South Carolina — Blog — Amanda Warren

It’s been just about a year since we went to Charleston, South Carolina and I’m still obsessing over the photos we had done! Which reminds me… I never shared them for inspiration! Maybe one day I’ll get better and get my blog posts up right away once we get them! Until then.. here are the photos we took with links to what we are wearing, or similar looks if they are sold out that I loved as well.

This Charleston couples photoshoot was a super last minute booking, in fact the whole trip was! So, I was so excited that Rebecca was able to get us in the day we landed (before we ate our way around every restaurant in Charleston. LOL!) The best part of having photos done while on vacation is the photographer will bring you to parts of the city you may not have otherwise seen. In my opinion, you have one of the best souvenirs that you will have for a lifetime, to look back on, and in this case it worked for our Christmas cards too!

How did I find Rebecca to shoot our photos? Hashtags! Just lookup wherever you are going and photographers. So in this case I looked up #CharlestonPhotographer and there she was! Look through all the hashtags and see who has your style and fit is and basically just slide in their DM’s to contact them! In this case Rebecca was perfect. Her photos were light, airy, and really highlighted all of the downtown Charleston charm and beautiful homes. She was exactly what I was looking for to create these lifestyle images in this photo session.

Now that I had found our photographer I had to pick outfits. We had booked this trip just 2 weeks before we went, so I didn’t have all the time in the world. I first found an adorable blue floral dress on ShopLovestitch.com that I knew would standout against all the gorgeous colors of Charleston and found Scotty a blue linen shirt that matched perfectly. Of course for another look I needed something pink because its just on brand for me haha.. I had a hard time finding anything that would come on time if ordered online, so I looked in my closet. I found a pink long dress that I had gotten from Revolve and hadn’t actually worn yet. It was perfect! Next, I needed to find something for Scotty. I wanted him to have a little more formal for this but also layers. So I grabbed a pink button down with a print at our local Banana Republic and a blue jacket in his closet. The 2 outfits we wore complimented each other so well. The whole shoot went so nice and it was once again great to use for our yearly Christmas card, but also for any photo collages we may want to frame in our home.

Last tip I have for you… On this shoot Scotty wore the same pants and shoes in both outfits. His two looks were completely different and you wouldn’t really focus on that but it made it so much easier for changing outfits! Let’s be real, husbands and kids don’t love taking these photos, they just do it for us. So its important to make things easier for them when you can being they don't enjoy it. So something like using the same bottom half of outfits really helps! Also mentioning its a gift or in this case my "souvenir" from our trip!

Here are more from our Charleston Photoshoot:

Shop Pink Dress Inspo

Shop Blue Dress Inspo

To book your own appointment with our Charleston Photographer Rebecca click -here-. She is also an amazing wedding and engagement photographer if you are looking!!

We just got back from our southern style vacation and I quickly already find myself looking up real estate prices in Charleston! Its definitely a new favorite for me and Scotty with all its history, classic charm, and amazing eats! So lets break down where we stayed, ate, and show you all the fun activities we did! I hope when you visit you fall in love with this place just as much as we did!

Where we stayed:

Hotel Emeline

The cutest boutique hotel perfectly positioned in the middle of downtown Charleston. This great stay added to the love I have for this city. It had the classic architecture, the cutest rooms, lobby, coffee shop and restaurant! This hotel had everything you need and MORE! Highly recommend staying here for the great location alone. We walked everywhere downtown and didn’t need our car until we went to dinner at Sullivan’s Island and toured the town’s plantations. Be sure when you book this place you also get a reservation at their own restaurant Frannie and the Fox !(i'‘ll share more in restaurants recs!!) To book your stay head over to their website -here-.

Where to eat: (in order of how we ate it)

Leon’s Oyster Shop - This renovated old gas station was the most requested place to eat in all my online research. Also a great hangout place to grab a drink on a Sunday Fun day! If you love many different types of oysters, then this is your place! We don’t eat oysters often but had them because its the #1 food item recommended..and when in Rome?? What we ordered: Char-Grilled Oysters, Fried Chicken and Smoked Mahi Dip.

The Obstinate Daughter - A must when you cross the bridge into Sullivan’s Island jut outside of Charleston. We made the pretty drive over the water after our photos on night one! Was also highly recommended on my research and was one of our photographers favorites. Highly recommend getting a reservation before because this place gets packed. Being this was a last minute trip I was a little late but checked the day before to see if they had cancellations and was lucky enough to be able to get in. What we ordered: Roasted Beets (AMAZING!), Ricotta Gnocchi (best Gnocchi I have had with short ribs on top!), Five Fathom Hole Pizza.

Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits - Perfect place to grab a quick breakfast! We got them from the downtown location by our hotel after our morning walk around town. So many options and all made fresh in house! We ordered one of almost every biscuit with different jams and the classic southern pimento cheese spread (which was my favorite!)

For 15% off your order at Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits online use code “AMANDA15”

5Church Charleston - WOW! This location is beyond gorgeous (on Market street). It’s literally a completely renovated beautiful old Church with so much gorgeous detail. HIGHLY recommend getting reservations here it was packed! Brunch, Lunch and Dinner are all offered here with a full bar! What we ordered: Daily Charcuterie, Spring Salad, Handmade Braided Ravioli (SO DARN GOOD!), 9oz Filet, and Cronuts (YUM!). Not sure they have anything bad on the menu after this spread.. it was all so good!!

Frannie and the Fox - this was our hotel restaurant and a top pick online too! If you are looking for somewhere to have breakfast… do yourself a favor and get the pancakes.. not sure if its overly dramatic to say but these were the best pancakes I had ever had! So good that I was telling Scotty the next day I wanted to stop trying other places and just have pancakes again!!

Millers All Day - Last but certainly not least! Such an adorable place to grab breakfast or lunch and oh so delicious!! Highly recommend making reservations! A perfect place to go when shopping up and down the famous King Street! What we ate: pimento cheese plate, millers smash burger (must get!!), Club, homefries, and of course coconut cream pie!

What we did:

Photoshoot - This probably wont be the top of your list.. but as a blogger content photos are important, plus its just so fun to have photos taken when your in a new town that you can use for Christmas cards and to look back on! I highly recommend Rebecca see her work -here-. Having an amazing photographer is also a great way to learn more about the city and little spots you may never normally see. She was basically the best tour guide and photographer.

Plantations - Highly recommend doing multiple plantations on your visit! The important history of plantations is so interesting and of course unique to the South and in particular this part of the country. These amazing properties are quite the thing to see. The plantations are all outside of the downtown area so you’re going to be in your car driving, so we also went to..

Magnolia plantation and gardens - lots of greenery and garden areas to walk around and see.

Middleton place - a large running farm with animals and areas with people working and ready to talk to you about their craft and the plantation/history itself.

Boone Hall Plantation - Large area, you can go into the main house, they have a restaurant and lots of information/videos going to learn more about it history.

Mcleod Plantation - A last minute plantation visit out of town. Lots of area to walk and see but not much else. Would recommend this only if you are looking for more to do. The top 3 are our favorites.

Morning Walks - The best part of vacations is exploring! We did this in our morning walks and saw the town before the tourists were up and all around. We walked to the pineapple fountain, rainbow row, waterfront park and high battery park.

Thank you for tagging along and exploring the world with us! We love sharing our travels and hope to help you experience the world more beautifully. Let me know if you go to any of our recommendations and how you enjoyed them!

XoXo, Amanda