Jennifer Bearden Photography

This last weekend, I traveled to Portland, OR to photograph Jared and Natalie’s wedding.  They were married at St Patrick’s Church with a reception following at the Governor Hotel.  What a beautiful (and cold) weekend!  After the ceremony we had some time to stop in a few places around Portland to take some pictures.  We stopped at the tree in Pioneer Square- where they got engaged!  Thank you Nat and Jared for having me out to Portland to share this event with you, I enjoyed every minute!  Cheers to Natalie and Jared!

This afternoon I met Amanda and Josh at Magnolia Place Plantation here in Charleston to do their engagement portraits.  Magnolia Place is so beautiful, I could spend a whole day just walking around it.  Josh proposed to Amanda here and we took some pictures in that very spot.  They brought their dog Marley along for a few pictures and she was so sweet.  Congratulations Amanda and Josh!

Last week, we went to watch Friday’s Parade at the Citadel.  My husband and his father both went to the Citadel, so it is extra special when we can all go together, like we did for this one.  Here are some of the images I captured at the Parade.

This morning, I was asked by Laura Moore to come and photograph James Simons Elementary students for a wonderful project she and her son are doing.  (Please read her text below).

“Every child should have a book at home…   But not every child does.

This goal of my project is to give every child who goes to James Simons Elementary a book to keep.  Our family first heard about the need for books at James Simons at Circular Congregational Church when a literacy consultant, Joanne Calhoun, came and spoke to our congregation on Sunday.  Then we went and asked the principal of the school, Lynn Owings, if this project would help, and she said it would.  Then we met with the school’s media director, Kim Livingston, to put together a list of really good books with African American characters and story lines – because ALL of the children who go to James Simons are African American.  I didn’t know how many wonderful books like that there were – and I bet you didn’t either.

The experimental part of my project is to see how far away the link for my project gets forwarded, what other ways people hear about it,  how people choose to give, and what books they select.  I hope each child receives a book to keep and remember forever.  Maybe two.  If we receive more books than that, the library at James Simons still has lots and lots of empty shelves – and Charleston has lots of other elementary schools like James Simons.  The project will run from November 1st, 2009 until February 15th, 2010.”– Laura Moore

Here are some of the images from this morning-the last picture is of Tyre Moore, 8th Grader at Buist Academy who is leading the project.  http://thejamessimonsliteracyproject.weebly.com

On Saturday Stacey and Chris were married at 5:30 at the Rumbling Bald Resort in Lake Lure, NC.  I photographed Staceys sister’s wedding in May and was honored that they asked me to photograph Stacey’s wedding too.  Stacey and Chris had a real vintage vibe that I loved.. from her hairstyle, to her dress, to the old time candy bar, to their getaway car (an old GT that was so cool), to their song “All you need is love” by the Beatles.  The bridesmaids and Stacey had planned a special dance to start halfway into the father/daughter dance.  The music stopped and Tina Turner started.  The girls lit up the floor with their “Proud Mary”  dance.   There was even an old Jukebox in the house they were staying at that we took pictures in front of.  The wedding ceremony was supposed to take place near the gazebo by the lake, but the rain started pouring down and it was moved to the Terrace, which looked beautiful.  A special thank you to the Spicers for having me again, I had so much fun!  Cheers to Stacey and Chris!

Yesterday at 6:00 pm, Tricia and Mike were married at Middleton Place Plantation in a celtic-themed wedding.  Instead of bridesmaids, Tricia had her two brothers as “Men of Honor.”  They took great care of her, even helping her with her dress during the ceremony.  They had the cutest little ringbearer who had a plaid cap that was adorable.  Doug Farmer officiated the ceremony which included celtic traditions such as drinking from the cup.  Guests were transported to the reception in a horsedrawn carriage.  What a perfect night!  Cheers to Tricia and Mike!

Yesterday at 5:00 Abby and Greg were married at Alhambra Hall in Mount Pleasant, SC.  A lot of Abby and Greg’s family and friends are from Chicago, and I must say, people from Chicago know how to have a good time!  The dance floor was never empty.  The wedding was catered by Cru Catering and Jenny from Cru did a fabulous job.  Flowers were done by Frederick’s Wedding & Special events, and as always, Lillie’s flowers were exquisite and fresh.  Abby and Greg planned a fantastic wedding.  Cheers to Abby and Greg!

Also this weekend, Katherine and her family were in town from St. Louis. She asked me to come to Folly to photograph her family. We had time for a clothing change and a few different location changes before the sun started to go down. We also had time for a few candid ones. Here are a few from yesterday’s session

Last night at 6:00 at the Second Presbyterian Church Andrea and Bill were married. A reception followed at the Wickliffe House. Yesterday had only a 30% chance of rain so we were all suprised to hear the thunder right after the ceremony. Andrea’s mother said it is an old wive’s tale that if there is a thunder storm on your wedding day you will have a lot of children! Andrea is one of 5 daughters and she was the last sister to get married – so you can imagine this was a fun party! Angela with Captured Moments from Atlanta did the videography www.cmvproductions.com (she had also done the other four sister’s weddings). It was fun to work with her and to hear she had also lived in Portland, Oregon. Luke Wilson Special Events did the day of planning and the flowers www.lukesevents.com. Luke and his team were great -they had to do some quick adjustments for the weather, but rolled with it and ran a smooth event. Everything looked beautiful! Austin with Gourmet Bay www.gourmetbay.net catered the event, and the food looked so delicious. The brie grilled cheese sandwiches were a huge hit.

I can not say enough great things about this family, it was a pleasure working with each and every one of them, I did not want the night to end! Cheers to Andi and Bill!

Yesterday I photographed Anjie and her family while they were here on vacation from Maryland and Florida. Folly beach is my favorite place for family sessions at the beach. There are so many great backdrops- the rocks, the dunes, the water, the lighthouse. Here are a few from our session.