Carolyn & Chris' Engagement Portraits

We took a road trip down to Columbia a week ago for Carolyn and Chris' engagement shoot. They live in New York but wanted to have pictures taken at USC since they both went to school there and that's where they met. We hit up the Horseshoe and the Cockabooses for some neat shots. Carolyn & Chris were a lot of fun and told us all about their dream to one day own one of the Cockabooses. We hope their dream comes true so that we can some day document them throwing the tail-gate party of the year!

A long, long time ago, we took a tour of the USC campus because Emily was considering law school. That was the last time we were in Columbia. We're both so glad she opted not to do the law school thing because we both LOVE photography so much. Plus, having a career where we can work together and share our passion is the dream of a lifetime!

Here are some of our favorites from the day!





Curtis & Emily
Kismet Photography

Lindsay & PJ's Wedding

Our last few weddings have been chock full of spectacular views and this one was no different. Lindsay and PJ had their ceremony and reception high atop Crest Mountain at the Crest Center. They were blessed with a sunny day and crystal blue skies as far as the eye could see.

The reception was one giant party and the dance floor was rarely empty. Some of their song choices made it even more fun:

Cake Cutting: "Pour Some Sugar On Me"
Bouquet Toss: "Another One Bites the Dust"

Not to mention seeing our first "YMCA" conga line!





Lindsay & PJ,

We hope the party continues for you in Jamaica. And if you do decide to throw another wedding bash just for fun, we'll be there!


Curtis & Emily
Kismet Photography

Kelli & Matt's Wedding

It was back to Pretty Place for us for this past Sunday. We had so much fun with Kelli and Matt because they were up for anything. What makes a wedding really enjoyable for us is simple: time to get creative and a couple that loves pictures. Although we wish every wedding had ample time to allow us to work our magic, it doesn't always happen that way. Thankfully Kelli and Matt scheduled their reception a couple hours after the ceremony so we had plenty of time to play!

One of our stops on the way back to Greenville was an eclectic gas station complete with year-round Christmas village and an emu and pig farm in the back. Kelli and Matt thought the place was groovy and so did we after seeing it. Pity the dancing chicken wasn't working.

Kelli's family did an amazing job decorating the reception in a beautiful harvest theme. One family member even carved their names into a pumpkin! So cool.

Our favorite quote of the day: "You can Electric Slide to just about anything."





Emily & Curtis
Kismet Photography

Kristin & Jason's Wedding

This weekend we were up in the mountains for Kristin and Jason's wedding. Curtis tagged along with Jason and his guys for some fly fishing while I hung out with the girls downtown for hair and makeup.

It must have been Jason's lucky day because
he was reelin'em in left and right.



For the animal lovers out there, don't worry.
It was catch-and-release.



















Their ceremony was at Pretty Place Chapel and the reception
was at Victoria Valley Vineyards which sits at the base of
Table Rock Mountain (one of our favorite local hikes).



Kristin came up with the cake design and Kathy & Company
did an amazing job bringing her vision to life.



Kristin is so artsy-crafty she even made
this awesome moss ring-bearer pillow.






















Comparative Analysis Time!
(Don't worry, it's more interesting than it sounds)
Pretty Place has an amazing view but the challenge in photographing it is balancing the bright daylight that is on the mountain vista with the little amount of light that is under the cover of the chapel. As you can see from the first image, the outside is MUCH brighter than the inside. The only way to get the inside and outside balanced is with high-powered flashes. As you can see the second image is much more pleasing and takes full advantage of the beautiful view.









On the other hand, Pretty Place is a great spot because
there is enough room to move around unnoticed
and shoot the couple's expressions during the ceremony.























Talk about cake "CUTTING". Look at the size of that knife!

Emily & Curtis
Kismet Photography

Katie & Andrew's Wedding

Katie and Andrew actually booked us before we even met with them. She just called us up from Chicago where she was finishing grad school and said she had to have us! Talk about making us feel good :) We're so glad she did too because we've had so much fun with them.

With Katie being an opera singer and Andrew a percussionist, the entire day was full of beautiful music. There were several songs during the ceremony and Katie's sister, who was also a bridesmaid, even showed off her amazing voice.

Their reception at the Wyche Pavilion was classy and elegant and the weather could not have been more perfect for it. Their reception band, Puzzle, did a great job playing their favorite Sinatra tunes and some other classics. Katie's brother even sang a little Sinatra himself.

The newlyweds are headed to Napa Valley for their honeymoon and along the way plan to see, what else, an opera! We hope you guys have a great time and sip plenty of wine. (hey that rhymes) We can't wait to hear all about it.





Curtis & Emily
Kismet Photography