Engagement: 3 Reasons to Celebrate

February 22, 2018 by Carl Kerridge

Go ahead with your new bling bling and congratulations on your engagement!

We are very happy for you and can’t wait to celebrate this joyous occasion. Yes, I did say we are going to celebrate your engagement! You will be designing your wedding of a lifetime with family and friends, so why not think of the engagement period as pregaming?

3 Reasons why you should highlight your engagement:

1. Your friends and family love seeing you happy

There’s no reason to be obnoxiously flashy and boastful, but being ecstatic about getting engaged is not a crime! I want you to be happy, giddy, and all those good things. You and your honey have decided, “Hey, we’re starting this new chapter and we’re going to do it together!” The world needs a little more love in it, so be a representation of what happy and healthy love looks like. When I see my friends and family hit this milestone, I get a personal joy out of it. I like seeing the ring and the photos of the happy couple.

2. Photographing before the “I do’s” is an unforgettable experience

As a photographer I’m all about documenting the stages of life. Doing so has given me a great affection for them as well. Getting engaged is not a lesser-event in comparison to the wedding day. Where the wedding day is about you, you are also planning a celebration around friends and family too. The engagement period is only about the couple. It’s still so fresh, both people are bubbly from the excitement of the proposal, it needs to be photographed. Sometimes, we get lucky enough to capture the proposal and then have engagement portraits after jumping out of the bushes (talk about a surprise)! It is so unique and personal, why wouldn’t you want that memory to keep?

Plus, if you’re looking for a creative way to announce your engagement on social media or through invitations, you have the customization to do so! Lately, we’ve been using engagement portraits to create guest signing books for the wedding day. It’s a memory, a photo album, and a wedding keepsake all in one.

3. Let’s face it, engagement celebrations are starting to become retro and they need to make a come back

When was the last time you actually went to an engagement party, not just heart-emojied a Facebook event? Engagement parties are amazing and a perfect time to get all of your favorite people in one place to celebrate. Most times you can even plan around holidays and celebrate both at once. What I love about it is, the people you have in attendance are likely your support system. These are the people who should help hold you accountable to the union you’re going into, down the road this is going to be a big deal. So, share that time with them, nurture those relationships, fire proof your marriage-to-be and know that you have a loving wall of protection around you.

I hope you remember this the first time you get behind the wheel and get to dazzle at your new sparkle. Enjoy these moments because they go by so quickly. Until then…

engagnement, bride, bride to be, drinking champagne, hubby to be, engagement ring

“Pop the bubbly, I’m getting a Hubby!”

Wedding planning and browsing Pinterest? Check out 10 Secrets to a Successful Wedding, advice given from now wives!

Vote for your favorite couple – best wedding of 2017

January 17, 2018 by Carl Kerridge

In 2016 we started a tradition to honor our beloved wedding clients by sending out a blog post asking you, our readers, to vote on the “Couple of the year”

Each and every year I fall in love with my wedding couples and after 18 years in this business it still amazes me that I can tear up at the emotional connection that is shared and displayed at your weddings . To each of you, I want to let you know that I recognize your love in it’s many shapes and forms.

So I want to say a special ‘Thank YOU’ and pay it forward.

Getting personal allows me to get closer with confidence, to get to know who you are, and to be able to tell your story instead of only handing you pretty wedding images.

As a token of appreciation, I want to offer a special give away to one of my remarkable wedding couples so let’s have some fun together to start off 2018.

The rules are simple: the couple with the greatest number of voting comments on this post will receive a large 20×30 retouched fine art canvas for their first Valentines Day as a married couple. I’ll be counting comments on ONLY this page’s comment section – one per person – until February 12th.

The Winner will be announced Wednesday, February 14th!

Sara & Christian

Jamesha & Kelly

Cassidy & Mark

Deb & Steve

Elizabeth & Howard

Caitlin & Rick

Jolene & Ron

Mary & Lucas

Every individual who comments will be entered into a separate give away for a $25 Amazon gift card. Share to Facebook and Instagram, Tweet about this post, and get creative with spreading the word! You can earn studio gifts by referring a bride and groom to us too, check out how here!

