Lumos Studio

South Carolina Wedding Photography Blog

Hellen and Robby’s Mount Pleasant Wedding

Hellen and Robby were high school sweethearts…then they were college sweethearts…and now they’re husband and wife!

We’ve been fortunate enough to know these two and their wonderful families since the first time they went to a spring formal together, and we were delighted to help capture their beautiful wedding day!

00 Hellen and Robby

The wedding was held in Mount Pleasant, at the gorgeous home of Hellen’s grandmother. Apart from family and friends, the ceremony and reception were well-attended by furry friends.

01 Animals at a wedding

Some were more sharply dressed than others, but then, you’d have to be insane to try to put an outfit on a cat. 

Now, here’s the part where you get to feel like a slacker. Hellen made her wedding dress. Wait, I’m not done. She also designed it. Short of growing the cotton from which it’s woven and personally mining the ore from which the corset ribs are made I don’t think she could have been more involved. (If you know Hellen’s industriousness, you know she probably at least considered the cotton part…) In any case, the result was amazing as you can see!

02 Hellen and Robby Wedding

And here is Hellen’s handsome groom. I’m fairly certain Robby tied his own tie.  ;-)

03 Robby the groom

We got to share a wonderful moment as Hellen’s dad saw her in her dress for the first time. (Brides, you should do this!)

04 Bride's father first look

And finally it was time for the ceremony!

05 Wedding Ceremony

After the lovely couple tied the knot, everyone retired to the backyard with its gorgeous waterfront view for delicious southern food and, of course, cake.

06 Wedding details

Hellen and Robby – salt (and pepper) of the earth.

The view started out amazing and only got better from there.

07 Charleston Wedding

08 Wedding Dances

09 Cutting the cake

Everybody had a great time, though I fear the cat may have partied a little too hard.

10 Hellen and Robby

11 Hellen and Robby

As the sun began to set we made our way to the dock for some photos of Robby and Hellen.

12 Charleston Wedding on the water

After a day that continually promised rain but never delivered, we were treated to a breathtaking sunset for our newlyweds.

13 Charleston wedding sunset

As the sun went down and the moon came up, the celebration continued.

14 Hellen and Robby

15 Hellen and Robby

Hellen and Robby, we wish you a wonderful life together filled with creativity, great food, and the kind of love that comes only from above.

Spring Valley High School’s 2016 Trashion Show

Last Friday night, students from Spring Valley High School took to the runway to show off handmade fashions created from materials that would have otherwise been bound for the landfill–in other words, Trashion.
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Above you’ll find proof that creating something from nothing isn’t just thrifty, it can be downright angelic.

And speaking of angelic, the event was also a fundraiser for The Souper Bowl of Caring, a wonderful organization that got its start with high school students right here in Columbia and now helps to feed the hungry all across America.

Below you’ll see an amazing rice-bag dress which demonstrates that rice isn’t just good when you want to eat a thousand of something.

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Below you’ll find a colorful top and purse combo woven from discarded magazines paired with a trash bag skirt.

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If you ever shop at Trader Joe’s you’ll probably recognize this next piece. Sadly, it just contains a model, and not dark chocolate pistachio toffee. *sigh*

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The guys got into it, too! This trash bag/recycled bottle ensemble assures you you’ll be well hydrated for the coming apocalypse.

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What do you do with your old SAT study guides when you’re done with them? Take them out for a night on the town, of course!

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The mix of materials plus the handmade purse make this trashion a can’t-miss for 2016!

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Woven newspaper and magazines make this ensemble a bibliophile’s delight, but it’s the (slightly hidden) Elizabethan collar that’s worth reading about.

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Clearly, print is not dead!

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Love the floral punch and charming hairpiece on this magazine and trash bag dress!

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Candy wrappers make a sweet addition to any wardrobe!

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This tasty dress makes running out for a midnight snack into an event!

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Okay, this dress is amazing, and it’s made from old, shredded homework. I love the outfit, but as a former teacher, I’m not sure I love the idea that homework is trash.   ;-)

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Finally, allow me to introduce the winner. With a floral-theme top and a sweet-scented skirt accented with tea bags, this was the outfit that ultimately won over the judges in a field filled with fierce competition! Congratulations to the winner and to all the designers, models, and organizers who made this great event possible!

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Halloween 2015

It’s been two years in a row now, so I guess it’s safe to call this our annual Halloween drop-in.

Halloween, if it is not our favorite holiday, is the Lumos-Studio-est of the holidays. It captures the perfect combination of creativity, playfulness, childlikeness, spookiness, decadence, and demanding that your neighbors give you candy. Here’s how the night went down.

