One of my favorite things to witness as a wedding photographer is the different way in which my couples interact as friends and lovers, simultaneously. Dana and Paul are no exceptions to this, as they are truly best friends. From the moment we met over tacos and beers a few months ago, I knew they were the rad, super in LOVE type of couple I love to work with, and today I am happy to share with you their in-home and beachside Charleston SC engagement session.

The Beachside Charleston, SC Engagement Session

We met up one sweet afternoon to enjoy a few of Paul and Dana’s favorite actives to do together, and I loved every second of their session. We started with some cooking together as a couple in their cute little kitchen. Dana is an incredible and professional chef! And then we ended with a walk on the beach at Sullivan’s Island. In between those two things, Dana and Paul wanted to get a few photos of them riding their bikes together. So basically, they just spent time doing what they usually do as a couple in front of my camera.

Not Just An Ordinary Couple

Doing these ordinary, every-day things together made for some genuinely sweet images. I’ve fallen in love with sessions like these. I love going beyond just the “stand here and kiss” sessions to ones like Dana and Paul’s in-home and beachside Charleston SC engagement session. They were able to dance in the kitchen, ride bikes, and walk on the beach together just like they would on any typical day, and I was there to capture all of that REAL love. The type of love that makes a marriage last; that normal, everyday kind of love.

As it just so happens, Dana and Paul are getting married tomorrow. I am ecstatic about joining them for their celebration and vows because it’s going to be a beautiful day. I just had to get a blog post featuring their engagement session in Charleston, South Carolina before their vows! Enjoy my favorites from their in-home and beachside Charleston SC engagement session.

When couples and I first start chatting about their wedding day, I usually as a series of questions to help me get to know the couple a bit better and a feel for their relationship. I’m going to be sharing with you below a few of Paul’s words to me in an email about how he and Dana met and fell in love. You see, Paul is an educated guy and a computational linguist, so I’ll let him tell you that story.

How the couple met:

 From Paul: “Back in the misty eons of 2015, I had just defended my dissertation and was working for a software company in Buffalo, NY. In the spirit of crowd-sourcing, I had told my friends that they should keep an eye out for any of their friends, acquaintances, etc. who were hip cats willing to go on a blind date with the narrator of this tale. Luckily, most of them were terrible at their job.

On what had seemed to be a Tuesday in May like any other, I went to a local bakery started by some friends to pick up a bread share. It was near closing time, and I was one of the last to show up, so two of the bakery founders had time to chat. They had this friend, you see, who might be persuaded to go on a date with me. She was reported to be just my type of nerd, you see. Little did I know, she was the One to Be.”

Let’s Meet For Drinks

“After some To:ing and From:ing, we agreed to grab a drink at a little Irish bar called Shannon’s Pub. We had no trouble at all passing 3 or 4 hours over beer and Gin & Tonic’s. All the while, we accidentally kept revealing hints of our shared interests. That summer was pretty amazing: hikes, talks, drinks, cooking together. I remember telling my sister very early on the one thing that was so great about Dana. It’s that topics that are usually tough to talk about with other folks seemed natural with her. We spent the fall, winter, and spring months sharing time hanging out, playing with cats, or watching Dr. Who.”

The Accidental Proposal

   “Another fall, winter, and spring flew by. She started grad school and quit a job while I lost and found a job. We provided support for each other throughout all the weird and new that came with the transitions. We also took a road trip around Western and Central NY to see friends. During the trip, I accidentally proposed to her in a car instead of on the hiking trail near a waterfall like I’d planned. This was because of a slightly hilarious (and to be expected) confluence of my planning, our friends’ similar ideas, and just plain luck. Despite all that, I managed to convince her to move to Charleston, SC with me to start a new life for my new job.”

So Comfortable and In Love

Dana just oh-so-casually whipped up a lovely meal for them featuring a homemade pesto sauce. But Paul helped her every step of the way! They laughed and chatted as they cooked. I felt so honored to see them in their space, so comfortable and in love. 

After they enjoyed their meal together, we took a moment to let them slow dance in their kitchen together. They do this little dance number often in the kitchen while waiting for various things to cook, and I just LOVE these few dancing images! Their connection is so easy to see. 

Around Town

Dana and Paul then quickly changed and took a little ride on their bikes along the streets near their sweet Charleston apartment to round out this in-home and beachside Charleston SC engagement session. Paul recently bought Dana a bubble blower attachment for her bike, and it was SO fun to see them riding around, a trail of bubbles flowing in their wake.

Beachside Love

To finish up their beachside Charleston SC engagement session, we headed to the beach at sunset for a few more portraits of them as a couple. These are some of my most favorite images from their whole session, y’all. You can just see the love and passion they have for each other. Paul looks at Dana like she is the most valuable thing in the world to him. And Dana gazes back with admiration and affection. I could go on and ON, seriously! I love how IN LOVE these two amazing humans are!

Spread The Love

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into Dana and Paul’s in-home and beachside Charleston SC engagement session. If you loved these images, let the couple know in the comments below!  They are getting married on October 21, 2017, so leave them some love, friends!!