The Extraordinary Day

Frankly, words fail me to describe how carefully planned and detailed the occasion was. The planning, overseen by Kayce Peltier turned out to be a match made in heaven for the occasion, and of course, the guests who came from far and wide to celebrate with the couple on their special day. 

If you were lucky enough to be in attendance (like myself) you could tell, for sure, she had the guests in mind from scratch till completion, and she took no prisoners in making sure that we had hella fun! The aesthetic tone for the event was set with a 1920s, shabby chic themed style that we found to be rustic, yet, quite mild and so charming in its naturalness.

Eddy K/Bridals by Jodi also came through with fabulous bridal dresses that stood the bridal train out in their pageantry, while Wild Ivory left nothing to chance in making sure the bride shone in her gracefulness and drop-dead gorgeous glory.

The Venue

I have a thing for venues that can contain everything on-site. Jamie opted to have something outdoorsy for her wedding, and the cool ambiance of Wingate is just beautiful and not quite expensive. For her and Brian, it was a no-brainer to have the wedding where they live in the Charleston area. 

You could understand why they wanted something not over-the-top or exquisite, but laced with the sort of swagger to forecast the significance of a day that will live long in the memory. I also thought this was a masterstroke as Jamie had already confided in me about her tendency to ruin photos because she feels awkward – being a wedding photographer, I get that a lot from clients, which is perfectly normal.

For me, this was nary a bother especially as the concern is a common one amongst my clients. Hacking this required just two things — a darn good photographer and some open-space venue (she’s already got the former, me. DUHH) where we could make a ton of shots in candid and beautiful prints. And oh, the simplicity of the setting helped a great deal too!

The Lovebirds

Every photographer and their dog knows they’ve met the right one when they can feel the raw outpour of love, excitement, and merry-making frenzy in the air. The story of Jamie and Brian is one that takes the words out of our mouths the very moment I’m about to begin. 

It’s a fairy-tale-come-true story of two amazing people whose paths crossed, and their fate-inspired journey began until the currently unfolding ‘happily-ever-after’. **WIDE SMILE**

The story unfolded this way, by Jamie’s account: 

“I was at The Break trying to close my bar tab and I was a little drunk. I then saw a very cute guy at the end of the bar watching basketball and eating chicken wings by himself. I started eating food off his plate and putting beers on his tab (classy). We ended up talking all night until they kicked us out. So, we exchanged numbers only to realize WE ALREADY HAD EACH OTHER’S NUMBERS BECAUSE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO ON A BLIND DATE 3 MONTHS PRIOR. We had matched on an online dating site, and had set up the date, but I ended up standing him up because he had called and left a voicemail the day before the date and I thought that was weird and creepy. (millennials only text and Brian is an old-fashioned guy) Anyway, fate took over and it makes for a good story :)”

This set the tone for what would be the covet-worthy companionship that Jamie and Brian share today. HOORAY!

Let’s just say, my gratefulness knows no bounds for knowing them both. And, I want to especially thank Jamie for trusting me to play such a vital role in such an epic occasion of hers that sets the wheels of their legacy as a couple rolling. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH for making me, Lisa Staff Photography, a part of your wonderful journey as a couple. xoxo.