Kiawah Island Engagement Session

It’s hard to find a love as sweet as Logan & Emily’s! I loved hanging out with them and photographing their sweet smiles. It’s obvious that they love each other deeply! We also witnessed the most amazing sunset for their session. You don’t want to miss it!

Logan & Emily were my first 2017 couple, and I photographed their Kiawah Island wedding in January! I realized the other day that I hadn’t posted their images from their engagement session we had last September. So today I’m sharing a few of those images! If you know me, you know that I LOVE the beach. I’d take a trip to the beach every weekend if I could. One of my favorite places in all the world is Charleston, SC. You just can’t beat the food, the history, the shopping, and of course, the ocean breeze all day long. When Emily & Logan inquired about doing their engagement and wedding photos at Kiawah Island, it didn’t take me long to say YES YES YES.

We had never met, and since they live in DC most of our correspondence was via email and phone! Just from hanging out the day of their e-sesh with their families I felt like we became friends!Even now over a year later I love seeing their Facebook posts. I still keep up with some of the members of their bridal party, too! My job is just the best! Since it has been over a year since this session, I reached out to Logan & Emily to tell me a little bit about their story so I could share it with you today! I loved everything they said, so I thought it would be best to share it from their perspectives!

From Emily…

Logan and I met online while I was living in South Africa. He was the first person to message me, within about 15 mins of setting up my account! We spent six weeks emailing, and I was so impressed by the way he expressed himself, all of his great questions and thoughtful responses, and the way he helped me process my transition back to the U.S. Our first date in person went really well, but our second date was special. I proposed going rock climbing and Logan agreed, saying it was something that he always wanted to try. When we entered the gym, he confessed that he was somewhat afraid of heights! At first I felt a bit badly, but I was so impressed that he would be willing to do something outside his comfort zone. He really showed his general competence in the way he picked it up so quickly!

Once we started talking about marriage in earnest, one question that came up was where to get married. We’re both transplants in the DC area, where everything is expensive, and it wouldn’t be convenient for our families. I kept remembering this childhood dream that I had to get married on Kiawah Island. It’s an incredible place, a tidal marsh island off of the Atlantic Ocean, where my parents lived briefly before I was born, and where we had been vacationing for as long as I could remember.

My favorite venue was The Ocean Course Clubhouse, a golf course right on the beach that had a magical feel to it. When I called and found that it was available for our date and that it fell within our budget, we decided it was meant to be! A few months later, we were able to join both sets of parents for a trip so that the families could meet and we could all scout the location together. It couldn’t have been more perfect, and Kiawah Island has become even more special!

From Logan…

So how did I know I wanted to marry Emily? The question there is really, is this a person that I not only enjoy their company now, but also someone that I can count on into the future and that I can truly relate to. Something that I appreciate about Emily is that she truly seeks to understand me, which in my opinion is a cornerstone of a successful partnership. All too often in our lives we meet people that simply see us as an event in their day, not as a unique person with our own individual experiences that make up our story. Emily saw me as a story, one that she wanted to be a part of. She also could make some mean enchiladas. All humor aside, when I realized that she was someone I could truly trust, that was when I knew I found a winner.

The proposal was an exercise in misdirection. Emily had told me that she loves surprises, and as a man one of the few expectations I knew I was operating under was to make the proposal memorable. Normally I’m terrible with birthdays or any kind of surprise scenario, so I had to dig deep on this one. Luckily I had my group of friends ready to be my co-conspirators. I had my friends arrange an outing to a local winery that we as a group frequented, but Emily had not. So with that excuse in hand, I smuggled the ring (in an inconveniently large box, seriously they were not doing us guys any favors) to the winery while my friends took some flowers. We then waited until after the first tasting to lure her out to the fields where I popped the question. She was so sure nothing was happening that she was distracted by Japanese beetles on a nearby vine! When we got back to the table the flowers were out and everyone was applauding. I’m glad she enjoyed it, as I doubt I can pull that off again!