A Classic Southern Wedding at Musgrove Plantation

Lauren Megerdichian
February 27, 2019
Categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

You just can’t get much better than a tented garden wedding with a classic color scheme of green and white – for us, they’ll truly never go out of style! Emily Burton Designs made magic happen at Musgrove Plantation for this gorgeous bride and groom. From the ceremony scene dripping in romantic Spanish moss and lush blooms by Jackson | Durham, to the beautiful reception that’s seriously every Southern Belle’s DREAM… we just can’t get enough of this timeless day captured by Sawyer Baird.

From Sawyer Baird… Will and Lauren met on St. Simons Island, Georgia in the summer of 2007. They were attending an Elegant Island Living event, held at the Golden Isles Marina, with friends. Lauren recognized some other attendees and upon greeting her friends, was introduced to Will. After their introduction, Will and Lauren spontaneously started talking. To this day, Lauren recalls the exact outfit he was wearing and their conversation at length. The following summer, Lauren was visiting friends and crossed paths with Will again. It was this encounter when their adoration began to flourish, following the summer, they started officially dating.

Will and Lauren dated for many years and spent many Sunday’s with their families at weekly family dinner. Lauren had no idea that one day, her regular Sunday family dinner in her childhood home would lead to her perfect proposal. In August 2016, Will and Lauren attended their regularly scheduled Sunday dinner, and before leaving, Will asked Lauren to take a walk on the neighborhood golf course. They were barefoot and walked on the golf course with a beautiful, warm summer scenery in the background. Lauren never expected what was to come, but the man she loved got on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage.

After celebrating the engagement with their families, Lauren and Will started the wedding planning process. Lauren, an interior designer, had already created a vision of how the wedding would look. The couple decided to have their ceremony in Lauren’s hometown. They chose to marry at Musgrove Plantation because of its maze garden, marsh, and history. The couple wanted to take advantage of bringing their wedding design dreams to life and hired luxury wedding planner and event designer Emily Burton of Emily Burton Designs at the recommendation of a wedding photographer their made of honor knew.

For the day of the wedding details, the couple decided to use the garden of Musgrove Plantation for a cocktail area and rented a custom tent for the reception. The tent was clear and draped with greenery. The food incorporated touches on Will and Lauren’s Italian heritage with infused olive oils, risotto, and herbs. For entertainment, they hired a that would keep everyone dancing throughout the night. Lauren Quotes “Everyone says the day of your wedding goes by in a flash, well they weren’t kidding. The day started off with me getting ready with my closest friends and family, including my mother, bridesmaids, and mother-in-law. We were got ready on-site, in the main house. My dress hung in front of a large window with a spectacular view of the marsh behind it. It wasn’t until I saw the guests arriving to the ceremony that I started feeling anxious. I have never been good with large crowds, but especially a crowd that would have all eyes on just me. I was extremely nervous to walk down the aisle, but as soon as I saw Will, all those nerves went away.”

When recapping the style, design, and planning of the wedding, Emily Burton stated “The maze garden made such a statement, and already went with the theme, all it needed was some garden urns with a mixture of flowers to help communicate our visual theme and set the tone. Emily choose gold Chiavari chairs to add a timeless elegance to the maze garden ceremony.

There were so many hints of Tuscany already on property, the pergola with massive vines intertwining it, the stone garden features overgrown with moss, so I thought it just made sense to play of the the space instead of working against it…and it just made even more sense that Lauren had Italian roots.

One of the most unique features about the entire design concept of Lauren and Will’s wedding, was a diamond lattice cross-hatched greenery wall that was used throughout the design concept; such areas included the custom built ten foot by 15 foot walls behind the bar) to the diamond cross hatched greenery ceiling installation in the center of the tent ceiling in the dining space, and even the custom diamond bar signs that acted as a drink menu behind the bar to communicate to guests what was being served A well designed space, should be a “constant nod” of similar patterns and or motifs that help make a space cohesive!

Although the bride and groom decided to keep it traditional by waiting to see each other for the first time, when Lauren walked down the aisle, the final picture of the wedding day was complete.”

When the wedding day came to an end, the celebration continued. Will picked St. Lucia for a 7-day honeymoon. The reasoning behind St. Lucia was because the bride and groom needed a relaxing getaway. They stayed at the Ladera Resort which had a three-wall concept including one open wall with a plunge pool. The property overlooked the two iconic Piton Mountains, and the weather was soothing from sun up to sun down. They explored the island on a few days, taking boat excursions and snorkeling trips. Other days they relaxed on Sugar Beach. One day, Will had a local fisherman take them on a lengthy snorkeling excursion which ended in a beautiful sunset and a delicious local fish fry.

Lauren states, “After nine years of dating, one special day, and one amazing adventure. Will was finally my husband and I his wife. He is my best friend, and I am his partner in crime. He is the best listener I could ask for and I understand his unique ways entirely. We can’t live without each other, and now we never have to.”