Wildly Romantic Waterfront Wedding Overflowing With Florals
For Bailey and Steven's wedding, we wanted to create a traditional Southern vibe with fun elements that spoke to the couple. The high school sweethearts met in Charleston, South Carolina, so it was important we found a quintessential Charleston venue right on the water as the couple spent so many of their years together being by the water with friends and family. We loved the traditional approach with just a touch of glam.
I went back and forth on whether I wanted some lace or no lace. I tried on dresses in October of 2021, but Anna Rhett was not there, so I knew I would not be buying the dress without my sister/MOH/best friend! At that point, I had tried on several dresses with lace tops and a plain bottom. After that appointment, I kept looking at other lace dresses and I knew that I would always compare the lace on my dress to others—so funny story, Anna Rhett and I actually "designed" my dress before we went back. I wanted straps, but I wanted the straps to lay a certain way on my shoulders and not look like a tank top. Anna Rhett and I found an Anne Barge strapless dress that we loved. It had pointed edges, which we thought would be perfect to continue straps off of and it look seamless, along with a ruched top and fit and flare bottom. When we went back to White on DI, we immediately pulled the dress, and that was it...I found my dress!! We added buttons all the way down the back as I loved buttons and did a cathedral-length train. Picking out the veil was special with my mom, and I hope this will be a family heirloom I can pass down to my children and grandchildren. We could not just leave the store with one dress, so I ended up getting my reception dress there as well. It was a completely different vibe, something "fun." It was short, strapless with beading and flower applique, along with a feather bottom. It was so fitting for a fun party dress! It was such a fun experience shared with my family, and I could not wait to show Steven. I am the worst at keeping secrets but I was able to keep it a secret from Steven and all my friends, so it truly was a surprise on the day of!
The girls wore Amsale dresses in blush.
It was very important to celebrate the Lowcountry with Bailey and Steven's guests. The couple grew up going to many oyster roasts together- a classic Southern get-together. So it was only fitting Technical Event Company built the couple a custom wooden raw bar for cocktail hour featuring the couple's favorite seafood! As a surprise to Steven, Ice Age Ice Sculptures designed the couple an ice sculpture celebrating their new last initial in which bartenders used for Steven's specialty cocktail- a Mexican mule! The dinner menu also included many southern staples-fried oysters, fried green tomatoes, and chicken and waffles. In a nod to Bailey, we surprised guests with espresso martinis after the couple cut the cake to keep the night going!
vero eventsWhen it came to our approach to the design, we wanted to keep our look traditional, clean and crisp but with a few focal pieces that set Bailey and Steven's wedding apart from any other. Some of our favorite pieces included the greenery hoops throughout the tents. Vero designs dressed up greenery chandeliers that acted as accents to our chandeliers in the ten. Bailey also loved the idea of flowers completely covering the stage front and wanted to keep this look cohesive by adding to the bar back shelves in the adjacent tent. Bailey's traditional bouquet featured over 50 garden roses! vero events used a variety of roses, ranunculus, hellebore, sweet pea, and hydrangea.
Bailey and Steven had a family friend bake their wedding cake for them, which it made it all that more special. Mary Palmer baked a 4 tier cake with different flavors to appease all guests- cookies and cream, lemon and raspberry, carrot cake and cream cheese, and red velvet with cream cheese. A bottle of personalized Veuve Cliquot accompanied the cake table with Waterford crystal champagne flutes.
The two exchanged vows in their family church, Grace Episcopal. The minister has known Bailey since she was a baby, so it was such a special moment to officiate her wedding. Bailey processed to Trumpet Voluntary- the same song her mom walked down the aisle to at her wedding. It was a very special moment for the two of them!
There were so many details about the day that I loved, from personal details to the vision Chloe Ewing and A Charleston Bridewere able to create! I got to wear my grandmother's jewelry, which was a special touch as it gave me my "something old" and "something borrowed". The invitations and stationery were STUNNING with gold foil and detailed drawings of the church underneath. I loved the koozies that Studio R Design was able to create. Steven and I have very fond memories of years of oyster roasts, so we incorporated that onto our koozies, which was a fun and personal touch! The entire ceremony space was breathtaking, with the flowers created by vero events and the lounge area created by A Charleston Bride; it was everything I wanted and more. The entire day and every single detail was absolutely perfect! I am so grateful to all the vendors who made my dream wedding come true. Chloe and A Charleston Bride were not just my wedding planner but some of our favorite people who are now friends! I have nothing but wonderful things to say and wish we could do it all over again next year!
