Hunter & Sydney’s Surprise Proposal at White Point Garden

She was so surprised that she dropped her phone!!!

I had so much fun photographing Hunter’s surprise proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Sydney! Hunter works on the nuclear subs in the Navy, and may be getting stationed in California soon. He and Sydney have been together for a year now, and are a match made in heaven! He knew in his heart this was the girl of his dreams. So he wanted to promise her his undying love before shipping out.

Hunter & Sydney had their first date at White Point Garden. So he and I arranged for him to propose in that beautiful park, underneath a giant oak tree, near the bench where they had their first kiss. It was a magical moment! And she was so surprised that she dropped her phone!!! 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Hunter & Sydney! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together!!!

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Noah’s Surprise Proposal to Meredith

A few weeks ago I received a call from Noah. The voice on the other end of the phone was so kind and sincere. I was struck with how much he wanted to make everything absolutely perfect for his girlfriend of three years. Noah and I had a great time going back and forth and figuring out an awesome plan for his secret proposal to Meredith!
This morning, the Big Day finally arrived!!! Because Meredith loves all the beautiful trees in Charleston, we had settled on the proposal taking place under the cathedral of crape myrtles, draped in Spanish moss, lining one of the paths at Hampton Park. Everything turned out absolutely perfect! And SHE SAID YES!!!
The three of us then enjoyed a wonderful stroll around Hampton Park, photographing a variety of authentic engagement photos for them to remember this special day. I had so much fun getting to know them as we captured these images together! 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS Meredith & Noah! We wish you all the best as you begin this amazing new chapter of your lives…

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Nick & Sarah’s Kiawah Island Engagement

Nick & Sarah are ENGAGED!!!

Early yesterday morning in a secluded stretch of beach, without another soul around, Nick asked Sarah to be his wife. She said YES!!! 🙂 Although they drifted apart after high-school, the two of them have known each other since grade-school. So when they re-connected several years later, it didn’t take long for the spark to re-ignite!

After his surprise proposal, Nick had another secret in his bag of tricks. When he and Sarah returned to the condo, Sarah’s family was there waiting!!! Nick had arranged for his family and her family to fly in to surprise Sarah and help them celebrate the exciting news!

After spending a fun day together as one big family, I met up with them at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island to commemorate the occasion with some authentic engagement photos and a few family portraits! With permanent smiles on their faces from the day’s big events, Sarah & Nick were so much fun to work with!!!

Please help me CONGRATULATE this beautiful young couple as they begin their new journey together…
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Kelsey and Alex are Engaged!!!

I’ve had so much fun over the last few weeks getting to know Alex via emails and phone calls.

We were working out the final plans for his surprise proposal at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island to his beautiful girlfriend, Kelsey. I loved how every detail was so important to him. He truly wanted this to be a special moment for Kelsey.

The funny thing is, that truly magical and spontaneous moment hit him when he and Kelsey were putting up Christmas decorations in their new house. With holiday music in the background, fond childhood memories flowing through their heads, a that feeling of being “in the moment” surrounding them…he knew the timing was right! So just a few days before their trip to Kiawah, Alex asked Kelsey to be his bride…and she said “YES”!!! 🙂

The best part was, they still wanted to have their engagement photos with me on the beautiful sandy beach in front of The Ocean Course, just like Alex had originally planned. So it worked out PERFECTLY! We had so much fun together, and came away with some beautiful memories of this special time in their lives.  They are such an amazing couple!!!

Help me in saying CONGRATULATIONS to Alex & Kelsey…

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Alex’ Secret Proposal to Bumi at The Ocean Course

I have a confession to make! Alex and I have been secretly going behind his girlfriend’s back to plan his surprise proposal at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. 🙂

Alex loves tennis. And he’s really good at it! He plays in some amazing USTA open tournaments around the country. When he found out he’d be playing in one on Kiawah Island this weekend, he asked his girlfriend to come with him and make a fun vacation out of it. In fact, he thought it would be the perfect place to ask Bumi to marry him!!!

I was absolutely delighted that he called me to ask if I would do the honors of photographing this special occasion for them. It was an absolutely GORGEOUS fall day. Alex and Bumi couldn’t have been more amazing to work with. And getting to know them during our time together, I can tell they are absolutely PERFECT for each other!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Alex & Bumi! We wish you all the happiness in the world as you begin your new journey together…

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Ashley & Ed’s Surprise Proposal in the Historic French Quarter

Ashley & Ed are absolutely AMAZING together!!!

