Taking Photos in Hot Weather

“Summer

It turns me upside-down

Summer, summer, summer

It’s like a merry-go-round”

—The Cars

Maybe you’re on a break from school, taking a summer vacation, or you just love summer scenery. Summer in South Carolina means our plants are flourishing, but our heat and humidity are as intense as the mosquitoes. Here are some of my tips for taking photos on summer days:

1. Consider choosing sunrise instead of sunset. Sunrise tends to be the coolest time of day. Even right after sunset, it’s still warmer and more humid than sunrise. It also tends to be less crowded at sunrise because it involves waking up early, and a lot of people don’t want to get up early enough for sunrise in the summer. Sunrise is about 6:15 in Greenville around summer solstice. For more information on deciding whether sunrise or sunset is the right choice for you, check out this post!

2. Bring a change of clothes. I always recommend having two outfits to give you variety, but this also gives you the option to spend less time in an outfit that makes you hot, and you can change into something else if you get sweaty. Check out this post for suggestions on what to wear!

3. Pick somewhere that’s not as exhausting to get to so you won’t be red, sweaty, and tired in your photos. For more suggestions for choosing a trail for your photos, check out this post.

4. Keep a bottle of water with you. Sometimes you don’t notice dehydration until you actually start feeling weak or sick. And don’t forget water and a bowl for your dogs if you’re bringing them! Here is more information about bringing your dogs for your photos.

5. Take advantage of shadier spots when the sun is higher in the sky. For this beach session, we used the shade to block out the sun, then we went out to the water as it got darker. The water acts as a giant mirror, so any sunlight will look really bright if there’s a lot of water.

6. Use sunscreen in the days beforehand. Please. Being pale looks better than being sunburned or having weird tan lines.

7. Be strategic with your location. Summer means that a lot of people will be traveling, and they may be visiting the same scenic location you’ve chosen for your photos. Sunrise can help with avoiding crowds, but so can going on a weekday, or finding lesser-known places. For more ideas on where to take engagement photos in upstate South Carolina, check out this post.

8. Have a rain plan. Summer evenings in South Carolina pretty much always have that forecast of “50% chance of scattered thunderstorms in the evening.” If it’s difficult for you to reschedule, we can find a covered area, like the Wyche Pavilion in downtown Greenville. Here are some more ideas for locations in downtown Greenville, and here is some info on how to navigate cloudy days.

Bonus for photographers: take your camera out of your bag a few minutes before you want to start taking your photos. Your camera might fog up if it’s really hot and humid out, and there’s nothing you can do except wait.

Bonus for upstate South Carolina: the South Carolina Botanical Gardens has a desert garden area that looks best in the summer when the succulents can thrive on the heat! Check out this post to see more photos from there!

I hope this was helpful! For more weather tips, check these out:

• Cold Weather

• Rainy Days

• Cloudy Days

• Finding Spring and Fall Color

• Choosing Between Sunrise and Sunset

Ready for the best day ever?

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Central Park Portraits | Christian and Tommy

I did a mini-session in Central Park on the 4th of July with my cousin Christian, his husband Tommy, and their puppy Asta!

Dan and I were planning to visit with Christian and Tommy in New York in April of 2020, which obviously didn’t happen. It’s all good because we got a puppy that week and we love her soooooo much. Over the next couple of years, we traveled a good bit for weddings, and a lot of things in New York took a long time to reopen, so we didn’t make it up there for 3 more years. I told Christian and Tommy we could do photos somewhere and they suggested Central Park, which made me so happy.

If you’ve never been to Central Park, it’s a lot of purposeful green space in the middle of the concrete jungle. In some of these photos, you’d never even know they were taken in New York City! I hadn’t been to Central Park since I was 15, before I started photography, so I didn’t have a lot of places in mind. I told them I’d seen photos of a pretty staircase and found out the name was Bethesda Terrace, which was even prettier in person! It was the morning of the 4th of July, so even though I expected a lot of people to be there, people in New York tend to not be out and about until later in the morning. I only had to do edit a few people out of the background.

Christian and Tommy adopted a puppy a few months ago and named him Asta, after the dog in the old film, The Thin Man. Asta had never been to Central Park before, so he was super excited. Luckily, Dan was with me and could make noises and hold treats to get Asta to look at the camera. We only did a short session so Asta wouldn’t get too overwhelmed, but we covered a lot of ground in that time. For more tips on taking photos with your dog, click here.

Enjoy these photos of Christian, Tommy, and Asta in Central Park!

If you’re looking for a photographer in South Carolina, read about my engagement and elopement services!

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 Engagement | Hannah and Brandon

Brandon wanted to propose to Hannah while they were visiting family and friends in upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina. He came across my blog post on where to take engagement photos and decided that Table Rock State Park had the scenery he was looking for. It’s one of my favorite places in the upstate to take photos because you can get mountains, a lake, and some small waterfalls without hiking at all. He specifically mentioned wanting to propose at the pier on Lake Oolenoy with the mountains in the background—perfection!

Before driving down from Ohio, Brandon told Hannah that he wanted to have couple’s photos taken with a photographer who did his friend’s photos, and they shopped for outfits together. Since the family was in on the plan, Brandon made sure someone offered to do Hannah’s nails before the session.

Even though the rain snuck up on us in the forecast, it stopped raining at the park right when Brandon and Hannah arrived, and didn’t start back up again. We didn’t hardly see any other people, probably because the rain had kept them away. We met at the Table Rock trailhead and took some photos at the little waterfalls near the beginning of the trail. After that, we drove to the park headquarters, where we would get the view of the mountains over Lake Oolenoy. Brandon’s friend had set up a beautiful picnic on the pier while we were on the trail, then left the park. Of course Hannah said yes when Brandon proposed, and she couldn’t believe how beautiful the ring was.

After we took photos for a little longer, I went home, and Brandon and Hannah had some alone time in the last 30 minutes or so before the park closed. This was the best summer evening we could have possibly asked for!

Enjoy some of my photos of Hannah and Brandon’s engagement at Table Rock State Park!

If you’re looking for a photographer in upstate South Carolina, read about my engagement and elopement services, and check out some of the other photos I’ve taken around Table Rock!

Ready for the best day ever?

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

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 Engagement | Emily and Andres

Andres originally asked me about coming on a Saturday morning to Pretty Place to propose to Emily. He said that she showed it to him on TikTok, and he knew that had to be the place where he would propose. When I mentioned some of the logistics, like that you can only see two weeks in advance if it’s closed to the public for a wedding, he asked me how to pivot to make sure this would work. He eventually planned a trip a couple months later, involving going to Pretty Place at sunrise on a weekday. This was the day after summer solstice, so it was an early morning for us! Since he reserved the chapel for an hour, he could guarantee it’d be open while they were in the area, and that they wouldn’t have an audience during this special moment. I eventually typed up everything we discussed into a blog post, which you can read here if you’re interested in visiting or having photos there.

