This year, Braden and I added “models” to our resumes. Ha! But really, the lovely ladies of Southern Weddings Magazine posted a model call on Instagram this spring, they were looking for readers who would be willing to be a part of a styled shoot for V8. The model call was for Charleston, SC on May 27th (my birthday!) so naturally I submitted mine and Braden’s photos because I had nothing to lose! Honestly, I kind of giggled when I pressed send because I knew it would never happen, we would never get chosen. Well, I got an email in my inbox a week or so after submitting our photos and we had been chosen to participate in the making of the “Fore the Love” feature! It was a dream come true to meet the ladies behind Southern Weddings, in addition to playing a tiny role in the latest issue of the magazine!

Braden and I headed to Charleston the day before the shoot and spent some time with our friends Hannah and Barrett. It was such a fun way to kick off my birthday! The next morning we got breakfast at Chick-fil-a (naturally) and headed to Patriot’s Point. I was honestly a little nervous driving up the the venue, I had no idea what to expect! We were the first to arrive at the cute little cottage, I honestly was worried we had walked into the wrong cottage because there was complete silence. After a few awkward moments of standing the doorway, we heard some chatter coming from one of the bedrooms. I hesitantly walked towards the laughter and to my surprise the first person I saw was Dannon Collard, a fabulous make up artist who just so happened to go to the same high school as me! I was 1) incredibly relieved we were in the right place and 2) I saw a familiar face!

I sat down in the hair and make up chair as everyone else slowly arrived. I mean, what better way to celebrate your 24th birthday than by getting pampered and pretty?! I was also surprised to find out that the other people modeling for the shoot are also creatives in some way. We had the privilege of meeting Karley Kiker and her husband who authored Hitched in a Hurry, India who is currently writing a book, and Tim Willoughby (and his wife) who is also a photographer! We spent some time chatting and getting to know one another, working, snacking, and hanging out on the porch. It was so much more low-key than I ever expected, it was honestly so relaxing. Also, to my surprise, sweet Lisa of SW surprised me with a red velvet cupcake for my birthday! Y’all, it was the sweetest and added yet another reason I love SW to the list! So thoughtful.

After a few hours of prep and getting ready, we all got dressed and headed out to the tent where prep was happening. Photos were taken of the “bridesmaids,” then we waited for a bit until heading to our “dinner location.” I was honestly surprised at how slow everything moves, we did a little shooting and a lot of waiting. Also, I learned that you don’t want to eat the pretty food on set! It had been sitting out for hours, and some of it wasn’t edible. We were all so pumped to get an ice cream sandwich, only to find out it was Crisco and not ice cream, womp womp 🙂 at least it looked good!

The final location for the shoot was on the golf course at sunset. Patriot’s Point doesn’t disappoint (see what I did there?), it was so beautiful! Don’t laugh at the fact that my shoes looked huge on my little feet, I had to borrow Karley’s because the shoes I brought weren’t quite tall enough J thanks for making me feel taller for the day, Karley!

The whole experience was so fun and honestly a little different than I expected. The vendors that made the set as beautiful as it was were so kind, I loved meeting them and getting to chat with them a little. It was also a pleasant surprise to leave with some new friends, I admire each of the other models and their passion for their own work! If you haven’t already, you should go purchase Southern Weddings Magazine, every single page is beautiful! You can also view SW’s behind the scenes post here, and their full feature for the magazine here!

Shoutout to Courtney Dox Photography for these super fun behind the scenes photos!