Here we have yet ANOTHER wedding from this spring that had rain on the radar. Luckily all of our prayers were answered and we avoided the storm that day by just a few seconds. We literally just entered the barn for wedding party announcements and the skies opened up and started to pour. Talk about using your timeline wisely! ;)

Dawn and I grew up together, and it was so much fun to catch up and see her as a bride (an absolutely stunning one, at that!). I could tell that she had found her soulmate in Brandon and I know that they will live a long and happy life together. Congratulations y’all! xoxo

Brandon and Dawn had a wine ceremony where they locked up pre-written letters to one another with a bottle of wine. All marriages will have their ups and downs over time, so they explained to me that they would only open the box when they had their first argument so they could drink the bottle of wine and read the letters that they wrote to bring them back to this place of love.

The officiant accidentally pronounced them “Mr. and Mrs. Brandon Duncan (Dawn’s last name)”. Everyone got a kick out of it because as we all know, it’s the women who rule the relationship! ;) (just kidding Brandon!!)

Yep, those scary clouds were quickly moving in on us but it gave us perfect light to work with. :) This was one of my favorite candid moments!

The surprise of the night came when Brandon’s Dad gave his best man speech. He told them that he had one more special guest to bring in and say a few words and asked them to turn around to see him. The barn doors opened up and Cocky, the Gamecock mascot, made his entrance. To say Brandon and Dawn are huge USC fans would be a total understatement, and even though my blood runs orange, it was fun seeing how excited everyone got for Cocky. :)

Depending on the flow of the reception, I sometimes ask the couple to come out for a few minutes of set-up shots. LOOOOVE when they agree! This was one of my favorites after the final image in the car. I think I gasped when I saw that one during editing. ;)

And I also had to include a shot that my super sweet second shooter, Hilary Conyers, took of me, Dawn, and Erin. It’s rare that I allow for my photo to be taken at weddings, but we all went to Lake Forest Elementary together and needed an updated photo. So fun!