From the Bride... After 12 years of dating, Richard and I finally tied the knot on a bright, sunny day shaded under a centuries old oak tree in Charleston, South Carolina. Since the day we were engaged, we knew Charleston was the place for us. It oozes elegance and charm and makes you feel like you've arrived home the minute you drive into the city limits. With that in mind, I visited many a plantation - the perfect romantic setting - and found myself quickly falling heads over heels with The Carriage House at Magnolia Plantation. With the Ashley River setting as a backdrop, oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss and a rustic Carriage House perfect for holding a our large families, I couldn't deny its rustic charm. Lucky for us there was still a Saturday left in September!

Planning was of course a complicated and sometimes frustrating process being that Rich and I don't live in Charleston, but thankfully through recommendations and a TON of web research we were blessed with the most AMAZING vendors and when the day came, everything ran as smooth as butter. Honestly, I don't think that I would've changed one thing about it. It was, as simply as I can put it - my dream wedding. A wedding that as a girl I never thought possible or as a matter of fact, never really dreamed about. I wasn't one of those who had been mapping out her wedding detail by detail since she was 5, but when the day came for me to finally make the plans, I knew one thing - I wanted it to be an experience. An experience for us, and and experience for our friends and family. I wanted it to be a wedding unlike any they had ever been to and to make it an occasion in which they were enveloped in the romance and wonder of the day.

That being said, much of my wedding was DIY and included a multitude of unique family heirlooms and decorations from the many talented sellers of Etsy. Come to think of it, if it wasn't handmade by me or supplied to me by the amazing Lisa Thomas and associates at Ooh! Events, then it was probably from Etsy. So, I guess you could say it was an Etsy wedding!

On September 22, 2012, everything that I had worked on and planned for came together seamlessly. Cloaked in a veil of emanating sunlight from the heavens and high from my hour of photography with the kind and talented Rachel Hyer of Hyer Images, I got my first peek of what all of those months of stress and hard work had been for. It was like a dream. Crystal chandeliers hanging from the massive oak tress, glittering as the light caught the delicate stones, wooden directional signs I had painted with "Dancing" and "Games," the word KODETSKY painted in white on pallet wood I had deconstructed and fashioned back together to mark the occasion and plush vintage furniture arranged under hanging moss ready for tired legs after what would be a lively night of festivities. For the guest book, my grandmother's typewriter sat ready, propped on top of her old Singer sewing machine, a piece of furniture I had loved as a kid. An old window, paint cracked as a tribute to its old age, I had written on leaned against the Singer to inform guests to type their love messages on grandma's typewriter and to find their seat noted on library cards supplied by a fabulous Etsy seller and hand stamped by me. Almost too much to take in at one time, I found myself rushing by the antique green hand cart used for gifts and my grandmother's green suitcase I decided to use for cards, both decorated in handmade banners from Etsy, to get a peek at the inside. And I have to say, I have NEVER seen so many beautiful flowers in one place! Not only had there been those outside hanging in mason jars on shepard's hooks, but every table had a plethora of colorful blooming wild flowers. Not to mention delicate doileys that ran along the tables and the vintage books and canisters that held the bright flowers. Vintage china held the decorated mason jars I had tirelessly worked on for weeks with name tags made simply from burlap and Kraft paper that were hand sewn with a button and stamped by me. Purple and orange straws whose handmade flags I had cut and typed "I'm yours, take me home tonight" were placed into each jar, making it impossible for the guest not to take this adorable gift home!

Behind the dessert table a pair of vintage doors, a gift from a friend, held pictures of my husband and I and was adorned with a sweet burlap banner saying "Today I marry my best friend." The dessert table was a thing of beauty in itself decorated with different vintage boxes that would house our sweets and our vintage silver, hand-stamped with our wedding dates and "I do" and "Me too" sayings. In an old cupboard, hand cut burlap and fabric pieces with personalized stickers from Etsy covered mason jars filled with sweet jams from Middleton Inn as another gift to our guests.

This was but a few of the enchanting details our vintage chic wedding was home to. It was what made our wedding special and unique. It was what made our wedding OUR wedding and as the night itself went whizzing by and we danced underneath cafe lights with those we loved, we relished in the moment and enjoyed the beginning of what would be the start of our new lives as husband and wife.

Wedding Photography: Hyer Images / Floral Design + Event Planning + Event Design: Ooh! Events / Cake + Desserts: DeClare Cakes / Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Carriage House, Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, South Carolina / Officiant: Christy Loftin / Catering + Bar: Cafe Catering / Hair: Jade Young of Willow Salon / Makeup: Leslie Moore Makeup / Bride's Shoes: Irregular Choice / Wedding Dress: Allure Couture / Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jenny Yoo / Bridesmaids' Shoes: Steve Madden / Groom's Suit: J. Crew / Master of Ceremonies: John Haskins