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
Where to Take Engagement Photos in Upstate South Carolina
Falls Park Engagement Photos | Lindsey and Dan
When Lindsey and Dan were visiting family in western Michigan, they went for a boat ride on the lake. While they were in the boat, Lindsey saw some of their family members holding up signs with one word on each of them, so when they all stood together, it said “Will you marry me?” Next summer, they’ll be saying “I do” at the same place where Lindsey said “yes!”
Lindsey and Dan are about to move back to the Midwest, so they wanted their engagement photos to show the iconic parts of the place that’s become a significant part of their story, so we went to downtown Greenville. Falls Park had a lot to offer, from the iconic Liberty Bridge overlooking the Reedy River Falls to places that look more like a little garden. There’s the “root tree” and the Wyche Pavilion, which we didn’t know until later used to be the original Duke’s Mayonnaise factory! And of course, the “water wall” behind the Peace Center had that gorgeous glow on it as the sun went down. We also gushed over all the cute dogs that were walking around the park that day. We were so lucky to have a perfect sunny day with temperatures in the 60s! A few trees had started to turn yellow, and the golden hour light shined through them so beautifully. I loved how Lindsey’s pretty green dress looked in front of them! Towards the end of the session, we were standing at the top of the stairs with a view of the river and the buildings as the sun went down, putting a perfect glow on them as they put their arms around each other.
Check out a few of my favorites from Lindsey and Dan’s session!
The Venue Asheville Wedding Styled Shoot
I got to spend an evening in downtown Asheville with some other photographers showing off what some other local vendors can do!
One of the rooms had ANOTHER French theme! While the one I did two days earlier was French lavender themed, this one was French countryside themed. The ceremony space had a hand-painted backdrop that complemented the pastel pink and blue in the bouquet, macarons, and cake. The delicate colors make me think of Cinderella! I loved the off-the-shoulder dress and the pattern at the end of the cathedral veil! Sarah and I took turns tossing the veil for each other and running out of the frame so we could get some pretty pictures of it floating.
The other theme was a woodland theme, with greenery and wood and a color scheme of mostly deep green and burgundy. For this setup, we had two grooms, a bride, and a sweetheart table. I loved the way the grooms’ suits, ties, and boutonnieres complemented each other!
Organizer: Ashley Ricci
Venue: The Venue Asheville
French Countryside
Floral: Elena- Luxe Wedding Designs
Cake: Emma - Verbena Cakes
Macarons: Beeswax and Butter
Mobile Bar: Bryce -Jack’s 47 Mobile Bar
Hair: Jenna- Atlas Beauty
Makeup: Powder Me Pretty
Invitations: Erin -Pretty Words By Erin
Rentals: Nikki -East West Vintage Rentals
Dress: Amy -Maggi Bridal
Designer: Sincerity Bridal
Suit: Asos
Custom ceremony Backdrop: Abby- Abby Lynne Art
Models: Lucy + James
Woodland
Floral: Lissa- Flora
Cake: Cakin’ It Up
Hair: Jenna- Atlas Beauty
Makeup: Powder Me Pretty
Invitations: Pretty Words By Erin
Rentals: Nikki- East West Vintage Rentals
Dress: Amy- Maggi Bridal
Designer: Lillian West
Suit: Mitchell’s Tuxedo
Models: Shane + Mike (couple), Corey (bride)
Ready for wedding photos like this? Check out some of my other work below or click here to get in touch!
Lavender Wedding Styled Shoot | The French Cottage
This styled shoot (a collaboration between wedding vendors to show the world what they can do) was French themed, so as someone who took French for 7-ish years, what’s not to love? We met at The French Cottage, an elegant little Airbnb hidden in rural Pickens County. It was set up to look like a ceremony for a micro-wedding, so hopefully this will help you picture how your wedding day might look! Not only was there lavender everywhere (including some of the models’ hairpieces), the whole color scheme revolved around it, so there was so much purple! The flatlays were SO much fun to put together, and since I was by myself when I did those, I had the American in Paris soundtrack playing on my phone as I set them up.
