Megan Manus photographed her first wedding in 2003 and opened Megan Manus Photography in 2005. Since then she has photographed hundreds of weddings and thousands of portrait sessions, working out of a studio at her home in Sumter and shooting most of her sessions on location, which has taken her out of state and out of the country more than once. She has been named Best Photographer or Studio in the Best of Sumter Awards eleven times.
She first worked at The Cabin at Old Spur in 2021, and she has photographed weddings here through the improvements we have made to the property since. She is one of our preferred photographers.
We asked her what she likes about working here, and she answered in the specifics a photographer notices, naming rooms, windows, and times of day. Most of what follows is in her own words.
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
A Room Built for the Morning
The bride’s room in the main cabin has been renovated since Megan first worked here, and it is the change she mentions first.
“The Bride’s room renovation was PERFECT! I love the long makeup counter and mirrors and it’s perfect for those getting ready makeup photos. The cute pink couch by the window is wonderful for bride and bridesmaids pj pics, as well as the bed. In fact, I usually use them both when I do photos of the girls in matching pjs or robes. The window in the bride’s room lets in the most beautiful natural light and I love to use that for images of the bride’s mom buttoning up the back of her dress. It is just really pretty.”
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
That morning is the part couples tell us about afterward. The bride and her bridesmaids have the upstairs to themselves from Friday through Sunday, so getting ready stretches across the whole morning rather than a narrow window between a hotel checkout and a drive out to the property. The groom and his groomsmen have a cabin of their own and 73 acres to fill the time with, which usually means the trails, the pond, or the porch until somebody says it is time to get dressed.
A Second Cabin for the Guys
“The guy’s cabin was such a wonderful, and much needed improvement to the property. It makes it easier to keep the Bride and Groom separated from each other on the wedding day, if they do not want to see each other before the ceremony.”
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
The grooms cabin sits back toward the woods, with bunks for six and a couch for a seventh.
The Front Porch
Detail photographs are the first thing a photographer shoots and the easiest thing to lose to bad light. Megan does not have that problem here.
“The front porch of the cabin is always in good light for me to shoot all of my details and flat lays on the day of the wedding. The wooden elements around the porch area lend themselves well to that rustic aesthetic, or I can easily bring colored flat lay boards if the mood of the wedding is a bit more refined. Either way I never struggle with details at this venue, because that front porch is a godsend of shade no matter the time of day.”
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
Reading the Sun
“I appreciate the fact that at this venue, the sun is typically going to be behind the cabin and trees during the earlier parts of the wedding day, giving me ample areas to photograph the wedding party prior to the ceremony.”
The ceremony sites sit near the pond, which gives your photographs a natural backdrop without anything having to be built or brought in.
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
The Front Field at Sunset
“Depending on the time of year, the front fields may have yellow flowers (weeds!) in them and they make the most beautiful place to shoot sunset pictures. The sun sets behind that row of pines, and you can get the best and most romantic backlit photos!”
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
That last hour is worth building your timeline around. Twenty minutes in the field with the sun coming through the pines behind you is what produces the photographs couples end up framing, and it costs nothing except putting it on the schedule.
A Moment She Remembers
We asked Megan whether one wedding here stood out. She named Emily and Hunter Fulghum, married here in April 2025, where Emily’s father performed the ceremony himself. Before the guests were seated, the three of them stepped around the corner of the old tractor shed, held hands, and he prayed with his daughter and the man she was about to marry.
“There was not a dry eye and it was such a touching and special moment to witness.”
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
Why Her Work Still Looks Right in Ten Years
Megan has a clear position on editing style, and it is worth hearing before you book anyone.
“I tend to lean more towards a romantic feel for my images. I present my work in a very natural style with very true-to-life colors and tones. I do not use a lot of unrealistic filters on my work because I feel that really dates your images. Several years ago bright and airy was the aesthetic everyone was into, then that faded into the oversaturated orangey-brown toned style. All these trends and styles fade out fast, and I want my clients to have wedding images that are in style forever.”
The other thing couples tell her, over and over, is that she runs a wedding day on time. She builds a timeline for every couple and holds it, and after twenty years there is very little that can happen on a wedding day that she has not already handled.
“I am very much a type A personality and I am always complimented on my ability to very effectively and efficiently handle a wedding day, and keep everything running on time.”
Wedding galleries are promised within four to six weeks of the wedding and usually arrive sooner, and portrait session galleries are delivered within ten to twelve days.
Photo by Megan Manus Photography
Megan Manus, Megan Manus Photography
Book Megan Manus Photography
Megan is based in Sumter and travels throughout South Carolina and well beyond it. She photographs weddings, engagements, families, seniors, and business portraits.
Website: meganmanusphoto.com
Email: meganmanus@gmail.com
Phone: 803-983-5816
Instagram: @meganmanusphoto
Facebook: Megan Manus Photography
Planning your wedding at The Cabin
73 private acres outside Florence. Two on-site cabins so your wedding party stays the whole weekend. Come see it for yourself.
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