garden gathered

Dalton & Amber

 

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!

 

Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Venue - Windsor Manor

Wedding Planner - Katlyn Gates

Dress - Tiffinie Bleu

Makeup- Stephanie King

Hair - Kayla Huffman

Caterer - Tastefully Done

Bartender - GQ Style Bartending

Flowers - April Kroger

DJ - Shane & Dale Music

Bow Tie - Brackish Bow Ties

Jason & Alyssa

 

We had the joy of meeting up with Jason and Alyssa for their engagement session back in the Fall of 2020. You can see that session here. We got to learn about the amazing work that they both do and even get a good feel for their fun sense of humor. Fast forward to the wedding day at one of our favorites, Windsor Manor in Augusta, GA. Every time we shoot a wedding there, I swear Ian has done something new again and we get to try out new things and this was no exception!

On the wedding day, we arrived early to start on details as we normally do and got to meet up with the guys for a bit since the girls were showing up already hair and makeup ready to go. Once we said hey and the girls arrived, we split up to cover details and some different venue shots. Morgan stayed with the girls and got to capture this super sweet gift that Alyssa’s Mom gave to her (pictured below) and they had a super sweet moment. At the same time, I was in the room with the guys getting ready and joking around before heading out to do their group photos. I had our third shooter Tom with me outside and we had a great time getting to know everyone a little more. We quickly finished up the group and individual photos with the guys and then just a few of Jason by himself before sending them back up to their room so we can get the girls to do the same thing. In the process of Alyssa finishing up getting ready, her Dad snuck into the room and we had a bit of a surprise first look that went perfectly as he may or may not have shed a few tears and we may or may not have as well. Once that amazing moment had passed, we took the girls outside to do their group photos before getting ready for the first look. We had everyone outside to watch from a distance for the first look and I ran to get Jason from inside and also to mic him for the first look. Once we had him in place for the first look, we moved out of the way to capture it and let them have their own moment. It was so sweet, Jason held back tears as much as he could. We then went straight into the full Bridal Party photos and had a few funny ones in there.

Now it was time for the Ceremony and we had set up everything we needed to set up. So we’re photographing guests arriving and then everyone coming down the aisle all the way to the moment where the Bride walks down the aisle. This is one of those perfect scenarios and examples of times where the first look only adds to the day and makes it less stressful but, the moment of the Bride walking down the aisle still has an amazing reaction. Long story short, everyone got teary eyed again and there was so much joy in that garden. Once they exchanged vows and rings, they kissed and with a fun little twist, walked up the aisle with everyone blowing bubbles! Once everyone had made it out, we took care of the family photos with everyone to make sure we got everything and then went around the venue grounds with the newlyweds to do their couples photos which is always fun. We finished those up and then they made their way inside to prepare for their announcement into the reception and first dance. They shared a beautiful slow dance and also the father/daughter and mother/son dances were super sweet. After the dances, they transitioned into the speeches by the Bride’s Father and then Jason’s best man Humberto who we actually have the honor of capturing his wedding day in December. That was also followed by Alyssa’s Matron of Honor, Rebecca who gave an emotional speech to her best friend. From that point on pretty much, the dance floor was open as well as the cake cutting, bouquet toss and garter toss that took place. As the night was winding down and actually dark enough for the exit, we Mike (the DJ) announce to everyone to meet us where we would do the glow stick exit. As everyone was in place, we made our way walking backwards as the happy couple walked in front of us and had them stop and kiss about half way. Everyone was cheering and so happy to be a part of this amazing couple’s wedding day. Once we made it all the way and they kissed one more time, they made their way back over to the dance floor and we made our way to parking lot. It was such a fun wedding and we felt like we were just an extension of the bridal party most of the day. We are so happy for them and look forward to catching up in December at Humberto and Teresa’s wedding day.

