River Road and Jasmine Houses and Gardens Wedding | Madison and Clay

It was so fun to be part of Madison and Clay’s wedding day, nearly a year after we did their engagement photos with light sabers in Greenville!  This is the third wedding I’ve shot for someone in their family, so it was fun to catch up with everyone again!

Madison and Clay met through the art program at Shawnee State University, so between them, their family, and friends, there’s a lot of artistic talent.  Madison made the invitations and helped with the light saber bouquets.  Clay built different light sabers for himself, Madison, and each of the groomsmen.  Clay’s mom made Madison’s veil and comb, their brother-in-law made Star Wars masks for everyone, including Han and Leia for Clay and Madison, and the groomsmen did such a cool job painting the car!

This spring wedding was held at River Road and Jasmine Houses and Gardens in Columbia, South Carolina.  The whole day, they were surrounded by a garden with palmetto trees and flowers blooming.  Madison wore her great-grandmother’s pearl necklace, which was a beautiful and sentimental touch to her overall ensemble.  The boutonnières had the Rebel symbol on them and coordinated with the yellow flowers in Madison’s hair.   Madison walked down the aisle to Leia’s Theme, which made for such a beautiful moment during the ceremony.   Clay, of course, incorporated a quote from Anakin Skywalker into his vows: “Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi’s life.”

After the sun went down, we took some photos in the dark with the light sabers, like we did for their engagement session.  You don’t have to be into Star Wars to be impressed with the quality of these light sabers, but if you are, you might recognize some of the different Jedi’s hilts.  Madison wanted hers to be modeled after Leia’s in Episode IX.  (Check out the video Crissie and I took behind the scenes with the light sabers, and be sure to turn your sound on!)

Keep scrolling to see some of my favorite parts of this wonderful day! 

Venue: River Road and Jasmine Houses and Gardens

Dress: Azazie

Catering: River Road and Jasmine Houses and Gardens

Donuts: Duck Donuts

Video:  Matt Bowden

DJ:  DJ Krystyle

Officiant:  From This Day Forward

Hair and Makeup: Studio B at The Old Mill

Light Sabers:  The groom himself (Clayton’s Customs)

Assistant Photographer: Crissie Carpenter

Almost everything else you see here was a collaborative effort between the couple, their friends, and their families.

You May Also Like:

Madison and Clay’s Engagement Photos

Katie and Matt’s Clemson Elopement

Lindsay and Tim’s Camp Pinnacle Wedding

---

This is the way

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest @christinescottphotography

Need a Photographer?

Click the button below to get in touch!

---

Downtown Greenville Star Wars Engagement | Madison and Clay

Madison and Clay met when they were art students at Shawnee State University in Ohio. After graduation, they moved down to Columbia, South Carolina, near Clay’s family. One night, Clay and Madison were sitting on the couch, and Clay asked Madison if one of the couch cushions felt weird.  Madison felt it and pulled out a ring box.

Clay has been a lifelong Star Wars fan. He builds and sells custom replicas of different characters’ light sabers, complete with different colors and sound effects when they hit things. I was so excited when Madison told me they wanted to include them in their engagement photos! Clay explained to me how each Jedi builds their own, so the hilt of every light saber is different. He plans to build a special one just for Madison to have for their wedding day.

Setting up a ring shot with a light saber had the COOLEST sound effects of any ring shot! Madison and Clay coordinated their outfits so Clay would wear a Millennium Falcon shirt and Madison would have Millennium Falcon earrings. They didn’t plan for the light sabers to coordinate with their outfits, but they did anyway. Clay asked if we could go over to the spot in Falls Park with the smaller waterfall, where he could stand on “the higher ground” like the standoff at the end of Revenge of the Sith. He also wanted a pose similar to the one Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher did for a promo poster.

We initially planned to have the session in Falls Park when the trees were in full bloom, but the spring of 2020 had other plans for us. When I heard Falls Park was closed, I started thinking of similar locations, and it dawned on me that the pavilion at Cancer Survivors Park could look really cool with the light sabers. Even though we had to postpone the session anyway as things got crazier, we still spent a few minutes at Cancer Survivors Park once it got dark, and it looked just as cool as we thought it would!

Check out some of my favorites from Madison and Clay’s session! You can see more of Clay’s light sabers here.

Update:

Click below for Madison and Clay’s Star Wars wedding photos!

Are you looking for a wedding photographer who loves your unique ideas? Click here to read more about me and what I do, or click here to get in touch!

You May Also Like…

Where to Take Engagement Photos in Upstate SC

Planning Your Proposal

Your Questions about Wedding Cake

Elope in South Carolina