Jess and Adam's springtime ceremony at the Ocean Club patio

We had a hot and windy day at the Grande Dunes Ocean Club in Myrtle Beach for this May wedding. I started out getting some great shots with Wing Wong of Salon and Spa 18 doing the bride’s hair. I also got to work with Luminous Event Films for the first time, he was great to work with as well. It’s always nice when the photographer and videographer can get along really well. Broadway Jake was the DJ, Croissants Bistro and Bakery made the cake, and Flowers in the Forest did the beautiful bouquets and flowers. I have all these fantastic vendors and more on my favorite vendors list, if you are looking for wedding vendors in Myrtle Beach this is a great place to start.

First look on the beach walkway

We did a first look for Jess and Adam at this wedding. She really wanted to be under the greenery on the walkway down to the beach beside the Ocean Club. This is a really pretty spot and the first look pictures turned out great, even though the heat was a little stifling in this area. After the first look we did some bridal party and family pictures and I took some more details shots of the decorations including some cute hand drawn coloring books for the kids.

Jess and Adam held their ceremony on the patio beside the Ocean Club near the palm trees. The only problem, with the very late time of sunset in May, part of the ceremony guests were in the sun and part in the shade. This is definitely not ideal for pictures, but I’ve dealt with harsh sun and shade so many times I know how to make it look pretty good. Most times of the year though, or a little later in the evening, this area is completely in the shade. So if you are planning a wedding in this location at the Ocean Club, I would keep an eye on the sunset time and plan accordingly if possible.

Sunset pictures on a windy day at the beach

After the ceremony, the sun was dropping behind the clubhouse, so we were able to get some fun pictures of the bridal party down on the beach. Then, we let the bridal party leave, and I just took pictures with Jess and Adam alone. Because of the wind, the hair was getting a little crazy. The bride has already told me that she will let me know some selections she wants touched up. To get an idea of the touch-ups I can do, look at the picture below where the bride and groom are laying by the sea oats and dunes. The grooms hair was the same in both, the first one is just without touch-ups, the second is after Photoshop touch-ups. While I can’t do this to every picture I take, I’m always happy to do it to some selected images for my brides and grooms.

I hope you enjoy the pictures below, if anyone is having their own wedding at the Grande Dunes Ocean Club in Myrtle Beach, please let me know!