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As y’all may know, every summer, we welcome a lovely intern to our office! Erin, our current intern, is a Texas girl from Princeton University, and she’s been a huge help to us with everything from photo shoot prep to working on the blog over the last month. Since she has a soft spot for colorful outdoor weddings, we thought she’d be the perfect person to write today’s post! -Lisa

Even though Elizabeth and Greg call Chicago home, their destination wedding at Charleston’s Boone Hall Plantation was a true Southern affair! By using vintage Boone Hall postcards as escort cards and displaying gorgeous peaches throughout the reception, Elizabeth and Greg captured the visual beauty of the South, while little touches, like providing fans to the ladies and offering tours of historic venue during cocktail hour, captured Southern hospitality at its best. But the best parts about Elizabeth and Greg’s wedding were the heartfelt details: personal vows written by the bride and groom, naming their first dog Boone after their venue, and choosing to wed in Charleston so that they have many reasons to return to the beautiful city!

Thanks to Amelia + Dan for sharing Elizabeth and Greg’s big day with us!

Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! My something old was a locket with a photo of my grandparents inside, which I wore on my garter. My something new was my wedding gown. My something borrowed was a bracelet from a close cousin of mine, and I wore Something Bleu shoes, which have a blue gemstone in the sole.
Describe your wedding flowers. Branch Design Studio did the most incredible job on my flowers. At the end of the altar were two rustic wooden wine barrels with vintage peach crates containing peach spray roses, coral peonies, peach ranunculus, white stock, yellow finesse roses, daisy feverfew, and scabiosa pods. My bouquet was made of mostly peonies and peach Juliet garden roses. It also included ranunculus, dusty miller, and a few yellow craspedia pods. The bridesmaids’ bouquets had white and yellow peonies with peach garden roses as well. Since their dresses were yellow, I added scabiosa pods to their bouquets in place of the yellow craspedia.

Did you decide to do a “first look”? Why or why not? We decided to do a first look to enjoy a moment alone together before the ceremony began. This way, we were also able to enjoy more time with family and friends during the cocktail hour, as we took a majority of our photos before the wedding started.

While planning our wedding, I made three trips to Charleston. For all three, it was raining when I visited Boone Hall. Therefore, I knew that on the day of the wedding, the weather was going to hold out for us, and the plantation was even more stunning in the sunshine.

