shannon & tina
Let me tell you about this woman. When we started planning, we talked about our "must-have” vendors for the wedding. Sara was our "must-have" photographer and we didn't want anyone else—no exceptions.
It was more than the fact that she is obviously a genius photographer. It was who she is as a human. We both knew Sara in different environments before hiring her. My wife was fortunate enough to have worked with her husband and I, working in the wedding industry, saw firsthand how Sara handled herself professionally live at events I worked. EVERYONE in the Charleston wedding scene knows her because of how talented she is.
She is a strong, smart, empowering woman with a presence about her that makes you trust her both personally and professionally. It was important to find the right photographer who made us feel safe and comfortable. One of the first things we noticed out of all of the Charleston photographers was her inquiry form. It's crazy to think that out of all of the Charleston photographers we came across, Sara's form was the ONLY ONE that didn't assume we were a bride and groom. Her form asks for your name, your partner's name, and your pronouns. It's the little things like that that tell you the type of person Sara is—a true LGBTQIA+ ally who promotes love, inclusivity, and just being a good human.
Sara just gets it and other photographers should follow suit. The whole process of working with Sara was a breath of fresh air amongst the obvious stresses of wedding planning. She knows 👏🏼 her 👏🏼 $hit 👏🏼. Problem-solving timelines and communicating with the other vendors like a boss. Early to the venue on the wedding day, she was posting on Instagram to hype us up. And when you see her, you just feel drawn to give her a big hug. Sara took control of that day with her camera in the best way! So calm, fun, easy, and comfortable. She was a reminder that we were all really there to celebrate! She let us all laugh and be playful and then gave us the much-needed moments to be alone and reflect. It never felt like we were rushed for time or missing out on any important moments. She allowed the whole day to feel organically “us”.
We can’t stress enough that having Sara as our photographer was the best decision we made for our day to feel special. She really made an impression on us and everyone in the bridal party. Thank you SO MUCH for capturing our day, so that we remember, forever, just how perfect it was!
ingrid & stephen
I CANNOT recommend Sara highly enough. Honestly, where to begin.
She's just amazing as a photographer and a human - which is clear enough if you check out her instagram. When we were planning our wedding having a photographer who would capture "us" was SO important to my husband and me. We looked at so many reviews on different sites and then looked at the instagram accounts and websites for the person we thought would be the best match for us. No one even came close to Sara - it was so clear even before we spoke to her that she basically lets her couple's love and personalities speak for themselves through her photos. I was sure she was the one for us even before we spoke, but after getting in touch with her there was no turning back.
She was great when we (like so many others) had to postpone our original wedding a year which was so amazing during that stressful time. Then leading up to the wedding she had so many great tips it made me feel much more relaxed going into it. The day itself was perfect. Honestly, it was freezing cold and windy and you would never know. First of all, she did her best to keep us warm despite the weather when we were taking photos - and now looking at them it's hard to imagine we were cold at all. And she didn't complain at all even thought I'm sure her fingers were freezing off.
Just know, if you want someone who will make you feel at ease to be your weird self with you and your partner on your wedding day - she is the one for you.
"will make you feel at ease to be your weird self"
jessie & Will
Sara Boyd is the greatest wedding photographer in all the land! Look no further. I'm serious. Stop messing around. Book her RIGHT NOW. I'll explain...
After Sara photographed my sister's wedding in 2017, I knew I had to have her back for mine in August 2021. NOBODY (and I mean NOBODY) captures the sheer joy of a wedding like Sara. Her photos are gorgeous, intimate, and authentic. She gets the quiet, small gestures of a wedding day just as well as the grand, exuberant ones. She captures spontaneity and formality with the same level of excellence.
Sara also shoots color RIDICULOUSLY well, which was important for me, as a) I am a multiracial Black woman with family in a wide variety of skin tones and b) my wedding dress included a brilliant blue fabric that I wanted photographed *just* right.
She's also just a dope person in general. Sara has an amazing sense of humor and I'm sure has never met a stranger, so she fits right in with everyone else who is at the wedding to celebrate. You feel like she is there enjoying every moment right along with you. And because of the effortlessness with which she moves and the way she puts people at ease, she is able to truly capture the essence of a couple and their community of loved ones.
Sara also has a super calming presence. In the car on the way to the wedding, I was a little stressed out (because my family are A LOT sometimes), and she let me hold her hand during a quiet moment in the backseat, which helped me get re-centered for the main event.
On top of everything else, Sara is also a freakin' professional. Every communication leading up to the event was prompt, thorough, and clear. I felt comfortable with her and trusted her because I felt she fully understood the vision for the wedding. In addition to all the candid shots, we had A LOT of official portraits to get through before the reception. Sara was efficient and had total command over wrangling family and guests without creating a tense or rushed atmosphere. She knew how to get her shots quickly and effectively, with a professionalism that was unparalleled by any of our other wedding vendors. From beginning to end, Sara felt like a true partner in the production of an amazing wedding day.
The day Sara emailed the link to the photos felt like Christmas. The pictures are just SO good. Making my wedding photo album was literally the most fun I've had in a long time - almost as fun as our actual wedding day.
Anyway, if you're still reading this overly-long and gushing review, let me close with this: Choosing Sara Boyd as your wedding photographer will be one of the wisest decisions you make for your wedding. You will be absolutely thrilled and delighted you did. I promise.
marianna & richard
!!!5 STARS ARE NOT ENOUGH!!!
Piece of advice for all those going through wedding planning, if there is one vendor you want to feel 100% confident and excited over, it’s your photographer. You spend all day with this person, and they are in charge of capturing the most important event in your life, all while making sure the pictures are authentic and “you.”
