01.10.2012

Maggie + Mike {Burke Manor Inn Wedding}

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Beautiful bride Maggie tied the knot to her handsome husband, Mike, this past summer in an intimate ceremony on the grounds of North Carolina’s Burke Manor Inn where Faces in Focus Photography was on hand to capture the entire day.  Maggie was kind enough to fill us in on all the details of her darling Southern Wedding!

Tell us a little bit about how you met your husband…
My husband and I met on Match.Com…. Yup it really does work. I feel in love with a picture where the sun was in his eyes. That bald head of his was really the magic ticket. Honestly it does help that he is a sexy man, but his words in the profile he wrote went straight to my heart.

charleston weddings blog, Hilton head wedding blogs, myrtle beach weddings blog, lowcountry wedding blogs, faces in focus photography, burke manor inn

How did he propose? How long were you engaged for?

Mike proposed to me at Winter Green Ski Resort this past January. Martin Luther’s King’s birthday. A year prior he took me there as my first time ever to ski. I broke my ring finger. This January as we started to get all of our gear on he told me to wait a minute.. He walked into the bedroom came around the corner bent down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And I quote this is his proposal “even know that you are a pain in my ass, I love you more than life itself and cannot imagine my life without by my side” Will you marry me? AS I stand there in my ski wear with face and head gear on and he could not see my face. Only my eyes I was floored. Yeah we spoke of rings etc…. but never did I expect that. We were engaged for 7 months before we said our dos. And keep in mind that on our wedding day of August 27th we had a hurricane, Days prior a heart quake and one week to the day my father had a heart attack where he got two stints but in, but was still there to give me away and we had our very first dance EVER.

charleston weddings blog, Hilton head wedding blogs, myrtle beach weddings blog, lowcountry wedding blogs, faces in focus photography, burke manor inn

Your wedding was filled with gorgeous details. Did any have special meaning? What was your favorite?
The flowers had special meaning. The girl who did them lived outside the box as I asked her to do. I gave her a clear canvas to show her talents but at the same time my touch. The flowers were done in Japanese lettering to match my shoulder tattoo. It means double happiness and love. And those are what we stood on when we said our own vows to each other. We did a sand ceremony as well that I wrote myself and the class that we poured our sand in matched the flowers and my tattoo.

How did you choose your venue?
We choose the B&B to be sure that all of our family was together and not spread apart. As they come from far and in between we wanted our family close and to share memories and to make new ones.

charleston weddings blog, Hilton head wedding blogs, myrtle beach weddings blog, lowcountry wedding blogs, faces in focus photography, burke manor inn

Tell us a little bit about your menu…
Well I am a very picky eater. And our family and friends all love meat and potatoes. So we had prime rib, salad, mixed garden veggies and a potato bar with all the fixings. It was delicious. There are still people talking about the food and it as over three months ago. We had wine imported in from our engagement night that we later found out that is not easy to find. We had NY wine sent to us as well. Each had a meaning and those were shared with everybody.

What’s your favorite picture from your wedding?
My favorite pic is where my father and I are dancing. As I said that was the very first time I ever danced with him and considering he had a heart attack one week prior to that. Well I just about didn’t get that chance of a life time. My father raised me from 15 years old until the time I was 17 by himself. Until I gave him a shot of courage to ask someone out who now is my step mother. Yes, I hooked my dad up…

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Out of the entire day, what was the most memorable moment?
Out of the entire day… sitting here with tears in my eyes as I type this is that I shared special, priceless moments with my father. We danced to Britney Spears all the way to Pit Pull. His hands in the air and feet off the ground he never skipped a beat and told me that it was the best day of his life. My dreams weren’t just answered or my blessings didn’t stop when god gave me a guardian angel with Mike…. They continued when he spared my dad’s life to give me memories that only very few of us ever get a chance to have with their fathers. If you knew more about me you would clearly understand why my dad is my world. And the best memorable moment with Mike was when cake went down the front of my halter wedding dress between my cleavage and he went right in after it in front of god and everybody. That was a memory that I don’t just have it is also on DVD…..

charleston weddings blog, Hilton head wedding blogs, myrtle beach weddings blog, lowcountry wedding blogs, faces in focus photography, burke manor inn

Looking back on your engagement and wedding, is there any advice you would give to brides in the planning process?

