Congratulations, Alison and Austin! This winter, I photographed their winter beach engagement session on Kiawah Island, SC. Kiawah Island has always been a special place for them. I love when couples choose somewhere special like that for their portraits! It makes my job even more fun. Alison and Austin shared some of their favorite spots with me for their engagement session and were truly just a joy to work with. We started their session around the clubhouse at Ocean Course (where they’ll be married!) and ended the session along the waterfront. Both spots were gorgeous and I loved photographing this sweet couple there!!

Their Love Story

Alison and Austin met in Knoxville, TN. Alison was in graduate school and Austin was working in the city. About a week after they met, Alison and Austin went out for their first date. Even then, they knew they had something special in each other. Pretty soon, they were inseparable. Except… 8 weeks later, when Austin had to move to Chicago for work. Alison and Austin decided the difficulties of a long-distance relationship were worth it and dated long distance for 2.5 years. On New Years Eve 2021, Austin finally proposed to Alison about 2 blocks from where they met in Knoxville. It was so sweet and the perfect way to start the next chapter of their story!

Winter Beach Engagement Session

For their engagement portraits, Alison and Austin wanted to celebrate in a place that was special to them: Kiawah Island! Austin’s family has always vacationed here and over the years, it’s become a special place for Alison and Austin. They’ll be tying the knot in June at Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, so it made perfect sense to plan a winter beach engamgenet session here! Although it was a windy day, Alison and Austin couldn’t stop smiling and were just so happy to be together celebrating their engagement. I loved watching them laugh together – it’s clear that they’re so in love and meant to be!