This was my second wedding this year at the beautiful Wachesaw Plantation in Murrells Inlet, SC. Some of my favorite wedding pictures in my galleries have been from Wachesaw Plantation. Symmes, the bride, began her preparations at Stox & Co salon in Litchfield. I met them there to get some pictures of the hair and makeup prep and just some fun pictures of the bridesmaids hanging out before getting dressed. At the salon, they actually have a large private yoga studio area where the bridesmaids were able to get dressed. I walked around and took some nice pictures of the salon itself, the bride getting her makeup on, and fun pictures with the group.
Pictures with the bridesmaids before they get dressed Stox & Co Litchfield
Bridesmaids picking up the bride Stox & Co Litchfield
Bridesmaids taking the trolley Wachesaw Plantation
Wedding ceremony at the Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Symmes and Brian chose to have their ceremony at the Pawleys Island Community Chapel instead of at Wachesaw. After the salon, a trolley bus picked up the bridesmaids to take them to the chapel, then picked up the groomsmen and other guests. This chapel is very pretty, with lots of windows and great light inside. They were easygoing about the photography rules as well. I was allowed to take pictures as everyone walked down the aisle and also to take pictures during the ceremony as long as I stayed in the back. I also set up an extra flash in the back of the auditorium to brighten up the group during the ceremony, especially for the family portraits. I was even given a useful tip. If I stick my camera in the right place through the latticework on the top balcony, I could get an unobstructed view of the ceremony. This worked out really well, and I got a great overhead shot.
Picture of the bouquets Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Ring in box Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Wedding program Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Rings laying on a sea shell Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Rings in box ring bearer Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Bride and father walking down the isle Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Groom seeing bride for the first time Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Bride and father at the ceremony Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Panorama of the wedding chapel – Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Nice view in the chapel Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Bride and groom looking into each other eyes Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Groom giving vows to the bride Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Bride and groom exchanging rings Pawleys Island Community Chapel
First kiss Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Happy couple after the ceremony Pawleys Island Community Chapel
Kiss in the trolley Wachesaw Plantation
Beautiful wedding pictures in the clearing with the live oaks at Wachesaw
After the ceremony, the wedding party took the trolley over to Wachesaw Plantation. We went directly to the large clearing under the live oak trees that has the beautiful white house in the background. We actually started from the opposite end of the clearing, away from the ivy-covered white house, so the trolley had room to park. I actually think I prefer this because the house is more out of focus in the distance, and you see a lot more trees in the background as well. We had unusually hot weather for May, so everyone was suffering in the heat. I tried to do the pictures as quickly as possible to get the group back in the trolley and heading to the Kimbels restaurant for the reception. We still got a lot of nice shots of the wedding party, as well as Symmes and Brian, standing under the oak trees before heading out.
Bridesmaids under the oaks Wachesaw Plantation
Bridesmaids peeking out from behind the bride Wachesaw Plantation
Bridesmaids walking together Wachesaw Plantation
Entire wedding party Wachesaw Plantation
Bride and groom kissing with wedding party cheering Wachesaw Plantation
Wedding party under the oak trees Wachesaw Plantation
Groomsmen lifting up the bride Wachesaw Plantation
Groom posing with groomsmen behind him Wachesaw Plantation
Groomsmen lifting up the groom Wachesaw Plantation
Flying V with groomsmen Wachesaw Plantation
Groomsmen walking together looking cool Wachesaw Plantation
Bride and groom posing under the oak trees Wachesaw Plantation
Couple looking into each others eyes Wachesaw Plantation
Groom pulling bride in for a kiss Wachesaw Plantation
Groom pulling bride in for a kiss Wachesaw Plantation
Kissing under the live oaks Wachesaw Plantation
Bride putting her arms around the groom Wachesaw Plantation
Kiss under the oak trees Wachesaw Plantation
Having fun together not understanding what I meant for the picture Wachesaw Plantation
Dip under the oak trees – Wachesaw Plantation
Kiss during the dip Wachesaw Plantation
Holding hands walking under the oak trees Wachesaw Plantation
Wachesaw Plantation
Portrait without the bouquet Wachesaw Plantation
Kiss on the oak alley – Wachesaw Plantation
Touching noses closeup Wachesaw Plantation
Bride and groom with the kids Wachesaw Plantation
Reception at Kimbels restaurant in Wachesaw Plantation
With the sunset being so late, it was still too early to get beautiful sunset pictures by the Waccamaw River when we first arrived. The bride and groom went ahead and did the first dances and let everyone begin eating dinner. Then, I pulled them and the wedding party back out for some pictures in front of the spanish moss-covered live oak trees by the river. I always love the way the sunlight filters through the trees and the moss at sunset. It’s also beautiful, with the sunlight reflecting in the Waccamaw River at sunset. I used an off-camera flash with a Cheetah SoupBowl softbox to add some additional lighting to the pictures.
