Island House Charleston Wedding with a New Zealand Blessing

The Island House John's Island Charleston SC wedding photographer Melissa brewer Photography

Marisa and Nathan’s wedding is one I’ve been looking forward to for over a year, since she and I sat down to catch up after MUCH too long! We were suitemates way back in the day at the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, and I was thrilled to hear all about her finding her soul mate. Marisa and Nathan’s engagement session was amazing, and I knew the wedding day would be awesome as well. As I expected, this Island House wedding did not disappoint! The Island House on John’s Island in Charleston, SC is perfect, with its quirky vintage charm and stunning views over the Stono River. This combination of traditional Lowcountry looks with the mid-century edge matches Marisa and Nathan perfectly! This is definitely one of my favorite weddings to date!

The Island House in Charleston SC wedding photographer in Charleston, SC

My second shooter and I arrived early, as always, and took advantage of that time to photograph Marisa’s details while she and the bridal party continued getting ready. I love always giving myself extra time on a wedding day to capture the small details that a bride and groom have pored over in planning their wedding!

2016-09-28_0002 2016-09-28_0003 2016-09-28_0005 2016-09-28_0006 2016-09-28_0007 2016-09-28_0008 2016-09-28_0009Marisa’s dress, veil, and earrings from Gown Boutique of Charleston were stunning, and I couldn’t get enough of them!2016-09-28_0019 2016-09-28_0020 2016-09-28_0021 2016-09-28_0022 2016-09-26_0056 wedding detail photography Charleston SC wedding photography The Island House wedding photographer in Charleston SC

When we came back into the room where the bridal party was getting ready, one of Marisa’s best friends, Melanie, had a very special surprise for her. Melanie is from New Zealand, and has known Marisa for over 20 years…they were penpals in elementary school! Marisa had previously been in Melanie’s wedding, and had fallen in love with New Zealand, so Melanie brought a piece of NZ back for the wedding day in the form of a traditional Maori pounamu. Real quick lesson here: Pounamu is known as the God Stone of the Maori people, and is kind of held in similar status to diamonds in Western culture. It is essentially green stone, but only found on the West Coast of the South Island of NZ.  Maori who wish to give a gift of pounamu will always seek out New Zealand pounamu and once you decide to gift pounamu, you do not just go pick the first one you see. Each carving/shape has its own meaning, and Melanie spent over 4 months searching for Marisa’s. When she found it, she took it to a kaumatua (Maori chief) who blessed it and allowed her to leave NZ with it, and also gave her an aboriginal blessing to sing. Maori pounamu new zealand blessing at charleston sc wedding photographer in charleston sc island house destination wedding Maori pounamu new zealand blessing at charleston sc wedding photographer in charleston sc island house destination weddingThe tears began immediately, and continued as each member of the bridal party and myself took turns blessing Marisa and Nathan, their marriage, and their future together.

Maori pounamu new zealand blessing at charleston sc wedding photographer in charleston sc island house destination wedding Maori pounamu new zealand blessing at charleston sc wedding photographer in charleston sc island house destination wedding Maori pounamu new zealand blessing at charleston sc wedding photographer in charleston sc island house destination wedding Maori pounamu new zealand blessing at charleston sc wedding photographer in charleston sc island house destination weddingIt was a little difficult to get everyone past their tears and continue getting ready (makeup touch-ups were a must), but luckily some Beyonce on the bluetooth speaker helped the girls all get going again!Bride getting ready Charleston SC wedding photographer in charleston SC island house weddings Bride getting ready Charleston SC wedding photographer in charleston SC island house weddings Bride getting ready Charleston SC wedding photographer in charleston SC island house weddings Bride getting ready Charleston SC wedding photographer in charleston SC island house weddings Bride getting ready Charleston SC wedding photographer in charleston SC island house weddings Bride getting ready Charleston SC wedding photographer in charleston SC island house weddings Bride getting ready Charleston SC wedding photographer in charleston SC island house weddings

Marisa and Nathan chose to do a First Look, and THANK GOODNESS!! Bless her heart, she was a nervous wreck all morning, but the first thing she said to me after the First Look was, “everyone needs to do this. I could not have seen him for the first time as I was walking down the aisle in front of everyone! I feel so much better and that was awesome.” I seriously need to write a blog post soon about how great a First Look is!