[Voting for this year’s Halloween costume contest is closed. Show up next year in costume and get in the running yourself!]

First, it’s no longer springtime in Paris…in our kitchen. No, the cherry blossoms have fallen and given way to the headless horseman.

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Aaaahhhh!!! Cupcakes and apple slices!!!

Your hosts for the evening will be my lovely bride, Cleopatra…

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…and me, Mark Antony.

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(No, not the singer. Yes, I’m sure. No, I definitely don’t speak Spanish. It’s not even spelled the same!)

We’ll be assisted by the beautiful (that’s what her name means) Belle.

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We’ve invited some friends from history (or historical fiction) such as Robin Hood,

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our friend the sailor,

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Jay Gatsby (and his lady friend),

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a jester to keep things light,

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and a family consisting of a couple of lovely witches and either a Roman or John Belushi…we’re not sure which.

 

Here in Columbia we’ve found it’s a bad idea to open the door to yankee soldiers, but this one’s wife was so charming that we relented.

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Fortunately, if things got out of hand we had a number of super heroes to look out for us!

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(Fact: Batman loves Ring Pops)

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We also had some other friends from movies and television come by, like Elsa,

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(covered in) Cookie monster,

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AAAAHHHHHH! AAAAHHHH! Get them away! Get them away!!
Wait, okay…it’s just a costume. Well, it’s still pretty creepy…though not as creepy as that baby-sun abomination.

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“Marcel Marceau called, but he didn’t leave a message.”

Beth

Dog nappers!

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If this young lady wins the costume contest I’m going to be suspicious–after all, she’s a cheetah!

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A little Day of the Dead action…

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And if your drink gets too warm, perhaps an Ice Cube.
(Thank you, thank you…I’ll be here all week.)

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If your team does badly, blame these guys.

 

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And if your barbecue doesn’t win, blame him.

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“You’re forgetting, Lindsay, that as a psychiatrist, I was a professional twice over – an analyst and a therapist.”

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Happy Halloween, everybody.  :-)

Senior Photos: Abby

Abby is the youngest of my (J.P.’s) first cousins, making her the baby. As a result, I have a picture of her in my head that looks something like this:

Yup, I took this one, too. *sigh*

(Sorry, Abby!)

But now she’s away at college, which doesn’t make me feel old at all, nooo… Furthermore, this is her now:

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Kids grow up. If you’re really lucky, though, they grow up like Abby: beautiful inside and out. Not to say I don’t miss the gap-toothed little girl from time to time, but I’m delighted by the caring, intelligent, and sweet young lady she’s become. (Excuse me…something in my eye…)

Anyway, even though we took these after graduation, we’re going to count them as senior photos because she hadn’t left for school yet and besides, it’s our blog, so what are you going to do about it? *Ahem* Also, if you’ve got a senior in your house for whom you’d like to get photos, the time to contact us is now. It’s actually cool out and you can get photos made before the college application process has left them looking world-weary and haggard.

 

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(You know, like this.)

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It’s been amazing to watch Abby grow up and into a wonderful aunt to her nieces, who adore her.

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Abby senior

She may have grown up, but she’s still got great expressions.

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We love you, Abby! Now go kick college’s butt!

 

Peri’s Charleston Bridal Portraits

Peri and Steven are married! While we put the finishing touches on their wedding photos, we thought you might like to see just how beautiful a bride Peri is.

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“Really, really beautiful” is how beautiful, by the way. We would also have accepted, “incredibly beautiful”, “stunningly beautiful”, or “astonishingly beautiful.”

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We had the beautiful backdrop of Hampton Park in Charleston for these portraits, which were apparently so attractive that some of the local fauna decided to try to get in on the action. (Honestly, I like the grey over white look, but the black hat might be a little formal for an outdoor wedding.)

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Peri is a graduate of the College of Charleston, so we decided to pay the cistern a visit.

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I love the way her skin glows is this golden light!

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Peri’s shoes are from the awesome Charleston Shoe Company. Apart from being local, their shoes are handmade and, I’m told, incredibly comfortable.

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Peri and her family love the water so we had to get some shots that incorporated it. (Thank you for being so brave!)

Bride by the docks in Charleston, SC

Finally, the light was just about to die so we stopped right where we were on the Battery to shoot. Turns out this is where Steven proposed to Peri!

Peri in her bridal gown as the sun sets

We’ll have more photos from Steven and Peri in the near future, so check back soon!