Andres told Emily that he had a conference in Greenville, and she sometimes comes with him when he travels for work. That was also how he convinced her to dress nicely that day. I got to the chapel about 20 minutes before Andres and Emily, but right after Andres’s parents, who were waiting in the parking lot until after the proposal. Since the chapel was reserved, the bathroom inside was unlocked for us. I hid in there with the door closed until I heard them pass by. They went down to the cross to take a selfie, and I came out from the bathroom when Andrea got on one knee.

For about two days before their engagement, it rained pretty consistently in Greenville, going back and forth between thunderstorms, pouring rain, and just barely raining. Luckily, the clouds came in and out that morning, so Emily and Andres would still get to see the view, but they also got some cool photos with the clouds. We took a few photos with the umbrellas in my car, and the staff at Camp Greenville left us some towels to use.

Check out some of my favorite photos from Emily and Andres’s rainy morning engagement at Pretty Place Chapel!

If you’re looking for a photographer in Greenville, read about my engagement and elopement services, and read more about Pretty Place!

If you’re planning to visit Pretty Place, I also recommend stopping at Bald Rock, Wildcat Wayside, and Caesars Head State Park along the way! Here are some photos from there!

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!

South Carolina Botanical Gardens Engagement | Ashley and David

David and Ashley met through mutual friends on World of Warcraft. They began talking more during the pandemic and eventually started seeing each other in person. After working on a cruise line for several years, Ashley decided to move to South Carolina, where David lived. David proposed to Ashley at Caesars Head State Park, one of my favorite places in the whole state! He used her mom’s engagement ring, which I think is so beautiful and sentimental.

After spending so many years seeing the world, Ashley has enjoyed exploring South Carolina with David. When Ashley and I were talking about places to take engagement photos, she specifically mentioned how she loved the South Carolina Botanical Gardens in Clemson. This is one of my favorite places to take photos because everything changes throughout the year, so it pretty much looks different every time I go and I’m always finding new spots to use. This was in early summer, so there was so much green and plenty of color! It was hot at the beginning of the session, but as the sun got lower, the golden hour light looked so beautiful coming through the tree leaves. Between all the green trees, colorful flowers, and the plants in the desert garden, we had the best scenery and light for summer engagement photos. Ashley had a red scarf that coordinated with David’s red shirt, which made for some cool veil-like photos and contrasted beautifully with the green cacti and succulents in the desert garden!

I had an awesome time with Ashley and David on this summer evening and can’t wait to be part of their wedding this December! Enjoy some of my favorite photos from their summery engagement session in the South Carolina Botanical Gardens!

If you’re thinking of having engagement or wedding photos in the South Carolina Botanical Gardens, read more about the gardens here, and read about my elopement and engagement services!

Ready for the best day ever?

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Clemson Engagement | Sidney and Hayden

On Memorial Day weekend, Sidney and Hayden made a long weekend trip to Clemson University, where their story together began.

Hayden was originally planning to propose on Saturday, but since there was a high chance of rain and the forecast for Friday was perfect, we decided to make the proposal a day earlier. A walk through the South Carolina Botanical Gardens included a surprise proposal at the pier over the duck pond. Hayden’s brother took photos with a Polaroid and I pretended to take photos of the turtles in the pond until the proposal actually happened. The other people walking and the ducks happened to clear out right when it happened, but we heard the ducks quacking loudly after the proposal, like they had known to keep quiet and then started cheering with us. We worked our way around the garden until we reached the entrance, where the palmetto trees are. We went down to the geology museum so we could get a few photos in the desert garden too!

Legend has it that any couple who walks hand-in-hand through President’s Park is destined to be together forever, so we had to go take some pictures there. From there, we took a few photos around the central part of campus, like Sikes Hall and the Reflection Pond, as the sun went down. One thing I love about Clemson couples is that we have so many stories to share as we walk around campus. It’d been a long time since I had a Clemson couple whose time at Clemson overlapped with mine, so they remembered things like Clemson House and the time there was a duck in the Reflection Pond.

Check out some of my favorite photos from Sidney and Hayden’s Clemson engagement photos in the South Carolina Botanical Gardens!

If you’re thinking of having engagement or wedding photos in the South Carolina Botanical Gardens, read more about the gardens here, and read about my elopement and engagement services!

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

Miss Clemson University 2023 | Hannah

A few weeks ago, I photographed the Miss Clemson University pageant for the 7th year. Hannah was crowned after a super impressive and unique violin performance to Dueling Banjoes and an evening gown presentation worthy of the evening gown award!

Since the pageant was so late in the school year, the semester was over by the time we had her portraits, which is great because the campus was so empty and quiet. I could have her stand in the road in front of the stadium without blocking traffic, and there weren’t a lot of people in the background. This was my first portrait session at Clemson since the stadium’s new scoreboard was finished, and that thing is HUGE! After taking photos here for so many years, I had to find some new angles to show off the scenery here. We were lucky to have a PERFECT spring evening, even though it usually gets hot by this time of year.

The gown that Hannah used for this session was a Sherri Hill gown, sponsored by Dressing Dreams. The purple was fitting for Clemson, and a skirt that big looked amazing on the steps of Sikes Hall! She wore a much shorter orange dress for some of our other photos, and we were so lucky to have the fountains in the Reflection Pond turned on that day, even if they weren’t as high as they normally are.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from Hannah’s portraits as Miss Clemson University! I had such a fun time with her and I hope you love the photos!

Like What You See?

If you want photos like these around Clemson, book a portrait session or read more about the Miss Clemson University pageant!

Clemson Engagement Photos

Clemson Elopement

Clemson Bridal Portraits

Where to Take Engagement Photos in Upstate South Carolina

Harry Potter Engagement at Lake Lure | Alivia and Blake

A Harry Potter engagement session? Count me in!

Alivia and Blake made a day trip to Chimney Rock, North Carolina and stopped at the Flowering Bridge. When Alivia wasn’t looking, Blake tossed an envelope into a bush, then pointed it out to her. It was sealed with the Hogwarts wax seal and addressed to Alivia with the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge as the address—in Harry Potter, the letter is always addressed to wherever the person is at that moment. After Alivia read the letter Blake got on one knee and presented Alivia with his grandmother’s ring in a Marauder’s Map ring box.

