[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”]We wanted to showcase the best of springtime in Charleston, and that means color! Pinks, greens, blues, and oranges made their way into the decor and floral. [/field]
[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]
When we canceled our original wedding due to Covid, John and I decided to get married with our immediate families and celebrate with a larger group the following year. As we began re-planning, we switched to an afternoon (4-8pm), coat no tie “spring soiree” and picked Old Town Creek County Park for its idyllic low country setting. Who doesn’t love cocktails and oysters by the marsh? The small summer house served as the perfect backdrop during dinner, and dancing under the Spanish moss left everyone wanting more. When we first met, I brought Blake a series of inspiration images that had almost nothing to do with events. He took my photos of Simone Rocha coats, Matthew Carter interiors, and Schumacher wallpaper and manifested that look and feel into event form. The photo of a green Carolina Herrera dress became a striped dance floor and rose medallion plates, an arrangement of coral tulips. We wanted the day to have an understated elegance and warmth about it that would make guests feel at home. This was our opportunity to celebrate our first year of marriage, and share the life we had created in Charleston with those closest to us. We wanted to make sure guests felt welcomed as most were from out of town. We were able to greet them as they arrived, and spend the evening sharing the best of the low country with them. A true extension of Southern hospitality!
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[field title=”Proposal Story”]
We were set up on a blind date in October 2017. John was living in Charleston and I was in Dallas, so a friend put us in touch while he was in town for work. Drinks turned into dinner, which turned into him coming back to town a few weeks later. After two years of dating long-distance, we were engaged!
John proposed while we were watching the sunset over the Kiawah marsh in October 2019. John told both of our parents ahead of time, and they flew in to celebrate with us that evening. It was supposed to be a big surprise to me, but I had seen my dad’s calendar a month prior and knew it was happening all along—whoops! Additionally, the ring ended up being delayed so he popped the question with a plastic dupe from Amazon. It was as imperfectly perfect as could be! Wedding Date: April 10, 2021 (we were married in Dallas with immediate family on May 2, 2020)
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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]
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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]
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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]
I wore an Oscar de la Renta lace cotton midi dress with lace detail. ***I wore my Caroline Castigliano wedding gown to our ceremony in Dallas, and wanted a look more appropriate for our afternoon celebration. I searched high and low for something and kept coming up dry until I stumbled upon this Oscar number. It was on a Moda Operandi trunk show and wasn’t set to ship until August 2021. I reached out to the MO team and they were able to special order the piece so I would receive it by our party. I had never even tried on a sample, so crossed my fingers it would work. It arrived exactly one week before the party and fit like a dream! John gifted me diamond stud earrings for our one-year anniversary, so I wore those along with Rosetta Getty shoes and a tennis bracelet of my mother’s.
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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]
No bridesmaids or groomsmen, but my mom wore a fabulous orange Maison Rabih Kayrouz dress that we found at Forty-Five Ten in Dallas. She had worn an Orange Emilia Wickstead dress to our ceremony, so when we found this piece we knew it was meant to be!
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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”][/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]
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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]
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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]
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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]
Stations – we had different items from each of our backgrounds represented as well as a nod to the masters that was happening that weekend. Masters Station, Texas Station, Southern Picnic, Celebration of Lowcountry.
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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]
Anne and Jonathan of Bowen Studio were a dream to work with. They fabricated all design elements including custom flooring and floral boxes, and of course, created exquisite floral arrangements.
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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]
A tiered white cake that was lemon-flavored – my favorite!
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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]
First dance song: We had an impromptu first dance to “This Little Light of Mine” with the gospel choir during cocktail hour. We were quietly dancing on the side and Corbin nudged us out in front of the choir. It ended up being the perfect first dance as our planned dance later in the evening didn’t happen! We were planning to re-create our first dance to How Sweet It Is by Marvin Gaye and follow it with a joint father/daughter mother/son dance. But we saw the forecast showed rain (and we had no cover) so we quickly closed out dinner hour and rushed down to the dance floor. The dance floor was packed and we didn’t want to stop the momentum by doing a first dance so we let the gospel choir this little light of mine be our moment.
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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]That my dad was able to be there, since he had been in treatment on and off since September 2020[/field]
[field title=”Special Detail #2″]
Leading the line of guests with the gospel choir from cocktails to dinner
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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]A few drops of rain that quickly dissipated while we were all dancing. The fear of rain got us up from dinner and made the dance floor that much more lively. Thankful that there wasn’t an issue! We also passed out duck necklaces and hats on the dancefloor as a nod to our last name – nothing like a good dance floor prop![/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]
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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Weekend Events”]
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Photography: Corbin Gurkin Photography | Cinematography: Storybox Cinema | Event Design: Gregory Blake Sams Events | Event Planning: Gregory Blake Sams Events | Floral Design: Bowen Studio | Wedding Dress: Carolina Herrera | Cake: Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal | Invitations: Yonder Design | Reception Venue: McLeod Plantation | Catering: Cru Catering | DJ: Elan Artists | Accomodations: The Dewberry Charleston | Beauty: Ashley Brook Perryman | Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals