Rebecca & Tyler | Savannah Wedding
Georgia Photographer

September 5, 2020

Get ready for one of the most emotional & beautiful wedding blogs I’ve ever released. I am not sure I will ever get over how much I love this couple and how incredible this day was.

Rebecca & Tyler met on the first day of classes at the University of Georgia. They sat next to each other in class for their first semester and started dating shortly after. They’ve since graduated from UGA and moved to Alabama where Tyler attended law school. When asking Tyler about their relationship, he shared one of his favorite times with Rebecca: “Perhaps my favorite time with her was when we went on a 14-day road trip from Atlanta to New York and everywhere in between. We did not leave each other’s side for the entirety of those two weeks, and we (surprisingly to some) never fought or got upset with each other once. We even woke up around 3 AM on our last night to watch the Royal Wedding before heading back to Atlanta.”

My story with Rebecca & Tyler apparently started years ago when Rebecca found my work online and started following along. It always means the world to me to hear that strangers on the internet become invested in my photography journey without ever meeting me. Anyway, Rebecca made it clear to Tyler that she loved my work, and thus Tyler contacted me SIX MONTHS before he proposed to Rebecca just to make sure everything was planned perfectly. Back then, I thought it was a little strange to be receiving such detailed emails from a guy 6 months before a proposal, but now that I’ve gotten to know Tyler, I’d expect nothing less. He truly is one of the most intentional and thoughtful people I’ve met, and he wants the world for Rebecca.

Fast forward and I’ve photographed their proposal in Athens and their engagement photos in Madison, GA, where their wedding was also set to take place… And then came COVID. I’ve loved Rebecca & Tyler from the moment I met them, but this is really when I became mesmerized by them as a couple. Amongst the chaos and stress of trying to figure out how to move forward with a wedding in the middle of a pandemic, Rebecca & Tyler kept a positive attitude and their eyes focused on what was most important to them. And when they realized that they couldn’t have the large wedding that they originally wanted, they reached out to me to pitch a Plan B idea that they loved just as much. When I heard it, and heard the excitement in their voices, I said LET’S DO IT. So within a month of their wedding, they chose to keep the same date but have an intimate ceremony with just immediate family & their wedding party down in Savannah, GA.

They made a weekend getaway out of it and rented three houses that all surrounded the same courtyard where they had their reception under string lights. I absolutely LOVE spontaneity and a “go with the flow” attitude, so it tickled me that their ceremony plan was literally to “find a pretty square near the Airbnb and set down some candles.” On the day-of, we walked to our “Plan A” square that we found near the Airbnb… just in time to see another wedding setting up there. So without skipping a beat, we said “let’s try for the square down that way!” And the good thing about Savannah is that you step outside and are instantly in a fairytale. Everything is photogenic. The Spanish moss, the architecture, the lighting. You just can’t go wrong.

This was both Rebecca & Tyler’s first time in Savannah, and I’m fairly new to the city as well, so I made sure to get a local assistant who could drive us around and show us all the iconic spots. The best part of their timeline for the day was that everything was flexible, so we didn’t really experience the “time crunch” that I often feel on wedding days, and we were able to have a fun time driving around and exploring the city at golden hour. We stopped at Forsyth Park of course, some beautiful side streets, a fountain they had seen online, and ended at The Olde Pink House which has always been a dream location of mine.

Gosh, let me see if I can summarize some of my favorite aspects of the day. The house that they got ready in had large windows, stunning natural light, and just so happened to be decorated in blues, which matched their wedding colors perfectly. The morning of the wedding, Rebecca & Tyler got together to exchange letters privately with one another before I arrived. They both sobbed over what the other person wrote, and they say that this time alone was one of the sweetest parts of the day for them. They also put so much thought into the details of the day. For example, the buckeye in Tyler’s detail shots was his grandfather’s, and he carries it with him because it’s supposed to be good luck. Oh, and I almost don’t want to point this out because I want to see if anyone would notice (HINT: you wouldn’t), but the bouquets were all artificial flowers that they rented for the day! They looked absolutely stunning, didn’t wilt in the heat, and were the best “money move” Rebecca & Tyler made for the wedding. So for any brides looking for a way to save money, this is definitely something to consider.

Other favorites: How Tyler teared up during the First Look and again when Rebecca walked down the aisle at the start of the ceremony. I always tell people that having a First Look doesn’t take anything away from the ceremony… it just means you get to have two really special moments rather than one. Their vows to each other were precious, and Tyler’s brother (the only immediate family member who couldn’t make it) was FaceTimed into the ceremony.

Rebecca & Tyler exuded happiness all day. Honestly my favorite pictures were when we’d be walking between locations, and I’d glance back at them, and they’d always be talking and laughing and it was like nothing else existed but the two of them. I got very used to quickly turning my camera backward to capture these little authentic moments of joy.

The moments between Rebecca & her dad were also touching. They shared a sweet “Father-Daughter first look” and then a dance together in the courtyard at twilight. Tyler’s brother who couldn’t attend shared his toast over a speaker. And all 4 of Rebecca’s siblings shared some words. One common thread amongst every toast was how happy Tyler makes Rebecca, and it really is so evident. The desserts were homemade by Rebecca’s mother and “a staple in the Page household.” I’m sure I’m leaving out a million little things that I loved, but I’m going to stop rambling and allow y’all to experience this day through the photos below.

Thank you, Rebecca & Tyler, for being dream clients, for your extreme trust in me, for keeping positive attitudes throughout all the changes, for making decisions with your hearts and keeping your eyes fixed on each other, and for putting together a day that was one of the sweetest I’ve ever photographed. CONGRATULATIONS on starting this next chapter of your journeys together.

Hair & Makeup: Royal Hair and Makeup  //  Bride’s dress: BHLDN  //  Groom’s suit: Braveman  //  Bride’s earrings: Olive & Piper  //  Rings: Shane Co.  //  Men’s Ties & Pocket Squares: Dazi  //  Caterer: Moe’s Southwest Catering  //  Florist: Something Borrowed Blooms

Claire Diana