The Flowering Bridge is a beautiful place in any season, but it hits differently in the spring when the weather is perfect and all the pinks and whites are out. Although it looks small when you drive by it, you can spend a lot of time in there taking photos with all the beautiful plants and displays. While there’s no Harry Potter references at the Flowering Bridge, it has a lot of bricks painted to look like classic books and a few artifacts, like Dorothy’s ruby slippers on yellow-painted bricks. The spot that Blake and I originally had in mind for the proposal had different decor this time that I didn’t think for the vibe he was going for, but since I got there early, I had time to pick a new spot. Lake Lure had been drained over the last several weeks and barely looked like a body of water, so having that in the background was out of the question too. I ended up choosing one of the archways that leads to the Peter Rabbit area. One of the mountains is right behind it, and the trees behind the arch had pink blooms. I texted a picture to Blake with a description of where it was and a stick figure drawing of where he should stand.

Enjoy some of my favorite photos of Alivia and Blake’s Harry Potter engagement at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge!

Check out some of my other work at Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, and read about my elopement and engagement services!

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

Intimate Wedding at Skylight Chapel | Katie and Jeremy

Katie and Jeremy were married at Skylight Chapel in Taylors, South Carolina, with just a few friends and family members as their witnesses.

On the day of Katie and Jeremy’s wedding, the forecast was calling for thunderstorms and wind. The ceremony location changed at the last minute from Lake Robinson to just down the road at Skylight Chapel, a small and beautiful space that’s perfect for an intimate wedding like this one. When the storms died down for a few minutes, we went outside to take some photos on the stairs and at the gazebo. After the ceremony, there was a table with some of the most beautiful, colorful, and awesome flavored macarons.

With a combined total of six kids, this was a day that was truly about two families coming together. Katie, Jeremy, and each of their kids had a different colored bottle of sand to pour into a jar during the ceremony, making for a rainbow-looking sand bottle when they had all finished. Katie’s daughter was her maid of honor and Jeremy’s brother was his best man. Aside from the couple, the star of the show was Ivy, a gorgeous and friendly giant schnauzer who looks like a model in every photo I have of her. She wore a custom bandana to celebrate her parents coming together.

After the ceremony, Katie and Jeremy drove off to Brevard together to spend some time in the mountains before taking a honeymoon later this year.

Check out some of my favorite photos from Katie and Jeremy’s micro wedding at Skylight Chapel!

Coordinator and officiant: Magnolia Elopements and Microweddings

Venue: Skylight Chapel

Florals: Urban Petals

Macarons: Macarons by Renée

Dress: David’s Bridal

Photographer: Christine Scott Photography

Looking for an elopement photographer in Greenville? Read more about my elopement services!

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. We love being outside just as much as we love hanging out on the couch together and watching Pixar movies 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

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

Our South Carolina State Parks Adventures

In April 2022, my husband (Dan), my beagle (Athena), and I became Ultimate Outsiders. That means we’ve visited all 48 South Carolina State Parks! This process was an amazing experience where we got to visit every corner of the state, learn about the culture and history in different parts of the state, and see some beautiful places. Not to mention the memories we made along the way! I hope this post helps you choose a park to visit, and answers the questions you may have about becoming an Ultimate Outsider yourself.

What is the South Carolina Ultimate Outsider program?

If you visit all 48 state parks in South Carolina, you will receive a certificate and a t-shirt. You will also be part of a mailing list for events that are only for Ultimate Outsiders, like picnics, tours, and an online scavenger hunt.

What do I need to become an Ultimate Outsider?

The only thing you truly need is a state park guidebook. Each park has its own page with a spot to get a unique stamp. This is what you will need to show the park rangers for them to verify that you’ve visited every park. Click here to purchase your guidebook online, or pick one up for free at a state park office.

Something that’s not mandatory, but I HIGHLY recommend, is buying an annual state park pass. This is $99 and covers the admission for anyone in your vehicle at all state parks for a year. Although not every park has a fee, the fees can be up to $12 per person to enter a park. This can quickly add up to more than the $99 you’ll pay for the annual pass, especially if there are multiple people in your car and you’re trying to visit a lot of parks in a year. This pass also gets you into some of the buildings and events, such as Atalaya Castle and the Hunting Island Lighthouse. Click here to purchase an annual pass, or buy one from any state park office.

Something you can do for fun is complete the South Carolina State Parks scavenger hunt with the GooseChase app. There are different items on the list that will require you to either tag your location or submit a photo. For example, you can tag your location when you’re standing on a bridge that the challenge describes, or you can submit a photo you took of a spoonbill and put the name of the park in the caption. Once you’ve become an Ultimate Outsider, you’ll be invited to another scavenger hunt, which may include more than just what’s in the state parks, and you can win prizes.

What do you do at the state parks?

It depends on the parks! Some parks mostly serve as an access point to a lake, where you can boat, fish, or swim. Others have historical places you can learn about, hiking trails, and natural landmarks. Some host events, like guided hikes or festivals. 38 of the parks in the system are considered state parks, 8 are considered state historic sites, 1 is considered a state recreation area, and 1 is considered a state resort. For navigating through this post, you can search for words like “trail” in your browser and it’ll bring you to where I’ve mentioned hiking.

What’s your favorite state park?

I don’t really have one, but I liked the ones in the mountains and at the beaches the best. The ones that come to mind as my favorites are Table Rock, Caesars Head, Devils Fork, and Hunting Island. After we got all the stamps, we made note of which parks we wanted to revisit and what time of year would be best to revisit them.

How did you choose which park would be the last stamp?

As we crossed some parks off the list, we realized that some of the smaller parks don’t always have a ranger in the park office, so we needed to choose a more popular park to guarantee a ranger would be there to check our book. We looked at the parks we had left and determined we would end at Sesqui. This was partly because it’s pretty popular, so we’d be more likely to find a ranger to check our stamps, and partly because we thought it’d be cool to end in the state capital.

How did you visit them all?

We’re lucky to live in Greenville County, where lots of parks are within an hour and a half of our house. Some of the parks were their own day trip, like if we were doing a hike, but there were other times where we visited multiple in a day. For example, we easily visited Oconee, Oconee Station, Devils Fork, and Keowee-Toxaway in one day to get a stamp for each, but we’ve also made separate day trips for each of them. We had a few camping trips where we would camp at one park and visit others that were nearby. We stayed the night with a friend for a weekend trip where we visited five parks.

Can you stay overnight at the parks?

Most of the parks have overnight accommodations. Some have drive-up campsites for your car or RV, some have hike-in campsites, and some have cabins. Hickory Knob is a resort with indoor accommodations and dining services. We chose some of the less popular parks for camping so we could have a quieter place to sleep and we could get to know those less-visited parks better. The less popular ones also tend to have lower fees for camping and more availability. For example, when we got a beachfront campsite at Hunting Island, it was more than twice the cost of a campsite at Givhans Ferry, with only a few sites available on the weekend we were looking at. Each park will have their overnight options listed on their page, if they offer them.

Are all the parks dog-friendly?

