Favorite Advice for Planning a Charleston, SC Beach Wedding (From Former Couples!)

I try not to play favorites… But beach weddings have a special place in my heart! 

I’ve shot so many of them in the past couple of years – from Costa Rica to Charleston, South Carolina – that they’ve probably become my favorite type of celebration to shoot. 

There’s just something so unique and calming about being outside in nature, by the ocean, with the breeze in your hair and the sand between your toes, that makes for a much more easy-going and almost vacation-like experience.

Let’s be honest: you can’t help but feel relaxed during a beach wedding!

Even with all the planning, timelines, and preparations, beach weddings have a certain lil’ something about them that makes everything seem so easy! I would even say beach weddings inspire couples to remain present and in the moment.

Plus, from a photography point of view, there’s also tons more space to play with! Beach wedding photography like couple portraits, family photos, and snaps of the big moment can be captured without trying to dodge large building structures or squeeze into the corner to get the perfect angle for a shot. It’s a win-win-win for everyone involved!

But don’t just take it from me…

If you’re dreaming of planning your own Charleston, SC beach wedding, I’ve collected all the best pieces of advice from past couples who have taken the plunge (metaphorically, of course!) and opted for the seaside wedding of their dreams.

1. Hire a wedding planner

The idea of planning your own wedding sounds exciting at first. However, there are tons of little details that go into it that might start to get a tad too overwhelming as time goes on.

So, one of the top tips from people who planned a beach wedding – or any type of wedding, really – is to hire a wedding planner to help take a load off.

Wedding planners are a great support system because they’ll help you take care of logistics like:

• Setting up the arbor
• Organizing the chairs and seating arrangements
• Putting up the decor (which they’ll also help procure)
• Etc.

That way, you’ll have a lot more time to actually spend with your people and enjoy your day.

It’s important to keep in mind that, no matter how hard you try, you can’t control the elements (ie: weather) at a beach wedding. Handing over control of your big day to someone else might seem a little daunting at first, but believe me: it’s all worth it in the end! Especially because you’ll have someone’s support to help in any case! 

Hiring a local Charleston, SC wedding planner for a beach wedding means you’ve got a local’s expertise and experience – which is like having that extra lifeline that gives you room to breathe.

2. Work with your photographer to nail the timings

In the same way that having a wedding planner can help you get organized before the big day, working with a professional wedding photographer during your beach wedding will ensure that you have beautiful memories to hold onto forever.

As I mentioned earlier, beach weddings are usually a lot more spacious than in-venue events. This means photographers have a lot more room to play with and can help couples feel much more comfortable while taking their portraits.

Personally, I usually prefer photos that are less posed and more prompted. They come out looking more natural and genuine, and the couple’s personality shines through a lot more. I will be there to guide you so you know what to do with your hands and you feel your best, and from there create prompts which lead to interaction and genuine moments.

In addition to helping couples ease into the shoot, a professional wedding photographer is also a great source of information! Especially knowing about when the best light will hit the beach, or when sunset is happening at a particular time of year. 

When it comes to shooting beach weddings, I love working with my clients and educating them on the best timeline options. All to make the most of the daylight, natural sky, and softer glow.

This is the best way to make sure that couples are aware of certain compromises they might have to make in order to accommodate for solo, couple, and family photos before it gets too dark.

3. Other beach wedding tips from former couples

Reading about, planning, and actually going through a beach wedding are all very different things, though!

That’s why I thought it’d be best to bring in some experts who went through the process and came out on the other side with a better understanding of all the little bits and pieces that go into planning a beach wedding.

Let’s meet some former couples and hear what they have to say about beach weddings: why did they choose to do it, what did they wish they’d know, and would they do it again?

Choosing a professional wedding photographer for your beach wedding

Choosing the perfect wedding photographer to help immortalize your big day doesn’t have to be a difficult decision!

It’s all about finding someone that you can connect with and who has experience shooting beach weddings in various conditions and lighting (well, hello, I have that experience)! 

My job as your beach wedding photographer is to find a balance between getting all the beautiful shots of your celebration, while also being mindful of time, space, and lighting. The end result is usually beautiful photos on the beach, colorful sunset skies, and having images that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.

As a wedding and elopement photographer with 10 years of experience, I’ve created a system to help me connect with clients. This, in order to better understand their needs and make sure that we’ll be a good fit for each other.

To learn more about the different ways we can work together, send me a message, and let’s make your beach wedding day a moment you’ll remember forever!