We had two couples and three brides. One of those brides, Kristy, happened to be there to help with the models’ hair and ended up modeling herself when another model couldn’t make it! Each bride modeled multiple gowns and I love how different they all were.
This was such a fun day and I’m so happy to have met all these other creatives! Here are the vendors who made these pictures possible:
Host: Hills Photography Studios
Venue: The French Cottage, Pickens, SC
Floral design and rentals: A Touch of Essence
Hair and Makeup: Katey Atkins, Kristy Hyde
Lavender: Twin Creeks Lavender
Hairpieces: Blushing Gold Brides
Catering: Kyla Woodard
Stationery: Tiger Lily Invitations
Soaps: Christine Wagner McBride
S’Mores: Cavity Kitchen
Illustrations: Cirque 91 Co
Gowns: Aletta Bridal, Belle & Kai
Models: Erica and Brian, Kaylan and Willie, Kalyn, Brittanie, and Kristy
Cake: Batterific Bakery
Macarons and Cookies: SoBella Sweets
Chocolates: My Favorite Sweets
Does your Pinterest board look like this? Check out some of my other work below or click here so we can start planning for your own photos!
The Ridge Asheville Styled Shoot
A styled shoot is an event where wedding vendors come together to showcase their work. I was excited to be part of it because it’s 2020 and most wedding vendors don’t have a lot of recent photos, since so many weddings are being cancelled and postponed. Not to mention that the pictures I’d seen from The Ridge were beautiful and I love taking pictures in the mountains! Since I had traveled two hours to Asheville, I had never met any of these vendors before. I got to meet photographers who had traveled from the other side of North Carolina and eastern Tennessee! We took turns posing and we all got to show our own styles with the same subjects. The best part? There was a MASSIVE double rainbow towards the end, making the view even more incredible.
There were two themes to this styled shoot. One was “English Countryside” and featured a blue color scheme with blueberry décor—I’m a blueberry lover and this was something I never knew I needed in my life. The other theme was “Whimsical and Vibrant,” which was exciting because I love bold colors, but more subtle and neutral colors are more common at weddings right now.
Check out some of the vendors behind this beautiful work!
Venue: The Ridge
Planning/Coordination/Co-Host: The Hunt is Over
Main photographer/Co-Host: Erin Allenczy
Florals: Stargazers Designs
Cake/Desserts: 828 Sweet Events
Rentals: East West Vintage Rentals
Linens: Classic Event Rentals Inc
HMUA: Della Terra Beauty
Groom's Suits: Mitchell’s Tuxedo Asheville
Bridal Attire: Wedding Inspirations Bridal; Justin Alexander
Earrings: Jim Ball Designs
Caterer: Santiago Vargas at Carrasco Catering
Invitations: CJ Candee Graphics
Vow Calligraphy: Help Meet Letters
Signs: Abby Bruce
English Countryside Vendors
Shoes: Jessica Simpson
Bridal veil: Bel Aire Bridal
Models: Hannah and Tyler
Tyler's suit: Kenneth Cole
Do these belong on your Pinterest board? Because I’m in love with all of it! Click here to get in touch, or look at some of my other blog posts below.
Lake Keowee Proposal | Connor and Jess
Dan and I had hiked the Raven Rock Trail at Keowee Toxaway State Park back in February. We were looking for a lesser known trail with a pretty view. When we got to the overlook, I immediately asked why more people don’t post pictures from there. Well, you can imagine how happy I was when Connor told me that’s where he planned to propose to Jess!
Jess and Connor had been friends since high school, eventually becoming a couple. They share a love for the outdoors and have hiked some really cool places together. Eventually, Jess gave Connor a ring she had fallen in love with years before, holding onto it until she knew she found the person she wanted to be with for the rest of her life. When Connor and Jess were spending the week at Lake Keowee, Connor suggested hiking the Raven Rock Trail, a place he loved to visit growing up.