Each park allows dogs in outdoor areas, as long as they’re leashed and not disrupting people/wildlife, but might exclude them from certain places, like the Animal House at Charles Towne Landing. Dan and I took turns with things like touring Atalaya Castle while the other stayed behind with Athena. I did get stressed out over having her in some of the places where alligators hang out though.

Can you get married at the state parks?

Some of the state parks have actual wedding venues: Table Rock has the Gaines Lodge, Huntington Beach has Atalaya Castle, and Charles Towne Landing has the Legare-Waring House and Founder’s Hall. Others have pavilions and amphitheaters you can ask about using. If you’re eloping, you have a little more freedom with where to have a ceremony with a pretty view because you’re not having a huge gathering of people that would disrupt other visitors, so you’ll want to call the park office for the park you’re thinking about to see what their policies are. You can read more here about how to elope in South Carolina, and I have some suggestions here for where to do it!

I’m scared of alligators and bears. How do I avoid them?

I’ve never actually seen bears in South Carolina, but I know they tend to be in the mountains. You may see warning signs for alligators at pretty much any park that’s south or east of Columbia, but they tend to not come out in the colder months. If you’re in a place where there may be gators and you don’t want to see one, try to stay away from fresh water, including boardwalks over marshes. At Hunting Island, we were told that the gators tended to be further inland, away from the ocean. I stumbled upon one in the tall grass by the observation deck at Huntington Beach.

Are there national parks in South Carolina?

South Carolina is home to Congaree National Park, a cypress swamp east of Columbia. There are also several other places in the national park system:

• National Historic Sites: Charles Pinckney, Ninety-Six

• National Historic Park: Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, Reconstruction Era

• National Military Park: Kings Mountain

• National Battlefield: Cowpens

• National Historic Trail: Overmountain Victory (NC, SC, TN, VA)

And now, here’s a list of all 48 South Carolina State Parks and our experiences with them!

Sunrise at Hunting Island State Park

The Parks

(in alphabetical order with a few notes about our experience)

Aiken State Park (Windsor/Aiken County): There are 4 lakes at this park, which are along the blackwater Edisto River, so it’s great for anything water related. There is a kayak trail here, and some artesian wells with really good-tasting water.

Andrew Jackson State Park (Lancaster/York County): Andrew Jackson was born in a village that is now considered to be on the border between North and South Carolina. It’s unknown where exactly he was born in that village, but he verbally told someone he was born in South Carolina, so South Carolina claims him as the only president to be born here. This has some cool buildings to explore, like an old schoolhouse. There is a dog statue here, and seeing other dogs arrive one by one to bark at it was pretty funny. Athena didn’t seem to mind it though.

Baker Creek State Park (McCormick/McCormick County): This is one of three parks on Lake Thurmond, which is about 71,000 acres, so it’s a good place to take a boat. The other two parks on Lake Thurmond, Hamilton Branch and Hickory Knob, are a short drive away. There are mountain bike trails and campsites here. It has a big pavilion that overlooks the lake.

Barnwell State Park (Blackville/Barnwell County): This is a small park in a rural area that’s mostly used for fishing. There are three small ponds here and I thought the white bridge was really pretty. They hosted a movie night here over the summer. Alligators and wild turkeys are no strangers to this park. The Healing Spring is nearby, where you can fill containers of water that’s said to have healing powers.

Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site (Clinton/Laurens County): This is the site of a Revolutionary War battle between Patriots, Loyalists, and British soldiers. There are a couple trails here that lead you to small waterfalls, and it has some notable trees.

Battle of Rivers Bridge State Historic Site (Ehrnhardt/Bamberg County): This historic site has an interpretive trail through a Civil War battlefield. This is part of an area with a lot of preserved Civil War history—we drove past a MASSIVE re-enactment site on the way here, with a cavalry, tents, and everything! We loved walking through the Spanish moss along the Salkehatchie River and Three Mile Creek.

Caesars Head State Park (Cleveland/Greenville County): Although the area near the visitor center seems small, this is actually the largest state park in South Carolina. The overlook is the highest point in any South Carolina park, and there are two trails that lead to the largest waterfall in South Carolina (Raven Cliff Falls). The overlook is easily accessible from the parking lot and you can easily see Table Rock, as well as some of the other mountains in the area. This is one of the best places to watch the sunset in South Carolina. This is one of two parks within the Mountain Bridge Wilderness area, but you will need to drive to the other trailheads. While you’re here, check out Pretty Place, Wildcat Wayside, and Bald Rock - you can see some photos of them here!

How beautiful is this spot for a fall proposal? Click here for more photos from Caesars Head.

Calhoun Falls State Park (Calhoun Falls/Abbeville County): We loved camping here! It felt pretty secluded and there weren’t a ton of people. Cell signal was pretty spotty, so it was easy to unplug for the weekend. You can play tennis or basketball during your trip here. Our campsite was pretty close to a water spigot and the bathrooms, but it also overlooked Lake Russell. Contrary to the name, there isn’t actually a waterfall here. There is a short and easy trail through the woods that you have to drive to from the campsite.

Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site (Charleston/Charleston County): This is one of the more popular parks. There are two wedding venues here: Founder’s Hall and Legare-Waring House. There is an Animal House (a zoo), which does not allow dogs. The English settlers landed here around 1670 and you can explore a replica of a big ship they may have used. The Lowcountry scenery here is gorgeous, with the tree tunnels, Spanish moss, marshes, and gardens.

Cheraw State Park (Cheraw/Chesterfield County): This park has a beautiful lake with cypress trees, which is a great spot for kayaking. We loved the boardwalk that went over the Lake Juniper. There is an 18-hole golf course here, so if you’re into golf, you can stay in one of the cabins for the weekend. There are also two boat-in campsites if you want a little more seclusion.

Chester State Park (Chester/Chester County): This park is mostly used for fishing, but there’s one trail here that goes on a bridge across the lake and around the pond. We didn’t finish the trail because it was partially flooded, but we enjoyed the rest of it. There is a 9-hole and an 18-hole disc golf course here.

Colleton State Park (Walterboro/Colleton County): Don’t be fooled by its size. This 35-acre park is easy to get to from both I-26 and I-95, but feels pretty remote once you get there. There’s a short trail in the woods that leads to a beautiful spot where you can see the cypress trees in the blackwater river. This park is so close to Givhans Ferry that you can kayak 23 miles to it down the Edisto River!

Phone photo of Athena on the boardwalk on the blackwater Edisto River at Colleton State Park

Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site (Summerville/Dorchester County): This is a cool spot with church and wharf ruins and a swamp. There’s a lot of oyster shell construction here from the 1700s. We saw a really pretty woodpecker while we were here.

Croft State Park (Pauline/Spartanburg County): One of the most popular things to do at this park is ride horses! There are also a few trails here, one of which leads you to the ruins of an old bridge.

