Beauty & Beard Photography — Stunning Back Yard and Chapel Wedding Day in Augusta, GA

We can officially say we have photographed our last wedding of 2020 which is such a bittersweet sentence but, this last one went out with a bang! We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding to end out the weddings for this year and we cannot say enough kind things about Leverett and Elizabeth. The entire wedding day you can literally feel the love from their families surrounding them and how in love/perfect they are for each other.

It’s always a joy to work with Wesley Cadle and his crew on a wedding but, this one was different and was close to home since the groom’s mother is one of his best friends. We knew right off the bat that it would be a special day and it started with meeting everyone in the kitchen gathered around enjoying each other’s company. Not too long after, Leverett made his way upstairs to his old bedroom to finish getting ready. We talked about some of the amazing details like his shoes and the custom cuff links that his bride to be bought for him. Then before too long his brother came and visited and helped him with a few last touches while we awaited the bride to arrive. He stayed in his room for a little while to avoid the chance of seeing her too early. Once she arrived and was finished getting ready, it was time for their first look. This was more than just one first look though, one of his best friends surprised him by showing up the first time in a dress unexpectedly and Leverett was surprised and couldn’t stop laughing. After they laughed and took a few photos together, it was time for the real first look with his bride. He turned back around and she came out then told him to turn around and he was again surprised and filled with joy at the sight of his beautiful bride. Once they finished their moment together, we took a few family photos and then headed into the yard just a little behind the pool area for some photos with the happy couple.

As we arrived to the chapel located at the Church of the Good Shepherd, it was getting to be a little darker and we learned that this would actually be the first wedding in the chapel which is really cool. We took a few photos in front of some of the beautiful architecture of the church with Leverett and Elizabeth as well as some family photos just before we went inside to start the ceremony. It was an intimate ceremony in a pretty dark but beautiful chapel room and their families gave beautiful scripture readings and one of our favorite parts after they said their vows and kissed was the fact that they did communion with the groom’s grandparents. The oldest marriage and the youngest marriage sharing in communion in a room alone and we had the honor of capturing such a beautiful moment for them. Once that was finished, we made our way back to the house from the earlier part of the day to have one last big party before his mom sold the house. There was an amazing 4 course meal and as they walked around with the champagne for everyone, the toasts began to start and everyone came outside. There were many toasts and amazing things were said including one of the funniest speeches we have ever heard delivered by his grandfather that until that moment seemed to be relatively quiet. Everyone erupted with laughter and more toasts were given welcoming the couple into the other family and showing an abundance of love. As soon as they were finishing up with hugging everyone and most of the crowd was still there, we took a big group photo of everyone and then started taking everyone out to do the exit. As they made their way towards the Classic Toyota SUV, everyone cheered and threw flower pedals. Once they hopped into the SUV, we had them share one last kiss and say goodbye to everyone before everyone hopped in the limo to go to Bodega Ultima for their after party. We are so excited for the joining of these beautiful families and cannot wait to see what the future holds for Leverett and Elizabeth!