If you ask me, the bride’s dress alone is a muse for a fabulous fête. And while it did make its way into several pretty details (ahem, that ah-mazing cake!)… the beauty of Kiawah and the architecture of the venue provided much of the inspiration for this gorgeous South Carolina soirée. Captured perfectly by the lovely Kellie Kano, it’s hip, eclectic, and all-together elegant. I’m totally in love with the bride’s hair. The color, the do, the fascinator. Amazing. Now add lots of bold purple blooms, rich textures, and pretty patterns to the party and we’re in wedding heaven. You can join us right here in the gallery.
From the Bride… When coming up with a “theme” for our wedding seemed like a difficult and daunting task, I decided to start with our venue, Cassique Club House, a beautiful golf club on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Kiawah has always held a special place in my heart since my parents started taking me there on vacation when I was 3 years old. It turned into a vacation spot for our family friends as well, and every summer, my best friends and all of our families would make the 14 hour drive from New Jersey to Kiawah for a two week vacation. I had some of my best memories there and when Quinton and I started dating, it became a place for us to go; not too far from North Carolina, where we were in school, and a beautiful, relaxing place to spend the weekend. When it came time to choose a location for the wedding, there was no doubt that Kiawah would be it.
I always loved Cassique and its European architecture combined with its classic southern quality. Originally, the wedding was supposed to be at the River Course, another club house on the island. Unfortunately, a few months after we got engaged the River Course caught on fire and burned to the ground. The Kiawah Island Club said Cassique would be the new location. I was thrilled because Cassique had always been my first choice but they had only done day weddings before due to a noise ordinance. Being an architecture and design buff, I had heard about Charles Voysey in one of my architecture classes and made the connection to the name of the restaurant at Cassique, Voysey’s. After reading some history on Cassique, I found that the architect had modeled the club house after the English architect, Charles Voysey’s, designs. After a bit more research, I found that Voysey was actually a textile designer as well and a contemporary of William Morris. I started searching some of his textile designs and found one called, “Bird and Tulip,” which soon became the inspiration behind our wedding design.
Our wedding planner, Carrie Glasscock of A Charleston Bride and graphic designers, Studio R, who did all of our invitations and paper products, re-created the design in our wedding colors, gold and purple. We used this as our envelope liner, as a logo on the dance floor, napkins, koozies as favors at the bar, invitations, program, welcome bags, and as a background that was framed for our butler cards. The “bird and tulip” design fit perfectly with Kiawah being that is a popular place for bird watching and nature, and Studio R’s representation of the design was the perfect inspiration for our wedding design.
I was one of those brides who wanted to see every option before making a decision. I probably drove Carrie crazy but she was amazing at narrowing down all of the inspiration pictures that I sent her and creating something that combined all of my ideas in a really beautiful and elegant way. We chose long wood tables with custom gold fabric runners and unique Gothic chairs upholstered in gold velvet combined with round tables with purple satin table cloths and mahogany Chiavari chairs. I wanted the tent to look eclectic but royal and elegant at the same time. There were two crystal chandeliers already in the tent, provided by Cassique, so Carrie suggested that we use those in conjunction with two gold fabric covered drum shades which mixed this elegant but relaxed feel that I wanted. We rented French settees and chairs in a linen fabric that were placed with gold bamboo mirrored coffee tables for the lounge areas. When searching for perfect fabrics for the table coverings, Carrie came across a fabric that was identical to my dress. We decided to use this on the cake table, and the cake was designed based on the fabric and the rosettes of my gown. The design of the wedding was exactly what I had dreamed of for our wedding day.
Everyone tells you that your wedding day will fly by and you won’t remember anything, and I never really believed them until it happened to me. The whole day really was a big blur! I had an amazing time but didn’t remember certain parts until I saw the pictures. I had many favorite moments throughout the day: our first look, saying our vows, and dancing the night away with best friends and family. It was truly unforgettable!
Wedding Photography: Kellie Kano / Photography (second shooter): Shane Snider / Wedding Venue: Cassique Club House, Kiawah Island, South Carolina / Event Design + Coordination + Floral Design: A Charleston Bride / Cake: Jim Smeal / Dress: Monique Lhuillier (Sunday Rose) / Shoes: Kate Spade / Make Up: Elizabeth Quinton / Hair: Canvas / Lighting: Technical Event Company / Band: The Maxx / Ceremony Musicians: The Signature Players + Voices of Deliverance / Transportation: Absolutely Charleston, Antique Car – William Coleman / Officiant: Herbert Jenkins