photo of oak trees next to pond and quaint house at wingate place wedding venue in Charleston, SC — Wingate Place, on John’s Island near Charleston, SC

Sarah Claire’s family and I go way back. When I started my photography business (and still teaching elementary school), I was working with her mother, and then I taught her younger sister in the 5th grade. They hired me to do some family photos and senior portraits. They are some of the kindest, most generous people I know with hearts of gold, and they have always been some of my biggest supporters of my growing photography business! So when they asked if I would photograph Sarah Claire and Chandler’s Lowcountry wedding at Wingate Place, there was no hesitation!

I first met Chandler at their engagement session last October on Truluck Island, a family-owned island near Folly Beach. Their engagement session was so much fun and ended with Chandler and Sarah Claire taking my family on a sunset boat ride! It was the highlight of our trip. (For more of their engagement session, check out this blog post.)

I visited Wingate Place in March for Sarah Claire’s bridal portrait session, and what a beautiful venue! It’s not extravagant, but the gorgeous oak trees truly need no accessories other than the draping Spanish moss. There’s a quaint little house on the property that makes for an amazing bridal suite and getting-ready space, and there is a barn where the groom and groomsmen can get ready and hang out.

Sarah Claire and Chandler’s wedding day began with a gloomy, rainy forecast. It was supposed to rain all day long, so I arrived armed with my Crocs, set of clear umbrellas, and a couple of extra changes of clothes. But the forecast and rain definitely did not dampen anyone’s spirits! The girls were in the house having such a fun time getting ready, singing, and dancing, and the rain miraculously stopped right as we headed out for bridal party portraits…and never started again! Despite the radar that showed several approaching storms and rain bands, it did not rain one drop until Sarah Claire and Chandler left at the end of the night. Apparently, burying sausages actually works! This is the second wedding in a matter of months I have had where the couple had buried sausages the night before to prevent rain…a very Southern wedding tradition that even I, a fairly Southern girl, had never heard of until recently. So if you’re trying to prevent rain on your big day, bury bourbon at your ceremony location the month before and bury sausages the night before!

After we finished bridal party portraits with the girls and groom/groomsmen photos with the guys, Sarah Claire surprised the guys by "icing" them! I had never seen this tradition before, but it was fun and made for some amazing photos! Sarah Claire had them turn their backs to prepare for a “first look,” and when they turned around, she presented them with a couple of six-packs of Smirnoff Ices!

My favorite part of the day was the “first touch.” Sarah Claire snuck up behind Chandler and they read each other special letters they had written, and then Sarah Claire gave Chandler a book full of letters she started writing him just 2 months after meeting him—cue the waterworks! It was one of the most touching moments I have ever witnessed or photographed.

Sarah Claire and Chandler’s wedding ceremony was held under the branches of a huge, beautiful live oak. The venue owners dried off the seats with a leaf blower just prior to the beginning of the service…genius! There was a bit of wind, but that just made sure everyone got to see the beauty of Sarah Claire’s cathedral veil (and it made for some fabulous photos)! It was a ceremony full of smiles, happy tears, and celebration.

The reception was held under a nearby tent, decorated with teals, light pinks, and neutral colors, and gorgeous florals, and boy, was it a party! After the first dances, dinner, and toasts, the dancing began and did not stop! I think every single guest got in on the fun. There was cornhole, sunglasses, hats, colored light sticks, cake, donuts, and even an after-dinner meal of cheeseburgers. Then Sarah Claire and Chandler made their final exit under an arch of sparklers, riding off into the sunset in his Clemson jeep, just as the first raindrops of the evening began.

As far as weddings go, this one is at the top of my list of favorites; the gorgeous venue, the beauty of the Lowcountry, but mostly, the love and kindness of these families made this experience as perfect as it could have been! Thank you, Sarah Claire and Chandler, for trusting me to document your love story!

See below for a visual retelling of the day in photos.

An Epic Lowcountry Wedding at Wingate Place | Sarah Claire & Chandler