What sets Sara apart, aside from literally everything: Her unique style that includes depth, contrast, detail, creativity, and the ridiculously obvious ability to make her couples feel comfortable behind the camera. From the moment you meet her, her passion for what she does and the couples she works with is oozing from her pores. It’s nothing short of contagious.
But Sara does more than simply take photos. Her communication, organization, and deep experience shine throughout the planning process, and especially day-of. She and her incredible second shooter were the ones we could count on all day to make us laugh, keep us calm, or in check if something didn’t seem right. She was the one to cut the lose strings off my dress, re-pin my wind-blown hair, and even find me an emergency tampon!! Can someone say #fullservice?
Our obsession is clear, but we also want to express the impression she made on our friends and family in attendance. Every single person had wonderful things to say about Sara. “She brings really wonderful vibes”; “You can tell she really loves what she does AND genuinely loves you both”; “Her energy is everything we needed this weekend and more”; “I want to be her best friend”; “I’ve never seen or worked with a more talented photographer”; “That was the most efficient and organized wedding photography process I’ve ever been a part of”; “You guys hit the lotto with Sara” – just to quote a few.
Our point – look no further. Sara is your fuc***g gal.
WE LOVE YOU SARA!
frequently used words in reviews about sara
fun
personable
adaptable
inclusive
professional
alex & russell
BEST WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER OUT THERE!!! Literally cannot emphasize that enough. Will be recommending her to everyone we know regardless of their location – she’s incredible. As a photographer, she has an unparalleled eye and ability to capture the magical moments that often go unseen. Her candid shots are the best and capture all the emotion of the event. We are not typically the most photogenic couple but we look like magazine quality models in her photos. We are honestly in love with our wedding photos and couldn’t be happier with Sara Boyd.
She is SO MUCH MORE THAN A PHOTOGRAPHER! She is seamlessly a part of your entire wedding process, and a huge asset to have as a vendor. She went above and beyond to get to know us as a couple and ensure that anything we could ever want for our engagement and wedding photos was accounted for. We had major wedding issues with COVID (rescheduled 3x) and she was infinitely accommodating. Our wedding day would not have run as smoothly without her there both behind the camera as a new friend. Very talented, very well organized, and makes sure even the questions you didn’t know you had are answered. 1000x RECOMMEND!
jamie & patrick
Sara was an absolute dream to have photograph our wedding! She instantly makes you feel comfortable so that it feels like you’re with a friend and not a stranger while in front of the camera. We can’t stress enough how important we felt that was. No awkward posing with her!!!
During the “formal” moments – you don’t even realize she’s there (but she is!), and she was a machine in getting us through the typical “family” group photos that we requested so we could continue to enjoy our reception. She also embraced our spontaneous requests as they popped into our heads throughout the evening.
Sara was phenomenal to work with leading up to the wedding as well. She is prompt, organized, and if you haven’t realized yet - hilarious. She also worked with one of us ahead of time to make sure she captured a surprise gift for the other during the celebration.
We felt like we were hiring a true professional when interacting with Sara, and we would absolutely recommend her to anyone for any event.
"her eye is so finely tuned"
meagan & blake
If you are thinking about hiring Sara- do it! We hired Sara to photograph our welcome party and wedding day and it was the easiest decision we made in the wedding planning process. It’s truly difficult to put into words how thankful we are to have hired her.
From our first initial phone call, we knew Sara would be perfect to capture our weekend. Sara has such a way of being the most professional person in the room, but also the most down to earth, easy going in the room. By the end of the night, she felt like a long lost best friend. We wouldn’t consider ourselves as a couple that is comfortable in front of a camera and Sara understood that from the beginning. There was not a single time (except for the obligatory family photos- which Sara executed so efficiently) that we felt like we were being photographed. She captured the most natural and beautiful photos of us, our family, and friends.
Her attention to detail is top notch. Within two days of our initial phone call, I received a tentative wedding day time line, with every detail we discussed on our phone call and researched information about sunset times, and expected weather (this was over a year in advance!) leading up to the wedding, Sara checked in every few months to ask if we needed any help or recommendations. The month before, I filled out the most detailed photography timeline, photo wants, family information, etc questionnaire that probably exists. She nailed every detail. Not even 48 hours post wedding- Sara emailed us a “sneak peek” - but can you call 75 perfect photos a sneak peek? These photos were so beautiful and spanned the whole weekend that you could have convinced me that was the final album and I would have been over the moon with the results.
Sara was TRULY the best decision of our weekend. We can not recommend enough that you hire Sara.
rachel & dan
Stop looking. Sara is your girl. We got our photos back and holy cow- we are OBSESSED. Sara captured our day so perfectly and so beautifully. She gave us ideas of what to do in the pictures, because let’s be honest some of us are awkward af but she really made sure we stuck to who we are and it reflects amazingly in the photos. I’m not even sure how she got some of the angles but WOW, we are beyond impressed. When we got our photos, we laughed, we cried, we cried laughing. They are perfect.
We met Sara almost two years ago and immediately wanted her as our photographer. For one her photos are stunning. But her personality is so fun and authentic and is truly why we loved her so much. We unfortunately had to change our date, and actually picked a specific new date because we couldn’t lose Sara as our photographer- which worked out because it rained on the other date. Fate! Sara did so much for us, not only on our big day but months leading up to it- she is incredibly organized and thoughtful. From the detailed (but not overwhelming) times lines and questionnaire, her detail oriented style is something we so strongly appreciated. You are around your photographer ALL day. Personality and “clicking” is so important, which is you need Sara as your photographer. We couldn’t recommend her enough so stop looking and just hire her.
On another note- Sara, thank you so much. We want to get married all over again just to hang out with you again all day. We are grateful for you and your pure talent.
"Sara has such a way of being the most professional person in the room, but also the most down to earth, easy going in the room."