Winter Engagement at Reynolda Gardens

Hi all – this is my first blog on my new website and I’m so thrilled to launch this! I wanted to highlight a beautiful engagement session I captured in December with one of my 2024 wedding clients – Olivia + Kendall.

I spoke with Olivia and Kendall back in October about their Charleston wedding they were planning for October 2024. When I asked them how they met, they both looked at each other with excitement and love and I knew that what they have is so special. Kendall told me his proposal story where he carefully thought out and planned something meaningful to them both – a beautiful picnic. It’s always my favorite part of my consult calls with future clients to learn about their “meet cute” story.

We planned their complimentary engagement session for early December – after consulting with them on a few different locations, they chose The Reynolda Gardens – a stunning landscape in Reynolda Village that allows for romantic and intimate portraits. Unfortunately, we experienced unusual amounts of rain leading up to their originally scheduled session that was for a Sunday afternoon.

We ultimately had to move the session for a week later to ensure we weren’t taking pictures in a torrential downpour – while I love a good Notebook moment as much as anyone else, it just was not the vibe for a winter engagement session. The Friday before our scheduled session, I got a call from Olivia – the forecast for our session was yet again another rainy day. We quickly pivoted, worked with the gardens and changed our session to the very next morning.

I sometimes forget how much I love morning sessions – they are quiet, peaceful and often more private. We explored many areas of the garden unbothered – despite the frigid morning temperatures that Olivia braved in her stunning dress!

Engagement sessions are great way for me and my clients to get to know each other deeper than a call – it allows me to showcase my skill, learn more about my couples and their favorite playlist (shoutout to Taylor Swift for fueling the tunes for this session!), what they do for work, their favorite things to do with one another, and even gives me a chance to share a little about myself too.

Olivia and Kendall brought the best energy to their engagement session – they were willing to try new poses and entertain my creative thought process. We frolicked through the gardens and got our shoes messy but we didn’t care because their photos turned out ICONIC!

I can’t wait to photograph their big day in October! It’s going to be so magical!