Tre & Easton’s Charleston Sailboat Engagement

Tre & Easton’s Charleston sailboat engagement was such a magical afternoon on the water. Warm, radiant light shining down gave a glowing feel to the images, while the couple themselves seems to be straight out of a romance novel with their captivating story that can be read below!

Tre and Easton’s Charleston sailboat engagement session was an instant favorite of the season! These two Charleston residents wanted a unique backdrop for their engagement photos that were comfortable and beautiful while being equally epic, and a vintage sailboat, furnished by the captains over at Sundog Sailing, created a striking setting for their love and relationship to be documented on film.

From the couple: “We met when Easton was at her cousin’s bachelorette party in Chicago, and our paths crossed by chance at a place called The Hangge Uppe. From that first night we met, there hasn’t been a single day passed in the almost three years we’ve been together where we haven’t spoken with one another.

“We’ve been living in Charleston for the past couple of years, and so it made the perfect place that means so much to us both for our engagement. Tre had told Easton that our local friends wanted to get together one night for a nice dinner out downtown. Little did Easton know that it was all a setup! Both of our parents and families were also sneakily in town, so on our way to ‘dinner’, Tre took Easton on a detour to walk through a historic area of Charleston near Church Street. Under lots of Spanish moss and golden evening light, and amongst our friends and family, Tre got on one knee and asked Easton if she had ever imagined walking theses streets as his fiancé.”

For their sunset Charleston engagement session, we started their time in front of the cameras on the docks at the harbor, using the late afternoon sunlight to showcase their love. The docks were filled with beautifully restored sailboats in a whole range of sizes and lengths, each held to the dock in a coil of rope. Tre and Easton’s first look channeled their inner JFK and Jackie-O; a subtly nautical color scheme of whites, navy, blue, and taupe, combined with classic Raybans, created a modern-yet-timeless look to their shoot.

Once on board the sailboat, named The Shenanigan by her captains, we took a relaxed approach to documenting their engagement, while utilizing the spectacular backgrounds of the 50 ft. vintage sailboat and surrounding waters of Charleston’s harbor to frame the couple. A sailboat offers so many creative nooks and crannies to work with as unique settings to lightly pose a couple – walking, sitting, cuddling, and standing throughout the vessel.

As true golden hour started, the couple changed into their second look – a classic white sundress for Easton, and a cream sweater and navy pants for Tre. As the sun started to hit the horizon on the harbor, a bottle of Veuve was popped and shared for these two as the last light touched the sailboat and surrounding harbor waters.

We are so glad we got to capture such a unique and beautiful engagement session for these two, and cannot wait for their autumn Charleston wedding later this year! -Sarah Nann Photography

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? Tre was living in Chicago when Easton visited for her cousin Lexie’s bachelorette party. By random chance, we ended up at the same bar. Lexie’s bridesmaids encouraged Easton to pursue Tre, who had approached the group to introduce himself to her. After exchanging phone numbers, we began texting the next day. Easton had to fly home to Charleston, but returned to Chicago a month later when we made the relationship official.

Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning. Not only did we begin dating when we lived across the country from each other, but four months into our relationship the Covid-19 pandemic started to affect travel. We were unsure of when we would see each other next and were forced to navigate the new unpredictable world from separate places. Despite the lack of physical time together, this encouraged us to effectively communicate early on and helped us to learn things about each other that we would not have otherwise. We were thankful for this deeper connection when we were able to start visiting each other again, as it truly strengthened our relationship.

What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another? Tre: The best thing I’ve learned from Easton is patience. I’m very “type-A” and planning is my DNA. She’s taught me how to go with the flow and recognize what’s in my control and what’s not.
Easton: Tre is so ambitious. When he achieves a goal, he is always looking ahead to the next things he wants to accomplish both as a real estate agent and outside of work. With so many passions, he is always bettering himself and encouraging me to do the same.

Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? Easton’s paternal Grandmother passed away last year. She gifted Easton a pearl for every birthday and Christmas since she was born. These pearls were sent off to New York City to be strung into a necklace earlier this year. Easton will wear this necklace in her honor for the first time at our rehearsal dinner.

What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? Our most important moment will definitely be our first look. It will be our chance to slow down and really connect before the big celebration begins. We will be exchanging vows at this time and taking photographs with our wedding party.

What is your favorite part about planning your wedding? With our wedding being in Charleston, the majority of our guests will be coming from out of state. With this in mind, we are incorporating our favorite parts of Charleston into the weekend so that many of our guests can experience the beautiful city for the first time. We are getting married in the historic French Huguenot church, cocktail hour is in a modern photography gallery showcasing the lowcountry, and our reception venue has amazing views of downtown. All together, our guests will get to know why we love the city so much.

What is the most honest thing you can say about love? As cliché as it sounds, love comes when you least expect it. It catches you off guard, pulls you in, and takes you for a ride. That ride isn’t always smooth. Some days it’s a roller coaster, filled with twists and turns, yet it always keeps you coming back. Love is also unique to every couple – in the way it takes shape, the journey it creates, and the way it unfolds. Our truth is that love found us when we were most vulnerable, and it changed the future of our lives.