Take one day at a time. Don’t let anybody talk you into something that you or your soon to be husband doesn’t want. And enjoy it. It goes by way to fast. Remember it is about both of you and nobody else. So do what makes you happy and what is meaningful to the both of you. After all this is the first party as husband and wife that you are giving so make a hell of day.

Vendor
Photographer:  Faces in Focus Photography  /  Ceremony and Reception Venue: Burke Manor Inn  /  Designer/Planner: The bride!  /  Invitations: Juliepatolies  /  Cake: Carolina Cake  /  Flowers: Eleventh Hour  /  Bridal Gown: David’s Bridal  /  Hair & Makeup: Hair done by Jillian Cannon and Make up by Stacy Sharerrill  /  Entertainment: Island Sound  /  Transportation: My brand new 2011 JK. (Jeep) I bought it just so my gown wouldn’t get dirty….. Honest!!
 

 

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A Lowcountry Wedding
01.09.2012

Jena + Jamie {Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina Wedding}

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If you’re a Charleston bride who hopes to tie the knot with her toes in the sand, you’ve got to check out the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina.  This beautiful resort offers multiple ceremony options with waterfront views.  The property is in Mt. Pleasant, just over the Cooper River Bridge, and overlooks downtown.  Today’s couple, Jena + Jamie, held their Charleston wedding at the resort this past summer and kindly told us all the details…
Tell us a little bit about how you met your husband…  
Jamie and I met at church.  He approached a mutual friend of ours and introduced himself to me.  It wasn’t but a couple of hours before he was calling his best friend to set up a BBQ for later that week.  Jamie had lost his wife unexpectedly several months before and wasn’t sure he was ready to start dating but was captivated by my smile so he and his friend conjured up this informal BBQ to feel out the waters.  They even had a secret code with each other to end the BBQ and cut the evening short, or keep me around a little longer.  Needless to say I got the approval handshake and the rest is history.  Jamie and I dated for 2 years almost to the day before tying the knot.
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
How did he propose?  How long were you engaged for? 
Jamie is a pilot and had planned to take me to Telluride for the day (Telluride is that one city for Jamie and I that holds many memorable moments).  However, on our way into the airport Jamie got the news that the flight was sold out so he had to quickly change his plans.  To cover his tracks he even suggested that we go look at rings as one of our fall back options.  Nonchalantly Jamie suggested that we break in our new jeep and take it up into the mountains to play in the snow.  Excited to hit the trails we headed for the mountains.  After playing around in the snow for a while Jamie adventured off on a trail and seemed very determined to get us past a very stubborn snow wall, so much so he used the winch get us on our merry way.  We finally reached a point where Jamie could not winch us any further so we decided to get out and admire God’s beautiful creation.  I began to take pictures of the scenery and realized that Jamie was no where in sight so I began to walk towards this opening.  When I turned the corner I saw Jamie standing on a small hill looking at the mountains.  He started pointing out different things, the mountains in one direction, an interesting shaped tree in the other direction and then a rock he found.  When I turned around to look at rock I was literally blinded by something super shinny.  It was at this point I realized that Jamie was down on his knee in the mud asking me to marry him.  I was in complete shock, here I was thinking I might get to go look at rings, I didn’t think I would be wearing one on my drive back down the mountains.  That beautiful day was Friday April 13th, 2011 we would later be married on July 7th, 2011.
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Your wedding was filled with gorgeous details.  Did any have special meaning? What was your favorite?
In memory of my Nana, we had a blue geranium for the ceremony.  After my Nana passed away from breast cancer, I knew that I would have a blue geranium at my wedding for her since this way my favorite flower in her backyard when I was growing up. 
Another favorite detail of ours was the sand ceremony.  When Jamie and I got married we weren’t just joining two lives, but five.  We weren’t just becoming a husband and wife but a family and it was important to us and our children that we symbolize that we are all blending together to make a new family, one brought together by Christ. 
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
Out of the entire day, what was the most memorable moment?
The most memorable moment was when I first saw Jamie.  We decided to do a photo session called the first look (which I highly recommend) before the actual ceremony.  This offered us some personal time to see each other and have time alone before joining the masses.  One thing I remember about the picture setting is that Jamie kept making fun of me because I would make this silly laugh while Sarah was taking our pictures.  He kept telling me to stop laughing like that but it must have put a perfect smile on my face because when we got our pictures back I was the one with the perfect smile and well he… not so much!
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
Why did you choose to have A Lowcountry Wedding? 
We weren’t originally planning to have a Lowcountry wedding especially since I grew up in Colorado and he in Minnesota.  Needless to say neither one of us had dreamed of a southern wedding, however we did know that we wanted to be married on the beach.  In our search to find the setting which would allow for a majority of our family to attend we decided to look into a Charleston, SC wedding spot.  After all the details were planned it ended up being what southerners refer to as “lowcountry” however, that was not our original plan.
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
How did you choose your venue?
Jamie and I knew that we wanted to be married on the water.  After doing some internet searching we had picked a couple of locations that we thought would work.  Our final decision to have it at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina was confirmed after my parents visited the different venues.  While the resort wasn’t directly on the beach, it had a beach and pier option for our ceremony of which we ended up going with the pier.
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
Tell us a little bit about your menu.  Did you add any Lowcountry elements?
All the food items were lowcountry.  We had pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw, and mac and cheese.  It doesn’t get any more lowcountry than that!
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
Looking back on your engagement and wedding, is there any advice you would give to brides in the planning process?
Remember that when all is said and done the most important thing is that you are sharing your special day with people who mean the most to you.  When all is said and done the flowers will wither, the food will be forgotten, but the thing that will not fade is the memories with the one’s who are there with you.  On the day of the wedding don’t stress about what isn’t done or what you might have missed…if it’s not taken care of yet then it’s not important.  Enjoy your day as the bride, don’t try to be the planner or the organizer, just enjoy your day with your future husband and remember that the party won’t go on without you.  Don’t stress about where you need to be when, I promise, they won’t start the festivities without you, the star of the party, the bride!
charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding venues, charleston harbor resort and marina
photographer: d’attoma studios  /  dress store: david’s bridal  /  cake:publix  / 
ceremony and reception venue: charleston harbor resort and marina  / 
 floral designer: country and lace  /  men’s attire: dillard’s
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A Lowcountry Wedding
01.05.2012

