Romantic Charleston Fall Wedding

I really try not to pick favorites, but today I just can’t help it. Gathering Floral & Event Design and Kristin Newman Designs created an absolutely stunning Southern affair, and I’d be lying if I said that my eyes were dry watching the film by East West. Tim Willoughby captured every beautiful moment and this gallery pretty much just made my day.

From East West… Jodi (the bride) & John (the groom) decided to plan a destination wedding to Charleston after the groom planned a proposal in Charleston. During their first trip to the city, they fell absolutely in love with the atmosphere and romance of the city and decided it would be the perfect location to bring their closest family and friends to celebrate their marriage.

The bride is in the wedding business herself and launch her newest venue in Raleigh, NC: http://merrimonwynne.com

From The Bride… We were engaged in Charleston and it immediately became one of the most important pieces of our love story. The city’s beauty, hospitality, and charm won our hearts and we decided that since it was a place that wasn’t mine or his, but ours, it was the perfect setting to celebrate our wedding.

What we wanted most was to have a big celebration and to give our guests a wonderful experience. We hosted 3 events that we hoped would allow everyone to get to know Charleston and feel how important they are to us at the same time. Live music was a big part of each event. At our Thursday night beach party, we had music on the back porch overlooking the ocean, which led to dancing and singing, and was followed by everyone setting off Thai wish lanterns that symbolized our love for travel and our hope that everyone there would make a wish that was special to them. For Friday night, we took our guests from the beach to the historic district, where we dined alfresco under market lights and listened to live jazz music at our favorite Italian restaurant. We knew right away that we wanted to have a traditional church wedding, but we wanted it to feel intimate and full, so we chose the French Huguenot Church because of its setting, history, and warmth. Our reception was at the gorgeous Lowndes Grove Plantation, where we had dinner under the stars beside the river and a canopy of live oak trees. We wanted the meal to feel elegant but inviting, and to give our guests the sense that they were at a beautiful family dinner. We knew the reception had to be capped off with a rocking band and a giant party on the dance floor, and we followed our reception with an afterparty complete with a french fry bar, where the dancing continued until the early hours of the morning.

It was truly a weekend beyond our wildest dreams, made possible by an amazingly talented team. Each moment was captured perfectly on film by East West and in beautiful images by Tim Willoughby. Kristin Newman Designs took our vision for our guests experience and made it a reality, and Gathering Events Designs created a backdrop for the experience that was perfect in every way. To this day the thing that we hear the most from our guests is that it was magical, which is all we could have asked for.

Photography: Tim Willoughby | Cinematography: East West | Event Planning: Kristin Newman Designs | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang Georgina | Cake: Jim Smeal | Invitations: Oscar And Emma Custom Design | Shoes: Kate Spade | Caterer: Fish Restaurant | Lighting: Technical Event | Groom's Attire: Hugo Boss | Church: French Huguenot Church | Event & Floral Design: Gathering Floral & Event Design | Live Band: Groovetown | Make Up & Hair: Meg Workman | Plantation : Lowndes Grove | Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Pane E Vino | Rentals: Snyder Events

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Post categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance