Wedding Wednesday - Siara and Justin's Clemson Engagement Photos and Love Story

Happy Wedding Wednesday! Prepare to block off some time for today's post - we have the most amazing Clemson engagement photos from the very talented and artistic Red Apple Tree Photography. Their photography is beyond beautiful - so make sure you follow them on Facebook too so you can see all of their amazing work.

Today's post features the cute couple Siara and Justin. Prepare for lots of 'awww' and 'oooh' when you see these photos and read their story. We have so many pictures to share (we really couldn't edit any of these out, they are all so good), so prepare for a lot of scrolling too...

Siara graduated from Clemson in May of 2012 with a degree in Special Education. Justin graduated from Clemson in December of 2012 with a degree in Civil Engineering. The couple met through mutual friends while at Clemson.

The Proposal
The couple had a list of things that they wanted to get done before their engagement happened. Siara's mom and Justin's parents had met many times, but Justin's parents had never met my Siara's dad. They wanted Siara's dad to be able to meet Justin's parents. Justin also had planned to ask Siara's dad, mom and brother for permission to marry Siara (of course, everyone said yes). :)

There's a superstition at Clemson, that if a couple walks hand-in-hand down the sidewalk in President's Park, they will get married. Siara and Justin purposely didn't walk through President's Park when they attended Clemson so they would not jinx themselves.

In February of 2012, the couple spent the day watching Clemson play baseball and had plans to meet Justin's parents at Pixie and Bills for dinner. It wasn't unusual for Justin's parents to come to Clemson and take the couple to dinner. Justin and Siara had some extra time before meeting Justin's parents for dinner, so Justin asked Siara if she wanted to take a walk through President's Park. When they got to the rotunda at the bottom of the path, Justin asked Siara to marry him. Justin's parents and Siara's mom and brother were all there to witness!

Siara told us that Clemson has played the biggest role in the building of their relationship. Without Clemson, the two of them would have never met. Their first date was dinner at Chick-fil-a and a Clemson basketball game. "So romantic!", Siara told us with a smiley face. "But actually, it really was romantic to us and still would be our idea of a 'perfect date'!" Siara says. She also told us that Clemson is still a huge part of their daily lives. The couple are football season ticket holders and attend as many basketball, baseball and soccer games as they can.

Clemson was the ideal choice for their engagement photos because Clemson played such a huge role in their relationship. Siara says, "We have spent many (many) hours together building our relationship and growing together on Clemson's campus. Justin is a HUGE Clemson football fan, so I tried to make our engagement session extra special for him and got permission for us to take some of our pictures on the field."

Siara even had her bridal portraits taken in the Botanical Gardens at Clemson. She is a beautiful bride!

Siara and Justin were married at Clemson's Madren Center in March of this year.

Siara wore orange monogrammed shorts while getting ready for her wedding with a matching monogrammed top. In fact, all of her bridesmaids wore monogrammed shorts and tops - we think that is such a cute idea!

The couple included many Clemson touches throughout their ceremony - including a Clemson ring Groom's cake!

If you get married at the Madren Center, you will have a gorgeous backdrop and scenery, and with a photographer like Red Apple Tree Photography, you get shots like this!

Congrats to this beautiful couple on their recent wedding and on finding true love. Best wishes to them and a special thanks to them for sharing their story.

Also, a special thanks to Red Apple Tree Photography for sharing these amazing photos!

Wedding Wednesdays: Part I - Emily & Eric's Clemson Love Story

Happy Wedding Wednesday! I'd like you to meet Emily and Eric. Emily is a 2007 Clemson grad with a degree in finance. Eric graduated from Clemson in 2007 with a degree in Computer Science and he's also obtained his Masters from UNC Chapel Hill in 2009.


In true Clemson love story fashion, Emily and Eric met one night the summer before their senior year while playing Capture the Flag with FCA on Clemson's campus. After the game finished, Emily found a hat by the Carillon Garden bell. So the next day Emily sent out an email to the FCA group to see if someone would claim the hat. Eric replied that it was his hat and came over to Emily's apartment to pick it up. They started talking and realized they had a lot in common. Soon after they began regularly hanging out and eventually started dating.

What a sweet story! I think they need to hold on to that hat... it brought them together.

The Proposal
Eric spent many long nights trying to think of the perfect way to surprise Emily with a Clemson proposal. He knew that a Clemson proposal would mean so much to Emily. The last weekend in March of 2008, Emily and Eric were on their way to Clemson so Emily could attend a friend's bridal shower. That night the couple went to dinner with some friends at Chili's Too on campus. After dinner, Eric's twin brother Keith suggested they all go play frisbee golf (one of Eric's fave hobbies). Emily was hesitant, but was convinced to play by all of their friends (who were in on the surprise).

The game was underway with the first throw being from Tillman Hall to the Carillon bell (where the hat was!). Eric's brother Keith threw first and purposely launched his frisbee in the wrong direction. Keith's wife then said, "We better split up!" So Eric and Emily walked over to the bell...once there, Eric proposed and Emily of course said, "YES!".

The Wedding
The couple decided to get married in Charlotte, NC since that was where they had started their post-college careers and where they would be starting their lives together. They were married on June 20th, 2009 at Providence United Methodist and had their reception at Providence County Country Club.

Emily told us, "I can remember feeling anxious and nervous right before the church doors opened... but as soon as they did and I saw Eric waiting for me, all I could feel was so incredibly happy and blessed!"


The reception was held in a large ballroom overlooking the golf course. It had a large dance floor which Emily said was perfect because they danced all night. Some of their friends had to remind the couple to eat because they kept dancing.




Emily included many DIY projects to cut down on costs. Her mom made the flower buckets that lined the aisle at the ceremony. And Emily along with her mother and godmother made all of the bridesmaids' and attendants' gifts. Emily's earrings were designed and made by Emily and her mom. And the programs were also a DIY project, made by Eric and Emily themselves.

Of course the couple included many Clemson traditions and special touches throughout their wedding. Eric played frisbee golf at Clemson (and UNC), so the groom's cake was a frisbee golf cake with the Clemson (and UNC) frisbee. Emily, of course, had a Clemson garter. And while Tiger Rag played at the reception, the couple and all of the Clemson alum guests took a traditional Clemson flag photo. Clemson will always hold a special place in this couple's hearts since that is where they met and fell in love.




Advice from the bride on planning a wedding:
"If you are on a budget, see what you can do yourself for less or get friends and family to help out - maybe someone has a great talent they can provide. Then you can spend money on the most important aspects to you. Make sure to enjoy the day to the fullest - it goes by so fast! Dance a lot, eat your reception food, and do whatever you want to do. Of course it is good to mingle around the room but don't worry about having to try to go talk to every single guest because I found that they would come to us as we were enjoying our food, the dance floor, or whatever event was going on. Finally, don't try to build a new house and plan a wedding at the same time if you can help it, it can make life very very busy!

I am so glad Emily contacted us and shared her beautiful engagement photos, wedding photos and amazing Clemson love story. I love how the couple incorporated Clemson into their wedding and made sure it was a part of their big day.

Thanks Emily & Eric! Here's to a long and happy marriage!

Share