As Connor and Jess made their way through the trail, there were bags hanging from the trees. Each bag had a gold bow, a rose, and a scrapbook page with pictures of them together. Once they reached the overlook, there was a picnic set up with wine, cheese, and pepper jelly. There was a scrapbook on the picnic blanket for all the pages to go into. Around the wine bottle was a necklace chain with the stone from the ring Jess had given Connor. After Connor put it around Jess’s neck, he proposed to her with the ring with a new stone in it. She says she was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t even remember whether she said yes, so Connor popped the question again a minute later so she could answer. Not only was this a beautiful view of the lake at golden hour, there was literally nobody else on the trail the entire time, making this such an intimate proposal. Their first “congratulations” came from a boat horn down below!
Shoutout to Connor’s brother and brother’s fiancée for setting up everything beforehand and for hiking the first half of the trail with me!
Are you looking for a wedding photographer who loves quirky and intimate weddings? Click here to read more about me and what I do, or click here to get in touch!
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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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Clemson Graduation Photos | Class of 2020
I’ve had lots of graduation sessions at Clemson in the last few years, but the class of 2020 will forever stand out to me. My first 2020 graduate was moved earlier to avoid having to cancel later, and the next two were pushed back indefinitely. Since they didn’t have a graduation ceremony, this session in their graduation regalia is extra special for them. This post will be updated throughout 2020 as more seniors come back to the place they called home for the past few years.
Caroline
Caroline’s session was in March, on an empty campus with the first few spring trees. Within a few days, campus closed to the public. She celebrated graduation at home with her family. She graduated with a degree in marketing. Don’t you love her tiger earrings and her tiger outfit?
Anna Kate
We planned for a session for when the tree blooms were at their peak, but the world had other plans. We ended up getting some beautiful weather for her session in June! The garden in front of Tillman had the purple and orange plants that they usually have in the summer, which added some school spirit to her photos. Anna Kate’s parents were there, since she didn’t have a graduation ceremony for them to attend. Her dad, who also graduated from the school of business, turned her ring during our session.
Jacky
Jacky and her family were in town for the weekend in November for her graduation, which was postponed from May. That means she got much nicer weather, her diploma frame, and the last of this year’s foliage!
Ready for your own Clemson portraits?
Check out some of my options for portraits here and then send me a message to tell me what you have in mind so far!
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Clemson Engagement Photo Ideas
Clemson Elopement | Katie and Matt
Miss Clemson University 2020 | Mattie
Thinking about having photos done at Clemson? Read more about me and what I offer, then send me a message with what you have in mind so far!
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!
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Clemson Proposal | AC and Ben
This proposal has been in the works for 2 months now. Ben originally wanted to propose to AC on the day of the Clemson spring game. The pandemic came, the game was cancelled, and we heard people were being escorted off campus. We reconvened a few weeks later and set a new date. Ben organized a weekend trip to the mountains and would pass through Clemson on the way back.
Ben always knew he wanted to propose at the spot where they first met—outside of Core Campus, near the stadium. It was a quiet day on campus with only a few people passing through. He pulled up to their special spot and they walked down the steps. After they talked briefly about how that was where they met, Ben pulled something out of his backpack and got down on one knee. AC said she was completely caught off guard, but in the next few minutes, she found out that there was a lot more to this plan than she realized. Ben had gotten coordinating face masks off of Etsy just for these photos. He brought his Clemson ring in his backpack because she knew he didn’t normally wear it and he wanted to have it for the photos. AC’s family would be waiting for her at their lake house. Her friends had even suggested getting their nails done together a few days earlier!
We took some pictures around campus, and even though we got tired and sweaty, there was so much joy. As I walked behind them and took pictures, I kept overhearing AC:
“WE’RE ENGAGED!”
“They knew?”
“She did?”
“WE’RE GETTING MARRIED!”
Check out some of my favorite photos from this special day!