Devils Fork State Park (Salem/Oconee County): This is the only public access point to Lake Jocassee, which is the best combination of water and mountains you’ll find in South Carolina. We’ve taken boat rides out here and seen a bunch of islands and waterfalls that you can only see by boat. Not only is it one of the prettiest views in South Carolina, this is also some of the cleanest water in the whole state. Devils Fork is also known for the Oconee Bell flower, which was thought to be extinct until it was discovered here. Click here to see more photos from Devils Fork!

Click here to see more photos from this session at Devils Fork State Park

Dreher Island State Park (Prosperity/Newberry County): This is very much geared towards fishing. The park spans 3 islands along Lake Murray. There are some short trails around here, one of which leads to the ruins of Billy Dreher’s home. If you’re into birds, you can see Purple Martins here.

Edisto Beach State Park (Edisto Island): We camped here, but used the park as more of a home base as we explored other areas. This island is deceptively remote compared to the rest of the state—it was almost 2 hours from Hunting Island—but I think the seclusion adds to the mystique of the lowcountry scenery. There were tree tunnels, Spanish moss, beaches, marshes—I mean, look at the view that we had all to ourselves from our campground! This was in the Live Oak campground and it was the farthest campsite from a bathroom, water spigot, and where our car was parked. The latter was difficult because we had to keep all our food in the car to keep the possums and raccoons away, so it felt like we spent a lot of time walking to and from the car. There is another campground closer to the beach, and there’s an ice cream truck that comes through every day!

View from our campground at Edisto Beach State Park (Live Oak Campground)

Givhans Ferry State Park (Ridgefield/Dorchester County): We camped at this one and were happy with the camping accommodations, including electricity and a water spigot at each campsite. We saw a massive wild turkey here. One thing that we liked about it was the proximity to other parks; we went to Colonial Dorchester and Charles Towne on a day trip from here, and you can kayak 23 miles down the Edisto River to Colleton State Park. There are rare plants that grow here, and there are limestone sinkholes. I loved watching the sunset over the blackwater. You can find shark teeth in the surf here!

Phone photo of the sunset over the blackwater Edisto River at Givhans Ferry State Park

Goodale State Park (Camden/Kershaw County): This is considered one of the best parks for canoeing and kayaking. There’s even a canoe trail through the cypress forest! Keep your eyes open for alligators here though.

H. Cooper Black State Recreation Area (Cheraw/Chesterfield County): This is a recreation area, so you can hunt, fish, or ride horses. There are events related to all of these, including training your dog to be a hunting dog! You can also camp here. It seemed to be a busy day when we went, so we didn’t stay here long.

Hamilton Branch State Park (Plum Branch/McCormick County): I honestly don’t have much to say about this one, and the ranger on staff didn’t have much to tell me other than it’s a good place to go camping or boating on Lake Thurmond. It definitely felt like a peaceful place to be on a day that isn’t super windy!

Hampton Plantation State Historic Site (McClellanville/Charleston County): This is a former rice plantation that was thought to be part of the Underground Railroad. This site not only tells the story of the people who were enslaved, but how they lived after they were freed. It hasn’t been used for agriculture for a while now, so it’s gone back to looking wooded and marshy. Between the three historic sites that are former plantations, I liked the scenery here the best, but the mosquitoes here are worse than any mosquitoes I’d ever encountered! This park is free to enter, but the fee for a tour of the house is included in your state park pass fee.

Hickory Knob State Resort Park (McCormick/McCormick County): This is a resort, so there’s an actual hotel here with dining services, along with a variety of cabins to stay in. There’s plenty of opportunity to play golf, go skeet shooting, or go camping.

Hunting Island State Park (Hunting Island/Beaufort County): This was the first one we decided to come back to for a camping trip after we got our stamp, and we stayed busy the whole weekend we camped there. This has the only publicly accessible lighthouse in South Carolina, which is free to enter with your state park pass. The visitor center has a really cool mural around the whole interior, and the nature center has a lot of animals. We hiked through the palm trees to a really cool driftwood beach. You can take the St. Philip’s Island ferry from here, but we haven’t seen that yet. There are plenty of alligators that live here, to include one that lives in the pond by the visitor center. This is also pretty close to Beaufort, which is a beautiful area with a ton of picturesque South Carolina scenery.

Hunting Island Lighthouse at Hunting Island State Park

Huntington Beach State Park (Murrells Inlet/Georgetown County): The beach here was really nice, but it also has some cool marshlands where you can see gators, waterfowl, spoonbills, herons, and painted buntings in the summer. We came across a lot of people who came here specifically to take pictures of birds because of how easy it is to see them from the overlooks or the bird feeders. You can take a tour of Atalaya Castle (free with an annual state park pass, but otherwise $2), a Moorish-style mansion where artist Anna Huntington lived with her family. We liked that our campsite had a metal cabinet for keeping your food safe from animals. This is about 30 minutes from Myrtle Beach State Park. Tip: don’t walk in the grass between the road and the pond if you don’t like alligators or have a dog with you.

Atalaya Castle at Huntington Beach State Park

Jones Gap State Park (Cleveland/Greenville County): If you like waterfalls, this is the park for you. Some of the toughest trails in the whole state come through here, and some trails lead to Caesars Head State Park, the other park in Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. In front of the visitor center, there’s a fish hatchery. Before you get on the trails, there’s a bridge over a beautiful stream with some rocky rapids. The two trails I've done here are Jones Gap Falls and Rainbow Falls. I’d love to do a session at Jones Gap Falls, which is fairly easy and short. Rainbow Falls is one of my favorite spots in the whole state, and it was a beautiful fall day when we visited!

Rainbow falls at Jones Gap State Park

Keowee-Toxaway State Park (Sunset/Pickens County): If there’s one park that I think is seriously underrated, this is it. It sits right between Table Rock and Devils Fork, which are both really popular, so it’s easy to see how it’s overlooked. The Raven Rock trail goes over a natural bridge and brings you to a small, but very beautiful, overlook on Lake Keowee. I felt that this trail was moderate when I first did it in the winter, but it was pretty hard when I did it late on a summer day with all my camera gear. I really want to come back here in the fall when the leaves change! This park is now home to Upstate Zipline.

Proposal at the Raven Rock overlook at Keowee-Toxaway - click to see more photos

Kings Mountain State Park (Blacksburg/Cherokee County): This is a cool spot with some hiking trails and a living history farm to replicate what one of the early villages in the upstate would look like. This is also pretty close to Kings Mountain National Military Park, which has a paved trail through the Kings Mountain battlefield.

Lake Greenwood State Park (Ninety-Six/Greenwood County): This is also pretty close to Ninety-Six National Historic Site. There’s an unfinished wall at the entrance with everything exactly as the CCC workers left it when Pearl Harbor was bombed and they abandoned their work in the parks.

