Charleston Wedding

Joey and Jessica of (you guessed it) Joey and Jessica Weddings sent us this next little gem of a wedding. And it’s making me miss my Southern roots that much more. Sweet tea, shrimp and grits and a fresh from the garden style. Yep, total perfection. Oh and the bride just might have the best wedding hair on the planet. Click here as there are tons of additional images!

{click here for the full wedding}

I would describe David and my wedding as Southern with vintage appeal. During the planning process I pictured something laid back and relaxed but also elegant and charming. St. Luke’s Chapel and The Wickliffe House in Charleston, SC offered both. I wanted the wedding party attire to be simple but also go along with the theme.

For the bridesmaids, I wanted each girl to feel comfortable and beautiful in the dresses so I let my matron of honor and maid of honor pick out a dress by Rachel Pally. Emily loved the cream one-shoulder dress and Jennifer loved the black strapless so we went with both! I let the other four girls choose the one they liked best. We were not a big fan of suits so we decided to keep it casual with blue v-neck sweaters, white button downs, black ties, pants, and shoes. We wanted the bridal party flowers to have the “fresh picked” look so we chose to use the antique green hydrangeas with cream roses. I have always loved orchids I really wanted to use them in my bouquet so the florist used white orchids with a base of the antique green hydrangeas. I carried my great grandmothers handkerchief with mine and my sister’s initials and wedding dates on it. My mom and sister carried this in their weddings as well. David wore a single orchid bloom.

The Wickliffe House in Charleston, SC was the perfect back drop for our reception. The outside screamed of pure southern charm with large white columns and a huge front porch perfect for sipping iced tea and watching the sun set. The house has perfect vintage details, with original hard wood floors and chandeliers. The florist and I really wanted the decor to really bring out the vintage feel of the house so we chose to use mercury glass vases and votives of all different sizes and shape to line the tables. We had an Easter weekend wedding so we wanted to use spring like colors for flowers so the florist incorporated various blooms of roses, hydrangea, peony, dusty miller, and sweat pea in pinks, greens, creams, and yellows. I wanted the flowers to look as if we just picked the flowers from the garden and it did! The mercury glass votive candles helped illuminate the room and give a romantic, soft ambiance.

The dinner was served on the porch and included good, low-country southern fare consisting of barbecue biscuits, shrimp and grits, and a loaded mash potato bar. After everyone had eaten we stepped out onto the front lawn for drinks, dancing, and fun! We wanted people to dance under lanterns, so we hung cream lanterns in the trees surrounding the house. We placed two lounge areas with white, button tufted sofas on one end of the lawn for people to relax and socialize between dances. We wanted our guests to have a treat to take home to remember out special day by, so we made a candy bar with pastel colored candies in vintage, glass canisters. My mom made a “sweet love” banner trimmed in lace to be hung on the candy table. Instead of a typical guest book we bought a photography book of Charleston. Our guests wrote lovely notes filled with best wishes over beautiful scenes of Charleston and we now have it on our coffee table! Our Musician /D.J was Stephen Jenkins who played his live originals and of course some Johnny Cash! After the final song everyone prepared for our sparkler filled, ray ban, rock star exit!

Photographers: Joey + Jessica Weddings / Cake: Ashley Bakery / Florals: Tiger Lily Weddings / Rentals: Snyder, Ooh Events / Reception/catering: The Wickliffe House / Music: Stephen Jenkins / Hair: Affair Hair by Tanesha / Dress: Ulla Maija Alexia’s Bridal Boutique / Veil: Reem Acra / Bridesmaids: Rachel Pally / Groomsmen: Sweaters, Banana Republic