Does this proposal look like what you had in mind? Check out some of my other posts below for more ideas, or click here to contact me about your own photos!
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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Tips for Wedding Gifts
So much planning goes into the wedding day, but what about all the gifts you’ll end up taking home? What should you put on the registry and how do you keep it under control? Here are some of the things we found helpful and some issues we can help you avoid!
Ask for frames or gift cards to somewhere you know you can buy them.
You’ll want prints from your wedding day to hang up, but you need frames in order to make that happen. Either find a set that you like or ask for a gift card so you can pick them out based on the pictures you like best.
Think about what you currently use and what you don’t.
It’s no secret that I use a ton of lemons, so I put a lemon juicer on our registry. Two, actually; a small handheld one and a larger electrical one for juicing a whole bag of lemons at a time. My former roommate saw them on the registry and knew right away what to get us! If you’re not as into lemons as I am, or if you don’t cook much, this might just take up space in your kitchen for a while. In that case, it might be better to leave it off the registry and focus on things that better fit your needs.
Don’t forget the bare necessities.
We spent a few days moving to a new apartment. After the first day, we were exhausted, but realized several things we needed that day were either still at the old apartment or were provided by my former roommate. We had to make a trip to get things like toilet paper, paper towels, soap, a kitchen trash can, trash bags, and paper plates. Those little things added up and I did NOT feel like making that trip. I had later gotten some of those things as gifts for my bridal shower—sure, it’s not as elegant as the gifts on our registry, but we went several months without having to buy those things.
If you’re making a big move right after the wedding, you might want to consider leaving stuff like that off your registry so they don’t take up space in the moving van. Instead, you can make a list of things to buy right when you get to the new home.
Have a range of prices on your registry.
People will have different budgets when buying your gifts. There will be things you absolutely need that are under $5, like some of the bridal shower gifts I just mentioned. One of our friends asked us if there was anything we really wanted that wasn’t on our registry, and I showed her this $7 Clemson ring dish that we love! It’s also a really useful gift for the kitchen and bathroom. On the other hand, you might have guests who come team up to buy a higher priced gift that they know you really want.
Make the registry together.
Dan and I were living in different states for most of our engagement. He made the registry and put a lot on it before I took a look at it. Let’s just say I’m glad we replaced the bedspread he put on the registry before anyone bought it!
Update your registry periodically.
This is especially important after a bridal shower. Sometimes people don’t mark that they’ve purchased something and you end up with duplicates. If you return something, delete it from the registry so it doesn’t get marked as something you don’t have. I think this is how we ended up with 7 of an item when we asked for 3.
Consolidate your gift cards.
On some sites, like Amazon and Target, you can load all your gift cards into your account at once. If you plan to use a lot of them in person, have a designated box for the ones that haven’t been used yet.
Think outside the box.
My friend had her soon-to-be husband opened gifts with her at the bridal shower. As they opened more and more kitchen items, he joked about how he was waiting for there to be a Lowe’s gift card in there. We ended up giving them one at the wedding, and they said in their thank-you note that they ended up using it pretty quickly. When it was our turn, we found the same—we used up the Lowe’s cards within the first few weeks of living together.
Ask for Visa gift cards if you’re travelling internationally for the honeymoon.
This is especially helpful if you have a layover in a country that doesn’t accept currency from your destination or your home country.
Think about a Honeyfund.
This is where people can give money for you to spend on your honeymoon! Check it out here.
Make sure you have a plan for how your gifts will get home.
This is especially important if you’re going straight to your honeymoon from the sendoff. Dan and I left for our honeymoon two days after our wedding instead of the next day, so we had time the day after the wedding to get our gifts from our friend’s car. If you have a roommate or a friend who has a key to your house, they can bring everything inside for you, and you can treat them when you get back from the honeymoon.
Write a list of gifts as you open them.
Writing everything down as soon as you open each gift helps keep track of who to thank for what. We took the list with us on the honeymoon so we could write thank-you notes at the airport. It helped keep us busy when our layover was extended by 5 hours!
