Guess what today is. It’s my five year wedding anniversary with my husband, Tait. You guys might know him as the geeky but cute genius behind SMP. We met 9 years ago at a New Year’s Eve party and haven’t looked back since. And in those nine years we’ve given birth to the most beautiful baby girl Audrey, the most incredible business in Style Me Pretty and what will be the most adorable LITTLE BOY come January. I count my lucky stars every single day to have stumbled into this amazing life, with this amazing man.
So when we spotted this adorable Anniversary Shoot of photography duo Garrett and Joy Nudd, photographed by Alice Park, we knew it was the perfect way to celebrate our own little milestone. Except Joy looks amazing in her perfectly perfect dress while I am sitting around looking glamorous in my PJ’s…
To see the full gallery, click here!
Ten years ago in Charleston, SC, Joy and Garrett Nudd were married surrounded by their family and closest friends. On a shoe-string budget, they paid for the majority of the wedding themselves. Joy’s wedding dress was a gift, made by her mother-in-law. And Joy’s mom led out in the reception, with many of their local church members contributing food and decor. Garrett’s brother and his friends played live music at the reception for entertainment. And even their wedding photography was provided by one of their friends.
It was a charming day, perfect in so many ways.
But over the 10 years that followed, Garrett and Joy developed their own photography business. And in that time they have provided stunning wedding imagery to hundreds of brides and grooms from coast to coast and around the world, photographing weddings in Scotland, France, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, many locations in the Caribbean, and stateside from New York to Los Angeles.
“When I look back on our wedding and compare it to the hundreds of weddings we’ve seen over the years, I always wished that we had taken an extra hour on our wedding day to spend walking through the city creating portraits,” Garrett says. “Unfortunately time and budget just didn’t allow for it.”
To celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary, Garrett and Joy had planned to return to Charleston for a few days of vacation. Joy’s family lives not far away, so they arranged to leave the children with them, which would allow themselves to thoroughly enjoy all of the charming graciousness that Charleston has to offer. As a complete surprise to Joy, in the weeks leading up to their anniversary, Garrett was shopping for the perfect dress, which he found at Bloomingdales. He added a headpiece from Lo Boheme in San Diego. And then he lined up a photographer, their friend from Atlanta, Alice Park. A couple days before the session, Garrett spilled the beans and took Joy shopping for the perfect pair of shoes.
“After being married for 10 years, it’s easy to think that there aren’t any more surprises left,” said Joy. “But this was the perfect anniversary. We will cherish these pictures forever.”
Dress: BCBG Max Azria from Bloomingdales / Shoes: Kate Spade / Hair accessory: LoBoheme / Necklace: J.Crew / Hair & makeup: Carrie McLeod / Suit: French Connection / Tie: Calvin Klein / Shirt: Zara / Shoes: Bagget, purchased in Milan, Italy / Photographs: Alice Park / Supporting photos: Garrett Nudd
So Tait, if you’re reading this (which you better be)…I love you more today than I did the day that I met you. You have made my life more beautiful than I could ever have imagined. We are lucky beyond belief and I can’t wait to spend the next 50 years with you, dreaming big and laughing out loud. xoxo, Abby