Tatiana and Matthew | Spring Wedding at The Citadel

beach wedding picture with rings and church

Tatiana and Matthew’s spring wedding day in Charleston could not have gone more perfectly! They tied the knot at Summerall Chapel on The Citadel campus with a fun reception at The Citadel Beach Club on Isle of Palms. The weather could not have been more beautiful for their special day!

Part of what their day so special and unique was the incorporation of Tatiana’s Lebanese family traditions and also Matthew’s military upbringing and career. Both Matthew and his father attended The Citadel, and he is now part of the Artillerymen in the Army. To honor this, he had red stitching on his suit and red socks. The ceremony felt so regal, being in a military chapel. After these two were married, they exited the chapel under the traditional sword arch and kissed while everyone waved blue ribbons and bagpipes played. The wedding exit was a marvelous way to end the ceremonial part of their day. Matthew’s parents were married at this same chapel, so we recreated one of their wedding pictures as a remembrance to their special day years ago!

After the ceremony, we headed to Hampton Park for portraits and the azaleas were in full bloom. I love taking portraits here because of the beautiful displays of Spanish moss, the gazebo, and vibrant flowers.

When I walked into The Citadel Beach Club for their reception, I immediately saw beautiful blue and white chinoiserie jars at each table! Tatiana picked out each one of them and it took her months to collect them all! Their color scheme was different shades of blue, silver, and white, which went perfectly for their reception at the beach!

When Tatiana and Matthew entered the reception, they did a traditional Lebanese dance with a family member playing a traditional drum, and then their family and friends joined them! Little did I know that this was the start of a fun party!! These two were even lifted onto people’s shoulders while dancing around. At one point during the reception, Tatiana played a drum solo while everyone gathered around her dancing and clapping her on! There was an abundance of dancing, baklava desserts, and special cookies made from the recipe of Tatiana’s grandmother. They even cut their wedding cake with Matthew’s sword! We were even able to document some dreamy sunset portraits on the beach as they twirled and shared a kiss on the sand!

I was thrilled to photograph their perfect wedding day! This will always be a special wedding for me to remember as I absolutely loved how they incorporated both their background and heritage and added special touches throughout their day. Tatiana’s mother even sent me home with a plate of baklava and grandma’s cookies that my family and I enjoyed while telling them all about my day!

Thank you Tatiana and Matthew for allowing me to be a part of your day! I am so excited to see where life takes you both!

The Citadel Wedding