We had rustic wooden wine barrels with clusters of peach arrangements on them at each of the four doors as you stepped into the Cotton Dock. In addition, each of the doors had lush rectangular wreaths covered in peach roses and peach stock. Mason jars hung from the ceiling containing peonies and ivory tea lights at varying heights. Above the sweetheart table hung more mason jars containing ivory tea lights and peach blooms strung from twine. Peach garden roses lined the tables, as well as wooden boxes of peonies, roses, dusty miller, and craspedia. Each window in the Cotton Dock had a cluster of vases and mason jars with coral peonies and ivory tea lights.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We wanted to make Charleston’s rich history a focal point of our wedding celebration. The mansion was opened during the cocktail hour for guests, where they were able to take tours and learn about Boone’s history. For seating assignments, we used black and white vintage postcards of Boone Hall. Since Boone Hall was once known for growing cotton, we had puffs of raw cotton strung along the back wall. They also were known for growing pecans, which we had incorporated into our desserts. We had fresh peaches in vintage peach crates throughout the venue, in addition to sugared peaches on the hummingbird cake. We gave out vintage fans to the ladies before the ceremony–as my mother in law put it, a Southern gentleman endures the heat! We were sure to have our DJ play many of our Southern favorites to complete the picture!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. We chose hummingbird cake, as it was a favorite of ours from our first visit to Charleston. It brought another Southern aspect to our wedding for our guests to try. The cake was decorated with fresh sugared peaches to go along with our peach theme for the wedding weekend, and it was absolutely delicious! Greg was so excited about the cake that he fed himself first when we cut it! In addition to the cake, we had a dessert table with bite-sized desserts including s’mores bars, lemon tarts, caramels, and chocolate pecan bites. We also had a groom’s cake decorated like a Jameson bottle.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Our friendship began in high school and continued on as we both attended Indiana University. While our friends attempted to set us up from the beginning, it wasn’t until I was back home for the summer in Chicago that sparks started to fly. Greg’s profession is with the Chicago Blackhawks, and with a little encouragement from my close friend, our new story began the summer night they won the 2010 Stanley Cup.
Tell us all about the proposal! From Greg: When we first started dating, Elizabeth made it clear that the key to her heart was sushi with a side of spicy mayo; it was her guilty pleasure food and we would enjoy it often. As I began to think of different ideas that encompassed our early dating for a proposal, I kept coming back to sushi. I finally came up with the idea of a custom fortune cookie detailing our fates and fortunes and, although fortune cookies are not traditionally served at sushi restaurants, I hoped it wasn’t too much of a stretch. I made a reservation at one of the nicest Japanese restaurants in Chicago and delivered the fortune cookies and a bottle of Dom Perignon earlier in the afternoon before dinner that night. When we arrived at dinner, the plan was to have them bring out the chocolate-covered strawberry (another favorite of Elizabeth’s) and fortune cookies as an amuse bouche. They eventually brought the appetizers without having brought the fortune cookies, and I had to convince Elizabeth to visit the restroom so I could track down the wait staff to get the cookies out. Thankfully, they did, and while she thought something was amiss, she played along as we opened our customized cookies. I read mine aloud, saying “Mine says ‘You will find a girl who will make you want nothing more in life than to make her smile,’ what does yours say?” Her message said, “You will be with a man who will love you, respect you, and care for you for the rest of your life.” Then, I got down on one knee and proposed. She said yes and we celebrated over sushi and champagne before meeting friends out later that night.
When did y’all get married? May 11, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 95
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We wrote our own vows in order to be able to say what we really wanted to give to one another in our marriage. My favorite phrase was “I promise to laugh with you, encourage you and inspire you,” as these are things we wish to maintain as our love grows over time.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. I chose to walk down the aisle to Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.” It is such a lovely, classic song, and it was especially beautiful played on the strings by Classical Charleston. For our first dance, we chose “Hey Pretty Girl” by Kip Moore. The song’s lyrics really resonated with Greg and how he saw our relationship unfolding. Before we opened the dance floor to everyone, we danced to “Dancing in the Moonlight” with our immediate families. This was “our song” long before we started dating, going back to our early high school days. It was the perfect song to get the dancing started on such a beautiful night.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We are working on decorating our new home in the city and look forward to getting our first dog together (named Boone)! We have recently done some traveling in Europe and are excited for a tropical getaway for our honeymoon once the cold arrives in Chicago. From there, we look forward to starting a family!

Photographer: Amelia + Dan / Videographer: Life In Rewind / Planner: Pure Luxe Bride / Venue: Boone Hall Plantation / Florist: Branch Design Studio / Cake Baker: D’lish / Caterer: Cru / Rentals: Event Works / Lighting: PDA / DJ: Dream House Productions / Bride’s Gown: Monique Lhuillier / Bridal Salon: Ultimate Bride / Paper Products: “Carolina” by Bella Figura / Bride’s Veil: Weddings 826 / Hair and Makeup: Ash & Co / Bride’s Shoes: Something Bleu Oyster Bed D’Orsays from BHLDN / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “D564” in Daisy by Dessy / Groom’s Attire: De Louice / Groom’s Shoes: Russell & Bromley / Groomsmen Attire: Tommy Hilfiger / Calligraphy: Write By Mike / Men’s Salon: Old South Barber Spa / Ceremony Musicians: Classical Charleston / Pastries: Wild Flour Pastry / Transportation: FingerSnappin’ Entertainment Trolley, Charleston Style Limo, Vintage Limousine

Pure Luxe Bride is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Written with love by Southern Weddings
4 Comments
  1. avatar Olivia Cox reply

    In love with everything about this wedding — from the warm and welcoming color scheme to the simply elegant place settings and gorgeous floral arrangements everything is perfect. Definitely sharing this post with my bride-to-be cousin!

