Fall wedding at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club with a large bridal party and lots of dancing

I had a great time photographing Ashley and Dustin’s fun wedding at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach. This wedding was one of those that got a little wild later in the evening. Everyone had a blast on the dance floor and in the photo booth. I actually shot Ashley’s brother’s wedding back in 2017 at the Grande Dunes Members Club. They had a great dance party at their wedding as well.

The Dunes Golf and Beach Club is a unique location for a wedding. I can’t think of anywhere nearby with both the beach and golf course available for pictures in the same area. My wife was running the photo booth for this wedding, and I always get there about an hour before my official start time to help her set things up. After finishing the setup, I checked in with Ashley and began with some detail shots of the flowers and jewelry. I love taking pictures in the ballroom at the Dunes Club. The table decorations look great with the huge windows surrounding the ballroom.

Dustin and the groomsmen were ready first, so I took them out for some pictures on the golf course. They all had matching sunglasses and wanted to get some cool photos wearing them. With the overcast sky that day, I thought the sunglass shot looked cool in black and white. I’m not a big fan of using black and white a lot. If a picture has excellent color, why would I want to hide it? But it can work well when going to a specific type of look, especially when it’s overcast.

Ashley had lots of girls in her bridal party, so we got some cute pictures of all of them together. She even had her daughter there as one of the junior bridesmaids. I loved some of the images of Ashley out on the balcony before the ceremony. When you have some soft lighting from the side, you can get that classic Rembrandt style lighting on your subject. It’s also great turning a face into the light with the light falling across the body. If there is a nice window where the bride is getting ready, I always like to do a similar effect in the window light.

Wedding ceremony on the lawn

Ashley and Dustin planned on having their ceremony out on the lawn behind the clubhouse. It had been overcast most of the day, so we were hoping the rain would hold off. It ended up raining a little over the day, but it stopped just in time for the ceremony. The sun even came out shortly after. I don’t like to post anything negative, but the officiant caused the ceremony to start almost 30 minutes late. If you are looking for some wedding vendors, check out my list here. Everyone I list is very reliable and professional.

The overcast sky worked out pretty well for the ceremony. It wasn’t so dark that the sky looked ominous, but it gave the bride and groom some lovely shade. I always try to walk around and get the expressions on the couple’s faces during the ceremony. Without the harsh sun, I could get them looking into each other’s eyes without any squinting. If you check out the last couple in the pictures below, this is the bride’s brother and sister-in-law, whose wedding I photographed as well.

Pictures with the large bridal party after the ceremony

After the ceremony, the sun poked out for a brief time. By the time we walked around the clubhouse to do some pictures on the golf course, sadly, the sky had become overcast again. The images still look nice, but I always love it if we can get a pretty sunset. The bridesmaids kept coming up with ideas for pictures which I love! But I always keep an eye on the time and realized we were quickly running out. Large bridal parties are a lot of fun, but time can get away if you aren’t careful.

Dustin’s dad had a classic Chevy for us to take pictures around. I always love a classic car for wedding pictures. With the time running out, we took a few shots, but then I suggested we come out after dark and take some more. We had just enough time to do some final pictures on the hill behind the clubhouse overlooking the ocean. Even if we don’t make it down on the actual beach sand behind the Dunes Club, this is still a beautiful spot, and you can see the beach and ocean in the background.

Fun reception and more pictures with the classic car

Everyone had been enjoying the open bar for a while during the reception, so once the dancing started, it was a huge party! I went and checked on my wife a lot to make sure everything was under control at the photo booth. She is excellent at keeping everything clean and all the props organized. It looked like everyone was having a great time.

As I mentioned, we went back out and got some nighttime shots with the classic Chevy. I set up a couple of my Godox AD200 flashes to make the lighting more interesting. I like the picture of the couple leaning against the car with the flash lighting them from the background. This picture is another example of a great time to use black and white. The scene has very little color but strong dramatic lighting.

I hope you enjoy these pictures. Please let me know if you are planning a wedding at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club. I would be happy to help!