The Cooper River Room Wedding | Charleston Destination Wedding | Charleston Wedding Photographers
Jamie and Marquis
“You are my best friend, my human diary and my other half. You mean the world to me and I love you“
– Unknown
Charleston, South Carolina
As a wedding photographer, I get to meet and photograph all sorts of people. Some people are just plain happy – happy to be alive, happy to be together, happy to travel. Happy people have happy weddings, which makes me a happy wedding photographer.
Jamie and marquis’ wedding is what I would call a happy occasion. I call it a Charleston destination wedding because that is exactly what it was – a gathering in a beautiful destination where the majority (if not all) of the guests had to travel to. And travel they did! I photographed Jamie’s bridal portraits barely a month ago in Atlanta, where she lived at the time. As I soon found out, a lot can change in a month’s time. Marquis landed a new job that required a move from his home in Atlanta all the way to the West Coast. Their destination wedding was becoming a further and further away destination, and they both were caught in limbo – temporarily juggling life between two homes thousands of miles apart, and simultaneously finalizing details for their wedding in Charleston. That’s what I call stress.
And you know what? I never heard either of them complain once. That is because they are happy people. That becomes abundantly clear after spending only 5 minutes with them. I have never smiled so much while working as I did at Jamie’s bridal session. Jamie and her family made me feel like I was a part of it from the very start. The first time I met Marquis in person was downstairs in the lobby where the groomsmen were getting ready, and again I immediately felt like family. Some people are just good people that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Even though they may be going through life-altering changes, they will still make you feel good about yourself.
Jamie and Marquis were looking out over the horizon of three new beginnings – a new career, a new home, and of course their new life together. I was happy to meet them in this intersection in their lives, where everything they had and everyone they loved came together for one amazing celebration.
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Jamie and Marquis’ wedding day began at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mount Pleasant, and ended at the Cooper River Room, overlooking the Arthur Ravenel Bridge. Everything about this location is perfect if you want that low country charm in your wedding.
For a bride who wanted a wedding that showed the beauty of Charleston SC, I couldn’t think of a better place to hold a wedding. The Arthur Ravenel Bridge is a Charleston landmark, and the view from the Cooper River Room is clear and beautiful. It also overlooks a gorgeous marsh – another fixture of Charleston. For a bride who wanted her dream wedding to show the beauty of the low country, this was the best location I have ever seen. I greatly enjoyed photographing here – the opportunities are absolutely endless for good wedding photography.
It’s impossible to look through these photos and not smile. I was so happy to have been able to photograph Jamie and Marquis’ beautiful Charleston destination wedding, and I hope you enjoy your memories. Congratulations on your new lives together!
Special thanks to the vendors that helped make their day possible:
Wedding photography: Matthew Pautz Photography
Ceremony and reception venue: Cooper River Room
Wedding party prep location: Hilton Garden Inn
Videographer: Seigel Films
Band / DJ: Island Sound
Wedding planning: Nicole Garrand
Officiant: Rev Larry McCutcheon
Rentals: Eventworks
Sweetgrass bouquets: DNA Baskets