  2. avatar amelia + dan reply

    thank you so much for sharing this sweet couple’s wedding day! :)

  3. avatar d’lish reply

    Hey there! Great post and so happy to see the wedding cake in all it’s glory :) Hoping maybe the creator of the groom’s cake can get some credit (not sure who it was) because it’s a great cake and they deserve to be recognized, too! :)

  4. avatar Southern Weddings Weekly Round-Up – Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] Elizabeth and Greg are Chicagoans, but they couldn’t resist the charm of Charleston for their wedding! Chelsea and Will fell in love with their venue, Castleton Farms–it was right in the middle of their two home states. Sarah and Mike incorporated family members into their wedding in the (literally) sweetest way. Leah and Tripp‘s wedding was so sweet and Southern, and we love the story of how they met! […]

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Bride Lauren shares her outdoor wedding at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens!

Where are my Bluegrass State gals? Today’s bride, Lauren, and her beau, Paul, are Kentucky natives, and did such a fabulous job of combining their pride in their home state with the beauty of their wedding destination (Charleston – always a good idea!). “‘Family’ and ‘Southern’ have always gone hand in hand for me,” Lauren told us, and by that marker, her wedding was a perfect fit for SW.

From dress shopping with a slew of family members to a ceremony arch built by Paul and his brother to pecan pralines lovingly made by Lauren and her mama, this wedding exudes homespun love and style. I’ll let Lauren tell you more about it, though, so keep reading for all of the details!

Thanks to Blue Ribbon Vendor The Happy Bloom for sharing Lauren and Paul’s day with us!

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? We love traveling, so we always planned on doing a destination wedding. We visited Charleston while we were engaged and immediately fell in love with the natural beauty of the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. The plantation was founded in the 1600s and has so many beautiful and historic details. We held our ceremony on the banks of the Ashley River underneath the live oaks, which were draped in Spanish moss. I can’t imagine a more perfect place for a traditionally Southern wedding!

I’m very family oriented, and I loved dress shopping with my mother, sister, and nieces! We loved seeing all the different styles and had so much fun trying them on. I knew I wanted a lot of lace and embellishments, so finding my Kenneth Winston “Ella Rosa” dress was so exciting. It was simple yet elegant, which is exactly what I wanted, and the dramatic train sealed the deal!

What were some of the most meaningful parts of your ceremony? One of the most special parts of the ceremony was the reading performed by our eleven-year-old niece, Avery. She read ‘I carry your heart with me,’ by e.e. cummings. We practiced together for weeks, and she did so perfectly. I also shared my walk from the bridal suite to the altar with both my stepfather and my father. They have both played such a big role in my life, and I was so happy that I got to include them both.

Did you decide to do a first look? We did. Seeing my husband before the ceremony was so reassuring, and made a world of difference in calming my nerves. It also really helped with our photography timeline and allowed us to enjoy our reception immediately after the ceremony ended!

What was your favorite detail from your wedding? My favorite detail was our arch, which was built by my husband and brother-in-law. We draped the arch with ivory fabric for an elegant look and Lori Denicola from Petaloso attached a beautiful bunch of eucalyptus in the corner. The fact that it was built by my husband made it that more special!

We live in Kentucky and we tried to include details from home in our special day. Our first dance was a song about love and the mountains where we live. We also served bourbon and bourbon pecan pies to tie in our Kentucky bourbon heritage. My mother and I also made homemade pecan pralines to give as favors. Family and “Southern” have always gone hand-in-hand to me!

Our cake was almond flavored and had a simple, white buttercream icing draped in flowers and greenery. We used greenery throughout our wedding to tie in the natural beauty of the gardens on the plantation. Our groom’s cake featured a handmade wooden topper with a kayaking couple that read, “Adventure awaits the Durhams.” My husband loves white water kayaking, so it was very special to him!

