There are countless places throughout the Lowcountry to have your Charleston Engagement photos done.
From historic downtown to the stunning driftwood beaches, there couldn’t be a better place to have your Charleston Engagement Photos! Whether you are a local or destination bride, the charm and beauty of this city is impossible to resist! You will make all of your married friends jealous of your engagement images at any of these jaw-dropping locations! We thought we would make a list highlighting some of our favorite places to shoot!
Not far from the city, lies one of Charleston’s most beloved beaches: Folly Beach. Loved by locals and travelers alike, Folly Beach is home to the familiar sights and sounds of the beach with a little surprise waiting at the far end. After a little walk to the furthest end of the beach, a little hidden cove delights visitors with wild sand dunes, a driftwood forest, and stunning views of Morris Island Lighthouse. This area makes an amazing location for Charleston Engagement Photos since it is removed from the traffic of the regular beach area and it sheltered from the typical winds at the beach. A future bride and groom can snuggle in the sand, lean against the gnarled branches of a driftwood tree, and gaze at the sunset as they walk hand and hand through the gentle surf. An added bonus we have noticed from shooting here in the past, is that the water seems to be an excellent feeding ground for pods of dolphins at different parts of the year. Can you imagine having a dolphin jumping in the background of your engagement photos? It can happen at Folly Beach!
Charleston is well known for it’s history and charm. Cobblestone streets, historic mansions, and views of the water are only a few of the reasons people fall in love with this beautiful city. Charleston officials did very well to preserve this city much to it’s original appearance, keeping buildings, streets, and even homes within the parameters of what would have been current for the 1800’s. All of these factors make downtown Charleston an excellent location for engagement photos, and partly the reason we LOVE working as Charleston wedding photographers for a living. Starting in White Point Gardens on the battery and walking around from there, downtown offers so much variety with the live oaks, wrought iron gates, and crumbly brick walls. One of the most beautiful locations is well know for it’s presence in local art: Rainbow Row. The group of historic homes are all the pastel colors of the rainbow and make a stunning view to passersby or brides and grooms that would like their engagement photos to have just a little bit of color! Of course, there is also the gorgeous Customs House on E Bay St with it’s stately columns and grand stairs to add a little formality in your photos if you desire. A nice bonus about downtown is the lack of bugs that are flying around trying to bite you and the nice breeze that comes off the water.
A significant drive from Charleston that is well worth the hike, is Botany Bay Plantation on Edisto Island. Completely unique for it’s location, Botany Bay is any photographer’s dream and a perfect place for Charleston Engagement Photos. After a quick hike down a scenic trail, you emerge out onto the beach that boasts an sprawling driftwood forest as far as the eye can see. Due to being part of a protected National Park, conch shells, sand dollars, and all other manner of seashells in all sizes and colors litter the expanse of sand. Flocks of wild birds can be spotted regularly, flying in formation as they move over the beach. The real treat is the forest of driftwood! With gnarled, salt scarred trunks and twisted branches and roots, you can find these trees in any state: standing strong amidst the waves, or on their side on the ground. These trees and logs make perfect spots for dramatic portraits for your engagement photos. Botany Bay is known for it’s mind-blowing sunrises and sunsets where the sky is an ever-changing wash of vivid, brilliant color! No wonder so many brides and grooms choose Botany Bay as their location for their Charleston Engagement Photos!
Several miles down the Ashley River is one of Charleston’s hidden gems, Magnolia Plantation. Famous for it’s status as America’s oldest romantic gardens, it makes an incredible backdrop for engagement photos. With it’s overgrown, winding pathways, lush vegetation, brilliant colors and quaint spirit, we could shoot here for weeks! As artists, we appreciate Magnolia even more since they allow the gardens to grow free and slightly wild, making some photos look almost as if a bride and groom were hiding in a secret garden. One of the best months of the year to shoot here is during April. The amount of azalea bushes planted on the property is legendary and turns the plantation on fire with color! Some highlights include the majestic white bridge over the reflective pond, the ancient live oaks dipping over the Ashley River, the charming Plantation house with it’s wraparound porch, and it’s huge collection of plants, flowers, and animals. If you are looking for a natural feel to your engagement photos, Magnolia is the place for you!
Rich in history and aesthetically designed, Boone Hall has taken the breath away from countless people over the decades. The first impression of this location is the incredible drive of oaks leading up to the plantation house. It always amazes us to think that John Boone, the original owner, planted these trees year and years ago with the knowledge that people would enjoy this view today! And boy do we enjoy them! Low hanging branches draped with Spanish moss make a stunning backdrop for Charleston Engagement Photos. The beauty doesn’t end there, with the sprawling Plantation mansion and wrought iron gate, we would literally shoot for hours. This location is an excellent wedding location as well, with the rustic Cotton Dock located right on the river. Boone Hall Plantation was used as a filming location for several movies, most famously the movie The Notebook. With that in mind, it’s easy to see how a couple could fall in love here!
To see even more epic engagement photo ideas and locations click here!
PPA Master Photographer Ted Linczak along with his wife Rachel is the owner and principle photographer of Nuvo Images. Ted won the overall Grand Imaging Award from PPA in 2016 for his album 1863. In the spring of 2016, he was awarded the Canon Par Excellence Award at the SEPPA print competition. Ted was named Photographer of the Year for 2015 in both Ohio and South Carolina, and has won the award for highest scoring wedding album from 2012-2015. This past fall they were awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in both the wedding album and wedding portrait categories at PPO Fall Print Competition. They have placed in the top 3 wedding albums at PPA’s Grand Imaging Awards the past 2 years in a row (2nd in 2014, 3rd in 2015), as well as placing in the top 3 non-event albums at WPPI’s Annual Print Competition (3rd in 2014, 2nd in 2015).