I have always loved photographing weddings with different cultural traditions. Upeksha, the bride, mixed her family’s traditional Sri Lankan customs with a more conventional Western wedding for Mike, the groom, and his family. She wore a Sri Lankan saree for the ceremony and then changed into a white wedding dress for the reception at 21 Main Events in North Myrtle Beach.
Midday ceremony in the courtyard at 21 Main Events
When I arrived, I began with detail pictures of the bride’s flowers and jewelry. While her wedding dress had more muted colors, she wore lots of intricate jewelry. I especially like the jewelry she wore on her hands and made sure to highlight it in their pictures later. It reminded me of an Indian wedding I photographed many years ago.
This wedding ceremony was at noontime in the courtyard, so I had to deal with harsh lighting. Thankfully, there is shade for the ceremony seating. Photography is tricky when the family walks across the courtyard from the bright sun into the shade. This is one of the few times I set my camera to aperture priority vs. full manual. I don’t have time to adjust for the bright sun and deep shadow instantly, so I let the camera handle it and then perfect the exposure in software later.
During the ceremony, the bride and groom performed several traditional Sri Lankan customs, such as offering each other Betel leaves, lighting an oil lamp, and pouring water over a knot that was tying their fingers together.
Before the early afternoon reception, Upkesha changed into her white wedding dress. It was cute that I could take a few pictures of Mike trying to help her button up the dress; he wasn’t very successful, and one of the girls had to take over.
Sunset pictures at the gazebo and on the beach
Even though it would be several hours from the end of the lunchtime reception until sunset, I suggested that Upkesha and Mike meet me back at the gazebo for pictures that evening. Meeting back was a great idea because it gave me a whole hour for relaxed images with just the two of them.
We started with pictures in front of the gazebo at the North Beach Towers. The sun dropping low in the sky gave the palm fronds and other foliage a beautiful glow in the background.
After this, we headed down through the pool area and onto the beach. It’s a short walk south from the towers to a beautiful location where the marsh runs out into the ocean, backlit by the setting sun. Finally, as the sun dropped below the trees, I got lovely ocean pictures and even a few sunset silhouettes.
I always warn couples that they should leave at least 30-45 minutes if they want to take beach pictures at 21 Main Events. Even if you can’t fit this extra time for the beach in your wedding schedule, photos at sunset in the courtyard and the gazebo are beautiful. But if you can make the time for the beach at sunset in your wedding schedule, it will make for some unforgettable wedding portraits.
I hope you enjoy these pictures. I’m at 21 Main Events very often, but I only have time to share a few weddings from that location on my blog. You can see many more if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook. Also, if you are planning a wedding at 21 Main Events in North Myrtle Beach, please let me know. I would be happy to help.