I’ve been secretly corresponding with Ed for several weeks as we planned (and re-planned, and planned again) all the details of his secret proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Ashley! Never having been to Charleston, I was truly impressed with the amount of research and thought he put into his plans. Even when the weather threatened our plans, we just pivoted to a Plan B, then a Plan C, and even had to call an audible just minutes before!  🙂

Ultimately, everything worked out beautifully!!! Ashley was so surprised! It turned out to be such a special event. And the fact that Ashley had lived and worked in Charleston briefly during her younger years made it that much more special.

Ashley & Ed have been dating for a little over 2 years now. She said it took her a while to break down his barriers. But I think once he realized they were true soulmates, everything clicked into place! I am SO HAPPY these two found each other!!!  I had so much fun getting to know them during our time walking the streets of the old French Quarter, capturing their love for each other.

Ed & Ashley, we wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

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Zach’s Surprise Proposal to Starr on Kiawah Island

Even hurricane Isaias couldn’t stop Zach’s AMAZING Secret Proposal to Starr from happening!

I had so much fun working with Zach in the weeks leading up to the big day as we planned every detail of his proposal.  He and Starr had been together for 5 years…the timing just seemed right. He was going to do it on the beach in front of their Shipwatch Villa on Kiawah Island on Monday evening, the night of the full moon. But just days before their trip began, Hurricane Isaias decided it was going to make Monday a very wet and windy day!

Zach was bound and determined to make his proposal to Starr a truly special one! So we pivoted to Sunday afternoon instead. And it worked out PERFECT!!! We had a nice “calm before the storm” evening, with gorgeous clouds and beautiful light to work with. Starr was super surprised! And Zach said he was actually glad we’d moved it up a day because keeping that gorgeous ring hidden for another day would have made him a nervous wreck!  🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Zach and Starr!!! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

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Allyson & Ron’s Surprise Proposal on Kiawah Island

I was struck by the strength and sincerity in Ron’s voice when he called a few weeks ago to ask if I could photograph his secret proposal to Allyson. I could tell he was a good guy.  And he clearly wanted to make sure everything was absolutely PERFECT for his beautiful girlfriend!

We had a great scheming together and hashing out a plan for this special moment. But when Friday arrived, afternoon storms threatened our chances. Things just didn’t seem to be falling into place as planned. We quickly pivoted to the following day. And I’m so glad we did. It was an absolutely SPECTACULAR evening for Ron’s proposal!

Arriving early, I set everything up on the beach in front of The Ocean Course Clubhouse on Kiawah Island. Ron had told her they were going to the Ryder Cub Bar for drinks, but wanted to go out and take a few “selfies” on the beach before going in.  Allyson was stunning in her colorful summer dress.  She had her phone out and was ready to go. What a COMPLETE surprised when instead of getting in the “selfie” with her, he dropped to one knee, and asked her to be his wife!!!  It was an absolutely magical moment.  🙂

CONGRATULATIONS Allyson & Ron! You two are so perfect for each other. We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

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Riley & Tommy’s Surprise Proposal at The Ocean Course

Being a part of some of the most special moments in a family’s life always makes me feel so humbled and so blessed!!!

This weekend I had the honor of photographing Tommy’s surprise wedding proposal to his beautiful girlfriend, Riley! He had made special arrangements for cocktails and dinner in The Atlantic Room at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. After Riley got settled and had a drink in hand, Tommy excused himself for a minute. He had stashed a gorgeous bouquet of flowers with a note inside. Returning with the bouquet, he have Riley a kiss and told her to read the note, which instructed her to meet him outside by the famous Rolex clock-tower in 5 minutes.

Tommy had picked the iconic clock-tower as the backdrop for this special moment. For many golfers, a photograph with the famous clock tower is a “bucket-list” item. It’s one of the most photographed landmarks on Kiawah Island! Who can forget that iconic 1991 Ryder Cup battle when The United States team won the competition by 14½ to 13½ points, with a last-minute clincher on the 18th hole of the final match?!? With the nation glued to their televisions, it was the first win for the U.S. since 1983!!!

But more importantly to Tommy, it would serve as a reminder for Riley of the exact minute when he took to his knee and asked her to be his wife. 🙂 After Riley said “YES”, Tommy had another surprise for her. Turning around, she saw her parents and his parents coming around the corner to congratulate them. Running over to exchange hugs with everyone, the excitement and energy of the moment was truly palpable!

I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day for Tommy & Riley. It was an absolutely gorgeous summer evening. But the icing on the cake came when I was driving home and saw the amazing Neowise Comet descending on the horizon!!! Major comets, like Haley’s Comet in 1986, don’t come around but once every 25-40 years. This particular one has such a huge trajectory that it won’t be back in earth’s atmosphere for some 6,800 years!