Myrtle Beach Elopement

November 6, 2017 by Carl Kerridge

Sometimes you have to rock and roll with it and that’s what these two love birds did! Their Myrtle Beach elopement was on a beautiful day with their dearest friends. A small intimate wedding for a lovely couple!

Dream Wedding: Where will you go?

September 14, 2017 by Carl Kerridge

This blog has some of our favorite dream locations!

Here are a few lovely destinations to spark your wanderlust wedding plans. Even if these locations aren’t for you, why not let them inspire your designs and spark your imagination. Hey, while you’re here, why not go ahead and plan for the honeymoon to start right after the ceremony! We’ve even included the best month to visit destination locations so all the stars are aligned just for you!

January

Destination – Nayara Hotel, Spa & Gardens in Costa Rica
Local – Grande Dunes Ocean & Members Club, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

February

Destination – The Oberoi in Bali
Local – North Beach Plantation, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

March

Destination – Haiku Mill in Hawaii
Local – Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

April

Destination – Palais Rhoul & Spa Marrakech in Morroco
Local – The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

May

Destination – Likuliku Lagoon Resort in Fiji, Japan
Local – Wachesaw Plantation Club, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

June

Destination – Mara Bushtops in Africa
Local –Double Tree Resort by Hilton, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

July

Destination – Treehouse Point in Issaquah, Washington USA
Local –Embassy Suites, Kingston Plantation, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

August

Destination – Devils Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, Colorado USA
Local – Litchfield Plantation, Litchfield, South Carolina

September

Destination – Chateau Des Granges in France
Local – Marina Inn, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

October

Destination – Union Hill Inn in Sonora, California USA
Local – The Cooper House, Conway, South Carolina

November

Destination – Rain Forest Wedding in Australia/New Zealand
Local – Sunnyside Plantation, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

December

Destination – The Ruins at Barnsley Resort in Adairsville, Georgia USA
Local – The Dye Club, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

With all of these beautiful places, don’t disregard small intimate affairs either.

At the end of the day, it’s the people around you that will truly make the memories and share in the happiness of your successful wedding. Never feel as if you have to restrict your wedding into a pre-destined box. Your wedding can be what ever you want it to be, and the world is open to all of your dreams and inspiration. New developments arise every day and you never know what the future olds. Just think about it…

One day we’ll be able to marry in space, and there’s already the current construction of Poseidon Undersea Resort. I don’t know about you, but I’d love to be part of a wedding in the little mermaid’s world.

dream wedding ideas with underwater and mermaid theme

So, where will you be getting married? Comment below to tell us more of your dream wedding ideas!

Jewish Irish Destination Wedding

August 25, 2017 by Carl Kerridge

There’s always something special about a couple who have embraced and committed to each for years before their wedding ceremony.

After dreaming of their beach wedding, it was great to see the bride and groom interact and joke with their friends before the ceremony. You can see from their first look photos, how connected the bride and groom felt to each other.

We were worried that the weather was going to rain on our parade, but the Corey-O’Conner destination wedding ended up having a beautiful sunny day. Emotions were heartfelt throughout the ceremony as a blend of Jewish and Irish traditions framed their union. Having a little boy myself, I enjoyed watching their son and all of his poses. He had a mind of his own and brought energy and laughs in boatloads.

I was impressed at their reception hall too. Deb and Steve seated their guests on the 16th floor of the Hilton. When you walked into the room, the ocean side was nothing but windows! Light poured in and the food smelled delicious as we all sat overlooking a blue sky and calm ocean.

When Deb and Steve cut the cake, it was one of their cutest moments from the night. Deb fed Steve and, instead of cake smashing him, took a bite off the end of his piece and kissed him.

The chair dance was a lot of fun too! Between Steve teasing Deb and all of their friends and family tearing up the dance floor, the day was none short of perfect.

Overall, I was impressed with them. Steve and Deb planned and coordinated a successful wedding by themselves. Congratulations to you both, I wish you many more years of happiness!