I always have a lot of fun photographing weddings at the Ocean Club at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach. My latest beach wedding for Sara and John was no exception. Sara had me arrive a little earlier than usual to start taking pictures, about 2 1/2 hours before the ceremony. This turned out to be a good idea with 11 groomsmen and 9 bridesmaids in the party! I always warn my couples if you have a really big bridal party, plan on everything running an hour later than you think. Samantha, the wedding coordinator at the Ocean Club, had the guys get ready a couple of hours before the ceremony. This worked out great. I had time to take them downstairs for some fun pictures before the ceremony, and still had plenty of time to get back for pictures with the bride.
I especially love some of the shots of Sara reading the letter from John before the ceremony. I set her up sitting in the window light and it looks beautiful in the pictures. I only wish I had moved the coffee pot from the background but it’s not too bad. Sara had a beautiful flowing dress that looked great billowing in the wind from the doorway. She said that the dress was her mother’s and I believe said it had been worn by her sister as well. One of my favorite pictures is the bride looking out of the upstairs window. I added a bit of extra contrast so she is really isolated in the window light. I thought it looked very elegant.
I’m glad to see that some of my favorite spots by the dunes are starting to have sea oats growing on them again. The hurricane last year really messed up the beaches around the Myrtle Beach area, but the dunes are beginning to recover. I always love getting a photograph of the couple on the beach boardwalk with the dune grass in front of them. Thankfully, I’m now able to do that shot again.
During the reception, we had some really fun toasts from the family. I always try to take pictures of the audience during the toasts so I can get the fun reactions and laughter from the group. One last thing, dinner went on for a while and I got a little bored, so I had some fun with the ring macro shots. I have some craft book papers I will lay the rings on to get some interesting backgrounds. I also sprayed a bit of water over the rings, the light from the flashes hit the water droplets and looked cool through the macro lens. I hope you enjoy the pictures below. Please like if you do!
