halee's sweet bites — Beauty & Beard PhotographyBlog

Well, this one is another one close to heart which is crazy that our past 3 blog posts were good friends before. For some perspective, we photographed their best friends’ wedding back in 2017, their whole friend group getting baptized the following year following great loss of their friends and then Matt also went on a mission trip to Haiti with us in 2019. A lot has happened since then that has brought this couple’s family together even still and getting to know we’ve photographed so many big events for their lives is so special but, this day at a friends event property on the Savannah River of course holds such a huge and special place in the list.

The day itself started with us meeting up with Rashelle (our 3rd shooter for the day) and saying hey to everyone. We instantly grabbed details from Anna for photos and I made my way downstairs with the guys for some getting ready photos and once we finished all of those up, we took the dress outside and got to take some adorable photos of their daughters in the dress just before Anna got into the dress as well. As soon as she was in her dress, we got their boys mic’d up and in place for a first look with Anna and honestly the boys are just hilarious in general and their reactions were funny but they still had a loving moment too which then transitioned straight into the next first look with her Step Dad and Brother. It was super sweet and they all shared some great hugs and that was bringing us close to ceremony time but we had one more thing to do which was their first touch right before for them to just hear each other’s voices and say how excited they were. The ceremony started with everyone being driven down the hill on a trailer attached to the back of a truck and once they hopped off the back and formed a line, everyone made their way down the aisle with a few stars of the show being all of the kids and then their flower man/beer passer outer guy. During the ceremony the whole family came up to complete a unity puzzle and they also exchanged some beautiful and personally written vows. After they said their I-do’s and sealed the deal with a kiss. They walked back up the aisle together as the Joyner’s and as they started taking the chairs up to the reception tent, we transitioned into family and wedding party photos leading into their couple’s portraits which fell into Golden Hour perfectly for some gorgeous sunset light.

As everyone prepared to enter into the reception tent, they all planned out what to do. Once they began entering, they all danced or did something as a fun gesture which the finale was Matt and Anna entering in with a twirl into their first dance. That sweet dance was then followed by Anna and her Step Dad sharing a dance and then Matt and his Mom as well. Everyone then went to get some delicious tacos for dinner. As the night rolled around more and the open dance floor was filled, it began turning more and more into a hilarious and fun party for everyone. At one point they took a break and made their way inside to cut the cake and even shared some with their youngest Blakeleigh. From there, it was even more open dance floor, bouquet and garter tosses then the last big formal event was toasts. They had a few that were planned toasts and then a few that weren’t and it’s easily to tell that everyone loves and cherishes the Joyner family so much. They ranged from everyone crying to everyone belly laughing so, I can only imagine how those will turn out for the wedding videos later. We ended our night with them at the sparkler exit by the front porch and streamed lights which worked out perfectly. We love this family and are excited for their future and seeing the kiddos growing up over the years to come!

Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Flowers - Lings Moment

Cake - Halee’s Sweet Bites

Men’s Attire - Simon’s Formal Wear

DJ - David Doane

Dress - Elegant Bridals

We had honor of meeting Clint and Sjane way back when Covid-19 wasn’t even a thought yet and got to talk about them and their relationship like how he proposed at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken trying to make it out to be an anniversary photo shoot and not have the family hiding spoil anything and of course she said yes and was still surprised!

Fast forward some and we got to meet up in April for their engagement session at Brick Pond Park/Hammond’s Ferry which can be seen HERE. One of the first things we saw showing up to the wedding day was those photos blown up beautifully around the reception area and framed with really good taste we must say. It made for such a gorgeous way to surround everything with their love and story which, we are all about!

Now that we’re on the wedding day, this was our first time at Ashton Cole Place and we have to say that it’s nothing short of breathtaking. So much thought and gorgeous spots to use for photos that we could have spent the entire day photographing around the property. We started the day the same way we start every wedding day, details and getting ready photos but we have to say that the flat lay details when we set them up on a vintage white table they had in the bridal suite turned out so gorgeous! Once we did all of the details and the bride was ready, we went right outside of the bridal suite to do a first look with her dad. He called it beforehand that we were trying to make him cry and that it was going to work, what we didn’t know would happen is that the girls would be crying in the window behind them watching. (okay, we knew they would be watching but didn’t think about the crying part) Every moment was beautiful as he turned around and saw his baby girl in her dress that reminded him of her mother’s dress and we can only imagine that all of the thoughts rushing in at that moment about the family in South Africa that couldn’t be there and how happy he was that she found someone like Clint. Going from one beautiful moment full of joy and tears, we fast forward to the next one when Clint is waiting at the altar for her and her dad to walk down and as the doors opened up to present her for the first time, he lost it. That also got to his mom and she started crying so before long, pretty much everyone was crying and smiling at the same time. (us included) Once they got through their hand written vows laughing and crying and sealed the deal with a kiss, they joyfully made their way back up the aisle as husband and wife to go and start on family photos while the guests all went over to cocktail hour. We knocked out the family photos and bridal party photos before walking around more with the newly weds and saved the best for last to go to the pond (they really love water photos and ponds). Once we finished that, it was time for them to lineup and head into the reception and start their dances and they were all so sweet and sentimental. They finished the dances and before long, it was time for the speeches. Her dad stepped out and welcomed Clint to the family and thanked him for being the man he is as well as looked back on Sjane as a little girl. Then one of the groomsmen stepped up to read notes from the family in South Africa that couldn’t be there for the wedding and they were all so beautifully written and you could even feel the welcoming and loving nature of the whole family through just the reading of their words. the Best man, maid of honor and matron of honor all gave lovely speeches as well and everyone raised a glass in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Gantt. They danced the night away and it got pretty crazy (in a good way) and then it was time for the sendoff. It held off rain the entire day but the started right as it was time to leave so, we just went for it and they ran through the sparklers and out into the rain surrounded by their friends and family. It was such a great day and we’re excited to see what the future holds for their marriage and family!