Southern Bride and Rosewood Manor

March 15, 2017 by Carl Kerridge

Who doesn’t love a southern bride and how she plans her wedding?!

Alison kept traditions in more than one way and they were nothing short of elegant. One of the most thoughtful was the memory of Alison’s mother sewn into her dress. She took her mother’s wedding dress, and had a section monogramed so that she could have it with her as she walked down the aisle. Just beautiful.

Picking a venue in the heart of old South Carolina, Rosewood Manor hosted a grandeur atmosphere for the Scruggs and their guests. Dr. Gary and his staff go above and beyond to create unforgettable memories at their plantation home, it was simply exquisite.

To add to the authenticity of the occasion, Alison and Jamie were wed in Marion’s First Presbyterian Church. It is a classic establishment with warm hues that dance against wood shutters. Not to mention an impressive organ sits behind the alter, overlooking each ceremony that enters its doors. Jamie’s father conducted the ceremony and he choked before pronouncing the couple as husband and wife. With a laugh the couple kissed and began their new chapter together.

A 1977 burnt-orange corvette sat outside the church, ready to take them back to Rosewood Manor to celebrate with family and friends. The Vistas Band performed in fantastic blues-brothers-style and performed pieces that had everyone giggling. Who could forget the duet with the little flower girl? It was a great celebration to ring in the holidays.

Once there, the crowd partied until the cold encouraged everyone to retire and go inside for a night cap. But before Jack Frost could have his say and as every southern bride does know, the night could only end with a sweet tribute to Sweet Home Alabama.

5 Reasons Why You Should Schedule a Bridal Portrait

September 17, 2014 by Carl Kerridge

Why schedule a bridal portrait? It goes without fail that every time I shoot a wedding one of the things a bride always shares with me is that the day just goes by so fast. I wish I could stop time for my brides sometimes. It is so easy to get caught up in all little things it takes to pull together the big day.

I like to think I can slow down time a little during my portrait sessions. My brides and I can spend several hours together – and my brides are able to well, be a bride during that time. It takes time to capture someones true essence and their inner beauty. These are two qualities that are very important to me to uncover during my portrait sessions. Here are my top five reasons why you should schedule a bridal portrait before your wedding.

1. Trial run for the real thing

My wish, for every bride I have the opportunity to work with, is for them to have a stress free and smooth sailing wedding day with no snags or unnecessary distractions. Scheduling a bridal portrait enables my brides to have a chance for a trial run with their hair, makeup and dress. When my wife did her portraits (not with me, obviously!), she discovered that she needed to find a new hairdresser AND that her dress needed to be altered because it was not falling right. Had she not made the time to have her portrait made, she would have been contending with these issues on our wedding day. I recommend scheduling your portrait at least six weeks before the big day so you have time for dress alterations and making changes to your vendors (hair and makeup) if necessary.

2. Spending Quality Time with Your Photographer

I take pride in knowing that many of my brides (and grooms!) feel like friends by the time their wedding day rolls around. I want to get to know them to the best of my ability so I can capture images that speak to directly who they are and what their relationship is all about. This involves being very comfortable with one another. If you are someone who does not like to get their picture taken, it may take some time to warm up to the camera and feel comfortable in front of it. I mean, this is YOUR DAY! During the portrait session we are able to spend several hours together, getting to know one another and definitely doing a lot of laughing. So, by the time I see you on your wedding day, it is like you are old friends with me and my camera.

3. No Pressure

Emotions run high on the day of the wedding. Time is almost never on our side. Even my most organized brides can never anticipate the energy and emotion that is running through them as they get ready to say “I Do”, forever. During the session there is no pressure on your to be somewhere, there is no one asking you any questions. We always make time for a bridal portrait on the day of the wedding, even with my brides that schedule portraits ahead of time – but you will never get a two or three hour chunk of time to get it, just right.

4. Feel Confident

There is nothing more beautiful, from my perspective, than a confident bride. Having a bridal portrait means that you get to see pictures of yourself in your dress before your wedding day. I love working closely with my brides during the portrait sessions to help them learn the best way to stand and pose. The style of your dress, your body type, if you have veil or not and also your shoes all play into creating the “look” you want to achieve on your wedding day. During your portrait sessions, we have the time in a relaxed space to play with all of these things until we get them right.

5. The WOW Factor!

There is nothing quite like seeing the look on your guests faces when they walk into the reception and there is a gorgeous framed print of your bridal portrait there to greet them. I have always encouraged my brides to select several of their favorite images from our bridal sessions and have different sized frames and a mix of color and black and white. And, mothers and grandmothers are always happy to take these beautiful framed pictures home with them after the wedding!

I hope you enjoyed this collection of bridal portraits, most were taken before the wedding but a couple were taken day of. I included a variety of styles from traditional to modern, artistic and creative to just plain beautiful.

Wedding Photojournalism meets Homemade Love in Mount Pleasant, SC

April 3, 2014 by Carl Kerridge

You know it’s going to be a great wedding when you walk up to the house and the bride is outside finishing the decorations and the groom is inside cooking three different kinds of BBQ. Not to mention that pretty much the ENTIRE wedding experience was handcrafted by the bride and her family and friends. This was one of the most colorful and creative weddings I have had the pleasure to be a part of, an open book for unique wedding photo ideas. Oh, and when your wife and son are also invited to the wedding because your wife is friends with the brides sister – extra, extra bonus.

My bride Megan told me that she tallied up close to 400 hours in putting together the decorations and details for the wedding. I am sure some of her unique ideas will wow and inspire you as you look through my favorite images from the day. Her stylish wedding dress? Sorry, ladies – you won’t find this one in the bridal boutiques. She had her mother and grandmothers dresses taken apart and then put back together again – her gown being the epitome of “something borrowed.”

The setting was intimate. A rented beach house where the family stayed for the whole week across the street from the ocean just outside of Charleston, SC. Megan and Phillip asked everyone in attendance to wear white and beige – which made the colorful world she created for their big day stand out even more. From me her only request was to capture the color, and fun in a photojournalistic wedding style and not worry about your typical beach wedding photos.

I hope you enjoy these fun shots from the day as much as I enjoyed being a part of the whole experience. I thrive on creativity so when I have the chance to be around creative people – it is fuel for my fire!

Be sure to scroll all the way to the end to see “My Favorite Shot” of the day and also links to the amazing vendors that helped make Megan and Phillips day so special.

Shot of the day

I myself am a yogi so when my bride added to her contract notes that she wanted to incorporate a yoga pose I said “Absolutely”. Here’s she’s on top of the hot tub cover as it was the only area with clear space.

Photos – Carl Kerridge Photography
Dress – Brooke Priddy, Ship-to-shore
Flowers – http://www.gardeniafloral.com
Hair & Makeup – Pink Dot Beauty Bar
Cupcakes –Sugar Bakery
Catering – Phillip Couture (groom) & James Benyshek (best man) – Culinary Extraordinaires at Large!
Paper Mayhem – Megan Munday (bride) – Currently recovering from paper projecting overload.