Debordieu Wedding on Pawleys Island

Although hurricane Ian tried to ruin Christian and Austin’s Debordieu Wedding on Pawleys Island, nothing was getting in the way of stopping them from marrying one another!

These two connected through two dating apps, although it took some convincing for Christian to go on a date. After a breakfast date, the rest is history! While Austin had planned how he would propose, plans had to change due to Christian being busy that night. Close friends assisted him in changing his plans. The two went on a date night to one of their favorite restaurants in Nashville. After dinner, Austin took a detour to the Nashville pedestrian bridge that offers impressive views of lower Broadway. He popped the question, and their friends surprised them back home!

Christian and Austin found me through The Knot, and we connected from the start! I traveled up to Nashville for their engagement photos and exploring the area they call home was so fun. Here are just a few of my favorites from their Nashville engagement!

On their wedding day, hurricane Ian hit where the venue is located. The night prior, they did not have the power for their rehearsal, but they made the best of it. Their friends came together and helped make everything special!

I loved photographing their wedding invitation suite! One of Austin’s cousins designed the entire suite and included some fantastic details. As a frequent attendee of weddings, sometimes guests need to understand the dress code. In their wedding invitation, they included a special card with examples of outfits their guests could wear. This was such a unique touch, and it really helped their guests!

Wedding During Hurricane Ian

When I arrived at the beach house where everyone was getting ready, I could feel the joy in the air! I adored how everyone gathered together that morning to get all their hair done, enjoy some drinks, and create memories.

As we all arrived at the Pawleys Island wedding venue, they did not have power. As we were about to do the first look, the lights came back on, and it was such a special and joyous moment! They had a live band at their reception, and they would play in the parking lot if they had to.

Thankfully the weather had all passed, and they could still have their ceremony outside. This ceremony spot is stunning, with views of the marsh and the neatest-looking tree. Two large floral statements with beautiful white flowers adorned the front where they stood to get married. There was a moment during the ceremony when Austin’s family stood to sing, which was a unique way to incorporate family.

We had gorgeous autumn lighting for their wedding portraits, and I am obsessed with how they all turned out! Christian wore red-bottom shoes, and he was thrilled with them! I made sure we did a few different poses where it showed them off!! They looked great together in their classic black tuxedos.

Y’all Means all!

Austin and his acapella group sang to Christian during the reception right before the cake-cutting. Everyone appreciated the melodies in such a sweet moment. As part of Austin’s family tradition, everyone enjoyed a cigar outside! Their friends had a fun time celebrating them. All of their guests enjoyed celebrating their love for Christian and Austin! At the end of the evening, one of the groomsmen played the piano, and everyone was singing away! Christian’s mom came up with a saying, “Y’all means all,” and I LOVED it!

Even though this area was going through a hurricane, I never once thought about not making it to their wedding day! I was willing to do anything to get there so I could capture their love story. It was remarkable to witness their wedding day. Their only concern was each other; at the end of the day, they just wanted to get married. They could’ve said their vows in a parking lot, and they still would’ve been on cloud nine!

Be sure to watch their wedding video!