 

Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Venue - Windsor Manor

Catering- Silver palm

Dress- Elegant Bridals

DJ - Magic Sounds Production (DJ Magic Mike)

Florist- Rachel Frisell (Garden Gathered Flowers)

Ben & Kayla

 

Another case of rescheduling done right during Covid-19 times! You may remember this couple from their dreamy engagement session in Jekyll Island which you can see here. That was in September of 2019 and they originally planned to hold the ceremony at another one of our favorite local venues, Quinney Oaks but then set their eyes on Enterprise for this year when everything had to change and we have to say, it turned out perfectly! We haven’t been to Enterprise photographing a wedding in a while so there’s even been some changes since we were last there on the bridal suite side of things. Once we found out where we were going, we started with details and talking with all of the girls to see how their day has been thus far. The dress from Tiffinie Bleu Bridal is just dreamy and perfect for Kayla and that’s where we started so that we could have it done and ready if she needed to get into it. We also did some fun photos with the girls in their robes before leaving them to finish getting ready and dressed to visit the guys and catch up with Ben a little bit. They were at the perfect point of getting ready to where we could just start photographing them and head straight out to do their group photos quickly. We have to say that Ben’s guys kept us laughing a good bit and it’s always fun to have those types of interactions through the whole day keeping everyone laughing and enjoying even the in between moments. As we finished up with the guys, the bride’s father showed up perfectly on time for us to get her ready for the first look with him downstairs in the hall. They shared such a sweet moment and then I walked back with Kayla’s dad to get Ben ready for the bride and groom first look. While we were doing that, Morgan captured some sweet moments with Kayla and her mom “Connie” exchanging gifts and cards.

Now once we found the spot that would be decent light but also somewhat hidden away, we set up the bride and groom’s first look and well…you can see for yourself that they were very happy to see each other and it was super sweet. While we had the two of them, we went off for a few minutes to do some couples portraits all around the property and recreated some of their favorite old photos even. Then they went to take a moment and everyone was showing up for the ceremony so we got in our places and mic’d Ben for their ceremony film so they had good audio. From there on, it was smooth sailing and all smiles for literally everyone taking in the ceremony and seeing all of their loved ones around them while they exchanged their vows underneath the chandelier and floral decor. Once they said their I do’s (they had done this once together due to the reschedule), they kissed and made their way happily up the aisle together. They took a right at the bell and we all made our way to do family and bridal party photos quickly before heading to the reception. Once we got into the reception, we photographed the details quickly and said hey to our friends at Amplified Events as we always leave our bags behind their booth and have always loved working with their team closely! Once everyone got settled in and the couple was ready, everyone got announced into the reception with a fun entrance into the couple’s first dance. Then they went straight into the father/daughter and mother/son dances where you can just feel the proud parent emotions from the other side of the room. Next, we cut the cake and opened up the dance floor where a family friend that does dance instructing got to share a dance with the bride’s mother and bring some others to the dance floor as well. At that point, it was perfectly timed for us to go do some sunset photos with the couple as well and boy were they dreamy. We even had some of the tour ferries coming back in as we made our way up that turned out to have some of our dear friends who were married at Enterprise on it (we didn’t find out until later when we saw them) and that made for a very nice surprise on our part!

The night approached and it was time for the other half of the reception to start up (you know the part with the lights, smoke and a lot of dancing). So we started with the bouquet and garter tosses then toasts to kick off the rest of the festivities. No sooner than everyone putting down their glasses after the final toast did the dance floor open up and the photobooth fill up. We split up and watched the night unravel until it was almost time for the exit which would be done with dried flower petals that were placed into very cute little boxes for everyone. Once everyone was lined up and their signs they had made for the end of the exit were in place, we started our way with flower petals flying everywhere and they shared a kiss at the end just before hopping into their getaway SUV. The bride shared a few hugs with her parents and everyone waved as they drove away into the night which then ended our night as well. We headed back inside to pack up and say bye to our friends at Amplified and then said bye to Connie and everyone else that we could find before heading back home ourselves. It was literally a perfect wedding day and even further proves that even in times like these, good things are still worth the wait. I don’t know that you could have asked for more perfect weather and a happier wedding day celebration. We’re excited to see what the Dieterich’s have ahead of them!

