Lake Lure Flowering Bridge

September 2024 update: the Lake Lure area has been devastated by the effects of Hurricane Helene, and the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge was torn apart. It will be a long road to recovery for the bridge and the surrounding area. Please do your research before you attempt to visit the area to ensure that it’s safe for you and everyone else around. In the meantime, you can look back on some of the photos I took in this lovely little place before the storm came through.

Original post:

Today’s featured location is the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge! This is a little over an hour away in North Carolina, but it feels like such an easy drive to get there from Greenville. It’s a must-see if you’re visiting Chimney Rock State Park (also a must-see), just a few minutes down the road. As some of you might know, Lake Lure is where some of the scenes in Dirty Dancing were filmed, so I highly recommend listening to that super fun soundtrack on the way there.

The Flowering Bridge is a small botanical garden that covers a footbridge over a section of Lake Lure, literally right off of Memorial Highway. It may look small from the road, but there’s so much to see here! There are actually two levels to it, as part of the garden extends below the bridge and down to the water. Each section is so full of different plants and themed sections, so something will always catch your attention and make you slow down. Every time I’ve had a session here, I feel like there’s not enough time to include all the scenery.

I love the recurring theme of famous books throughout the garden, which made it an ideal location for this Harry Potter engagement session. For example, a small section has yellow bricks with slippers next to a brick painted like the Wizard of Oz book. One section is modeled to look like the garden in Peter Rabbit.

My first visit here was in the spring, after I had a session at Chimney Rock State Park. It was my first time in the area, but I saw a sign for the Flowering Bridge and remembered that I’d seen some photographers share pictures from there on Instagram. I couldn’t get over how good it smelled—so many flowers were in bloom, but there’s also a rosemary bush, which is one of my favorite scents. The next time I came back was in August, and the garden was so full of color! There were so many butterflies and bees hanging around the flowers, and I could just watch and listen to them all day.

Even though we tend to not see flowers in cold weather, this place still looks beautiful in the winter! The Christmas decorations and winter scenery are perfect!

For more information on the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, check out their website! Scroll down to see some of the photos I’ve taken in the Lake Lure area, or send me a message to get started with planning your photos!

More Photos from Lake Lure

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 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

Table Rock State Park

When you hear “Table Rock,” you might think of super hard hikes. Yes, some of the hardest hikes in the whole state of South Carolina are accessible from this park, but this park really has something for everyone. We’ve been to every state park in South Carolina and Table Rock is one of our favorites because it pretty much has everything—long hikes, short hikes, pretty views that don’t involve hikes, mountains, waterfalls, a lake, you name it! We even had our own family photos here because we love the scenery here so much.

Where to Get Married at Table Rock

Table Rock actually does have its own venue for larger weddings, the Gaines Lodge, but it’s also a great place for engagement photos and elopements!

Where to Take Photos at Table Rock State Park

First of all, there’s about a 5-minute drive between the park headquarters and the trailhead, so make sure you know where you’re navigating to because it’s hard to get signal in the park. The trailhead is on State Park Road and the park headquarters is on Ellison Lane. The trailhead has a small waterfall, and there’s another one just a short walk up from it.

The photo below was taken at Carrick Creek Falls, along the Carrick Creek Trail. This is a moderate 2-mile hike and took us about an hour with all the stops for photos. It goes a lot farther than what you see in the photo, but this is where it was safe for me to stand.

If you go to the park headquarters, you’ll see a beautiful view of the mountains over Lake Oolenoy, including the famous Table Rock, which is easily recognizable with its granite face. There’s enough grass in front of the park headquarters to make it look like a big field in front of Table Rock. There is a T-shaped pier on Lake Oolenoy, with one side overlooking the mountains and the other side overlooking more of the water.

In the fall, the visitor center has some beautiful tall grass down by the water. The walkway to the visitor center is lined with beauty berry bushes, which give almost neon purple and green colors.

Also, while you’re in the area, feel free to check out some other nearby state parks, like Caesars Head, Keowee-Toxaway, or Devils Fork! You can also read about our adventures through all 47 state parks in South Carolina! For more information about Table Rock State Park, read about it on the South Carolina State Parks website.

Check out some of my other photos below from around Table Rock State Park, read more about my engagement photo services, or click here to get started with planning your session!

More from Table Rock
South Carolina Mountain Elopement | Melanie & Dan
South Carolina Mountain Elopement | Melanie & Dan

Melanie and Dan eloped at Victoria Valley Vineyards in the mountains of South Carolina. Afterwards, we went to Table Rock State Park for some mountains and waterfalls!

Table Rock Wedding | Danielle and Jamie
Table Rock Wedding | Danielle and Jamie
Table Rock Engagement | Hannah and Brandon
Table Rock Engagement | Hannah and Brandon
Anniversary Photos at Table Rock | Semeen and Shehzad
Anniversary Photos at Table Rock | Semeen and Shehzad
Table Rock Engagement Photos | Jillian and Vincenzo
Table Rock Engagement Photos | Jillian and Vincenzo

Ready for the best day ever?

If you’re envisioning photos like these, click the button below to send me a message, or check out some of my other pMy 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

South Carolina Botanical Gardens | Clemson, SC

I have to write a whole blog post about this place because it’s one of my favorite places, both to take pictures and just to walk around. There’s so much here that I can’t just show one or two photos to show you what it has to offer. I’ll also show you some photos taken throughout the year so you can get a better idea of what the scenery will look like at the time of your session or your elopement.

The South Carolina Botanical Gardens is at the Clemson University campus. Clemson, my alma mater, was founded as Clemson Agricultural College, and so much of the university’s culture is still rooted in agriculture. I mean, their signature ice cream and blue cheese comes from cows raised by the students—check out the ‘55 Exchange when you visit! All around Clemson’s campus, you’ll see a variety of plants that change colors at different times. It’s not unusual to see a class stopping at a tree and taking notes. It’s no wonder that a school like this would have such a wonderfully diverse botanical garden. Every time I go, a different spot stands out to me because of how the plants change through the year. I have my pre-designated spots to stop at, but I usually find different spots along the way that look pretty.

Venues at South Carolina Botanical Gardens

For larger gatherings, there are a number of venues within the Botanical Gardens to rent, including the gazebo on the duck pond, the carriage house, and the gazebo at the Xeriscape Garden. For elopements, these rental fees would still apply to ensure that two events don’t interfere with each other.

Gazebo on the Duck Pond

The entrance to the garden features Palmetto trees, South Carolina’s state tree. You can also find some throughout the Maritime Garden, which I’ll highlight later, but you don’t see them much in the upstate.

Take a left at the entrance and you’ll find the main parking lot, which brings you to the caboose garden. There’s an amphitheater here, a bell, and some cool overhangs. PS: this caboose is a much safer alternative to taking pictures on railroad tracks!

The Duck Pond has a beautiful Japanese-style pier. And ducks, but they tend to not cooperate for taking photos.

The Xeriscape Garden, near the Duck Pond, has a white gazebo, which would be a beautiful setting for an intimate wedding.

If you turn right after the main entrance instead of left, you’ll find an easily overlooked part of the garden, which includes exhibits like the Desert Garden, Jurassic Garden, and ones that represent the state of South Carolina, like the Maritime Garden, Prairie Garden, and the Carnivorous Garden. The Desert Garden is one of my favorite parts because you probably won’t find plants like this in many places east of the Mississippi River.

One thing I love about the South Carolina Botanical Gardens is that I don’t have to get there at the peak times in the spring or fall to find seasonal color. Different plants show their colors at different times, so a March session and an April session will both look like the ultimate spring session, but will probably have different places featured. This session was at the end of February, but we found one pink tree and one white tree to use.

This session was in mid-March, when most of the trees here turn white and a few are pink. What I consider “peak” is usually the end of March through the second week of April, but look how much color we got when we weren’t even in that window!

This bridal portrait session was late May in the same year—we still had a spring feel with the flowers, but also the full green trees of summer.

This session was in the summer, when all the plants are in full swing—especially the desert garden. That glowy light on the willow tree is everything I want to illustrate a summer evening!

For this fall session, we missed peak foliage by less than a week, and most of the trees were bare by the time we got there. We looked around and some orange and yellow caught our eye, so we used those spots as much as we could. I believe this was the last day of November and these 4 spots were all the color that was left. We usually don’t have much fall color before the beginning of November, but I’ve had some photos with yellow trees in the first week of December before.

This elopement was on New Year’s Eve. There were some coniferous trees that still gave us some green that time of year, but there’s enough scenery for us to still have a beautiful setting for our photos, even without flowers.

No matter the time of year, the South Carolina Botanical Gardens is a picturesque place for your wedding, your engagement photos, or just a nice walk! Check out some more of my work from the gardens!

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 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

Pretty Place Chapel

For information about eloping at Pretty Place Chapel, this blog post is for you!

September 2024 update: Pretty Place is closed until further notice as they recover from the damage from Hurricane Helene. Check their website before planning a visit here, or check out some other beautiful places in South Carolina with mountains!

Fred W. Symmes Chapel at YMCA Camp Greenville, more commonly known as Pretty Place, is one of the locations I get asked for the most. This is an open-air chapel at the edge of a cliff overlooking the mountains, right on the North Carolina border.  People from all over the country see pictures and videos of this place on Pinterest and TikTok and ask me to take their engagement photos, wedding photos, and proposal photos there. However, it’s also one of the most complex locations to plan for, which is why a lot of people end up changing their plans to a completely different location. Pretty Place lives up to its name though, and if you can work it out, your photos will be stunning. Here are a few things to keep in mind for taking engagement photos at Pretty Place!

Please read the entire post because there are lots of important details here about planning your visit!

Check the visitation schedule. This is a very popular wedding venue, so the chapel will be closed to the public when there’s a wedding. The schedule on the Camp Greenville website lets you see up to 2 weeks in advance when the chapel is open. If it’s closed on the day you’ll be in the area, here are some other places with mountains in South Carolina.

You can pay to reserve it, and here are 4 reasons why I recommend it:

  1. The visitation schedule is only available two weeks in advance. It’s not unusual for the chapel to be booked for weddings for an entire weekend, especially in the fall, so you don’t want to make a whole trip here just to find out that it won’t be open at all while you’re in the area. This is especially helpful if you live far away and the chapel is one of the main reasons why you’re visiting.

  2. The only people present are the people you’ve invited. This eliminates the possibility of the chapel being packed while you’re there. Believe me, I’ve seen my share of loud and chaotic sunrises at Pretty Place, with lots of cameras and applause for proposals, and I don’t want that for any couple. If you reserve the chapel, you’ll get the peace and quiet that you’re looking for.

  3. Reserving the chapel ensures communication between you and the staff so that they can update you with any emergencies that might affect your plans.

  4. When you reserve the chapel, they open up the bathroom and a getting-ready area. Otherwise, they’ll only have port-a-potties available, and there’s not really anywhere else nearby where you can find an actual bathroom.

Bonus: if there’s nobody in the chapel, I can use external flashes without bothering anyone, which helps highlight you without losing the colors behind you.

If there were people in the chapel, I wouldn’t be able to stand this far back without getting other people covering the couple. People WILL try to take photos of you if it’s not obvious that you already have a photographer. There’s no flash here, just the lighting in the cross area.

If you reserve Pretty Place for an engagement, you will have a 1-hour block at the chapel, which will include your time for setting up and cleaning up. Like many venues, it might cost more to rent it on a weekend or during peak season, so consider the winter or a weekday for your engagement. And definitely aim for sunrise if you can, but I’ll talk more about that later.

Consider a weekday. Most weddings happen on weekends, and during the fall and spring, the chapel is sometimes booked for the whole weekend. The chapel has a lot of visitors during public hours, but there tend to be fewer on weekdays. If you’re coming from out of town and you’re NOT planning to reserve the chapel, I recommend being in the area for at least one full weekday (Monday through Thursday) since you can only see the visitation schedule 2 weeks in advance.

Be prepared for crowds if you don’t reserve the chapel. If the chapel opens at 6 AM and sunrise is at 7:30, some people get there at 6 AM to make sure they get a parking space. The cross is the main feature of the location, so if you’re standing in front of the cross to take photos, all eyes are on you. You may even see another couple eloping or proposing. I’ve had multiple proposals where there were enough people to look like there was a whole church service when it was really just people who were there for the sunrise. For more ideas on how to avoid crowds, check out this post.

Sunrise has the best lighting. The sun will rise behind the cross and over the mountains, but you probably won’t see the sunset since it’ll be on the other side of the woods. Since the chapel is covered, it’s darker under there than it will be in the background. At sunrise, there’s lighting at the front of the chapel that highlights you, the cross, and the verse above it. This helps you AND the background behind you show up in photos without using flash.

Account for motion sickness. It’s a windy road and there’s not really anywhere to pull over.

Check out some of the other beautiful spots along the way. Right off the side of 276 are Caesars Head State Park, Bald Rock Heritage Preserve, and Wildcat Wayside. Caesars Head offers some of the more difficult hiking trails in the state, but there’s also a 4-mile round trip trail to see Raven Cliff Falls, the highest waterfall in the state. Pictured below is the overlook at Caesars Head, which you can read more about here, but here are some other places with mountains in South Carolina!

It’s pretty remote. For a wedding, you’ll need to accommodate for the amount of time it takes to drive here from wherever you’re getting ready and wherever you’re having your reception. For a reception venue, Victoria Valley Vineyards is probably the closest at about 25 minutes away, and there are a few venues in Travelers Rest. Otherwise, you’ll need to make the drive to either Tryon, Brevard, or Greenville for a reception.

Cell service is spotty. Coordinate beforehand with anyone you plan to meet there. It’s easy to follow signs to and from there though, so you might be able to get there and back without a GPS. I can usually get signal if I’m in the chapel and it’s not crowded, but I won’t have it for about the last 30 minutes of the drive.

Be prepared for clouds or fog. The effect is cool, but it can totally hide the view of the mountains if it’s low enough and thick enough. Here is a post all about cloudy days and what to look for!

Read their policies before you go. You will not be allowed to bring dogs or alcohol, and they encourage you to use as little decor as possible. Read more on their website.

Ready to have the best Pretty Place photos?

Visit the Camp Greenville website to check the schedule or to make a reservation, then we’ll get on a call to come up with the best plan for the date and time that you’ll be there!

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 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

More Photos from Pretty Place

Where to Take Engagement Photos in Downtown Greenville, South Carolina

I’ve lived in the Greenville area since 2016 and I think my first photo session in downtown Greenville was in 2017. Here are some of my favorite places downtown to use for engagement photos!

If you’re still looking for a photographer, click here to send me a message!

Liberty Bridge

I’ll start with the most iconic part of downtown Greenville—the curved suspension bridge over the waterfall. There are so many angles we can get of this bridge, so no worries if it’s crowded.

Reedy River Falls

What other city has a waterfall in the middle of downtown? If you get the right angle, it won’t even look like you’re in a city! The top photo was stealthily taken from a bench, which I plotted with the guy in advance.

Medusa Tree

Also called the Root Tree, this is along the Swamp Rabbit Trail, right next to the end of the Liberty Bridge. These roots kept growing after the ground around it was dug out.

(Bonus points if you have a Medusa tattoo)

Wyche Pavilion

You will have to check with the owners in advance about not conflicting with events they already have scheduled here, but this covered pavilion is a great option for a proposal if the forecast calls for rain (like it did for this session). Fun fact: this is actually the original Duke’s Mayonnaise factory!

Carolina Foothills Garden Club Sanctuary

Some people don’t even realize this is here because it’s almost hidden in the woods! I had to do some digging to even find the name of this area. It’s a great place to find shade when the sun is still high and it has a little more privacy than the rest of downtown. Plus, the sun comes from behind the little waterfall, which gives you really pretty light!

Christmas tree

Downtown Greenville at Christmastime is straight out of a movie! The Christmas tree looks beautiful day or night—you decide which one you like better!

Overlooking downtown

The view from the top of the stairs next to the Peace Center is where the prettiest light is as the sun goes down!

Water Wall

When the golden hour sun and the lights at the bottom hit this spot just right, it makes the prettiest background!

Eugenia Duke Bridge

This green bridge gives you a great urban landscape that shows off some of the architecture of downtown Greenville!

Flowers near Mary’s Cottage

This spot smells so good, there’s pretty color there at any time of year, and it always has beautiful light before sunset!

Ivy Bridge

I couldn’t find a name for this bridge online, so let me know if you know the name of this one. This bridge always makes me think of Winnie the Pooh. I love the stone and ivy together!

Off of Main Street

Here are a few spots downtown that aren’t along Main Street or Falls Park, but are still gorgeous!

Rock Quarry Garden

This little garden is below the street near the Governor’s School. It’s far enough away from downtown that you won’t get as many onlookers, but it’s still very beautiful.

Cancer Survivors Park

This was actually a backup location after Falls Park closed at the beginning of the pandemic, then this park closed too. When everything reopened, we decided to still go here because we liked the futuristic feel of the pavilion with the light sabers. But as you can see, the light is also beautiful here in the morning, and it’s not as crowded as the rest of downtown.


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 of our state parks. But most days, the three of us are home on the couch watching something like Pixar or Back to the Future.

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 from Downtown Greenville

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