Tomme Hilton Gallery » Charleston SC Wedding Photographer and the life that shadows.

As told by Jessica herself:

July 1st, 2011, a day Bret and I will never forget. The sun was
shining; a slight breeze in the air, and a quick sprinkle of rain for good
luck made it a beautiful day in Charleston for a wedding. The day
started very early with the preparation of the bride. First thing was the
hair appointment; and while sitting in the chair getting my hair done, I
thought back to how Bret and I first met.

Thanks to our mutual friend Beth and Bret's previous roommate,
Richard, we would not be where we are today....happy, in love, and
married!!! Bret and Richard were “babysitting” Beth's jet skis one
summer and this is where the story begins. July 1st, 2009. Exactly 2
years ago. Bret called Richard after a long day and asked him to get in
touch with Beth to see if an afternoon Jet Ski ride would be possible. Of
course, Beth said yes, and told Richard that she was going to invite one
of her friends (Me) to come along. Bret thought it would be nice if
he went ahead and took the jet skis to the gas station to fill them up and
to get us ice. He went to the BP and accidentally put diesel fuel in the jet
skis. He and Richard met Beth and I at our friend's house where we
were putting the jet skis in. When I drove up, I saw all of them standing
around the skis. I got out of my car and went up to Beth and asked her
what was going on. She said that Richard's roommate (Bret) put diesel
fuel in the skis and they were siphoning the gas out of them so they
could take them to another gas station and fill them up with regular gas.
It was already past 5 o’clock and I had to wake up the next morning at
5:30 for work. Needless to say, I wasn’t too “impressed” with
this “roommate” making us wait even longer to take a ride on the skis.
To my surprise, Beth told me that I was going to be riding with Bret. So I
got on the ski and we started to chit-chat. He immediately apologized
for making us wait and handed me a beverage wrapped in a koozie with
a beautiful smile. The conversation was easy flowing and we both
learned a lot about each other. Bret and I exchanged numbers and we
then had our first date July 5th…. the rest is history filled with many
memories, laughs and great times together!!

Now back to the “day”; my hair was finally complete. It looked
beautiful and made me even more excited about saying “I do” to my best
friend. I made my way back to the hotel to meet my girls and to finish

getting ready. Some girl time was just what the doctor ordered. I sat
back and thought about all the people who have loved us and have been
there for Bret and I throughout our relationship. And then, I look down
at my beautiful engagement ring and thought about another memorable
day between us… the day he proposed.

Bret & I had plans to attend the “Beach Bash” at Boone Hall
Plantation on a Saturday afternoon with his parents. Beach Bash is a
series of bands playing beach music throughout the day while
couples "Shag". Shagging is South Carolina's State dance....and is very
popular here in Charleston and along the Carolina coast. Bret woke up
that morning and said he was going downstairs to make us
breakfast. So, I of course stayed in bed and caught some more zzz's. The
next thing I know, Bret comes up with breakfast on a
tray...hmmm....breakfast in bed, but I still didn't think much of it. Bret's
pretty darn sweet, so I figured it was just Bret being Bret. So I start
working on my yummy breakfast; "Nest Eggs" that his grandmother
taught him how to make, homemade guacamole, and fresh fruit. Then he
goes back downstairs and comes back up with 2 glasses of
Mimosas....yet again I didn't think much about it. We both love Mimosas,
so I just thought it was part of the breakfast. Then the next thing I know,
he puts his drink down, gets down on one knee, and asks me to marry
him!!! I hate to admit that I don't exactly remember the words
exchanged, but know tears were flowing and I SAID YES!!! He gave me
the MOST BEAUTIFUL ring I had ever seen....very sentimental....ALL the
diamonds we his great-grandmother’s from Italy that he had placed in a
new setting. He did an AWESOME job!!

Now the time has come to head to the Chapel to meet with our
awesome photographer, Tomme Hilton and her assistant Erica
Billingsly for picture time!! The only must of my wedding day was who
the photographer was going to be. Before Bret and I met, I was very
certain that I wanted Tomme Hilton Gallery to take my wedding photos.
Several of my friends have used Tomme for their wedding photography
and I knew she was the one for me. I absolutely fell in love with her
style and creativity. So, once Bret and I were engaged, I knew the first
item of business to take care of was to book Tomme as our

photographer. We used Tomme Hilton Gallery for our Engagement
session, my Bridal portraits, and ultimately our Wedding Day. The
pictures will last us a lifetime and we’re so grateful to have had the
opportunity to work and to become friends with Tomme. Down the
road, when little kids come into the story, we will definitely use Tomme
Hilton Gallery to capture those moments that will too, last us a lifetime.

It was a pleasure for Erica and I to have worked with you and wish you both eternal happiness.