Lake Hartwell State Park (Fair Play/Oconee County): Along with Sadlers Creek, this is one of two parks on Lake Hartwell, one of the largest lakes east of the Mississippi River. Like any park on a big lake, it’s a good place for boating, fishing, swimming, and camping. It’s super easy to get to—it’s off of I-85 right when you cross into South Carolina from Georgia.

Lake Warren State Park (Hampton/Allendale County): This park is known for its gazebo with a watermelon weather vane. It had a cool nature trail with stops with fitness equipment. Since we went early in the year, we only saw one alligator swimming off in the distance. Otherwise, this is a pretty popular spot for gators!

Phone photo of the watermelon weather vane (pointed away from me the entire time we were there) at Lake Warren State Park

Lake Wateree State Park (Winnsboro/Fairfield County): We went here on a freezing cold day in January, so we didn’t stay long, but it was super peaceful in front of the 13,000 acre lake!

Landsford Canal State Park (Catawba/York County): This park is known for their population of rare Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies that blooms in May and June. You can kayak up to them or take the nature trail that leads to them, but you’ll only see them up close if you kayak. If you don’t have your own kayak, you can rent one from the end of the kayak trail. It’s also known for its canal system, so you can see the old locks and where the lock keepers lived.

Lee State Park (Bishopville/Lee County): This is super easy to access from I-20. I loved how much Spanish moss was here. This is one of two parks with artesian wells, where you can drink super clean-tasting water.

Little Pee Dee State Park (Dillon/Dillon County): This is the park that felt the most remote. It’s not really close to any of the other parks, and we took some back roads to get here on the way back from a North Carolina beach. This park is part of a Carolina bay and has a sand rim around the lake from where there used to be a coastline. There’s a pretty white bridge over the water here, and the day that we went, the water reflected the blue sky and clouds so well!

Phone photo of the white bridge on the reflective water at Little Pee Dee State Park

May Forest State Park (Charleston/Charleston County): South Carolina’s first state park in about 30 years is in its “soft open” phase, meaning you can visit during visiting hours, but there aren’t any other services or events yet. This park used to be a convent, so there’s a pretty little pink chapel among gardens and Spanish moss, with a stunning view of the Charleston Harbor and skyline.

Myrtle Beach State Park (Myrtle Beach/Horry County): The description I kept hearing was that this was “surprisingly nice, peaceful, and green for Myrtle Beach,” and that’s correct. We camped here and it was some of the nicest camping accommodations we’ve experienced so far - there was an outlet and water spigot at each campsite, and it even had a laundry room! One thing that was unique about camping here was that there are so many out-of-state retirees who make annual RV camping trips here. I loved waking up and being able to walk to the beach for the sunrise. The only thing I didn’t like was that the campsite we had felt pretty close to a lot of other campsites, so it wasn’t as quiet when we were going to sleep.

Sunrise at Myrtle Beach State Park

Oconee State Park (Mountain Rest/Oconee County): Oconee State Park is one end of the 75-mile Foothills Trail. We loved the Tamassee Knob trail, which led to a small overlook with a view of the mountains. This was also a really beautiful spot to camp, and we were really close to the lake where we could kayak. We were a short drive from a ton of other waterfall trails in the area.

Oconee Station State Historic Site (Walhalla/Oconee County): Oconee Station is a former military compound that became a trading post. This has a trail that leads to Station Cove Falls, which is one of my favorite waterfalls in South Carolina. It’s a super easy trail with plenty to see along the way, and the waterfall is beautiful!

See more photos from Station Cove Falls

Paris Mountain State Park (Greenville/Greenville County): This is the park that’s closest to home for us. It’s a super popular park because of how easy it is to get there from Greenville. While you don’t really get mountain scenery here, the leaves around Lake Placid are amazing around early November. The trail we’ve liked best so far is Brissy Ridge to Pipsissewa to North Lake. The Lake Placid trail is about .75 miles and doable with young kids.

Lake Placid at Paris Mountain State Park

Poinsett State Park (Wedgefield/Sumter County): We will have to revisit this park because we’ve heard it’s beautiful, but we only stayed long enough to get the stamp because the gnats were unbearable! The drive to Poinsett looked like a place in a post-apocalyptic movie, which was interesting. We heard this had an unusual amount of elevation change for an area that doesn’t have much elevation change, and that there’s a little waterfall.

Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site (Beech Island/Aiken County): The South Carolina African-American Heritage Commission has named Redcliffe one of the Top Ten Places to Visit in South Carolina during Black History Month. Former South Carolina governor James Henry Hammond lived here in the mid-1800s, and the plantation served as an architectural and horticultural attraction. It now serves as a historical site for telling the stories of the people who were enslaved. One attraction of this property is these massive prickly pear-like cacti that are basically bushes. This is the only cactus species native to South Carolina. Nobody knows how old these cacti at Redcliffe are because the written records of it only go so far back and photos only existed so long ago. There is no fee to enter the park, but there are fees for tours of the property if you don’t have a state park pass.

Phone photo of the mega cactus from outer space at Redcliffe Plantation, almost as tall as me.

Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site (Union/Union County): We didn’t stay at this one too long, but this is a former cotton plantation that now serves as a site to tell the stories of enslaved people. The magnolia trees in the front won a tree award. You can pay a fee to tour the house if you don’t have a state park pass.

Sadlers Creek State Park (Anderson/Anderson County): This was actually the first park all three of us visited! Dan and I came here on a camping trip with our fraternity in college, and it was the first park we stopped at with Athena. I loved camping here - the lake was so quiet and peaceful when we woke up in the morning. One of the main attractions here is fishing, and this park is known for their 100-foot fishing pier.

Santee State Park (Elloree/Orangeburg County): This one was a little out there, but it was a beautiful park. There was Spanish moss all over the trees and cypress trees on Lake Marion. A cool thing about this park is that the cabins are over the water! This is definitely one we want to see again.

Sesquicentennial State Park (Columbia/Richland County): This was our final stamp! This is a well-visited park that has a lake and some beautiful trails. It has a splash pad and playground for the kids, and you can buy a tag for the dog park!

Table Rock State Park (Pickens/Pickens County): I like this park because there’s something here for everybody. You can drive right up to a view of the mountains over the water, take a short walk through the woods, get on the 75-mile Foothills Trail here, or you can take a trail that’s somewhere in between. You can use Lake Oolenoy for swimming, fishing, or boating. You can park right in front of the visitor center (which is a few minutes’ drive from the trailhead) and see the mountains from behind the lake. We had our own photos done at the visitor center because I love this spot so much! You may have heard about how hard the Pinnacle Trail and the Table Rock Trail are, but those aren’t the only trails in the park. The Carrick Creek trail will take you to some small waterfalls. Between the Table Rock Trail and the Pinnacle Trail, both are strenuous, but there are some differences: the Pinnacle Trail is one mile longer in each direction, but the first two miles have a pretty minimal incline and it’s a gradual incline after that. Table Rock trail is a pretty consistent incline the whole way. Although Pinnacle Mountain is the highest point entirely in South Carolina, the summit at Pinnacle doesn’t have a view like the one at Table Rock, but it has an overlook near the top at Bald Knob. Pinnacle has more of a variety in scenery while Table Rock has a nice little gazebo about halfway up with a pretty view. Read more about Table Rock here!