Brittani {Venue Selection)

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Brittani is friend of A Lowcountry Wedding and we’re so excited to have her gues!  Today, she’s filling us in on how she selected her perfect Lowcountry Wedding Venue.  Sidenote: Brittani is also an extremely talented photographer.  Currently, she is giving away free wedding photography.  So, for all you newly engaged brides, check out Britt Croft Photography for all the exciting details!

Hey ALW! It’s so good to be back and I’m excited to use this second post in my guest blogging series to talk a lot more about Dustin and I’s actual wedding. In case you missed the first post about us and our story, you can find it here.

After we got engaged and I moved south, my mom came to visit and I knew it would be the perfect time to start the venue search. To me, the venue and the photographer were two of the most important parts of the wedding (besides saying “I Do” to the man of my dreams of course!).

In the months between our engagement (March) and when my mom came to visit (August), I’d been scouring wedding blogs and using Pinterest  to put together lots of inspiration boards that gave a good feel for the colors, vibe, and “look” we wanted, and how we could use décor to really make our Charleston wedding feel like us. I knew it was really important to have a general theme decided on, and based off of who we are and what we like to do together we knew a “rustic lowcountry” wedding would suit us perfectly.

 charleston weddings blog, charleston wedding blogs, boone hall cotton dock

It was important to nail down a way to describe our wedding before looking at venues because it’s key to make sure that the venue you choose will accommodate that style. For us, a church wedding and ballroom reception just wouldn’t fit. People would show up and say, “I thought we were coming to Dustin and Britt’s wedding?!” because that’s how not “us” that would be. When it really came down to what we couldn’t live without, this was our list: to get married outside, to have a semi-outdoors reception, to have the ceremony and reception at the same location, preferably to marry in the fall, and to have a lot of coastal and rustic South Carolina charm naturally at the venue location.