First Look Charleston SC wedding photographer in Charleston SC Island House John's IslandFirst Look Charleston SC wedding photographer in Charleston SC Island House John's Island First Look Charleston SC wedding photographer in Charleston SC Island House John's Island First Look Charleston SC wedding photographer in Charleston SC Island House John's Island First Look Charleston SC wedding photographer in Charleston SC Island House John's Island First Look Charleston SC wedding photographer in Charleston SC Island House John's IslandIt’s pretty hilarious when the groom ends up wearing bright red lipstick after a few intimate moments!

Since the First Look was done before the ceremony, we had time to go ahead and do some bride and groom portraits as well as bridal party group photos, which saves a TON of time between the ceremony and the reception!

Charleston Bride and Groom portraits on John's Island at Island House wedding photographer in Charleston SC wedding photography Charleston Bride and Groom portraits on John's Island at Island House wedding photographer in Charleston SC wedding photography Charleston Bride and Groom portraits on John's Island at Island House wedding photographer in Charleston SC wedding photography Charleston Bride and Groom portraits on John's Island at Island House wedding photographer in Charleston SC wedding photography Charleston Bride and Groom portraits on John's Island at Island House wedding photographer in Charleston SC wedding photography Charleston Bride and Groom portraits on John's Island at Island House wedding photographer in Charleston SC wedding photographyI love this huge field of wildflowers at the Island House! Bridal Party photos at The Island House purple lavender lilac bridesmaids flowers wedding photographer in Charleston SC Bridal Party photos at The Island House Groomsmen wedding photographer in Charleston SC Bridal Party photos at The Island House purple lavender lilac bridesmaids flowers wedding photographer in Charleston SC Bridal Party photos at The Island House Groomsmen wedding photographer in Charleston SC Bridal Party photos at The Island House purple lavender lilac bridesmaids flowers wedding photographer in Charleston SC 2016-09-26_0071 2016-09-26_0070 2016-09-26_0069 2016-09-26_0068 2016-09-26_0066 2016-09-26_0072Charleston SC wedding photographer wedding ceremony bride and groom first kiss Island House John's Island Stono RiverCharleston SC wedding photographer wedding ceremony bride and groom first kiss Island House John's Island Stono River Charleston SC wedding photographer wedding ceremony bride and groom first kiss Island House John's Island Stono RiverAs you can see, the ceremony was gorgeous, and after taking a quick break for formal family portraits, it was time for the reception! The food, decor, flowers, music, dancing, gorgeous sunset over the Stono River, and so many other elements came together for an amazingly fun reception! The bride and groom opted against a formal exit, and instead invited the bridal party to continue the fun in Downtown Charleston, with Party Bus Charleston as their chauffeur. Enjoy the rest of their images!2016-09-26_0092 2016-09-26_0087 2016-09-26_0096 2016-09-26_0097 2016-09-26_0099 2016-09-26_0100 2016-09-26_0098 2016-09-26_01012016-09-26_0153 2016-09-26_0117 2016-09-26_0119 2016-09-26_0120 2016-09-26_0112 2016-09-26_0114 2016-09-26_0115 2016-09-26_0116 2016-09-26_0111 2016-09-26_0110 2016-09-26_0109 2016-09-26_0108 2016-09-26_0107 2016-09-26_0105 2016-09-26_0104 2016-09-26_0103 2016-09-26_0095 2016-09-26_0094 2016-09-26_0089 2016-09-26_0085 2016-09-26_0086 2016-09-26_0084 2016-09-26_0121 2016-09-26_0122 2016-09-26_0123 2016-09-26_0125 2016-09-26_0126 2016-09-26_0128 2016-09-26_0127 2016-09-26_0130 2016-09-26_0131 2016-09-26_0135 2016-09-26_0136 2016-09-26_0137 2016-09-26_0138 2016-09-26_0139 2016-09-26_0140 2016-09-26_0141 2016-09-26_01422016-09-26_0146 2016-09-26_0145
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Venue: The Island House on John’s Island

Planner: Fabulous Fête

Flowers: Pretty Petals

Gown and Accessories: Gown Boutique of Charleston

Officiant: Charleston Wedding Rev

Caterer: Cafe Catering and Events

Cake: Gala Desserts

Beverages: Squeeze Bar

Hair and Makeup: Paper Dolls Wedding Hair and Makeup

DJ: Lowcountry Entertainment – Nick Zamecki

 

 

 

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