Summer wedding at The Venue at White Oaks Farm

This has been such a busy summer for 2023. Now that my family pictures are slowing down, I can start posting some of my beautiful weddings from earlier in the year. This wedding was on June 4th with Kayleigh and Auston at one of my favorite locations, The Venue at White Oaks Farm in Longs, SC. When I arrived, I started with detail shots of the flowers, jewelry, and the groom’s watch. As well as some macro shots of the rings. I also hung the dresses in the large front windows of the reception hall for pictures with the light flowing in. The staff from The Blushing Bride was working on the hair and makeup. I took some pictures while they worked on the girls and then of the groom and groomsmen getting ready.

I knew I would be arriving at this wedding several hours before the ceremony, so I brought along my drone and took a few aerial pictures of the venue and ceremony area. It was overcast the whole day, so the sky wasn’t very pretty, but it ended up being nice for the ceremony, cutting down on the heat and harsh sun. After the bride was ready, she did a first look with the bridesmaids on the dancefloor, and I then took them out for pictures by the lake and fountain.

Wedding Crew:

Hair and Makeup: The Blushing Bride
DJ: Joyful Entertainment
Planning: Special Days Weddings and Events
Videography: Hart to Heart Media
Photography Assistant: Ashley Homan Photography
Officiant: Simple Wedding Day

Bride’s first look with her Grandfather

One of my favorite parts of the day was the first look with Kayleigh and her grandfather. He was cute, standing and waiting as long as needed until she was finally ready to approach him for a big hug. She also did a first look with her father as well. A first look with dad and granddad is an excellent idea if you are fortunate enough to have your grandparents at the wedding.

After the first look, I took the guys out for pictures by the lake. They were a lot of fun. I love the walking shots with Auston’s outstretched arms leading the groomsmen behind him. The pictures I captured with Austin and his nephew were very special to everyone because he has some unique difficulties with the photos. I got the perfect smiles with them both, and I was so happy I caught this moment.

Ceremony under the arches and pictures with the bride and groom

Benji with Simple Wedding Day was officiating the ceremony. I always love working with him. The Venue at White Oaks Farm now has a concrete patio in the ceremony area, so no one has to walk in the grass. It’s a useful and elegant upgrade. The wedding ceremony was beautiful, and I captured many laughs and tears during the vows. Auston had the biggest smile on his face the whole time. There are good and bad things about an overcast day, but generally, it makes the ceremony easier because there is no harsh light or shadows on anyone’s face.

After the ceremony, we took all the family pictures and then the photos with the wedding party. I loved the image of the family all cheering for the bride and groom. Even Grandad got into the action. This was a fun wedding party, and they were having a great time with the pictures. I usually like to pull the bride and groom back out for sunset pictures, but with the weather that day, we just went ahead and did most of the photos right after the ceremony. I missed not having the pretty backlighting from the sunset and the sunlight filtering through the trees, but an overcast day has its nice soft look, and I think the pictures turned out great.

Fun dancing at the reception and pictures under the lights after dark

After the introductions, the bride and groom went directly into the first dance and then toasts. After that, Kayleigh and her father danced together. They had choreographed their dance, and I could tell they had a lot of fun. After dinner, I pulled Kayleigh and Auston out for a few twilight pictures under the lights. White Oaks Farm has a lot of small lights hanging over the courtyard and uplighting on the arches in the ceremony area. I put one of my flashes behind the couple to give the pictures a little separation and rim lighting. I was delighted with how they turned out.