After tons of research, two days of my mom and I driving around the lowcountry, and a Twitpic of each stop, the top venues were: Boone Hall Cotton Dock in Charleston, The Pavilion at Pepper Plantation in Charleston, and Honey Horn Plantation on Hilton Head Island. Before long Dustin and I had narrowed it down to Honey Horn and Pepper Plantation and I just knew we couldn’t go wrong either way. They are both such amazing locations that offered exactly what we wanted, but on a whim I decided to take Dustin and his mom to see the Pavilion at Pepper Plantation because I just had a feeling he would love how masculine and rustic the Pavilion is. To see how excited he was about it – that was it! He’d had the “you handle it honey, I’ll love whatever you love” approach to the wedding so far, so to see how much he loved this location, I knew that was the one. We are so excited about how PERFECT this location is for us! We’ll get married on the back side of the pavilion by the small lake, and our reception will be in the Pavilion, but guests will easily be able to spend tons of time outside on the lawn, in the gazebo on the lake, on the amazing deep lowcountry porches, or in front of one of the giant rustic fireplaces! It’s going to be beautiful!

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When it was time to nail down a date, the Pavilion was already mostly booked up for fall 2012, but we had about three openings to choose from – one in late August, one in September, and one in November. When choosing a date, there’s many other important factors to consider, such as what is going on in town that time of the year, what will the weather be like (especially important for us getting married outside!), and if other vendors that you really want will be available for that date. The weather was a big concern for us, but after doing checking out trusty Weather.com, we saw that the average temperature in Charleston in September is 82 degrees…which is perfect! Of course I still fear it will be scorching hot or raining that day, but that’s what tents are for and there’s really only but so much we can control – so it will be what it will be!

Along with the weather, another concern was the photographer – obviously since photography is what I do, this was one of the most important, if not the most important decision for us, and a great photographer will often book more than a year out! We were pretty sure which date we wanted at Pepper Plantation, but…you’ll have to wait until my next post to find out which date it is and what photographer sealed the deal for us!

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A Lowcountry Wedding
01.03.2012

For the Boys {Wedding Catering}

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While my husband and I were in the midst of planning our wedding, we had some issues seeing eye-to-eye on what was acceptable food to be served at our reception.  He wanted to make sure his guy friends we’re going to enjoy their options and wouldn’t be stuck munching on dainty finger sammies.  One of his grand ideas was treating our guests to a hot dog eating contest.  I kid you not…I can’t make this stuff up.  I literally had to pick my mom’s jaw up off the ground when she first heard of his plan.  So, after nicely refusing to serve up Oscar Mayer weiners, we compromised on serving late night McDonald’s double cheeseburgers…we had the catering staff pass them out and people went crazy!  They still talk about it.   So, in honor of all the grooms-to-be who are set on hot dog eating contests or lord knows what else, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite food items that the men on your guest list might enjoy.  Let’s face it, if you treat the boys to some hearty food and good booze, everyone’s bound to have a good time. 
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, foodCharleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
Spaghetti and meatballs hors d’oeuvre.  I’ll take two!
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
Image via Peter Callahan
I would never have thought to serve meatloaf at a wedding but these meatloaf cupcakes with a mashed potato ‘frosting’ and a bite sized, bacon wrapped loaf sound pretty amazing.
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, foodCharleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
Images via Luxe Finds
Bite sized bacon cup baked beans.  Get out of town. 
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
Image via Peter Callahan
Fried pickles and mini tacos with tequila shooters.
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, foodCharleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
Oyster Shooters – the perfect Charleston treat
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
STATIONS
The guys will love these comfort food stations…and who wouldn’t.  A potato and BBQ bar?! Heaven.
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
 For the bar…
Check out this awesome beer bar complete with fun glassware and the couples favorite draft selections.
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
Custom beer for your bar, favor or escort cards? Yes, please!
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, foodCharleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
Images via Lovely and Gracious and Style Me Pretty
Was there every a more Southern beverage station than a Bourbon Bar?  Um…no.  I love this one designed by Calder ClarkWhat a fabulous way to involve your guests in creating and tasting their beverage of choice.
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
Charleston weddings blog, Hilton head weddings blog, lowcountry weddings blog, myrtle beach weddings blog, catering, food
 Images via A Bryan Photo
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A Lowcountry Wedding
01.03.2012

Kelly Sauer {Wedding Photography Giveaway}

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So, our talented photographer friend Mrs. Kelly Sauer just launched The Girl in the White Dress and to celebrate this more personal, wedding-specific branch of Kelly Sauer Ltd, she has decide to bless Lowcountry brides with not one, but TWO free weddings!   Kelly has a knack for catching the perfect light and if you’re hoping for some truly romantic images on your Charleston wedding day then she’s your girl!  Check out the guidelines below and don’t forget to visit Kelly’s post for additional details.
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 Each wedding will include an engagement session, 6-8 hours of wedding coverage, 300-350 images, a one-of-a-kind proof book, a web album, and a DVD with the digital proofs. ($3600 value)
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A Few Portfolio-Wedding Rules – So You Know EXACTLY What I’m Looking For:

