lakes, 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!
Elopement Planning Resources
Table Rock Engagement Photos | Jillian and Vincenzo
Vincenzo left Italy to come work at his uncle’s restaurant in Greenville. That’s where he first met Jillian! After they’d been dating a while, they visited Pretty Place Chapel, where Vincenzo proposed. Even though he was so nervous that he opened the ring box upside down, Jillian said yes!
Jillian saw my photos in a South Carolina hiking group on Facebook and reached out to me about her engagement photos. I saw she was also a Clemson alumna, so that’s always exciting! She told me she wanted her engagement photos to be in the mountains. I was so excited that someone around here was as excited about pictures in the mountains as I am! We discussed possible places, but we had to hold off on choosing a location and setting a date since a lot of places were closed with the stay-at-home order. We talked about going to the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it would be hard to know what was open until we got there. When the state parks opened back up, we decided to go to Table Rock on a Thursday to avoid the park reaching capacity.
I think there were more geese than people on the day we had our session! We also found some ducks, a large snake, and the biggest snail I’ve ever seen. Even though we couldn’t do the session in the spring, we still got cool weather for June! The three of us took a trail where we found a few pretty waterfalls. We had so much fun talking about Italy, South Carolina, the mountains, and their wedding plans! As the sun started to go down, we went towards the lodge, where there was a beautiful view of Table Rock right next to Pinnacle Lake. The water even glowed orange from the colors in the sky!
Check out my photos of this awesome couple in one of my favorite places in the whole state!
Looking for a wedding photographer who supports your non-traditional ideas? Click here to read more about me and what I do, and click here to get in touch!
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Taking Photos on Cloudy Days
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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Black Balsam Knob Adventure Elopement Styled Shoot
Mark and Carolyn from Story Bright Films invited me to join them and their dog, Rocket, an adventure elopement styled shoot at Black Balsam Knob in western North Carolina, about two hours from the Greenville area. Six months earlier, Mark and Carolyn did the wedding video for Clarin and Bobby, the couple who got dressed up and came with us to the mountains. Clarin and Bobby had considered eloping for a long time. They loved the idea of their marriage being just the two of them coming together before God in the middle of natural beauty, with hardly anyone else around for miles. They ultimately decided to go the more traditional route and share the experience with their families and friends, but they said that being part of this shoot made them feel like they also got to have the fun and intimacy of eloping.
Elopements are such an interesting subject because there are so many differing viewpoints of what they are. We often picture people going on a vacation and making hasty, life-changing decisions without telling their families. We also might picture people spontaneously gong to a courthouse and “making it legal” without any sort of celebration. While these do happen, an elopement is often like a typical wedding, just without guests. A couple who elopes may tell their families years in advance that this is their plan. The bride may still have a bouquet designed for her, a professional hair and makeup artist, and her dream wedding dress. The ceremony may follow the same outline as a church ceremony. While saving money is a factor in some couples’ decisions to elope, others might pay for plane tickets and lodging for themselves, their favorite photographer and videographer, and someone special to officiate the ceremony in a picturesque destination. Some couples even have a reception when they come home so they can still celebrate with their families and friends.
Our first stop was Dill Falls, which involved being on a gravel road in the woods for a while before finding the trail. Clarin was standing in the water in some of these photos with the current pushing her dress around—sometimes adventure involves getting wet and dirty, although I’m pretty proud of myself for not getting my socks wet as I climbed up to the waterfall. Even though parts of the day were scheduled to have an 80% chance of storms, it only sprinkled twice for a few minutes while we were shooting. In one of the photos, you can see Clarin and Bobby looking up, realizing they were feeling rain and not just the waterfall behind them.
Our next stop was the balsam forest. We concluded that it would look like a setting for a fairy tale if it was sunny, or Narnia if it was snowing. That day, it looked a little like Halloween as the rain clouds set in. I actually got cold there, even though it was August. Mark and Carolyn set up a picnic for Clarin and Bobby and they told us about their story as a couple, what they loved about their wedding, and why they were so excited to be part of this elopement shoot. We didn’t see a single person the whole time we were in there! We then hiked up to the mountain right as the sun rays came through the clouds, which weren’t too high above us. I wanted to take all the photos in one spot because it was such an amazing view! After getting some photos of a massive spray of champagne and slow dancing as the sun went down behind the clouds, we headed out to Brevard for an amazing dinner at Square Root (which is also dog-friendly) before heading home.
Your wedding is your special day. It’s up to the two of you whether to celebrate with 300 people you love, or just by yourselves. But remember that it’s possible to have both experiences, just like Bobby and Clarin did.
