[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”]
(From the Bride, Alexandria) I’m very drawn to deep green. It evokes such a sense of calm and ease and acts as a beautiful anchor to any color palette, not too masculine or too feminine. It felt like a natural place to start, given the vibe we were going for: whimsical, but grounded. I originally thought we’d do a classic green and white for the more traditional feeling I wanted, but my husband and I both love bold color, so we brought in our favorites – deep pink for me and sunshine yellow for him – for accents throughout our design elements.
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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]
Our color palette reflected the overall vision for the day, blending timeless romance with modern vibrancy – and a dash of warm southern charm! This vision helped us select vendors – like our photographer Samantha Jean Becker, who blends film and digital and infuses such a dreamy, romantic quality into her work – and our venues. We got married in a church, Second Presbyterian, to ground the day in tradition and ceremony, and celebrated with a reception at the Gibbes Museum of Art, where we focused on creating warmth and fun through bright colors and contrasting textures and patterns. While my family is from the south, Charleston was a destination for all of our wedding guests, so it was important to us that everyone felt appreciated and enjoyed themselves. We sought to infuse the weekend with southern hospitality for our guests, from little touches like danceflooflip-flops and mini fans in their welcome bags, to focusing on delicious food and drink. Our planner, Chauncey, and her team at Bouquets and Bowties helped us connect the dots for a cohesive, seamless celebration.
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[field title=”Proposal Story”]
We met almost 10 years ago through a mutual friend when we were both living in the DC area. I still remember his first text to me, “Hi Alex, this is Alex.” After being in each other’s orbits for about a year or two, one day, when we were both at the same backyard party, we just hit it off. We hung out all day and ended up exploring the Capitol, darting around the campus in the quiet nighttime, like it was our own playground. We went on our first date shortly after to an outdoor movie at the Georgetown Waterfront, where he packed us a little picnic, and we’ve been together ever since. Five years later, we got engaged on the beach in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. We had just moved to New York City, and I had landed a new job after graduate school. I was anxious to get to work, but Alex really pushed for me to delay my start date so we could take one last trip before things got too busy. He was really insistent, which I thought was a bit weird, but now I understand why! I picked the destination and he handled the rest. Toward the end of our trip, we were heading to dinner when he claimed he had found a small, secluded beach he wanted to show me. He had me close my eyes as he guided me there, and when we arrived, he had prepared a beautiful setting with a bouquet and rose petals, where he got down on one knee. Neither of us remembers exactly what he said, but I remember the happiness and excitement, and the random audience we had attracted that cheered us on.
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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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[board_carousel title=”First Look”]
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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]I wore two dresses on our wedding day – my ceremony dress by Reem Accra and my reception dress from Prea James. I wanted a dress that felt unique but also clean and traditional. The high neck and long sleeves countered by the airy lace drew me to my ceremony gown. With my reception look, the sleek silhouette and fabric perfectly highlighted the statement bow on my back. Both dresses struck that perfect balance for me – modern and fun, yet timeless and romantic.
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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]
I knew I wanted lots of dimension and complexity for my bridal party look; my group of girls is all so unique, and I wanted to reflect that in their dresses. I also couldn’t choose just one color, so I decided not to! In addition to our favorite colors of pink and yellow, we introduced a pale blush as a classic touch to bring some cohesion. I gifted the ladies with coordinating earrings and handkerchiefs to provide something that brought their looks together.
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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]The groom (Alex) wore a custom tuxedo from Manhattan’s Alan David.[/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]
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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]
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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]
Food was so important to us – 1. We love a good meal, and 2 we wanted our guests to enjoy their meal and experience the flavors of the South. We worked with our caterer, Rosemary and Rye, to craft a menu that fit this bill and had plenty of our southern favorites – collard greens, shrimp and grits, and crab cakes for a shout out to my husband’s Maryland roots! For our signature cocktail, we did a Hugo Spritz, a refreshing blend of elderflower and lime. We named it the Simba Spritz, a nod to our favorite little guy, our golden doodle Simba.
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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]
When it came to florals, we took inspiration from our venues and again that balance of simplicity and vibrancy, working with Angela at Charleston Flower Girl to bring the vision to life. For our church ceremony, we kept the florals neutral and understated. I am still completely obsessed with my bouque, which felt so elegant and classic. For cocktails, dinner, and dancing at the Gibbes, we took inspiration from the garden, with its lush greenery and romantic sense of seclusion, bringing in vibrant florals, lots of candlelight light and greenery-twined chandeliers overhead to evoke that secret garden feel. Our textured and patterned tablecloths from Stradley Davidson added a contrasting sophistication to the rustic farm tables from Snyder’s Rentals to round out the garden party vibes. My favorite detail was our joint monogram. It was an extremely effective way of personalizing multiple design aspects, like our programs and place settings from Dodeline Design, and our matchbook guest favors.
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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]
When our wedding planner took us for a tasting with Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal, we immediately fell in love. The texture and flavor of their cakes were absolutely amazing; they had a stunning collection of unique cake stands and a portfolio of absolutely gorgeous cake designs. We chose two flavors, Almond Amaretto paired with an Apricot jam and Fresh Coconut, brought together by a classic design in pale pink frosting to continue the romantic vibe of the day. I was feeling very drawn to vintage cake design, and Jim was able to channel that vision beautifully. The only regret I have from our wedding was not saving the top cake layer for our anniversary – I still dream about it!
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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]
To mark the end of our ceremony and first moments as husband and wife, we jumped the broom, a Black American wedding tradition. We’ll keep our broom as a family heirloom, and hopefully our children will use it one day. A couple of months before our wedding in Charleston, we celebrated our marriage with my husband’s extended family in Mumbai, India, where friends and family performed choreographed dances for our Sangeet. We had the DJ play some of the songs from the performances so we could relive our time in India, which was a fun callback for us and our guests. Together, these moments made our wedding feel like an homage to both our heritages and the blended culture of our family.
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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]
My husband’s aunt, who designs and produces clothing in Mumbai, crafted my mother’s turquoise gown. She lovingly made my lehenga for our Sangeet earlier in the year, so it was a sweet touch to have her design something so beautiful for our Charleston celebration. My mom and her beautiful dress were my ‘Something Blue’.
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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]
My grandfather is a minister, and he officiated our wedding. This was a moment I’ve looked forward to sharing with him all my life. We met many times to hone the details of the ceremony and discuss with him the beauty and power of marriage. His presence brought a real sense of love, devotion, and gravity to our ceremony. It was such a sweet moment to walk down the aisle with my dad and see my grandfather and husband-to-be standing side-by-side at the altar.
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[field title=”Special Detail #3″][/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]
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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]
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Photography: Love, Samantha Jean | Event Planning: Bouquets & Bowties Charleston | Floral Design: Charleston Flower Girl | Cake: Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal | Ceremony Venue: Second Presbyterian Church | Reception Venue: Gibbes Museum Of Art | Catering: Rosemary and Rye | Hair and Makeup: Silhouette on Site | DJ: Bunn DJ Company | Transportation: Lowcountry Trolley | Bar Service: Brand Bars and Events