Leah and Amanda’s wedding at Edinburgh West wasn’t just a celebration. It was a homecoming, a reunion, and the beginning of the next chapter in a love story shaped by faith, distance, and a connection that never faded. Before diving into their wedding day, I wanted to share a few favorites from each of their bridal sessions — photographed in September and October — to reflect their individual energy leading up to the day.

Their ceremony took place in the woods behind the venue, with rugs lining the aisle, warm fall florals all around, and so many emotional moments. Leah’s dad walked Amanda down the aisle first, and at the altar, they shared the kind of hug that says more than words ever could. Then he walked back to escort Leah, while Amanda stood waiting, already in tears. Both of them cried through the ceremony, and more than once, Amanda reached over to wipe Leah’s tears. It was one of those moments you just don’t forget. Honestly, there weren’t many dry eyes…even among the vendors.

When it came time for Leah to kiss her bride, there was no holding back. The joy was contagious, and the party officially began.

We’ll get to the images soon, but this part matters too. Their story makes everything that happened on their wedding day even more meaningful. Leah puts it into words perfectly.

”Amanda and I have known each other for roughly 15 years. Our high school teams played against each other in the playoffs. My team won 😊. Later, Amanda played college softball at Limestone with some of my former travel ball teammates. I visited them a lot during my freshman year, and that’s when Amanda and I truly became friends.

With our busy college schedules, we didn’t stay in close touch. After Amanda finished playing, she became a student assistant coach while finishing her degree. Limestone came to Winthrop for a fall game, and Amanda was coaching first base. I’ll never forget running out to my position, also first base, and seeing her there with the biggest grin.

Two years later, Amanda had graduated and moved back to Greenville. I was in my super senior season at Winthrop. While I was home for Christmas break, Amanda reached out to say she’d be downtown for a friend’s birthday. We laugh about that night all the time. She was at one place, I was at another, and we kept missing each other for hours. Eventually, we ended up in the same spot. The second I saw her, I jumped on her, and she gave me the biggest Amanda hug.

From then on, we were inseparable. We supported each other through so many milestones. Her starting her coaching career, me finishing school and getting into grad school.

Then on June 20, 2019, Amanda asked me to marry her.

We lived together and stayed engaged for a while, but eventually we had to separate. We both needed time to grow individually before we could make a marriage work. Before we parted ways, I looked at her and said, “If it’s meant to be, who’s to say God won’t bring us back together?”

We went over a year without speaking.

Shortly after I moved back to Greenville, I told my dad I wanted to try out Elevation Church. I saw online that they had a local campus. We got up and drove there together. When we pulled in, Amanda was volunteering in the parking lot, standing directly behind my car. Neither of us had any idea this was going to happen.

My dad walked up to her and gave her the biggest hug. The three of us stood there in total shock. Amanda said, “God works in mysterious ways because I’m getting rebaptized today.” We walked into the service, sat down, and my dad and I kept looking at each other wondering if this was really happening. The service was beautiful. When Amanda came up out of the water, I was front row, bawling my eyes out.

That moment meant everything. I was the first person Amanda had ever told that she wanted to be rebaptized somewhere she felt safe and accepted. And there I was, watching it happen.

After church, my mom called and said I needed to get home right away. Amanda was sitting in our driveway. I was out walking, maybe half a mile away, and I ran the rest of the way home. When I got there, we hugged so hard. Then we sat outside for hours, talking, crying, working through everything. We even found out we had missed each other downtown the night before by just two minutes. Amanda had prayed about coming by the house to check on me, and the next morning I walked into church on one of the biggest days of her life.

There was no denying that God brought us back together.

On August 4, 2021, we were at home having a normal night when Amanda got up, walked over to me, and proposed again. It was simple and sweet. It felt like the timing was finally right.

We’ve always been best friends, and this love story truly belongs to God. We ground each other, protect each other, and face whatever comes our way together.

On June 22, 2022, I took Amanda back to the beach where she first proposed. We set up a picnic to watch the sunset. I wasn’t very subtle, and Amanda kept asking if I was going to propose. To throw her off, I gave her a birthday present early. It was a gold chain she had been wanting. I handed her the box, and when she opened it, she smiled. She was grateful, but I could tell she was a little let down that it wasn’t a ring.

A little later, I pulled out a second box with her ring inside and asked her to marry me.

On November 11, 2023, we had our dream wedding at Edinburgh West in Taylors, South Carolina. We were extremely intentional in choosing our vendors. We wanted people who would show up for us and carry our story with them throughout the day. We worked so hard to make this day happen, and it couldn’t have been more beautiful.”

Leah’s Bridal Portraits