The Commerce Club Wedding

Abbey + Alex



Downtown Greenville, South Carolina

If I had one word to describe Abbey and Alex’s Commerce Club wedding, it would be:  Ambitious.  In fact, only a small portion of this was actually a Commerce Club Wedding – the reality is that this was one of the wildest, quintessentially Greenville wedding I have ever been a part of – and that’s saying a lot because I’ve been to my share of wild weddings.  No, this one was different.  It was crazy, but not stressful.  It was packed, but not crowded.  We hit 6 different locations all around Downtown Greenville, but it never felt rushed.  I was not only allowed to share the limo with the wedding party, but I was encouraged to.  It was the same for their after-ceremony celebration at Brazwell’s pub downtown.  Abbey and Alex’s wedding was quite literally a wedding photography sandbox for me to play around in.  It was amazing.

But isn’t that what wedding photography should be?  A complete look through the wedding day, from start to finish…with all the fun, celebration, and emotions that are involved?  That is pretty much my ideal wedding, and as an extension, my ideal couple.  But it also takes a huge amount of trust on their part.  It takes a special type of person to hire a wedding photographer and then sit back, give up all control, and tell them they have complete creative reign over the entire day.  Well Abbey and Alex are both pretty incredible people, and that’s exactly what they did.

I’ll keep it short for now, but read on below to see what made their day (and themselves) so special.


bride and groom kissing with wedding veil blowing in wind bride and groom hugging after wedding ceremonyThe Commerce Club wedding photos | Greenville sc


Now that’s an intro.  Abbey and Alex began their day at The Hyatt Regency, but I first made a side trip to The Commerce Club to grab a more unique dress shot in their wine room.  The Hyatt is always a great choice for getting ready photos if you want to stay in the downtown area, and this time was no different.


Wedding dress hanging in wine room at The Commerce Club in Greenville SC bridesmaids getting hair and makeup done at The Hyatt, Greenville Bride holding necklace wearing robe Closeup of makeup being applied to bridesmaids bridesmaid taking selifie in dress orange silhouette of bride having makeup done bride looking at her reflection through a mirror while getting ready for wedding bride getting ready with hair and makeup before wedding The Hyatt wedding photos, greenville sc bride admiring her ring while getting ready for wedding


Next, it was off to St Marys Catholic Church for the ceremony.  St Mary’s was a beautiful choice for a wedding ceremony, and I enjoyed working here.


bridesmaids helping bride get her dress on at St Marys bridesmaids looking at bride after putting on dress Groom having Boutineer put on jacket at church bride looking thoughtful before wedding ceremony at st mary's catholic church bride being led down aisle escorted by both dads groom sees bride for the first time at St Mary's catholic church saint marys catholic church wedding wedding at st marys catholic church bride and groom leaving church wedding ceremony


Those were the last of the formalities – from here on out it was a true party for everyone involved.  We started off in the back of a limo, toasting champagne and beer while we rode around downtown Greenville in style.  American VIP Limo really delivered here.  It has been a long time since I was in a limo….do you realize how dark they are on the inside?  Needless to say, I had to get a little creative with the lighting.  Finally, my obsessive planning worked out, because I had all the gear with me that I needed to get the shots.


bride and groom drinking champagne in the back of a limo after wedding wedding party toasting champagne in limo after wedding ceremony bride and groom hanging out in limo after wedding wedding party drinking in limo in greenville sc


Brazwell’s premium pub was the next stop on our list – the perfect place to relax, goof off a bit, and celebrate with their closest friends and family.  Pub games in full wedding attire was a new experience for me, and I loved it!  And since we were right there, it was the perfect chance to grab some photos at Falls Park.  It is very rare to have space for wedding photography at Falls Park, but with the help of their strong-willed wedding party, we were able to clear things out enough to keep everything comfortable.  It was definitely worth it.


bride and groom playing basketball game at Brazwell's pub, greenville sc bride playing ping pong after wedding at brazwell's pub brazwell's pub wedding photos groomsmen group photo around pool table bridesmaids on couch at Brazwell's in Greenville sc happy bride smiling in greenville downtown Greenville sc wedding photos Falls park wedding photos Greenville sc wedding photos bride and groom dancing in Falls Park, Greenville sc wedding shoes and veil on black background wedding rings on top of wine bottles


Finally, it was time for their reception at the Commerce Club.  Abbey and Alex are amazing with each other of course, but so are their families.  When it was time for the speeches, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.  The stories, experiences, and well-wishes that were shared were truly special, and I could tell that these two were meant for each other.


reception setup at The Commerce Club Greenville wedding cake and decorations at the commerce club beautiful wedding at the commerce club bride and groom first dance at commerce club reception closeup of bride and groom while slow dancing at wedding reception reception photos at The Commerce Club bride and groom watch while father of the bride gives speech tearful bride crying during reception speech bride and groom look on while father of bride gives reception speech lots of wedding guests pack into the commerce club tearful wedding guest during speeches at reception bridesmaid hanging out with her boyfriend at wedding reception the commerce club wedding photos wedding guests slow dancing at the commerce club reception  reflection of wedding guests at wedding reception in window best man giving emotion speech at wedding reception emotional bridesmaid crying during reception speech father of bride looking on during speeches best man toasting newlywed couple bride's first dance with her father bride dancing with her father at The Commerce Club in Greenville first dance with groom and his mother at Commerce Club emotional bridesmaids watching first dances at reception bridesmaid having fun and dancing at commerce club reception bridesmaid laughing on dance floor wedding guest having fun and dancing at wedding reception Bride and groom in front of beautiful sunset over Greenville SC Skyline sunset wedding photos in downtown greenville sc silhouette of bride and groom dancing at the commerce club commerce club wedding photo bride and groom dancing at wedding reception wedding guests dancing at commerce club reception groom dancing with garter at wedding reception wedding guests packed into commerce club reception area


Whew!  Now that was a wedding day done right.  Abbey and Alex surrounded themselves with their friends and family, and created a remarkable celebration that was full of personality and uniquely ‘them’.  Many congratulations to the happy couple, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your celebration!


Special thanks to the follow wedding vendors who helped make this day possible:

Getting ready location: Hyatt Regency, Greenville
Ceremony Location: St Marys Catholic Church
Reception Venue: The Commerce Club, Greenville
Limo Service: American VIP Limo
Hair/makeup: Cotton Rouge, Amanda R
Reception DJ: Jumping Jukebox
Florist: Greg Foster
Wedding Cake: Tasteful Elegance 

Click here to view some of my other weddings at The Commerce Club.

1 thought on “The Commerce Club Wedding”

  1. These are absolutely stunning! Matthew, you’ve got quite the eye and are truly talented.

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