Tell us all about the proposal! Two years ago we planned a vacation to Kauai. We love hiking and spending time outdoors, so we spent most of our time exploring the beautiful island. A few days before we left, we hiked out to a cliff overlooking the ocean and the mountains of the Na Pali coastline. Paul set up our camera to “take some pictures,” and when we reached the overlook, he got down on one knee and proposed!
When did y’all get married? May 18, 2017
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 60
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. For the bridal processional, we used Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” which was performed by our string violin-cello duo. My father is a huge Elvis fan and I always remember him singing Elvis songs throughout the house growing up! For our first dance, we chose “Shake the Frost,” by Tyler Childers. It’s a song by a local artist about love and the beautiful mountains of Kentucky where we live.
What was your favorite thing about wedding planning? Seeing our vision come to life! We planned our wedding from several states away and it was difficult to make all the important planning decisions from a distance, so I was unsure of how everything would turn out. In the end, everything came together so smoothly and perfectly and was far better than I had ever imagined!
What was the hardest part about planning your wedding? Indecision. Charleston has a huge wedding industry and there were so many beautiful options available for everything from rentals to flowers to food!
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? We had a very DIY attitude towards our wedding. My husband built our arch at home and we brought it to Charleston with us. My mother and I made homemade favors. I also provided most of the decor myself and was able to find many things on sale or while bargain hunting!
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding day? Our first look was very emotional. I was crying as soon as we reached the area where Paul was! It was so overwhelming to see him for the first time on our wedding day and made all of the hard work and planning so worth it!
What advice would you give to someone currently planning a wedding? You truly can’t do it alone. Our wedding coordinator was invaluable during our rehearsal and ceremony! She made the experience so much more stress-free for me. I would also advise including details that are fun for both them and their guests. We had an open bar, photo booth, and s’mores bar by the fire pit on the patio and our guests really enjoyed these details!

Photographer: The Happy Bloom | Planner: Holly Simpson with A Charleston Event | Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Magnolia Plantation and Gardens | Florist: Petaloso | Wedding Cake or Dessert Baker: Sablee | Caterer: Crazy Dutchman Catering | Rentals: Eventworks | Draping: Pure Luxe Bride | Band or DJ: Becky Lawson | Music: Charleston String Instruments | Paper Products: Minted | Bride’s Gown: BE295 by Ella Rosa | Bride’s Accessories and Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Hair Stylist: Valarie Bishop of The Cutting Edge | Makeup Artist: TeRae Reed | Bridesmaid Dresses: Adrianna Pappell | Groom and Groomsmen Attire: Stafford

The Happy Bloom is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

marissa Written with love by Marissa
2 Comments
  1. avatar The Happy Bloom reply

    Thank you for the lovely feature! xoxo! Happy Monday!

  2. avatar Svilen {Svatben Fotograf} reply

    Stunning photos, bright and crisp! Love the detail shots!

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As you may know from a handful of Southern Weddings editorials over the years (like here and here), we have a soft spot in our office for classic Southern love stories. Our beautiful bride today, Calla, could say the same–and she has quite the Southern love story of her own to boot! After Calla and Thomas met in the hospital where they both worked, she followed him across state lines, and they got engaged at Boone Hall Plantation, where scenes from some of Calla’s favorite movies (The Notebook and Gone With the Wind!) have been filmed. There was no question that Calla and Thomas were going to honor their proposal story by tying the knot at this special place too, and with the help of Pure Luxe Bride, they planned an intimate celebration beneath Boone Hall’s Spanish moss-covered oaks.

We’re so glad Aaron and Jillian shared Calla and Thomas’ sweet Southern love story with us!

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? We did a very non-traditional first look! We saw each other getting ready the day of our wedding. When it was time to get dressed, we separated, and Thomas met me in the courtyard to do our first look! I love looking at our pictures because you can feel the genuine happiness we felt when we turned around and looked at each other for the first time.

Thomas proposed to me at Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina at their annual oyster roast. I had never been to Boone Hall Plantation before, but the Avenue of Oaks immediately captivated me. I am obsessed with the movies “The Notebook” and “Gone With The Wind,” and Boone Hall just so happens to be the backdrop for some of the most incredible scenes in those movies. Toward the end of the day I was ready to go home when Thomas asked me to go shuck just a few more oysters. At the oyster-shucking table, he handed me an oyster and said, “Shuck this one!” I did not think a thing about it. I went to open it and WHAM, there was my ring! He asked me to marry him in front of everyone there, and of course, I said yes! I also knew right away that we had to get married at Boone Hall Plantation!