A couple’s session I did at the Table Rock State Park visitor center - click to see more

Woods Bay State Park (Olanta/Florence County): This was the only park where we saw exactly zero people and zero cars. We didn’t even see a park ranger or a ranger’s vehicle while we were there! We took a boardwalk trail through the swamp, where there were tons of cypress trees in the water. It totally looked like a place in a Disney movie where alligators live. We broke through spiderwebs, which wouldn’t have been there if other people had been on the trail that day, so that was a little concerning since we were there later in the afternoon. We saw one alligator, but it was far away and went back underwater when it saw us. This boardwalk abruptly ended in the middle of the swamp, which seemed odd, and we had to turn back around and walk through the alligator and big spider territory again to get back to our car. It made for an interesting story though!

Phone photo of Woods Bay before I got on the boardwalk. I kept my phone in my pocket after that so I could be alert for alligators!

So there’s some of our experience through all 47 South Carolina state parks! I’m happy to answer any questions you have, and I’m happy to help you pick a park that’s perfect for your photos.

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

Downtown Greenville Engagement | Maddi and Ryan

Maddi and Ryan’s engagement session was unique for two reasons. One was that the couple planned the proposal together instead of one person. The other is that since this session was on the shortest day of the year, most of these photos were taken at night.

When Maddi and Ryan met, they connected over the fact that both of them had moved to Greenville from the northeast, and started talking about where to find good pizza. After about 2 years, they started talking about getting married. One thing they both knew was that they BOTH wanted to plan how they got engaged—not just one of them surprising the other. They knew they wanted to get engaged around Christmas with a Christmas tree.

Not only does winter solstice coincide with when Christmas lights are out, it also coordinated with Maddi’s love for the color black. She had a black teardrop ring with black nails that day. The proposal happened in front of an indoor Christmas tree, then we finished the session with the outdoor Christmas tree in the dark.  In between, we took some photos with other Christmas decorations and in Falls Park. When I heard that Maddi had a Medusa tattoo on her arm, I knew we had to get some photos with the Medusa tree! We also wanted some photos with poinsettias, partly because we all love poinsettias, and partly because the poinsettia is named for a South Carolina diplomat whose name is all over Greenville, including the hotel where the proposal happened.

Check out some of my favorite photos from Maddi and Ryan’s Christmas engagement session in downtown Greenville!

If you’re looking for a photographer in Greenville, read about my engagement and elopement services, and check out some of the other photos I’ve taken around downtown Greenville!

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

Falls Park Proposal | Jen and Joe

Joe wanted to move closer to family, so he looked into Greenville, South Carolina. As soon as he saw that he could have a downtown apartment within walking distance of a waterfall, he knew he had to check the place out for himself. Fast forward, and that waterfall became the place where he got engaged to someone he met at his downtown apartment building!

When Joe got the phone call from the jeweler to tell him the ring was ready, he knew he had to act quickly. Thanksgiving was only a few days away, and he wanted to be able to celebrate their engagement while they were with Jen's family for the holiday. Joe reached out to me the day after the ring came in, which was also the day before he wanted to propose. I showed him a proposal photo in Falls Park a few months earlier, and he said that spot looked perfect. Joe and Jen planned for an early dinner at Jianna, one of their favorite restaurants in downtown Greenville, but stopped at Falls Park along the way. I was sitting on the bench a few yards away, so I didn't hear what Joe said as he stood there with his arm around Jen, but I know that Jen said "yes" after Joe got down on one knee!

There was a street performer playing along with Frank Sinatra songs, so we had a romantic jazzy soundtrack on this fall day in downtown Greenville. We took some photos in front of the waterfall, but we also took some in front of the Medusa Tree and further into the woods, towards the Governor's School, where there aren't as many people. We ended in front of the street with a red maple that was lit up with Christmas lights!

Enjoy some of my favorite photos of Jen and Joe's proposal in Falls Park!

If you’re looking for a photographer in Greenville, read about my engagement and elopement services, and check out some of the other photos I’ve taken around downtown Greenville!

Ready for the best day ever?

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Engagement Photos in Falls Park | Krissie and Peyton

Krissie and Peyton are engaged!

They went to high school together in Illinois and started dating in college. Eventually, Krissie accepted a job in Greenville, while Peyton stayed in Illinois for medical school. One weekend when Peyton came to Greenville, he proposed to Krissie in Falls Park, so they wanted their engagement photos to be in the same place. They will be married in May in Illinois, right after Peyton finishes medical school.

We scheduled their fall engagement photos in downtown Greenville for the day after Peyton came into town. The temperature had just dropped significantly from the day before, giving us a cool, but still sunny, day for their photos. Even though most of the trees had lost their leaves by then, we still had some yellow in the trees and some brown leaves on the ground. I even found some maple leaves on the ground for the photos of Krissie's engagement ring, which coordinated with their burgundy outfits that seemed to contrast beautifully with every spot we found. Krissie and Peyton wanted some photos where Peyton proposed, which was on a rock in front of a smaller waterfall where the Reedy River flows in front of the Grand Bohemian Hotel. Falls Park was busy, but that spot was a lot quieter and more intimate.

After many years of taking photos in downtown Greenville, it's always so fun to hear about the places that stick out to other people because they might not be spots that I'd thought about before. We headed over to the part of the park that runs into the woods, past the Medusa tree and towards the Governor's School. It's really shady there and there's a tiny waterfall with some beautiful stone steps. We also really liked the stone bridge with the ivy on it, so we took some photos there. We finished the session over by the Wyche Pavilion and stood at the top of the stairs as the sun set behind the buildings. A beautiful ending to a fall evening.

Check out some of my favorites from Krissie and Peyton's engagement in downtown Greenville, South Carolina!

If you’re looking for a photographer in Greenville, read about my engagement and elopement services, and check out some of the other photos I’ve taken around downtown Greenville!

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 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

Maternity Photos at Lake Jocassee | Alexis and Skylar

Skylar and Alexis were my very first engagement session in 2017. 5 years later, they’re about to become parents, and I got to do their photos again!

Even though we knew each other in college, Dan and I have gotten closer with Alexis and Skylar in the time since their engagement session. Dan and Skylar play Dungeons and Dragons with two of their other friends every week. We’ve been on some hikes, and our dogs love playing together!