Ask for stamps.
Between invitations, save-the-dates, thank-you notes for the wedding and bridal showers, and Christmas cards, you’ll need a lot of stamps in a year. Bonus tip: take your address list for wedding invitations and add to it every time you send out Christmas cards.
Order stationery and return address labels in bulk.
We made our return-address labels through Shutterfly and just reprinted the order on Black Friday so we could use them for Christmas cards. I already had stationery, but if you don’t, be sure to either ask for it on your registry or get some yourself before your first bridal shower.
I hope this is helpful as you start planning for your new life together! Check out some of my other posts below:
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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Miss Clemson University 2020 Portraits | Mattie
One of the things I love about being the photographer for the Miss Clemson University pageant is seeing how each contestant represents the school in her own way. There are women representing sororities, teams, and all sorts of campus organizations. Not only that, but it’s a more relaxed pageant environment for the people who have never competed before, and each competitor is being cheered on by the other members of the organization she represents. This year, the talent portion included dancing, singing, piano, chemistry, painting, sign language, and a monologue. Mattie came out on top of the talent portion with a jazz dance to River Deep, Montain High by Céline Dion, and took home the crown that night!
Mattie represented the Clemson tour guides when she was crowned Miss Clemson University. Yes, you could have a campus tour with Miss Clemson University! She is also a member of Alpha Delta Pi and is one of the Rally Cat dancers. She is a communications major and an intern with the Pearce Center. Mattie had competed in pageants when she was younger and decided to give this one a shot. Now, she represents Clemson and all the people who make it the wonderful place it is!
Mattie’s session was on a perfect spring day with a handful of trees turning pink or white. She wore an electric purple evening gown from Mackenzie Jade, an orange jumpsuit, and her Rally Cat uniform during the session—all equally amazing for representing Clemson. We made our way through campus, from Daniel Hall to the outside of Death Valley, and even got a few photos with the Clemson mural that was painted downtown last year. We ended the night watching a stunning sunset from Library Bridge, and we snuck in a few cool photos of her crown with it!
Check out some of the photos from my fun evening with Mattie!
Want photos that show you at the best university ever? Read more about my portrait services or check out some of my other work from around Clemson below!
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Where should you take engagement photos at Clemson?
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I shoot a lot at Clemson. It makes sense, considering I graduated from there and my husband and I had our proposal, engagement session, and wedding there! I’ve shot there in every season and can tell you what trees to look for in January, April, and November. Want pictures inside Death Valley? I know when it’s open to the public. If you want a ring shot in purple and orange flowers, I know where and when to do that. If there’s a building on campus that’s special to you, there’s a good chance I’ve taken pictures of someone there before. While I have a general outline that I follow with all the essentials—Tillman, Sikes, Reflection Pond, Carillon Bell, and outside of Death Valley—every session is unique and there are different parts of campus that mean something to different people. Here are some of my favorite places on campus that you might not have thought about.
Daniel Hall
I spent so much time in this building as an undergrad and considered it one of the ugliest buildings on campus. I had no desire to have my graduation pictures there. At some point, though, I realized how much I love the ivy and the lattice outside one of the entrances.
Downtown Clemson
The place where you probably hung out on Friday nights and watched a lot of away games together on Saturdays.
Botanical Gardens
This one gets its own post so you can see all the beautiful places in it and how it looks at different seasons! One thing I love about Clemson is how well you can see the hard work of the staff and students who study plants. I always find something new when I visit the Botanical Gardens! I was born in Arizona and I have a soft spot for cacti and succulents, so we’re lucky to have a spot with them here in South Carolina. Also, how gorgeous is this pier?
President’s Park
This one may seem obvious because of the legend behind it, but do you know what else makes this the perfect place for a proposal? Since it’s one of the only places on campus with an outdoor covered area, you can still plan to be there whether or not it’s raining. Here are some pictures from proposals I shot on a sunny and an on-and-off rainy day. Also, the bushes bloom so beautifully there in April!