Did you write your own vows? We did not write our vows. We read our vows after our priest recited “The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage” from the Book of Common Prayer.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. Thomas and I both love classical music, and Thomas plays the violin. We hired the amazingly talented Micah Gangwer to perform solo violin before, during, and directly after our ceremony. We stuck with traditional classical music, and I walked down the aisle to “Here Comes the Bride.”

I found my wedding dress at London and Lace in Columbia, South Carolina. It was important to me to have a timeless, Southern wedding dress. I wanted the lace and I wanted the sparkle! I also wanted my dress to be conservative. I tried on several dresses during my first visit and nothing was for me. Later, I spoke with Lisa Kyzer, the owner, and she told me to come back, because she had another dress for me to try. It had a plunging neckline and was backless, which I worried wouldn’t be appropriate for a true Southern girl’s wedding, but I tried it on and fell in love! I was by myself, so I sent a selfie to my mom, who instantly approved!

I loved having Cru Catering as part of our wedding. We did not want a traditional sit-down dinner; we wanted to be able to mingle and speak with all of our guests on a personal level. Cru Catering provided a superb choice of heavy hor d’oeuvres that was just right!

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. Sablee in Charleston made our wedding cake, which was an almond cake with buttercream frosting and a fig-flavored center.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: My personal favorite detail of our wedding was our chinois pots. Thomas’ family is originally from Taiwan, so I really wanted to include a touch of chinoiserie in our wedding. The white flowers and eucalyptus spilling over the blue and white porcelain was my favorite personal detail of the wedding.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Thomas and I met when he was in surgery residency and I was a nurse in the emergency department at a hospital in Tennessee. Several times, I worked assisting Thomas during traumas or with other patients who required emergent surgical intervention. I have to admit, I did find myself volunteering to be wherever Thomas was, hoping he would notice me. He asked for my number one day and we started texting. We fell in love really quickly. Unfortunately, a few months into dating, Thomas graduated from residency and was getting ready to move to South Carolina. I knew that once he started his new position, I would have to decide if I wanted to stay in Tennessee or move to South Carolina. The thought of moving was so scary to me, as I had never been too far away from my family before, so I was surprised that what scared me more was the thought of losing Thomas. I quit my job as a nurse in Tennessee and moved four hours down I-26 to South Carolina. The rest is history. That was over three years ago!
When did y’all get married? October 3, 2016
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 30
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We had the epitome of a Southern wedding! Wedding ceremony and reception outside at a large Southern plantation, check! Thirty of our closest friends and family, check! Southern Lowcountry comfort food by Cru Catering, including roast, shrimp, and lobster rolls, check! Southern drinks including Coca-Cola, sweet tea, and a selection of fine wine/beer? Check!
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $10,000-$25,000
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The most memorable part of the day was standing at the altar and saying our vows to each other. I can play the moment over and over in my head. I loved the intimate feel of our wedding.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We just got back from our honeymoon in Bora Bora! We look forward to our first year of marriage and the adventures it will surely bring!

Photographer: Aaron and Jillian Photography | Planner: Pure Luxe Bride | Venue: Boone Hall Plantation | Florist: Miele Events | Wedding Cake: Sablee Patisserie | Caterer: Cru Catering | Rentals: Snyder Rental | Violinist: Micah Gangwer | Blue Chinois Pots: The Enchanted Home | Bride’s Gown: Style 3558 by Lazaro | Bride’s Ring: Buccellati | Hair and Makeup: Paper Dolls | Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Groom’s Attire: Hickey Freeman | Velvet Sofa: 428 Main Vintage Rentals

lisa Written with love by Lisa
3 Comments
  1. avatar Rachel Wells reply

    This wedding is beautiful! I absolutely love their linens. Such beautiful work by Aaron & Jillian!

  2. avatar julie reply

    wow…Amazing Blog…Thanks for sharing lovely blog….

  3. avatar Joy – Newborn Photographer reply

    Beautiful Wedding! Amazing details and absolutely love her dress :)

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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