Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Winni + Donavon

Today we are going to shine some extra light on one of our couples: Winni and Donavon. The two were married last year during our "1,000 year flood" in Charleston, SC. Their original plan was to have an intimate ceremony in the gazebo at White Point Gardens Park followed by a reception at Poogan’s Porch. However, downtown flooded and was shut down the day of their event resulting in some extreme, last minute changes.

Downtown Charleston

One would anticipate that any couple would take this news with some despair, but Winni and Donavon pleasantly surprised us all. Not only were they incredibly gracious and positive towards everyone on their wedding day, but also immensely HAPPY! Since the two handled everything with such poise, we asked our bride if she had any advice for future couples when things don’t go quite as planned.

Remember Why You’re Getting Married


Bride: “You have to remember that you are ultimately professing your love to each before God and entering into the covenant of marriage. That's what kept my husband and I so positive!”


Day of Wedding Planner 


Bride: “Also, have a great wedding planner that you feel very secure with! My wedding planner and I had an almost sisterly bond! Forming a good relationship with your wedding planner months before the wedding will pay off with the last minute changes. They will know your personality so well that when those last minute details need to be changed, it's most likely something you will agree with if you aren't readily available to give them the 'OK'! She knew me so well that everything she changed fit me so perfectly!"


Fantastic Vendors


Bride: "My vendors, in my opinion, were compassionate and flexible individuals before the whole flood catastrophe; therefore, when it was time to make last minute changes, they were ready to do what was best for us! They had already figured out alternative ways to bring my flowers, cake, etc... prior to my wedding planner even calling them! Some of them started working before sunrise to figure out how to make deliveries safely and they stayed in constant communication with us. That ultimately was the key, communication, communication, communication!!"


If Your Wedding Day Falls on a 1,000 Year Flood…. Schedule a Makeup Shoot!


We were so moved by how Winni and Donavon handled their wedding day that we knew we were capturing true love in our lens (rain drops and all). We wanted this couple to have the downtown photos they were dreaming of as badly as they did. Since the couple didn’t live in town, we decided to reschedule a complimentary shoot downtown in six months when they were visiting the area again. Thankfully, the rain stayed away this time! 

Bride: "Our makeup shoot was so much fun!! We didn't have the pressure of getting to the reception on time and trying to take pictures with the entire wedding party. My husband and I really had the chance to soak in the experience of being newlyweds. It was just he and I. No one was waiting on us. That day felt like my wedding day all over again. I was thrilled that we were able to take our pictures again. I was much more relaxed and was able to plan my hair and makeup differently. Also, who doesn't like putting on their wedding dress again? We received so much more 'congratulations' that day while walking downtown! It felt great! My wedding photo album will be so awesome now that my husband and I have two different sets of wedding pictures to talk about!"

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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Buzz About Bridals!


We LOVE bridal portraits, and (most importantly) our brides love them!

I’m sure there is a lot of you out there who have never heard of bridal portraits or might not be sure what they really are. No worries! We are here to help!

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What is a Bridal Portrait Session? 

Bridal portraits are photography sessions that typically takes place before the wedding day.  This is an opportunity for the bride to put on her wedding dress, accessories, and take her trial hair and makeup out for a test run. You could pretty much call it a trial run for the bride AND photographer!

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Bridal sessions are a fun and relaxing opportunity for the bride to spend time getting comfortable with her photographer. These sessions are a great way to get creative shots in addition to wedding photos, and leaves brides with one less thing to worry about on the big day!

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Why are Bridal Portraits so important? 

  1. Practice: Bridals give you an idea of what it will be like having your photo taken on your wedding day. These sessions provide you with great photos of your dress, accessories, and even your potential hair and makeup for the big day!
  2. Ease Your Mind: Free up some time for other photos to be taken on your wedding day! If you have photos taken of your dress and accessories ahead of time, that’s less time your photographer has to spend capturing those images on the big day. It’s always nice to know you have some photos of yourself in your dress already in case you (or your photographer) can’t break away to get some shots in between all the action. 
  3. Dual Purpose: As we mentioned, a lot of brides will coordinate their bridals with a trial run of their hair and makeup. Why get all dolled up to just sit on the couch and watch TV?  We highly recommend that brides use this as a chance to evaluate their hair and makeup. Did you hair stay in the entire shoot? Did your makeup show up in the photos? It's the ultimate test for a hair and makeup trial! 
  4. Win-Win: Another great thing about bridal sessions is that the bride and her photographer can take their time getting those "Pinterest-worthy" photos she so eagerly wants!  The next time the bride is in her dress, those photo goals will be the last thing on her mind. 
Downtown Charleston Wedding


Southern Vintage Bridals 

We offer a one-hour photo session for our bridal portraits with the options to include all images or purchase them individually. We provide our brides with an assistant to hold the dress and help with posing, all while our photographer captures her glamorous smile. Family and friends are always welcome for support. We will provide a complimentary bouquet for brides to pose with and keep as a souvenir at the end of the shoot! Brides are welcome to bring their own bouquet or other props too!



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"It was a huge weight off knowing that I had  a stress free opportunity to catch those shots. Had I not had the opportunity, I feel as though my wedding day stress would have been amplified worrying over that perfect shot. Also, it was a fun experience. It was a huge help to see how I looked and it actually helped me decide on how to wear my hair the day of." ~ Christin, SVD Bride



We truly love bridal sessions, and know our brides do too! They are useful for many reasons, and we highly recommend them. Email us at info@southernvintagedesign.com if you have any questions about our bridal session or how to get a discounted session when you bundle with any of our wedding packages!

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Thursday, February 18, 2016

Louise + Brian


This bride and groom planned a gorgeous, intimate wedding at a beach house on Folly. Their closest family, friends, and sweet baby girl stood witness to their beautiful marriage. There were so many personal touches from the bride's father officiating to the beautiful tribute for the bride's late brother.

Louise and Brian's decision to have photographers was actually a last minute, so we were absolutely honored when we were chosen to capture their wedding. In just a few short hours, we were able to document all these lovely moments. Could you imagine missing this love story!? We think it is safe to say, that Louise's split decision on photography was definitely a great one!


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Wedding Photography in Charleston
Wedding Photography in Charleston

Wedding Photography in Charleston


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Wedding Photography in Charleston


Wedding Photography in CharlestonSouthern Vintage Design

Wedding Photography in Charleston

Congratulations, Louise and Brian! We wish you both all of the happiness in the world!

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