Places Outside Death Valley
As much as I love the days when the stadium is open to the public, it’s only at certain times, so I have to get creative with what to do at the other times. The porch of Stadium Suites gives you the whole stadium in the background and I love the view you can get from outside some of the gates!
Lake Hartwell
Since Lake Hartwell is not part of the main campus, it’s easy to forget about. If it’s cold outside, nobody will be at the lake, making for a more intimate and peaceful session. The reason I love the rowing center is because of the paw on the docks, but the lake is accessible from some of the off-campus apartment complexes as well.
Lee Hall
I was surprised nobody had ever asked me for a session here because I think this building is so cool! I thought it’d be even cooler if we went after the sun went down and creatively used some flashes.
Sunflowers
I haven’t seen this in a long time and I’m not sure if they even have it here still, but the Student Organic Farm had a few rows of sunflowers that are nice and tall. You can even color coordinate with them like Tori and Michael did!
Sikes Hall
It’s not exactly overlooked, but it’s one of my favorite places on campus to take pictures. Not only do I love the steps and pillars here, it becomes one of my favorite backgrounds when it gets cold. When the tree in front of Tillman loses its leaves, you get Sikes and Tillman in the same picture.
Ready for your Clemson engagement photos?
I’m Christine (Scott) Gow. I graduated from Clemson in 2015, where I was active in the photography club. I met my husband for the first time in Schilletter Dining Hall and he proposed to me on top of Clemson House. We were married at the Madren Center in 2017 with plenty of purple and orange to go around!
Taking photos for Clemson couples has a special place in my heart, but I also love showing other people around this special place. I love the Clemson family, the school’s commitment to sustainability, and how much the horticulture and architecture shine across campus.
I’d love to be part of your story at Clemson!
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South Carolina Botanical Gardens and Clemson University Engagement | Presley and Logan
April
This engagement session is for an extra special couple. When Dan and I were at Clemson, we were part of Alpha Phi Omega, or APO, the service fraternity. Dan’s assigned little was a pledge named Logan, who quickly became one of our closest friends. Eventually, Logan was assigned a little, a pledge named Presley. Logan and Presley quickly became friends and eventually became a couple later that year.
APO formal is traditionally when each new member presents their big with a paddle they’ve decorated and each big presents their newly-initiated little with a stitched letter shirt. Presley was unable to attend formal in April, so she and her little planned to do the exchange a few days later. Her little, Hannah, suggested it might be fun to wear dresses and do the exchange somewhere pretty on campus and take some pictures. Presley wanted to come up with another plan when the forecast said it would rain, but Hannah convinced her that they could go to President’s Park and take cover under the rotunda if they needed to. As another APO brother took their pictures of them on his phone in front of the rotunda, he told Presley to turn around. She turned around and thought he was telling her to get out of the way of someone’s pictures, not realizing that the person with the camera was me with my hood on and that I was actually there to take pictures of her. He told Presley to turn around again, where she saw Logan, who had told her he was at work. He got down on one knee with the ring and Presley said yes!
November
Fast forward to a few minutes after Clemson beat South Carolina for the sixth year straight. It was the last day of November, but none of us were cold. Presley and Logan had chosen outfits that fit the location perfectly as it transitioned from fall to winter. We met up in the South Carolina Botanical Gardens for the first part of their session. We had JUST missed the peak foliage, but there was still plenty of fall color for us to find in the gardens. I loved the way the leaves on the ground added to the whole atmosphere. The new pier at the duck pond is so pretty and we had to get some pictures with it! I picked up all sorts of things that had fallen on the ground to set up for their ring shots. We then did a quick run through the main campus until the sun went down. After the sun went down, we headed over to Lee Hall to see what we could do with those huge glass windows at night.
Check out some of my favorites from this beautiful day!
Ready to take some photos of you and your favorite Clemson Tiger? Send me a message to get started, or check out some of my other work from around Clemson below!
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