• You must be planning an outdoor wedding or a beach wedding. I will be giving away one of each.
• Your desired photography coverage must be between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.
• You must be willing/able to allot at least an hour on your wedding day for photos of the couple and the full wedding party. (If we do this pre-ceremony, we will walk you down an aisle to your groom for an uber-romantic, utterly tender first look at one another.)
• I must be available on your wedding date.

charleston weddings, lowcountry weddings, southern weddings, hilton head weddings, myrtle beach weddings,Charleston weddings blog, Kelly sauer photography, girl in the white dress
To enter, just fill out the following questionnaire. Once you have completed it, please email your responses to kelly@thegirlinthewhitedress.com:

1. What is the Groom’s Name/Bride’s Name?
2. What is your wedding date?
3. What is your venue/location?
4. What priority do you place on photography for your wedding day?
5. What feeling are you trying to create for your day?
6. Where are you drawing inspiration for your wedding?
7. How do you feel my work would help you capture that feeling?
8. Do you have a proposed ceremony start time?
9. What is your planned reception end time?
10. How many guests are you expecting?
11. What is your wedding budget?
12. What is your photography budget?
13. What cake flavor are you having?
14. Tell me about your wedding. What makes your wedding different from every other wedding? What details are you incorporating to tell your love story? What is your very favorite thing about the wedding? Be creative. I want to know you. I want to know your story.
15. What is your favorite image from The Girl in the White Dress slideshow, and why?
16. How did you hear about Kelly Sauer, Ltd. Co. and The Girl in the White Dress?

charleston weddings, lowcountry weddings, southern weddings, hilton head weddings, myrtle beach weddings,Charleston weddings blog, Kelly sauer photography, girl in the white dress
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A Lowcountry Wedding
01.02.2012

A Lowcountry Wedding Vendor Giveaway Winners!

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a lowcountry wedding blog, charleston weddings, charleston wedding resources
I hope everyone had a chance to celebrate the holiday season with their family and friends.  I’m still a little shocked that 2011 is over!  At A Lowcountry Wedding, we were blessed with a fabulous and exciting year and truly can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store for us. 
We’re in the home stretch of finishing up our new website which looks amazing and it is KILLING me not being able to share it with anyone.  Not only does it look like a million bucks, but it will be loaded up with tons of wedding inspiration…perfect for any bride planning in the Lowcountry.  Seriously, it’s awesome :)   A few weeks ago we held a contest for any Lowcountry Wedding Professional for not one but {3} blog tiles on our newly updated site and we’re happy to announce the winners…
Duvall Events
Chi Photography of Charleston
Carol Hannah
Congratulations!  We’ll be emailing you with all the details. 
Once again, thank you for all of your support and here’s to 2012! 

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A Lowcountry Wedding
12.30.2011

Katherine + Jon {Charleston Engagement}

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We hope everyone has been enjoying this holiday season!  Sorry it’s taken us a few days to get back into the swing of things but the relaxing break was much needed!  We wanted to kick off your weekend with Katherine + Jon’s Engagement Session from Charleston wedding vendor, Lauren Jonas Photography.  As the sun was setting, the adorable couple toured the streets of the historic downtown area with a stop alongside the picturesque Battery.  Don’t you just love that last shot?

a lowcountry wedding blog featuring Charleston weddings, lowcountry weddings, southern weddings, hilton head weddings, myrtle beach weddings, lauren jonas photography

a lowcountry wedding blog featuring Charleston weddings, lowcountry weddings, southern weddings, hilton head weddings, myrtle beach weddings, lauren jonas photography
a lowcountry wedding blog featuring Charleston weddings, lowcountry weddings, southern weddings, hilton head weddings, myrtle beach weddings, lauren jonas photography
a lowcountry wedding blog featuring Charleston weddings, lowcountry weddings, southern weddings, hilton head weddings, myrtle beach weddings, lauren jonas photography
a lowcountry wedding blog featuring Charleston weddings, lowcountry weddings, southern weddings, hilton head weddings, myrtle beach weddings, lauren jonas photography
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A Lowcountry Wedding