Southern Hospitality Meets French Country Style in Charleston

When we began the design process with Billy and Thibault, we knew we'd want to keep things feeling masculine, but what we didn't know was that Thibault had a strong opinion on the softness and romance of the flowers! After having that conversation, the doors opened a bit, and we began to play with patterns and textures to marry this soft-yet-tapered design. Neutrals were key, but to keep it from being boring, we pulled in multiple patterns. A ticking stripe made it's appearance throughout the design, but Juliska Country Estate dinner plates served as chargers harkening to a "French-country-side-theme." Blooms of delicate garden roses, queen anne's lace, lisianthus, and scabiosa created this creamy symphony, and we pulled wooden handled flatware and amber tumblers for fun little pops on the table. A rooftop ceremony can be tricky, because we're never quite sure of the wind, so we elevated heavy-based compotes on tall wooden tables and used sideboards of green ribbed coupe glasses brimming with champagne and potted plants to greet guests to the stunning space. A sunset did not disappoint. Each design element was personally touched and meant something to the guys. They had a heavy hand in working in tandem with the Vero team to make the resort, where they'd spent many happy days, the ideal place to welcome their families.

Billy and Thibault met years before getting together, but after keeping in touch over social media, they began dating. Billy drove in the dead of winter to Canada to move Thibault back to Charleston with him, and they truly proposed to each other less than a year later.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen were asked to adhere to the soft neutral color palette of the day. Gentlemen were asked to wear pale colored suits and the ladies chose soft neutral dresses the coordinated but didn't match. The two sweet flower girls wore soft white dresses.

Thibault's family and friends were all traveling from France, so it was very important to him to have them experience Southern cuisine. During cocktails, they passed traditional Southern fare like crab cakes with key lime mustard roulade and local scallops wrapped in bacon and brown sugar. Palomas and French 75s were passed along with the bites, and French champagne topped off guests' coupe glasses they picked up prior to the ceremony. At dinner, guests dined on filet and halibut while the couple's friends and family took turns toasting the men and laughs abounded.

Neutrals and soft shades of blushes and mauves and creams lead the floral charge. We wanted to keep all arrangements low to underscore that, while the wedding was black tie, the event was family focused. Leave formality at the door. Andraya Northrup, lead designer and owner of FLORA, focused all arrangements on petal heavy blooms with whimsical textures. We wanted to introduce that masculine element though, so we introduced potted plants on our Champagne-hosting sideboards and a greenery-laden frame to hug the oversized seating chart. It was, again, that play on soft-yet-tapered. Simple, yet impactful. And, as Thibault said, candles, candles, candles.

Thibault and Billy decided to forgo the traditional wedding cake and cake cutting. Rather, they took this opportunity to tap local French chocolatier, Christophe Artisan Chocolatier, to create a selection of French desserts for guests to partake in. Eclairs, croquembouche, and petite macarons went fast as guests made their way to the photobooth after dinner.

Billy and Thibault live in a stunning home overlooking deep water along the coast of Charleston. We decided to have Erin, of Prairie and Sage, craft a watercolor of the view from their house overlooking the water to be the liner for the envelope of their stunning invitation suite. It just so worked out perfectly that the setting was ideal for their first look on October 28.

The men changed from a traditional tuxedo for the ceremony to white dinner jackets for dinner. The change signified the start of the party. It was a fun surprise for all guests making their way into dinner from cocktail hour as the couple was announced.

Long live the ticking stripe! This simple pattern repeated over our full design. From the vellum belly band of the invitation suite to the menus to the table linen. This simple pattern created dimension and unity throughout the day.