There are few places as magical and as soulful as Charleston, South Carolina. It’s her flawed but storied past. It’s her architecture. Her food, her characters, her cocktails. It’s the fact that you can walk around at any hour and the street lights still twinkle and the cobblestone still sparkles. And this wedding – photographed beautifully by Clay Austin and designed by Luke Wilson – captures the magic in a bottle that its Charleston backdrop provides so flawlessly. With the prettiest bride ever and a sense of family that permeates every detail. Favorite part? Everything. Second favorite part? The cake by Ashley Bakery. Love.
From Clay Austin, Charleston Photographer…Every detail of the Roberts’ July Charleston romantic military wedding exuded timeless elegance and no detail went unnoticed. From the custom monogram on the invitation suite, to the bride’s unique one-of-a-kind wedding dress, to the traditional Air Force elements, the gorgeous décor and planning by the talented Luke Wilson Events, it was a perfect day.
One of Maggie’s favorite memories of the wedding planning process was wedding dress shopping. Maggie, her aunt Peggy, her mom, Karen, and her future mother-in-law, Cheryl, flew to New York for a fun girl’s trip. And what’s a trip to New York for a bride without a trip to Kleinfeld Bridal. Maggie found a beautiful David Basso silk champagne ball gown, embellished with seeded pearls, crystals, and ivory lace and they had a wonderful weekend they will never forget.
After thinking more about the dress, Maggie decided to re-create the top of the gown to make it more unique. She worked with Sigrid Rothschild at the Silver Thimble in Charleston to order lace from Modern Trousseau Charleston to change the top of the dress into a beautiful off the shoulder, backless lace gown to compliment the silk ball gown. It was everything she had ever dreamed of in a wedding gown.
The wedding date was set for July 21, 2018 and the wedding planning began. Maggie and Matthew selected Luke Wilson Events to help plan their special day. They knew they wanted to get married at The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the church they had been attending together, and it didn’t take long for them to find a perfect venue for their reception, the beautiful historic landmark at Middleton Place.
Cole Johns of Greenville, SC designed their invitation suite. The monogrammed crest on the suite coupled the intricate designs from the molding in the church, and the elaborate design of the gates at their reception venue.
As Maggie and Matthew reflect back on their wedding weekend, they treasure the memories in the homes the couple’s parents had rented for the weekend. Maggie had found The Parsonage, a beautiful renovated 1846 home in the heart of historic Charleston, for her and her family and it was the perfect place to call home for the weekend.
All of the special ladies in Maggie’s life gathered at The Parsonage on Friday for the bridesmaids’ luncheon, and they made many more wonderful memories getting ready together in the beautiful home the day of the wedding. Matthew’s family stayed at the Governor’s House Inn, where they spent a lot of quality family time throughout the weekend.
Both Maggie and Matthew agree their favorite part of the weekend was the ceremony. Matthew saw Maggie for the first time as she walked down the aisle of the church to the choir singing “Canon in D” by Johann Pachelbel from the balcony. Escorted by her father, Maggie looked angelic in her off the shoulder ball gown with a cathedral length veil and blusher, accented with scalloped lace and beading.
Her exquisite bouquet was a cascade of beautiful white anemones, scabiosa pods, roses, and greenery. Following the age old tradition, Maggie’s “something borrowed” was her maternal great grandmother’s rosary which she carried with her bridal bouquet. Her “something old” was gifted to her by the groom’s mother the previous day, a beautiful monogrammed handkerchief the groom’s parents had purchased in Italy when Matthew was a little boy.
Bridesmaids wore dusty blue full length dupioni dresses by Alfred Sung while the groomsmen wore a mix of classic tuxedos and military mess dress. The bride and groom thought a lot about ways to incorporate Air Force traditions and memorabilia throughout the weekend.
On the wedding day, following the ceremony, the church bells rang and the guests gathered outside on the steps of the Cathedral. The groomsmen, dressed in military mess dress, gathered on the steps to form the Saber Arch for the newly wedded couple to walk through, a long-standing military tradition. After kissing under the Arch, a groomsman shouted “Welcome to the Air Force, Mrs. Roberts”!
At the reception, the couple enjoyed cutting the cake with one of the sabers from the Saber Arch earlier in the day. Fresh flowers adorned the beautiful five tiered wedding cake by ABCD Cakes, which included a Lemon Curd filling from the recipe of the bride’s late paternal grandmother.
Another highlight of the evening was when Matthew shared the surprise of their honeymoon destination during their first dance. Matthew worked with Abercrombie & Kent to plan a surprise, luxurious honeymoon to Bali and kept the secret from Maggie throughout their engagement!
Photography: Clay Austin | Event Design: Fleur - Luke Wilson Special Events | Floral Design: Roadside Blooms | Cake: Ashley Bakery | Reception Venue: Middleton Place Plantation | Band: Stee Toe Stiletto | Transportation: Lowcountry Valet | Tent Rental: Skyline Tent Company | Bridal Dressing: Big Day Best Friends | Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab | Photo Booth: Little White Box | Rentals: Eventworks | Videogrpahy: Siegel Films