lexi saxton — Beauty & Beard PhotographyBlog

We literally cannot say enough about how much fun this wedding day was so, stay tuned for that. This wedding day took place at one of our favorites (we chose it as our wedding venue if you didn’t know already), Windsor Manor in South Augusta. They had a bunch of amazing vendors and quite a few that were really close friends of theirs as well which made for such a unique wedding day too. It turned out as a perfect spring day and everything flowed flawlessly!

Let’s start by going back to when we first got to meet this amazing couple over coffee with the bride’s mom and grandmother, we could tell even then that we had similar interests and would be a perfect fit to enjoy this day with them and produce beautiful photos. Now, onto the wedding day!

We started as we always do with stopping in the bridal suite to say hey and gather some details to photograph. Once we were back downstairs with the details, we met with the florist Rhonda and some of the family and had already started hitting it off with everyone on the wedding day. We then split up and I went with the guys while Morgan photographed the dress and hung around with the girls some more to help however she could. As the guys finished up getting ready, we made our way downstairs and outside just beside the house to do their group photos. It was hilarious how many jokes and funny posed photos we did (they aren’t included in the blog but, trust me, they’re there!). We also went over to the ceremony garden area for the guys to say a quick prayer over the groom and wedding day. Around that time, we got all of the guys to head back into the grooms for a bit and finished up getting the brides dress and jewelry on just before going to setup at the ceremony since guests were arriving. As everyone made their way to their seats and the groom and his mother came down the aisle to the tune beautiful medley played live on keyboard, joy was already visible on everyone’s faces. As the bride and her father came through the arch way, Shad and Caty had locked eyes and were both smiling ear to ear. Her father passed her off to her groom and then read scriptures before they were covered with a veil and Yugal representing them being clothed as one. They also exchanged their own vows, lit the unity candle and sealed the deal with a kiss. It was a beautiful ceremony and seeing them come back up the aisle as husband and wife for the first time was such a great and joyful moment to behold. We made our way out from the ceremony and over to the area where we planned to do family photos and started with a big group photo and narrowed down to smaller groups before doing the full bridal party and girls together. Once we finished all of the group photos, we dismissed everyone to the reception or to get ready for the reception at least as we did some couples portraits of the newly weds. We ended at one of the arches near the reception and had her girls come bustle her dress as we headed over to the reception to prepare for their entrance. Everyone had a great entrance but when the DJ announced the couple in and they got down the stairs, everyone erupted into a shout and Shad even jumped up and hyped everyone up even more as they went into their first dance, this was one of the last glimpses into how much fun the reception was going to be before it was in full swing. They then started their first dance to Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty’s Louisiana woman, Mississippi Man. After their first dance, it was time for everyone to enjoy some delicious traditional Filipino cuisine prepared by a close family friend of the bride’s grandmother. We have to say, it was incredible and we enjoyed every bit of it. Once every table had made their way through the buffet and finished their food, we were treated to a live performance of “Take Me Home, Country Roads'“ by John Denver which quickly turned into everyone at the reception singing along in delight (including us). After that song, it switched gears and went into speeches which were all incredibly touching but, it’s hard to beat a good speech by the Father of the Bride telling stories of her growing up and getting emotional. Maybe it’s just because we’re parents now but, it hit different and also caused them to meet out on the dance floor and hug as another live performance started and this time it included her Mom singing as well. It must be so special to sing for your own daughter’s dance with her Dad (she sounded great might we add). Once the Father and Daughter dance was finished, they went into the Mother and Son dance in which his Mom had such a look of pride in her boy and they shared a big hug at the end. As a little time passed, we snuck in with the bridal party and immediate family for the cake cutting since you can only fit so many people in there. They enjoyed their cake and everyone then erupted into yelling “Stonks” as a hilarious meme and hype crew kept the vibe going back out to the reception for the bouquet toss. The next part had to be one of the absolute most fun moments that kicked the reception into high gear which was the Traditional Filipino Dollar Dance in which both the Bride and Groom are pinned with money and give a little spin or dance to whomever pinned them. The lines got long very quickly and some of the dances were downright goofy in the best way possible. We could see the unique relationships and friendships shared with everyone present in this moment and decided that we wanted to be friends with everyone present because they know how to have and create an absolute blast of a reception. As the last few family members came through for their dances, it ran straight into everyone (and I mean everyone) to join the dance floor and kick off the night of dancing and hilarious chants. You will just have to wait and see the highlight film to get a better idea of this all happening but, after a few hours of dancing and cheering each other on, a few slow dances kicked off as we prepared for the exit. The newly weds made their through two lines of their loved ones where everyone was holding an illuminated paper bag hanging from sticks that made for such a unique and beautiful send off. They kissed and then waved goodbye to everyone as they got into their car and drove off as Mr. and Mrs. Stark. We absolutely loved being a part of this day and cannot wait to see what the future holds for this sweet couple!