What an absolutely amazing week I experienced in Charleston, S.C.! I attended an event with Bespoke Workshop where I learned photography education and participated in two styled shoots. If you follow my blog, you will have seen my post about Krystina & Niko’s styled shoot wedding at Lowndes Grove. For the second styled shoot, we photographed a dockside elopement at Charleston Harbor! Danielle and Ben were absolutely adorable and the sailboat ride was so beautiful for sunset portraits! From the fun cocktail hour to the to the gold and blue accents, this elopement styled shoot has officially become one of my favorite shoots ever!
My week started on a Monday with a welcome cocktail then dinner with the other photographers that were participating. On Tuesday morning, we started the workshop with some education from two photographers. We learned all about destination weddings, workflows, working with vendors and getting published. Following this part of the day, we headed to the harbor for the dockside ceremony. I love new opportunities to be creative at workshops, shooting for myself and learning new things. It’s so fun meeting new photographers and collaborating on ideas!
Golden Hour Elopement on the Water
This dockside elopement at Charleston Harbor started with the ceremony next to the sailboat on the dock with family and friends. The invitation suite design included a watercolor image of sailboats with shades of gray and blue. A blue and white ring box and sailboat themed vow books with rope binding completed the wedding details. Elaborate floral designs and wooden chairs decorated the dock for Ben and Danielle to say “II do”. Then the couple and the photographers headed out on the boat for sunset portraits that was set up by Charleston Sailing Charters. This was my absolute favorite part of the entire shoot! I’m always down for adventuring on a sailboat for stunning portraits! I grew up spending summers at the lake, so I love getting out on the water anytime I can. We even got to see dolphins!!
Additional floral designs adorned the front of the sailboat and Danielle carried a small bouquet. Ben wore an ivory colored suit while Danielle wore a spaghetti strap wedding sun dress with raised flowers. They were the perfect outfits for a sailboat sunset pictures! A special bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut champagne was brought along for the ride and was specially painted just for the elopement. After sunset portraits, the couple came ashore to a local AirBnB for cocktails and dinner. I loved the cute lemonade tower!
This dockside elopement at Charleston Harbor was so on brand for me! It was such a beautifully styled event and combined with the sunny weather, all the details of the day were perfect! If you love the water like I do and you’re thinking about an engagement session or elopement on a boat, please inquire with me so we can start planning!
Styled Shoot Vendors
Workshop: @bespoke_workshop
Lead Photographers: @rachaelkazmier @lindseytaylorphotography
Planning: @ohanaeventschi
Design: @sarareddickevents
Videography: @leslee.layton
Floral: @michaelamantarian
Sailboat Rental: @charlestonyachts
Linens: @nuagedesignsinc
Stationery: @thebridalpress
Custom Veuve Bottle: @courtneykibbydesigns
Beauty: @pamperedandprettyxo
Styling: @somethingwhitestyling
Dress Designer: @zimmermann
Rings: @sturhahnjewelers
Models: @daniellejnorton @bennorton5