Alexis and Skylar trusted me when I told them a spot that was at the top of my bucket list for photos: Devils Fork State Park. This park is the only public access point to Lake Jocassee, which is the best combination of water and mountains you can find in South Carolina. This park gave us beach vibes, fall woodsy vibes, and mountains, all close together. The photo of Alexis and Skylar walking on the bridge to the dock is one of my new favorites!

Alexis is due in mid-November. As much as I wanted to have fall foliage in these photos, we had the session done on the first day of October. We didn’t want to do the session too close to Alexis’s due date for a few reasons. One is that sometimes babies arrive earlier than their due date and we didn’t want to miss the window. The other is that sometimes the last stretch of the pregnancy can be super uncomfortable, making it hard to move around, so we had the session around the 34 week mark.

We almost rescheduled the session because Hurricane Ian was coming through. A few days earlier, it said there was a 90% chance of rain that day. Luckily, the rain was done early that morning, and the sun came through just enough. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather that day, and I think the forecast scared a lot of people away from the park that day, so we almost had it to ourselves!

Usually at any point during the fall, I can find SOMETHING that has some fall color in it, and I’ll milk it for a photo session. One of the bushes I found happened to be next to a beauty berry bush, which has some interesting colors in the fall—lime green leaves with electric purple berries!

I hope that one day, Alexis and Skylar’s daughter will enjoy looking at photos of the weeks before she was born. In the meantime, check out some of my favorite photos from Alexis and Skylar’s maternity photos at Devils Fork State Park!

If you’re looking for a photographer, check out some of my other work at Devils Fork State Park, then read about my elopement and engagement services!

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

Rock Quarry Garden Engagement | Ashlee and John

Ashlee and John are engaged! If you love dogs, gardens, or roses, you’ll love this proposal!

When I talked with John about his proposal plan, he knew he wanted to make it a picnic in a beautiful place with their dogs. They like to have picnics together in pretty places all over the upstate with their dogs, Pepper and Randy. He chose Rock Quarry Garden, one of their favorite places to have a picnic. This beautiful little garden is hidden between two streets in downtown Greenville, with a staircase on each side to lead you down into it.

It was a beautiful Friday evening in September, and John had told Ashlee they were going to a nice dinner with Pepper and Randy. Instead, they parked at Rock Quarry Garden and walked into it. Their family had set up a beautiful picnic there, complete with champagne, roses, rose petals, pictures of them, and a bottle of personalized M&Ms! There was a card addressed to Ashlee, signed with both dogs’ paw prints, asking if they could be siblings. When Ashlee finished reading the card, she turned around and saw John on one knee with the ring! Ashley wasn’t expecting this at all, and Randy looked so surprised in the photos!

We took pictures around Rock Quarry Garden until the sun was gone. There was a small waterfall at one side and a beautiful stone bridge at the other, with plenty of colorful plants in between. There was a statue of a little girl with a dog who looked a lot like Pepper, so we had to take photos with that too. After we packed everything up, John took Ashlee to a surprise dinner with their families!

Check out some of my favorite photos of Ashlee and John’s engagement at Rock Quarry Garden!

If you’re looking for a photographer in Greenville, read more about my engagement and elopement services!

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!

Lake Lure Engagement | Andrew and Lindsey

Lindsey and Andrew had been friends since FIRST GRADE and have been together for the last 3 years. Andrew decided he wanted to propose while they were in the Asheville area. He saw my blog post from Leah and Jacob’s proposal at Chimney Rock State Park and reached out to me about taking photos of him proposing to Lindsey in the same spot.

We talked on the phone and planned it all out. I sent him a map with different spots marked and sent him some photos from Leah and Jacob’s proposal to tell him where to stand without being blocked by the fence. We aimed to get there right when it opens so we could have the best lighting and the place to ourselves. We planned everything perfectly!

Except it didn’t work out.

When I got to the park, the staff told me that the park was closed until further notice. Some trees had fallen into the road and taken some power lines down with them. Andrew and Lindsey went into a nearby coffee shop while I parked near the park entrance and watched the cars continue to be turned away. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to reopen, so I sent Andrew a video I had taken at the only other scenic place I knew around there: the Flowering Bridge at Lake Lure. He took a minute to think and decided we should go for it!

The Flowering Bridge is a small botanical garden on the side of the road, just a few minutes away from the entrance to Chimney Rock State Park. It covers a bridge that starts to go over Lake Lure and comes back to the road. Parts of the garden are themed, and you can see Chimney Rock from there.

Andrew decided to propose on part of the bridge that overlooks the water. Lindsey said that it was a perfect spot because she loves flowers. With all the flowers and herbs, it just smelled so good! To top it off, there were tons of butterflies and bees flying around, which Lindsey loves. Andrew remembered Lindsey chasing butterflies back in first grade, when they first met. Lindsey asked me to take a photo of them on her Polaroid that she brings everywhere with her, so they immediately had one photo to take home.

Even though this wasn’t at all what we planned, we’re all happy with how the day went! Check out some of my favorites of Lindsey and Andrew’s engagement at the Flowering Bridge at Lake Lure!

Read more about Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, and if you’re looking for a photographer, read about my elopement services and my engagement services!

Ready for the best day ever?

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Greenville, SC Proposal | Destiny and Pat

Destiny thought the family dinner and portrait session were to celebrate her birthday a day early. What she didn’t know was that I’d met with her mom, her sister, and her boyfriend a few weeks earlier to plan a proposal.

It started storming right when I got to Larkin’s, where Destiny was having her birthday dinner. I stayed in the Wyche Pavilion, waiting for the rain to pass, but it never did. I texted Destiny’s mom and said that I would walk Destiny to the pavilion with my umbrellas. Destiny and I chatted a few minutes as I took some photos of her. I moved her into better lighting and sent her mom a quick text saying, “Ready.”

The next few portraits have someone in the background, who I didn’t edit out. Pat got closer and closer until he was right behind Destiny, and he got down on one knee. I told Destiny to stay where she was while I changed angles. I moved about 90 degrees and several steps backwards, took a few photos, and told her to face the other direction, where she finally saw Pat! After he shared a few words with her, he asked her to marry him, and she said yes as their families watched through the window from under the awning at Larkin’s. Natasia, who Destiny thought was just a random person taking shelter from the rain, played a few songs on violin that were special to Destiny and Pat, and they shared a slow dance in the pavilion.

The rain didn’t stop for more than a few minutes at a time, so we mostly stayed in the pavilion, but took some other portraits outside of it with my umbrellas. After six years together, Destiny and Pat were both so relieved that the day had finally come.

Check out some of my favorites from Destiny and Pat’s proposal in downtown Greenville!

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