It was still extremely hot and humid, so avoiding some sweat and shine in the pictures was hard. It’s a long process to go into photoshop and touch up a sweat and shine, so I only do it for pictures requested by the bride and groom. I don’t do it for all the pictures I put in a blog post. However, Lightroom has a new texture slider and brush that is really useful for some quick face and skin touch-ups. It doesn’t, of course, do as well as when I go into Photoshop and do specific touch-up work. However, it did help me quickly do some skin smoothing to many of the pictures I posted below. I think this will be a very useful tool in the future.
Having a drink before introductions Wachesaw Plantation
First dance with bride and groom Wachesaw Plantation
First dance with bride and groom Wachesaw Plantation
First dance with bride and groom Wachesaw Plantation
Bride dancing with her father Wachesaw Plantation
Bride dancing with her father Wachesaw Plantation
Groom dancing with mom Wachesaw Plantation
Groom dancing with mom Wachesaw Plantation
Pictures of the wedding cake Wachesaw Plantation
Pictures of the wedding cake Wachesaw Plantation
Cake cutting Wachesaw Plantation
Holding hands cutting the cake Wachesaw Plantation
Bride and groom feeding each other cake Wachesaw Plantation
Flip flops for dancing Wachesaw Plantation
Flip flops for dancing Wachesaw Plantation
Kimbel’s restaraunt Wachesaw Plantation
Pictures of Kimbel’s restaurant Wachesaw Plantation
Kimbels sign Wachesaw Plantation
Sunset through the oak trees Waccamaw River Wachesaw Plantation
Bride and groom looking into each other eyes by the river Wachesaw Plantation
Portrait of bride and groom in the sunset on the Waccamaw River Wachesaw Plantation
Sunset on the Waccamaw River – Wachesaw Plantation
Embrace by the Waccamaw River and oak trees Wachesaw Plantation
Bride pulling groom in for a kiss with her hands on his cheeks Wachesaw Plantation
Bridal party under the moss from the oak trees at sunset Wachesaw Plantation
Bride with her brother and sisters Wachesaw Plantation
Kiss in the sunset through the moss Wachesaw Plantation
Kiss under the moss Wachesaw Plantation
Relaxing by the Waccamaw River – Wachesaw Plantation
Big smiles by the river Wachesaw Plantation
Bride’s head on husbands shoulder Wachesaw Plantation
Dancing fun Wachesaw Plantation
Great band playing reception Wachesaw Plantation
Nighttime at Kimbel’s – Wachesaw Plantation
Nighttime at Kimbel’s – Wachesaw Plantation
Having fun dancing Wachesaw Plantation
Bride dancing with father Wachesaw Plantation
Bride and groom dancing Wachesaw Plantation
Picture of the band Wachesaw Plantation
Singing with the band Wachesaw Plantation
Fun on the dance floor Wachesaw Plantation
Dancing fun Wachesaw Plantation
Dancing fun Wachesaw Plantation
Bride and groom dancing at end of reception Wachesaw Plantation
Bride and groom dancing at end of reception Wachesaw Plantation