married // caroline & sam // dairy barn, fort mill, sc // pt. 2

(you can see part 1 right here..) we had touch and go weather all day. at the end of the ceremony, after we got done with their pictures, the dark clouds parted and a giant double rainbow brushed across the sky. they climbed the silo and just held each other, with all their friends and family looking on. it was absolutely beautiful.

there were so many wonderful moments during their day that i can't even remember half of them. it was just a priceless collection of moments that truly reminded me of how a wedding day is supposed to go: drama-free, light-hearted and truly about the couple and their union. in fact, my favorite moment was a sweet time after they did communion, exchanged vows and were announced as husband and wife: the entire crowd erupted in applause and cheered for them. they have a giant and awesome network of loving family and friends (who have since totally embraced me. i'm lookin' at you, shannon!)

my words are failing me, so i'll end with this: sam, the second you turned to me and said "you're not just our photographer, you're our friend." - that's when it all made sense. the day fell together into beautiful pieces and my heart swelled with love for you and your bride. thank you to you both for embracing me, my weirdness, my pup, and wanting to love me and be my friend. i'm so grateful for you! 

(huge thank you erica serrano for shooting alongside me. you're the absolute best.)

married // caroline & sam // dairy barn, fort mill, sc // pt. 1

"i never would've imagined that i would've ended up with someone like him,

and he came out of nowhere, but he fit me perfectly."

whewwww. let me catch my breath.

i really don't know if i'm ready to write this post. .... but here goes.

________

they fell in love over a mutual liking of gilmore girls (no judgement, sam) and an old black dining table. then he asked her out over a bowl of soup he brought her when she was sick.

caroline and sam are some of the greatest loveliest sweetest kindest BEST people i've had a privilege of knowing and becoming close with. they're young and in love and incredible and have this playfulness with each other that i've never seen before.

alongside a brief initial writeup, she sent me their proposal video, and I DIED and knew i wanted to shoot their wedding. so i crossed my fingers and emailed her back.  we instantly clicked and once i met her, i just wanted to be her friend. or her older sister. or both. {click here if you want to swoooon.}

caroline is the kind of person who is cool without even realizing it. she's sweet and has a gentle spirit and this quirky style and the most creative mind i've seen in a really long time. she's wise beyond her years and her entire personality is like one big hug. i know i sound crazy, but i just love this girl. and sam? sam is the kind of guy that makes you feel immediately welcome, even if it's with a barrage of sarcastic comments. he's a big bear whose also sweet and gentle and man, does he loves caroline. i met him and immediately liked him because he made me feel like way more than just some photographer. he made me feel like a long-lost friend.

their wedding was a blend of tradition and handmade details with vintage finds. caroline looked stunning in her bhldn dress and thrifted or made almost every detail. it was all set up by family and friends. her brother made the beautiful farm tables used in the reception hall and caroline HAND PAINTED the backdrop for the ceremony. it's a quote from her favorite book, anne of green gables (which sam also gave to her as her wedding present, an old and worn copy). her flowers were by the wonderfully talented kelly perry of philosophy flowers and all of the hand lettering is done by evane corder (she's crazyyyy good!) .. she even had her friends play & sing during the wedding (including her and sam's first dance, "caroline" originally by noah gunderson, sung by stephen of jude moses).

i'll leave you with this quote (which is the wording from their backdrop) for part one of their gorgeous wedding, which you can also see on ruffled right here.

"i don't want sunbursts and marble halls. i just want you! sunbursts and marble halls may be all very well but there is more scope for imagination without them. and as for the waiting ... that doesn't matter. we'll just be happy, waiting and working for each other and dreaming. oh, dreams will be very sweet now. they walked home together in the dusk, king and queen of the bridal realm of love."

DAY AFTER SESSION // ASHLEY & GRAY // MORNING GLORY FARMS

I had the ultimate pleasure of shooting my sister's best friend's day-after wedding pictures! As it goes, it didn't work out for me to shoot their wedding, but I wanted to have the chance to have these two in front of my camera at least once, so they made the trip back from Winston the morning after their wedding to do a quick session at my favorite Morning Glory Farms (thanks SO MUCH, Nan!) Ashley and Gray are literally a match made in Heaven. They're beautiful (inside and out), kind-hearted, welcoming and gentle souls who love everyone around them to the ends of the earth. Oh, and that pile of letters? From Gray to Ashley on the days leading up to their wedding.. she read them (and I'm assuming WEPT) the morning of their wedding day. Did I mention thoughtful on their long list of adjectives to describe these two?