 
enterprise mill wedding

Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Venue - Enterprise Mill

Event Coordinator - Rohdy Events & Design

Dress - Tiffinie Bleu Bridal

DJ - Amplified Events

Catering - Fat Man’s Cafe

Cake - Publix and Nothing Bundt Cakes

Photobooth (Mirror) - Georgia Photo Booth Company

Hair & Makeup - Bang Studio

Flowers - Rachel Frisell (Garden Gathered Flowers & Events)

David & Lindsay

 

As we often do here lately, we met with this sweet couple and the bride’s family a while ago via Zoom. It was very easy to tell that we would enjoy this couple and that Lindsay laughed so much and it was contagious! We had the joy of photographing their engagement session which you can see here. Also recently, we did her bridal session which you can see in the photos at the reception.

Their wedding day started as most weddings where we show up and say hey and then start on details asap. This was actually the first where we brought a little styling board to use for some details which worked out nicely with their colors. Once we finished the details, we did a little bit of the getting ready for the girls and then went to photograph the guys on the other side of the church. A few swedish fish to help Lachlan enjoy the photos even more and we were done quickly then headed back to get Lindsay’s mom helping her with the last few dress details. Once she was all ready, we got her dad to come in for a first look in the same spot that her sisters did and it turned out beautifully! He said it was such a bittersweet moment because it’s his last daughter getting married but he was so happy and proud of her. Then we did a few photos with the girls in front of the church just before they all had to get lined up for the ceremony. The ceremony required us to stay further back which is common in Catholic churches but that’s no problem at all. You can see Morgan had a spot to get on the floor level and I was up on the balcony capturing everyone once they were passing her. Once they both were down the aisle together and all smiles, they said their vows and prayed before getting to kiss and make their way back up the aisle as husband and wife. Once everyone made it up the aisle and the guests were dismissed, we went back to the front for family formals and bridal party photos. We also took a few of the couple here just before heading to the reception.

Once we arrived at the Marbury Center, we quickly hopped into action and photographed details and the inside of the location. Then once the couple showed up, we confirmed details with them and made sure everything was set for entering until we realized we were two groomsmen short but there was no need to fear for they showed up rather promptly after. The couple even shared a short practice dance outside which was such a cute moment. Once the guys arrived, everyone lined up and the dj announced everyone in. Once everyone had danced their way in, the couple came in and went straight into their first dance. Lindsay of course laughing and David of course making her laugh, made for an adorable first dance. Next Lindsay’s father came out for the father-daughter dance which then transitioned into everyone eating and the dance floor opening. Once the dance floor opened, we got to see a moment for one of Lindsay’s sisters watching her husband dance with their daughter while all of the couples slow danced and it was just beautiful to watch take place. The dancing slowed down just a little and it was time to cut the cake so, we all made our way over to get ready and David and Lindsay cut the cake and fed each other. The dance floors then opened back up for a bit and then they did probably one of our favorites parts of the day which was the Dollar Dance which is where you can pay a dollar (or however much you want) by giving to her sister in this case to put in an apron and that allows you a spin with the bride to polka music. In this case, she spun you off to the other side where you could take a shot which made for any even funnier event. This went on for quite a while and we watched Lindsay’s niece and nephew hop back in line (someone was paying their way I am pretty sure) countless times and tiring out the bride. Once everyone had their share of spins, we setup the bouquet toss and garter toss. Then everyone danced a little more and we setup the sparkler exit out front. It was a fake exit so once they joyfully made their way through the row of sparklers, they walked towards their car a little bit then came back to enjoy conversation with their closest friends and family. It was at this point that we got ready to leave but took a few more photos of the kids playing with the last bit of their sparkler in the courtyard out back and then said our goodbyes to the family. We are so excited for the great things this couple has ahead of them and hope to hear some more of Lindsay’s singing sooner than later!

 

Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Venues - St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church & Marbury Center

Dress and Bridesmaid Dresses - Elegant Bridals

Engagement Ring - Atlanta Diamond Design

Wedding Band - Haley Baird

Groom’s Ring - Manly Bands

DJ - Dwayne Hopkins

Catering - Roux’s Catering

Cake - Summer’s Temptations

Hair - His and Her Hair Salon (Bridgit Dresser)

Flowers - Garden Gathered