Wedding under the live oak at The Cooper House in Myrtle Beach

This was my first wedding at The Cooper House Event Venue. This is located right near an old swing bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway in a town called Socastee, which is a little inland from Myrtle Beach. I live very close to this area, and I always drive by this location. I’ve seen signs for The Cooper House, but I had no idea there was such a lovely wedding venue at the site.

The Cooper House is a rustic, southern farm-style venue with a historic house for the bride and groom to get ready and an open barn area for the reception. The reception hall is beautifully decorated with hardwood floors, wood planks on the walls, and many shelves with glassware, vases, and other knick-knacks decorating the walls. I would say that this venue could comfortably hold about 75 guests so it would be great for a more intimate wedding or event.

This was also my first time working with the wedding planner, Kennedy Doss Event Management. They had everything beautifully decorated and well organized. I hope I get a chance to work with them again.

Pictures before the ceremony and an emotional first look

When I first arrived, I met with the bride, who was getting ready upstairs in the main house. While she was finishing up her makeup, I took some photos of the location and the detail shots of the jewelry, flowers, dress, and invitations. Since this was my first time at The Cooper House, I also scouted out the area to find some great spots for pictures. What caught my eye were the ivy-covered steps behind the house, the old barn door and steps positioned on the grass, and of course, the giant oak tree in the ceremony area.

The wedding party was made up of the bride and groom’s children. Amber, the bride, had a son and a daughter. The groom, Rocco, also had two sons. I always love when a wedding brings together two very happy families. There was something special about the shots I took with Amber’s daughter helping her mom put on the veil with the light pouring in from the window. I also loved the portraits of Amber standing on the steps behind the house, surrounded by ivy and other greenery.

Amber and Rocco were not planning on seeing each other before the ceremony. However, with the wedding timing, I realized we would only have about 20 minutes after the ceremony before sunset. I explained there wasn’t enough time for pictures, and they agreed to do whatever I thought was best. So we did a “first look” with the two of them on the walkway to the ceremony area. They were both crying and just so happy to see each other. I got a lot of beautiful shots of them and their children before the ceremony, and they ended up very happy we did the first look.

Ceremony in front of the live oak behind The Cooper House

The wedding ceremony was held on the lawn in front of the enormous moss-covered live oak, a key feature of The Cooper House venue. This really is a beautiful location for a ceremony. It was getting so late in the evening that the light from the lanterns began to glow softly. I took many pictures of the bride and groom’s faces during the ceremony, and you can see the emotions and happiness in their expressions. It was also sweet that the kids were so happy and cheering for their parents.

The one thing we couldn’t do with the pictures before the ceremony was to take a shot of the bride and groom in front of the live oak without all the ceremony chairs in the background. It was almost dark when the ceremony ended, so all the guests helped quickly move all the chairs so I could take some final pictures with Amber and Rocco. With it getting past sunset, I loved the warm glow of the lanterns with the beautiful oak tree in the background.

After the ceremony, we went quickly into introductions and the reception. It was great working again with the DJ Southern Flair Entertainment. I haven’t seen the Shoelywed game in a while, where the bride and groom are asked questions to see how well they know each other. It’s always a lot of fun and gets tons of laughs from all the guests. They only had me staying for a short while during the reception, but it was enough time to get some fun dancing, and they did a fake exit before going back inside for more fun.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. If you are planning a wedding at The Cooper House and like my work, please get in touch with me. I would be happy to discuss your wedding as well. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about the venue.