"We sat side by side in the morning light and looked out at the future together."

MARRIED // KELLY & JEREMY // SUMMERVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA

"And I will be eternally grateful he didn't give up forever."

I literally can't say enough about Kelly and Jeremy.

They're kind, quirky, loving souls who have such a comfortable, quiet love for one another.

Their engagement session was so beautiful (you can see that here) and it really gave me a sense of the playful spirit they have as a couple - I knew their wedding day would be absolutely no different!

I was lucky enough to have my favorite person, Alicia, by my side for our weekend in Charleston and she shot alongside me & helped create so much magic from Kelly&Jeremy's big day. We still talk about how beautiful it was, almost 2 months later.

Walking up to the venue the day before their wedding, we were faced with some unexpected issues (random construction where the ceremony site was supposed to be, along with fantastic orange fencing) that could have made Kelly break down and have a total bridezilla moment, but she's probably the calmest person I've ever met (I mean she invited us to yoga the morning of her wedding!) - and we looked for the positive instead of freaking out, moved the ceremony site under a gigantic, gorgeous spanish moss tree and that was that.

They got ready a floor apart from each other in the main house at The Ponds in Summerville - a special place where Jeremy used to fish with his dad as a child.. Unfortunately, his dad is no longer with us but you could feel his spirit all around on their beautiful wedding day - I'm sure he'd be so incredibly proud of the guy Jeremy is and the way their family has grown together.

The four of us (Alicia, myself, Nicci & Sol - the creative minds behind Bunch Collective) walked them separately to the first look location, along with Kelly's awesome sis Candace, and I know I wasn't the only one holding back tears as Jeremy twirled his bride in her wedding dress, then pulled her close for a hug and a kiss. (I love first looks so much, they're such a beautiful, intimate way to spend 30-40 min of your wedding day. Why wouldn't a bride and groom want extra time alone?!)

The sun set just as the reception was starting, and it was a beautiful night with a light breeze, perfect temperature and golden glow. Everyone was so happy just to experience the celebration of two wonderful souls uniting, I've never seen a wedding day go so smoothly.

I really just want to tell you two (my sweet, sweet couple with pretty little mouthes - don't worry, it's an inside joke) that I can't tell you how much I appreciate you and the amount of trust you had in me for your day. Thank you for going with the flow and getting weird. Love you two.

So this is the point where my words are failing me, but I have a couple little excerpts from their initial questionnaire they filled out when they inquired with me. Enjoy! 

From Kelly: We met a few years ago at the Neighborhood Theater through my now brother-in-law. According to him, I blew him off, which admittedly, I kinda did. I was enjoying my single lady life, and didn't even have time for handsome bearded musicians! Anyways, we ran into each other here and there and would have awkward conversations about my love of fro-yo and stuff like that. We went on a few dates at the end of which I high-fived him, pretty much every time. GEEZ! He gave up for a few months, then tried again, and I was still high fivin'... Much later, when my sister and brother-in-law got married, they hired his band for their wedding. Lots of flirting from the microphone from him and strategic nonchalant dancing in front of him with cute flower girls from me. He was not a free man, so I figured that was that. Until...I was at a friend's house with my sister and the topic of our missed love connection came up. I learned a lot of things that made me fall in love with him a little bit including that he was now available. He had a show that night that we all went to, and he walked me to my car and asked to try again. Of course, it took a while, but over the next few months we started to hang out and fell really in love.

From Jeremy: (What has been a beautiful moment in your life?) When I saw Kelly at her sister's wedding. My band was playing the reception. I hadn't seen her in 6-8 months. I knew that I should be with her. (What's the most important thing to you about your wedding day?) That Kelly and I are able to provide,enjoy, and remember a positive experience. In other words... throw a BITCHIN' party.

HUGE thank you to my sweet friend alicia white for coming with me and being the best second shooter EVER.

Kelly had their families' wedding dresses on display!

Look at this dapper little dude.

My goodness gracious. I cant handle these little flower babes with their moccasins and flower crowns. They were so well behaved, too!

Jeremy wore his Dad's tie pin!

I have to specifically give credit to Alicia for this gorgeous shot. I LOVE the gold texture in the background.

Kelly had the most beautiful flowers I've seen in a while.

Jeremy wears his Dad's wedding ring! I love the thought that went into their details for the day. So personal.

Steve, their cat, couldn't make it. He was there in spirit.

Kelly - Jeremy: Wedding Day from bunch collective on Vimeo.