Sally of A Piece of Toast’s Nautical Rehearsal Dinner

Stephanie Weers
February 24, 2016
Categories: Real Parties, The Blog
Tags: Southern Wedding, Tented Reception

I’ve been following the sister-duo behind A Piece of Toast longer than I can remember. We first went Behind the Blog with Molly and Sally on SMP Living, and then gushed for weeks once Sally’s oceanside engagement hit our inbox. And today we’re unfolding a two-part look into Sally’s wedding reveal, beginning with an all-white rehearsal dinner on Alys Beach. It’s (no surprise) spot-on gorgeous, and we’ve got Leslee Mitchell to thank for every image. Sit tight for the Big Day up this afternoon!

From The Bride…I’m so excited to share details from my wedding weekend, starting with the rehearsal dinner. I still love the way every detail of how Robert and my special weekend came together and it’s exciting to re-live the festivities again on Style Me Pretty.

One of the very first things I did after Robert and I picked a date and location for the wedding was to look at photographers. I was already anxious about how I wanted the special time to be captured and worried about working with someone who would be responsible for the images that would help me look back and remember all the details and feelings that I knew would pass in the blink of an eye. After extensive searching I discovered a wedding Leslee Mitchell had shot in 30A (our wedding spot). Bingo. Leslee shot in a way that made me feel like I was at this wedding and nailed the kind of candid photos I had been envisioning. After having her shoot our engagement pictures (you can see them here!) Robert and I felt even more confident about Leslee capturing our wedding. When working with my awesome mother-in-law to plan the rehearsal dinner she suggested hiring Leslee to shoot the event and I’m so glad that we did!

As soon as the wedding planning kicked off, I felt like I already had a vision for the rehearsal dinner in mind. I knew that I wanted it to be casual, relaxed, and barefoot on the beach. Nothing stuffy because it just didn’t fit with the overall vibe of the town or me and Robert as a couple. I had also known for quite some time before our engagement that I wanted to have a “white party” as a part of our wedding weekend somehow. Ever since I came across a photo on Instagram posted by the Coveteur, I dreamed of trying to recreate something similar. I was completely struck by the image and how amazing it looked with everyone in white. Not to mention that I am always drawn to wearing my crisp whites each time I visit the beach.

Christina from Events by Nouveau was our florist/designer for the wedding weekend. She is insanely talented (beyond belief) and was able to bring everything I had described and dreamed up to life. I had given her some inspiration images of what I had envisioned for the rehearsal dinner tables – bamboo chairs, driftwood and lanterns, peonies and blue ticking stripe tablecloths…all with cafe lights strung over them. When we visited Christina and the Nouveau office/warehouse, the vision for the night came to life even more. She had white adirondack chairs and natural colored Fat Boys to place around the fires on the beach for the after dinner “sips and s’mores.”

Because the rehearsal dinner was going to be an on-the-beach event, weather was always on our mind. Deposits for “rain tents” and consistent/obsessive checking of the weather became just an important (or more so) than getting the vibe just right. The thing about the beach is that rain can be on the forecast every day, but it could just be a 30 minute shower that passes and allows the clouds to clear for sun – you just never really know. In the week leading up to the wedding, it was showing rain every single day and the percentage of likeliness was pretty decent. We had to make the “call” for using the rain plan two days in advance of the actual event because of the changes it made to the plans – the dinner would have to be moved onto the lawn where the reception was.

I was desperate to not go through with the rain plan as I wanted our on-the-beach rehearsal dinner so badly, but in the end the thought of being on the beach, tent-less and in the rain wasn’t a risk I wanted to take. We did still follow through with the s’mores and bonfire on the beach because that couldn’t be done on the lawn. Our thoughts were that if it did start to downpour, we would just do the cocktails under the tent. So many things to consider! Lucky for us, the rain held off, everything for the dinner looked just as beautiful under the tents as it would have on the beach, and we were all able to walk barefoot down to the bonfire on the sand for s’mores and cocktails with everyone who was in town for the wedding. Robert’s parents surprised us with a “sand sculpture” featuring our beloved pups which was a huge hit!

I actually think that one of the hardest parts about the rehearsal dinner was deciding what I would wear. Having everyone wear white made it tricky because I wanted to wear something that stood out against what everyone else would wear. I searched and searched for a LONG time and ordered (and returned) many different options to try on for the night. I eventually settled on a dress from BCBG after trying it on just a week or so before leaving for the wedding. I loved that it was all lace – which would be different than what most would wear and also super different from my wedding gown – and that it was floor length. The pleated and frothy ruffles on the sleeves made it feel beachy and were also very “me.” We ordered Robert a custom all-white Dos Carolinas Guayabara shirt with a white monogram to wear with white pants and his off white loafers that he already had. I have to say that I was pretty pleased with our outfits came together and think they went together quite nicely!

Looking back on photos from the event that kicked off the best weekend of my life (so far) makes me smile all over again. It truly was the most incredible time for me and Robert with all of our most favorite people in the world in our most favorite place in the world.