Rainy wedding day at Pawleys Plantation with a first look on the beach

First look on the beach in Pawleys Island

Lauren was so excited about the pictures for her December wedding at Pawleys Plantation. When checking the weather a couple of days before, it was forecast to rain all day. She asked me if it would be possible to do a first look with Daniel, her fiancé, and some pictures on the beach in Pawleys Island before the wedding. I had the day open, so I was happy to do it. I’m glad we were able to do this. It ended up being a beautiful evening on the beach. It even gave me a chance to get a few bridal portraits of Lauren by herself before the wedding. I loved the one with her dress flowing behind her while looking out at the ocean.

Wedding day preparations at Pawleys Plantation

When I arrived at Pawleys Plantation for the wedding day, it was very overcast but only raining off and on. I started with some detail shots and pictures with the bride and bridesmaids. They were having a lot of fun. I would take my photos, the videographer Rocky from Hart to Heart Media would take what he needed, then her friend would do some action shots for TikTok. This would take too much time at some weddings, but Lauren planned plenty of time for the photos and video because it was very important to her.

After the getting-ready shots, we went out for an official “first look” on the wedding day. We had a break in the rain, so I tried to get as many bridal party pictures and pictures of the two of them as I could before the wedding. The picture with Lauren looking down at the flower girl holding her hands was a recreation of a photograph Lauren did 15 years ago at Pawleys Plantation when she was a flower girl. Soon after, it started raining, so we took some family pictures under the back porch and inside by the fireplace. Something great about Pawleys Plantation, there are many different options for photography on a rainy day.

Ceremony inside the ballroom

They decided to have the ceremony inside because the weather was so iffy. Pawleys Plantation typically does a rainy day ceremony inside their secondary, smaller ballroom surrounded by large windows. An indoor ceremony isn’t quite as pretty as outside on the golf course, but it is still lovely. The main issue is that it’s challenging to get the angles I usually would when walking around outdoors freely, especially with such a large bridal party. But I still got some great views of the couple’s faces during the vows. Daniel even gave Lauren a big dip after the first kiss. I felt like they were pleased and didn’t mind too much moving the ceremony inside.

After wedding pictures on the Golf Course

Immediately after the ceremony, the rain was holding off even though it was overcast. We went to the front of the clubhouse by the large columns and took some fun bridal party pictures. This group was so much fun, I wish we had a little more time, but it was quickly getting darker and colder. I loved the picture of them kissing with everyone cheering behind them. Even the flower girl was having a great time.

Annie at Pawleys Plantation always makes sure I have a golf cart available to take the bride and groom for photos out on the golf course. We went to my usual spot near the marsh with the mossy oaks hanging in the background. This location is fantastic when the sunset filters through the trees, but it’s still lovely on a rainy day. I especially like black and white images on days like this. By the time we finished with the pictures we were all getting cold, and it was almost dark, so we headed back to the clubhouse. Back inside, we had time for a few more family pictures and some fun ones with the bridal party by the fireplace.

Reception in the ballroom at Pawleys Plantation

We had such a fun group partying at the reception. Everyone was out on the dance floor and was having a great time. DJ Wayne, from Happily Ever After Entertainment, always gets the whole group on the dance floor for a group photo. I loved the large group shot I got from this reception. It was too big to fit everyone in with the 35mm lens I had on the camera. So I combined three quick shots to make a panorama of the group, which turned out great!

When I saw the bride about to throw the bouquet, I thought it was going into the chandelier, which I’ve seen happen many times before. Of course, that is what happened. The guys quickly got it down, and the second throw went perfectly. I also loved the pictures of the group lifting Lauren and Daniel into the air during the dancing. They even had a lovely sparkler exit. I could tell they bought the correct wedding sparklers because they were long and made no smoke. Getting the proper type of sparklers makes a huge difference.

I hope you enjoy these wedding pictures from Pawleys Plantation. I always tell my couples not to get discouraged because of a rainy day, and it always ends up working out fine. I’m also happy to try and work some extra pictures in like I did for Lauren and Daniel if I’m available.