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