ERIN - Rocks her dress! Bridal session at the West Columbia Riverwalk

We are so excited to finally share these photos with you. Bridals are so hard simply because we are keeping a killer secret up until the wedding day... what her dress looks like! Erin did not disappoint. We loved her gown from Jo-lins, and loved working with her and her precious mom. They were such a joy! We are so looking forward to sharing images from their wedding day but until then, here are a few of our favorites. 

SARAH + PAN - wedding at St. Simon and St. Jude & Lace House : Columbia, SC wedding photography

We've already had the fantastic pleasure of sharing Sarah and Pan's Cambodian wedding on our blog, and now it's time for their American wedding! Sarah and Pan were married at Sarah's home church of The Episcopal Church of St. Simon and St. Jude in Irmo, SC. Their reception followed at the beautiful Lace House. Sarah's stunning reception was spread along the mall of the Governors mansion grounds. Open air and cafe lights set such a romantic tone for their evening. Meagan Warren Weddings did a fabulous job adorning the tables with beautiful place settings and elegant bud vases. We just loved all the sophisticated elements that Sarah and Pan included in their day. One of my favorites was their cake! Covered in gold glitter and topped with a NYC taxi, their cake was a fantastic element and homage to their new home of NYC.  The whole day was a wonderful blend of North and South.  Here are a few of our favorites that we hope you enjoy! Special thanks to a great team of people who all played great parts in their day.

Meagan Warren Weddings

White House Wedding Flowers

Southern Way Catering

Lace House

Southern Gourmet

Midnight City

Jamie Tran

Amy Schaming

SHANEY + DAVID - wedding at Pine Island : Columbia, SC

What do you do with a bridal party of 22? You make them stand in a line and hold hands :) Shaney and David had their beautiful wedding on Pine Island hers in Columbia, SC. Situated overlooking the lake their ceremony was not only beautiful, but fun, crazy, personal, and heartfelt. There were so many emotional levels to this day it was like the best emotional roller coaster (you know. The one you WANT to ride).  From the groomsmen coming in with flare and a minister taking a selfie with the entire audience, so Shaney and David quietly exchanging personal vows during the ceremony. Here are some of our favorite moments from their day. We hope you enjoy.

WHITNEY + TYLER - engagement session West Columbia River Walk : Columbia, SC wedding photography

Whitney and Tyler were great. So fun, laid back, and we have to say a pretty handsome couple (do people still say that?). We are so looking forward to their wedding day coming up soon! One of my favorite parts of their session was getting to go to the movies. The theater were so nice and we had a blast throwing popcorn and cutting up. 

SARAH + PAN - Cambodian Wedding in Columbia, SC

Here's our tip: If you EVER get invited to a Cambodian wedding here is a step by step guide on what to do next...

1. Stop what you are doing immediately

2. Clear anything you have on your calendar to make room for this event (this may or may not be limited to the birth of your own child. Okay okay. You can miss it for that I guess). 

3. Find whatever means necessary for funding and book your plane, train, or car to get to this event. You DO. NOT. WANT. TO. MISS. THIS. 

Seriously. This was our first Cambodian wedding, and there was simply nothing that could have prepared us for what to expect on the day. I knew the customs to watch for. The order of ceremony. The important bits. What we weren't expecting was how much fun and love went into the whole day. Unlike western ceremonies, for this event you did not have to be a captive audience which is great for two reasons. One, its a more relaxed atmosphere. No one is going to frown at you for getting up to take a break or grab a stuffed banana leaf. The other reason is that the ceremony is 6 hours. Minimum. That's right. At least six hours and six outfit changes for the bride and groom.  Here are some of our favorite moments from the day along with some commentary on just what the heck is going on...

The amount of food presented and laid out for the event was amazing. Chickens, ducks, an array of fruits and veggies. Some were exotic like lychee and oh yeah.....a pig. You'll see him in just a few photos. 

Sarah and Pan's garments were made custom for them, but at the same time they weren't. Sarah told me that she was able to choose the colors and a few of the styles prior to the wedding. Regardless it was so interesting to see the two ladies in charge of dressing them tug, pull, tuck, and safety pin their way to a perfect fit. 

Pan and all the guest parade down the street carrying all the food and necessary items for the day. 

Throughout the day there were so many fun parts that were purely ceremony. Like this for instance. The is the minister walking up to Sarah's parents house to ask if there are any single girls available to get married today. Her dad had some fun with it :) 

Pan asking Sarah's father what he would like in exchange for his daughter. Mark's response was not something Pan was expecting. He told him "One Sacagawean dollar". After a bit of shock, Sarah's sister burst into the room with just that! 

Our friend Mr. Pig! 

They are not actually cutting hair. It's the ceremonial hair cutting. Not actual (I had to ask before it started). This was one part of the day where everyone participated. Guest took turns pretending to groom Sarah and Pan and then showing them their handy work in a mirror. It was hilarious. Some guests let just say took liberties. 

The minister was having a little difficulty reaching the candles to light them and we were all becoming concerned that the carpet was going to catch fire. Josh graciously leaned in and helped out. Of course he had to document this. 

Each guest took turns tying their wrists with beautiful red thread. 

This was my favorite part! Guests showered Sarah and Pan with seeds and petals.