lmh stationary and designs — Beauty & Beard PhotographyBlog

We had the absolute joy of meeting this couple in person for their engagement session at Rose Hill in Aiken which you can see here. By the end of that session, we loved this couple and their whole family by association already and were super excited for this wedding day. With some change of plans due to Covid and ease of travel for family, they landed on 2nd on York (aka Second Baptist Church in Aiken, SC) which could host the ceremony and reception easily.

Come wedding day, we met with some of the vendors and walked through the space since we had arrived early. We then went to say hey to the bride Sherry and all of her girls. We started how we typically do with gathering her details to photograph them quickly so we could get them all back to her. Once we finished that, the guys started to show up as well as our third shooter and so we gave her a rundown then I split off to go with the guys for a while. With the guys, we got to make a lot of fun jokes and hang out as well as grab a steamer from the girls to steam some shirts. With the girls, Sherry was having her hair done and they were making adorable tik-tok videos for the wedding day transformation. Once the guys had finished getting ready, we stepped out to the far side of the parking lot to attempt them having shade and greenery somewhat since we knew the bride loved greenery. It was super hot so, of course we made sure to be quick so the guys could go back in and snack on some fruit and water that the Father of the Bride had brought. As I met back up with the girls, the ceremony decor was finishing up as well as the band’s setup. So we captured a few moments there before the room filled up and before we knew it, the bride was finishing getting in her dress and then we made our way to prepare for the ceremony. Once everyone made their way down, the bride’s father (who is hilarious by the way) made a nice little walk half way down the aisle saying hey to everyone and then he stopped to wait for his little girl. She made her way around the corner and we could see Dequan holding himself together super well with the biggest smile on his face. Once she locked arms with her Dad, they walked the rest of the way together with her son on the other side. Now they were together at last at the altar and ready to tie the knot (literally in this case because they had a three strand knot to tie in the ceremony which represents themselves and God in their relationship.) They exchanged their vows and even took communion together before sealing the deal with a kiss. As they made their way back up the aisle as husband and wife, everyone in the entire building lit up with a smile. Everyone followed behind them to hide away in another room which is where they also signed the marriage certificate before doing a quick room reveal of the reception space. Once we finished that, we made our way over to Hopelands Gardens for all of the family, bridal party and a few couples photos. We quickly went down the list and added in a few and still managed to catch back up on the schedule pretty well. It was hot so, we were quick to get everyone back to the Air Conditioning.

Once we all met back up at the reception where everyone else had been enjoying some smaller snacks and the photobooth, we went into the reception space to prepare for their entrance together. I almost always switch to video at this point and Morgan switches to lead photographer during the reception and we’re able to divide and conquer pretty well. The newly weds were announced in and went straight into their first dance, followed by the Father-Daughter dance. Near the end of their song, all of the sudden you hear a record scratch noise and it switches to a very upbeat song and all of the sudden they are joined on the dance floor by the Groom and his Mother just laughing away and enjoying letting loose a little bit together. Once this was finished, everyone sat down to enjoy dinner for a bit and then it was time for the toasts and cake cutting. There were a few toasts/speeches made and a few even that were a surprise to the couple but they all gave genuine sweet speeches before opening the dance floor. After a little bit of dancing, we went into the bouquet and garter tosses which were hilarious seeing the contrast of multiple girls jumping and diving to catch it and then the guys watching it land on the floor and then go to grab it. Once all of that was done, the dance floor really opened up and the couple walked around to different tables and groups for photos and hugging everyone. As everyone danced the night away (I cannot wait for this wedding film for some of these dance moves) the couple headed to the photobooth to take photos together there and with family and friends. It was around then that we got to say bye and congratulate them again. As we were walking out, we had the honor of Dequan walking us to our car and talking some more about their honeymoon and reflecting on the day a little bit before he got pulled away by some more guests in the parking lot. We cannot stress enough how much we love what we do thanks to couples like these two that we feel we can call our friends and that lift us up with kindness. We are excited for the Durant’s and what the future holds for them, their family and their ministry!