Ayla and Josh have been a couple since high school, so their wedding day was a much anticipated celebration of the “official” start of their lives together. We started the day with the girls getting ready at the gorgeous new Embassy Suites on the river front in downtown Greenville. Ayla wore her grandmother’s Chantilly lace wedding gown, which was absolutely breathtaking. I adore sentimental details, and you can’t get a better heirloom to include in your wedding day than a 50-year old gown. The flirty glittered Kate Spade shoes and bold pink lipstick added the right about of fun to her bridal look.

The ceremony was held at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, followed by an extended reception at the Old Cigar Warehouse. From the donut wall, to the Methodical Coffee stand, the Polaroid guestbook, and the “doctor’s orders” advice cards (Josh is a doctor): Ayla and Josh had so many creative details included in their reception to give their guests a memorable experience.

Ayla and Josh, I’m so thankful to have been your photographer!! I hope these photos bring you back to your best day ever, and you’ll always feel the love and happiness when you look at them.

Our timeline was a little different for this wedding because the ceremony was at 1pm. Instead of taking any group portraits beforehand, we scheduled them all after the ceremony, which worked out great because we had ample time before the reception began. The bride and groom also had to be tucked away for an hour before the ceremony started, so it gave us plenty of time for gift exchanges and special moments with family. I particularly love Ayla’s grandfather’s reaction to seeing her in the dress that his wife wore decades ago.
Since temperatures were reaching over 95 degrees, we opted to do all photos inside. This church is so beautiful, and I definitely wasn’t going to complain about staying in the AC! I still don’t know how the guests pulled this off, but one of Ayla’s uncles took her and Josh up on the stairs to say a few words. He told them to look at all their friends and family and then close their eyes to soak in the moment. As they did that, I turned around and all the guests had red noses on! The uncle told them to open their eyes, see the surprise, and reminded them to always have laughter in their lives. It was such a great moment! The thunderstorm that came through during dinner had passed and the sun had almost dried up the ground, so I pulled Ayla and Josh away for a few more portraits. 

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