Beauty & Beard Photography — Joyous Wedding Day at Windsor Manor

Back in December when we first met with this sweet couple, we learned about their big day at one of our favorite venues, Windsor Manor, as well as some of their story as a couple. They met in highschool and dated for a few years. Then she went off to college in Savannah for 7 years and then moved back to the Augusta area and they’ve been inseparable ever since!

The wedding day was overcast most of the day which made for a good bit of humidity but, it was perfect for photos since everything was even lighting. Once we arrived and made our way to the bridal suite, we said hello to everyone and started with details right away. We absolutely loved all of the little details that they came with and Dalton’s peacock bow tie was a super great pop of color to include. Once we finished the details and did the photos of the girls in their robes, we got Dalton to start getting ready for them to exchange letters. As he was finishing up getting ready with his guys, we did a first look with Amber and her girls which made for some super sweet moments in the photos. Right after that we did the first look with her dad and the letter exchange. One of our favorite parts of the day was the letter exchange (which was funny but you may have to see the video later for that) and letter reading where we had some one on one time and got to hear what they wrote for each other which was so sweet. At this point we had all of the girls ready and together so we did their group photos quickly as well as a few bridal portraits. Next was the guys turn for their group photos and then into the ceremony as everyone lined up. The ceremony from the start already had so much joy as Dalton gave everyone fist bumps down the aisle (including me) which was a great start. Once everyone had made their way down the aisle, it was time for the bride. The pure joy on Dalton’s face when he saw her was contagious and we found ourselves smiling the entire time. Once they said their vows and kissed, Amber gave a little “raise the roof” gesture and everyone was cheering for the newlyweds as they made their way back up the aisle as husband and wife. It’s at this point that we switched into family photo mode to try and quickly get everything needed so the family could go start the party a little bit. Once all of that was finished, we did a few fun photos with the whole bridal party and of course the couples portraits that we love doing. At this point, we were a little bit ahead of schedule so they brought the bridal party some drinks on a tray as Amber was having her dress bustled for the reception. We made our way over to the reception to prepare while taking a small breather of our own.

This reception was an absolute party that was so much fun to be a part of. From the very beginning announcement for the entire wedding party, they all danced their way in, each with a fun twist. We wanted to include more of those in this blog post but, there’s so many good moments that it would have made the blog post very long and taken longer to organize so, maybe be on the lookout for those in Amber and Dalton’s posts soon. As the newlyweds made their way into the reception, they danced right over to have some of the wedding party where they were handed drinks. They each took a sip and started their first dance where they shared so many adorable facial expressions showing their love and just laughing at each other or themselves in a series of small moments. They then transitioned into the Daddy/Daughter dance and the photo of Amber looking at her dad and the joy and proud expressions on both of them showed how much this moment meant to them both. As they finished and Mother/Son dance started, we knew to be prepared for them to break out into a fun choreographed dance but, that was about all we knew. We knew in our heads that they would probably face the crowd then and we need a wider angle lens just in case they were moving a lot which worked perfectly. I don’t know how else to explain the dance they went into after their traditional slow dance besides just fun. There will be more on that in the highlight film for sure. At this point, the party was going and everyone started to dance a little bit or migrated to watch the game on their outdoor TV setup so they could keep up with what was happening. After a little time had passed, we did the cake cutting inside with a few people and the speeches as well. There were two great and heartfelt speeches given by their Best Man and MOH. We also did the bouquet toss and garter removal/toss which also had a lot of fun moments that were hard to narrow down for the blog. At this point, the party was in full swing and everyone was drinking and dancing. The last few photos show this sweet moment where Amber requested a song that was in memory of her late brother, Hunter and everyone surrounded her dancing which led to a moment where she felt so overwhelmed that she got teary eyed and everyone hugged her (I’m not crying, you’re crying). We then ended our time with them doing a fake sendoff with some fun white ribbons that everyone waved around as they made their way down the line and stopped for one last kiss surrounded by their loved ones. We then found ourselves in conversation with his Mom and got to say bye to everyone on our way out. It was an honor to be a part of this beautiful day and we’re so excited for what the future holds for Mr. and Mrs. Williams!