Preslee and Beau's Engagement Session at The Greyfield Inn and Cumberland Island, Georgia | Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, St. Augustine, and Amelia Island, Florida Wedding Photographer
Preslee and Beau in the main living room of the Greyfield Inn
Cumberland Island is one of my favorite places on earth! There are miles and miles of wild beaches, beautiful lush forests, and all kinds of animals who roam freely with no fear of humans. It’s nature as nature was meant to be and truly a magical place. I’ve been blessed to shoot there a few times now (which is how Beau and Preslee found me… thank you instagram!) but I had no idea how much of the island I hadn’t seen or its incredible history that I knew nothing about!
Preslee and Beau’s love for the Kennedys brought them all the way from Houston, Texas to this little barrier island off the coast of Southern Georgia. John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette were married here in 1996, in the island’s only tiny chapel- First African Baptist Church, and had an intimate reception at The Greyfield Inn, the only place to stay on the island. The Kennedys chose this destination to escape from the paparazzi and the details of their wedding were shrouded in secrecy. Only two photos have ever been released and Beau and Preslee perfectly recreated this iconic image captured by Kennedy photographer, Denis Reggie:
Can we also take a moment to appreciate how much Preslee and Beau actually resemble the Kennedys?! Everyone on the island thought so and I felt like I was photographing celebrities!
Just getting to the chapel was a huge production in itself as there are no cars allowed on the island, except for a daily small tour from the Greyfield and park rangers. Luckily Beau’s amazing mother Gloria (who organized all of this!) found a way to get us a private tour van to take us around the island to shoot at some of its most beautiful spots.
Gloria also was gracious enough to put me and Paulina (Makeup by Paulina Perez) up in the Greyfield Inn which was an incredible experience in itself. The Inn is an old estate that belongs to the famous Carnegie family and is packed with its own history in such a serene and luxurious atmosphere.
Thanks to Gloria, we had the whole island at our disposal to capture some truly amazing images of this stunning couple. We started at the chapel, then went to the Plum Orchard Mansion (a beautifully preserved estate on the island) and ended back at the Greyfield.
Preslee and Beau are such a wonderful couple.. not only are they gorgeous and may as well be models, they were so sweet and I had the best time getting to know them. Paulina did Preslee’s makeup and hair and also came along on the shoot as a stylist which was a huge help!
I’m so in love with every single image from this incredible shoot and cannot wait for Beau and Preslee’s wedding in Houston next year!