CONGRATULATIONS to Riley & Tommy! How special is that to know your engagement took place during a celestial show that won’t happen again for thousands of years?!? We wish you all the best as you begin your own journey around the earth together.

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Madeleine & McLane’s Surprise Proposal at The Belmond

I have a confession. I’ve been privy to some fun family secrets!!!

Several weeks ago, Madeleine’s father, Jim, contacted me about photographing a really special surprise for his daughter. Madeleine’s boyfriend, McLane, had asked for Jim’s blessing to marry his daughter. The two of them immediately began devising an elaborate plan for McLane’s surprise proposal! 🙂

Jim and his family had a trip to Charleston coming up.  One evening they were going to go out for cocktails at The Belmond Hotel, have a fun family portrait session, then head over to Halls Chophouse for a nice dinner. Unannounced to Madeleine, McLane had secretly flown in to Charleston as well. He had arranged for a horse and carriage to carry him into the courtyard behind The Belmond Hotel where we would be taking family photos.

As the carraige rounded the corner, the girls all commented on how cool it was to see an old-fashioned carriage pull up. Then all of a sudden, Madeleine exclaims “Wait. What?!? Is that McLane in the carraige???” Immediately the girls all started cracking up in disbelief!

McLain pulled in like a knight in shining armor, stepped off the carriage, and walked over to take Madeleine’s hand. I think she was still in shock as he then led her over to the carraige, dropped to one knee, and asked her to marry him. Suddenly the expression on Madeleine’s face completely transformed as it finally sunk in! McLane was proposing to her!!! Of all the proposals I’ve ever photographed, her expressions of absolute excitement were some of the best I’ve ever seen. 🙂

But the surprise doesn’t stop there! After some congratulatory hugs from her family, McLane turned around in utter disbelief as HIS parents walked up!!! Going behind his back, Jim had secretly invited McLane’s parents to fly in and be there to surprise and support their son during this special time. McLane thought he was pulling a total surprise on Madeleine. But he had a surprise of his own in store! 😉

After more hugs and high-fives, McLane & Madeleine took off on a fun carriage ride around the historic downtown Charleston.  Plus they captured a few authentic engagement photos together.

Let’s say CONGRATULATIONS to this amazing couple as they embark on their new journey together…

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Ben & Kyle’s Secret Garden Proposal

Ben was referred to me by my good friend and amazing photographer, Roxy. He was planning a fun get-away to Charleston, and was so excited about proposing to his boyfriend, Kyle!

Ben & Kyle love historic Charleston, they love the beach, and they love all the secret gardens and hidden alleys around downtown. Ben particularly enjoys the Gateway Walk, a walking trail through some of the most iconic gardens and graveyards which was designed by The Garden Club of Charleston back in 1930:  https://discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/the-gateway-walk-an-other-worldly-journey-through-the-heart-of-charleston.  So we picked a particularly fitting location in the beautiful Unitarian Church garden. This place is so striking because the garden is allowed to flow and blossom in and around the ancient gravestones.

Arriving at our designated spot that morning, it was fun to meet some of the Garden Club members who were there doing some light pruning. The ones I talked to were so excited about the upcoming proposal in their garden, and were kind enough to keep our preferred spot clear for us. They even offered to unlock some of the gates for us to use in our photo shoot afterwards.

Upon entering the garden, Ben led the unsuspecting Kyle to a beautiful cross-section in the very center, surrounded by a rustic old black-iron railing, underneath a giant crape-myrtle tree that was draped from head to toe in Spanish moss.  After sharing what was on his heart, Ben dropped to one knee and asked Kyle to marry him.  It was such a touching and emotional moment!

After the surprise proposal, I had so much fun getting to know Ben & Kyle on a fun Engagement Shoot. We enjoyed exploring the garden and surrounding streets, finding beautiful backdrops and creative ways to showcase their love for one another and preserve this special moment for them!

CONGRATULATIONS Ben & Kyle!!! We wish you all the best as you begin your new journey together…

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Brittny & Chuck at Folly Beach Pier

With just over a year to go until their wedding, I met up with Brittny & Chuck this morning for some sunrise engagement photos at the Folly Beach Pier!
 
We didn’t get to see the sunrise. But it turned out to be a REALLY cool morning with a deserted beach, a thick fog, and an eerie silence all about. It was almost like the beach was totally reserved for us!
 
Brittny & Chuck were absolutely ADORABLE!!! In spite of getting up at 3:00 AM, they were full of energy, laughing and flirting with each other throughout the shoot. We had so much fun together. And I can’t WAIT to capture all the beautiful moments of their wedding day!  🙂

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