I first visited Hopelands Gardens on a birthday date with my parents and sister. I hadn’t really learned photography at that point, but I knew how to use an iPhone on portrait mode, and Hannah and I had our own photo shoot along the beautiful tree lined paths and gorgeous foliage.
Little did I know that I would be shooting an absolutely gorgeous fall engagement session for an absolutely wonderful couple at not only Hopelands Gardens, but also the gorgeous Redcliffe Plantation not many miles away.
Sophie reached out to me and asked if I would be available to shoot her and her fiance, Parker’s, December wedding. I was absolutely available, and we set to work planning all the things.
When the Weather Isn’t In Your Favor
This engagement session was quite an adventure!
When I arrived at Hopelands Gardens in Aiken, SC to photograph a beautiful sunrise engagement session, I was met with gorgeous sunlight streaming through the trees. I had been watching the forecast for several days leading up to the session, and it looked promising — sun, minimal clouds, and the perfect temperature.
Imagine my surprise when I glanced at the beloved weather app and noticed an unhappy sight. Not only was rain predicted, but a 100% chance of rain, set to begin the moment we started shooting. Hopelands Gardens has a lot of big and beautiful trees, so even if it did rain, we would be partially shielded from the pour.
What do you know, the rain started the minute that we began shooting and didn’t stop until Hannah and I were driving home.
Normally rain would cancel a session. But this couple wasn’t phased a bit by raindrops and puddles. We ended up shooting in the entire garden, on paths, next to lovely pools of water, and underneath beautiful trees.
Parker and Sophie are so photogenic and amazing at being in front of the camera. They were up for anything and made my job so easy.
We ended the session, trying not to be thoroughly soaked through. But it was more than worth it to capture the love between this amazing couple.
Parker and Sophie, thank you so much for trusting me to capture your engagement session. I cannot wait to work together on your wedding day! 😍
Joyfully,
Lauren
