A Spring Wedding at The Beaufort Inn | Karen & Nicholas | Beaufort Wedding Photographer

Wedding

Beaufort Wedding Photographer | Southern Waterfront Wedding | Elle Michele Photography | The Beaufort Inn | Downtown Beaufort

If you’re looking for a beautiful, southern charm wedding then look no further! I have the perfect lineup of vendors right here. And fun fact, part of the movie “Stars Fell On Alabama” (that my husband played as an extra in) was filmed at The Beaufort Inn!

Karen got married in March of 2020 *right* before everything shut down. She couldn’t have picked a better date. The day after her wedding I got word from my school district that we were going 100% virtual until further notice (which I was short-term excited for because recovering from shooting a 13-hour wedding is not a quick process – but so worth it!).

Planning

I was connected to Karen through a mutual friend from my sorority (shoutout to you Brantley for being my top referrer!) About a year out we met for coffee at the Beaufort Waterfront and I knew we were a perfect match! She was just as easygoing as I was so we got along really well.

Karen and her planner worked together to come up with some very pretty details for the day. She had a lot of greenery, and other natural elements in her decorations. She kept her table centerpieces simple with some lanterns and votives, she had a rustic seating chart, and even a seat saved for loved ones who couldn’t be there. Her cake table was also adorned with family pictures from previous generations with relationships for them to aspire to be like. Speaking of cake, she went with a naked cake that was absolutely delicious! No extra fondant icing over here. Who even likes that stuff anyway?!

Getting Ready

On her big day, I met up with Karen and her girls while they got hair & makeup done at the Bay Street Salon in Downtown Beaufort and then they headed over to the Caretaker’s Cottage in the courtyard of the Beaufort Inn to get dressed while Nick & his guys got ready in the Fisher House Suites with a beautiful, large front porch that faces the streets of Historic Beaufort (which we did pictures on and the lighting was divineeeee).

Karen chose to do a First Look moment with her father which was such a special moment to witness! It brought tears to my eyes. If you don’t want to do a first look with your man, I definitely recommend doing one with your dad or even your bridesmaids! Both make for some amazing shots.

Karen & Nick exchanged thoughtful gifts with each other. I really admire little moments like this on wedding days. I always remind my couples of the importance of slowing down and taking in those big moments.

Ceremony

Her ceremony in The Tabby Garden was beautiful, and with the sunset at just the right time and angle, I got to capture some really great flares! It took place in the Tabby Garden A family member officiated which made their ceremony even more special. Karen surprised Nick and got the name of their dog who they had to put down recently engraved on the inside of his wedding band. When she told him about it and he saw it for the first time he started to tear up (which means I started to tear up).

Cocktail Hour

After the ceremony guests were directed to the courtyard while venue staff finished transforming the reception space. There was a bar, high-top tables, the guest book, and a party favor table in the courtyard for guests to explore.

Reception

Karen’s reception was Poppin, DJ Snow did a great job reading the crowd and playing a good variety of songs to please all the generations. She included the biggest moments in her reception like all the first dances and cake cutting, but opted not to a bouquet or garter toss. This is your reminder that it’s okay to break from tradition! You don’t have to do all the things previous generations have done at their weddings.

Send-Off

Want to know a secret? This was the first sparkler send-off I ever shot! Guests lined the paved walkway in the garden and it was the dreamiest exit ever. They went right into a beautiful limo from Camelot Limo.