The Wedding Venue

I arrived at the Charleston Event Center and immediately checked the map to make sure I was at the right location. What a hidden gem! Austin greeted me at the door with a big hug, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He seemed relax, but very excited! The forecast called for rain pretty much the entire day, but the staff went ahead with the plan of lining up the chairs outside. We were all hoping for a tiny little pocket of time to have the ceremony by the dock, especially since a family friend had built the most beautiful arch for the ceremony.

I was expecting Maddi to be a pile of nerves, especially because of the rain, but by the time I entered the bridal sweet all I could hear was laughter, and a pretty awesome playlist covering some of my favorite bands, you know, like Backstreet Boys… (yes, I said it!). In case you are wondering, yes, their getting ready shirts did say “Afer this we’re getting pizza,” and that was, indeed, their late night snack!

Austin’s dad was super sweet, helping him with the last details is he got ready to see Maddi for the first time…

And I couldn’t forget Austin’s details as well!

The Bride and Groom

I’m so glad the rain let off a little bit so we could have them do their first look and alone photos all outside. After they saw each other for the first time, they read their personal vows in private. I thought that was such a great idea! During the ceremony they read different vows.

These little “vows” books were the cutest, and another cute detail for the day! I always say the more the merrier when it comes to details!

Maddi wore her hair down, and looked like a princess in her dress from The Wedding Shoppe!

I LOVE that we got so many photos outside before the rain got really bad! Especially the ones by the arch! I’m also so happy we had done engagement photos before, because I was able to move much quicker since Austin and Maddi knew exactly what I was going for with my directions.

So we got the dreamiest of photos….

The Wedding Party

What you can’t see from these pictures, is that the spot the girls are standing at was THE ONLY place where the rain wasn’t hitting! It had tree coverage which was perfect to protect their gorgeous David’s Bridal dresses.

I love that Maddi chose the color of the bridesmaids dresses but let each girl pick her own dress style! I think these ladies nailed it!

These guys had me laughing all day! Between Karate Kid moves, and some very interesting “grabbing” they are going down on my books as one of the coolest ever!

I love the colors so much! And love that Austin’s tie had a floral design.

The Family

A+M are incredibly lucky to have such a sweet, supportive family! Throughout the entire day they showed over and over their love making sure they did anything and everything they could so the day was magical!

The Ceremony

The Charleston Event Center has this beautiful area in the back, with a dock, and little pond. They also have this adorable canoe… We pushed the ceremony over 30 minutes waiting for the rain to stop. When it did stop we rushed out and cleaned all the chairs, only to have it start raining again. We did that twice, and then decided to move the ceremony indoors.

It was a beautiful site to see everyone working together to move everything inside. This backup option turned out to be absolutely beautiful, and I’m so glad Austin and Maddi were so cool about it.

The Reception

More stunning details! They went all out making it so visually beautiful! And how fun A+M will get to have this Jenga set full of sweet notes from their guests!

Some of the best speeches I’ve ever heard! Maddi’s dad brought me to tears when he said she was one of the best things that has ever happened in his life. And how being her dad changed him.

They served the best food Donatelli’s! And Austin was so sweet, he came to me and told me to go get food right away instead of waiting for my table to be called. What that does is make it so I can actually sit and eat my meal, instead of having to shove it down quickly so I’m ready to take photos of the speeches! Thank you for being so thoughtful, Austin!

Cheeris to Austin and Maddi!!!!

The rain did stop long enough for us to head outside for the first dance. It was a magical setting with beautiful cafe lights, and all their loved ones gathered around.

And I can’t finish this post without thanking the bride and groom for having one of my favorite desserts EVER: Nothing Bundt Cake! The raspberry white chocolate is my fave, and I did have one before taking off :-).

The vendor team that made their day magical:

Photography: Poly Mendes Photography (ME!!!)

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Charleston Event Center

Catering: Donatellis

Dessert: Nothing Bundt Cakes

DJ: Instant Request

Floral: Forever in Bloom

Lighting: Grand Designs

Wedding Dress: The Wedding Shoppe

Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal