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Bride Jillian shares her pefectly Southern, blue and white wedding at Legare Waring House!

Please meet today’s bride, Jillian! I’m not sure if it’s the season we’re in, the dreamy light blue and white color palette, or the gorgeous floral detailing, but her wedding to Edwin will have you feeling all the spring feels (even though it took place in October!). And for you classic brides out there, like myself, it’s hard not to swoon over Jillian’s perfectly preppy Oscar de la Renta gown.

And don’t even get me started on those magnolia leaf garlands… I could get lost in their Charleston wedding all day. Keep scrolling to read all about the sweet surprises her mama pulled off, how they chose their venue, and much more goodness!

Big SW hugs to Virgil Bunao for sharing and to the ladies of A Charleston Bride for pulling together the details!

What was Southern about your wedding? Our whole wedding really played on the overall theme of Charleston and the South. Since Edwin is from California, about half our guests traveled from out west and had never spent time in the South. We had a lot of fun giving them a taste of the South during our wedding weekend! Everything from our wedding paper to the menus at each of our events was focused around Southern imagery, flavors, florals, and more. However, my favorite Southern tradition that we included in our celebration was burying a bottle of bourbon. Edwin, my sister who was also my maid of honor, and I went to our wedding venue a month before our wedding date with a shovel and a bottle of bourbon. We buried the bourbon on a gorgeous sun-filled day along with little prayers for beautiful weather on our wedding day. Fast forward to October 28th. It was a picture perfect sunny morning but as the afternoon rolled in, so did the clouds. About an hour before our outdoor ceremony was supposed to start, the skies opened up to a complete downpour. We finished our wedding photos just in the nick of time and ran inside the house. As guests arrived, they were escorted into the Legare Waring House, although this was never part of the plan… One of the groomsman took over the piano and the waiters started serving trays of champagne while the bridesmaids and I danced upstairs and watched through the windows as the guests arrived. The best part is that the bottle of bourbon worked! Five minutes before our wedding ceremony was set to start, the sky grew quiet and all the rain stopped! Our planners wiped off the ceremony seats, fluffed the flowers, and everything went off without a hitch. The clouds slowly parted and we said our vows against a beautiful sunset! Everyone said the rain added such a fun and dramatic element to the evening and, to this day, I credit the buried bottle of bourbon for stopping the rain five minutes before show time! It was then a blast to dig up our good luck charm and drink straight from the muddy bottle with all our bridesmaids and groomsmen!

What was your favorite detail from your wedding? My mom pulled off so many special surprise details for our wedding, including the embroidery she had done on the inside of my wedding dress, the vintage earrings she gifted me to wear on our wedding day, and the embroidered hanky she gave me before our ceremony started. In addition, I’d say our wedding paper. I absolutely adore every piece of paper we designed for our wedding, from the save the dates to the invitations to the menu cards and everything else in between.

We did do a first look on our wedding day. We were married on October 28th, and our venue regulated that weddings start at 6pm before Daylight Savings. So, we had to do a first look in order to capture our photos in the light. I have to say, it wasn’t my first choice, but we loved the venue so much that it didn’t matter. The first time we saw each other was more meaningful than anything I could have dreamed up and I know that would have been the case with a first look or if we had first seen each other when I walked down the aisle.

How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 198
Tell us the highlights of finding your wedding dress. It could be argued that I found my wedding dress by accident. We live in Charleston now, but at the time, we were still living in Los Angeles, so I researched when all the designers were holding their trunk shows in LA following bridal fashion week. Unfortunately, the LA trunk shows just so happened to take place on a weekend when my mom was already committed to be at a big Alabama football game and my sister was already set to be in Europe visiting friends. I still wanted to go because it was the only opportunity to shop that season before my wedding, so both my best friend from college and my cousin flew in for the day (both were bridesmaids in our wedding!). We had a beautiful champagne-filled lunch at The Polo Lounge and then headed to our three appointments. At each appointment, I told the bridal stylists that I had no plans of actually finding my wedding dress without my mom or sister, and that we were just there for fun and inspiration. Well, lo and behold, we walked into Oscar de la Renta and my dream dress was waiting for me. I honestly felt like it was designed with me in mind, it was that perfect! ODLR was so amazing and flew the dress back to Los Angeles in December so my mom and sister could see me try it on.

What made you choose your venue? I grew up going to Sea Island to visit my grandparents, so I wanted to find the history, romance, and charm of Sea Island somewhere special in Charleston. From the time I was a little girl, I always said I wanted to get married under a live oak tree. I knew right away that our venue was the one. The live oak tree we got married under was hauntingly beautiful and everything I ever envisioned. We now call Charleston home and absolutely adore the fact that we will always hold the city near and dear as the place we tied the knot.

What was your favorite thing about wedding planning? My favorite part of wedding planning was, without a doubt, planning with my mom. We had so much fun together throughout the whole process and I really leaned on her to help me make some of the tougher decisions. My mom and I were on the same page the whole time and she is 100% the person to credit (along with our amazing planners!) for making my vision come to life!

What was the hardest part about planning your wedding? Believe it or not but the hardest part about planning our wedding was getting a venue in Charleston! Deep down, I really knew that Legare Waring House was the venue for us but I called and toured multiple other spots too. On all the tours, I was the only bride-to-be with a connection to Charleston and family in Charleston. Charleston has become such a popular wedding destination that it was a challenge to get a Saturday wedding date that wasn’t in the dead of summer. In fact, we only secured our October date, which was 17 months after we got engaged, because a couple had a hold on the day but decided to call off their engagement. I really couldn’t believe it!

What did you serve for your wedding cake or dessert? We served the most beautiful, elegant, and delicious wedding cake I’ve ever seen or tasted. We went for different flavors with each tier of the cake. I always gravitate toward fruity flavors over chocolatey flavors, so our wedding cake was coconut, orange, and lemon blueberry flavored! In addition, my grandmother was from Mississippi and was a tremendous Southern cook. My favorite dish she made was an ice cream banana parfait dessert. Our amazing caterers took my grandmother’s recipe and put a modern twist on it, creating “Grandma Peggy’s Chocolate Banana Parfait Pushpops.” They were delicious!

Tell us your love story in one sentence. One fortunate summer, our two best friends (who are now engaged to be married!) introduced us at a party and, from that moment on, we lived out a quintessential summer of love up and down the Southern California coast before falling in love and choosing to be together for 8 years and counting.

Tell us all about the proposal! Edwin gave me the surprise of my life when he proposed to me outside the Santa Monica apartment I shared with my best friend (yes, the one who introduced us!). Edwin and I had spent a beautiful, sunny day in Malibu. Edwin knew I never wanted anything showy for a proposal, though, so he waited until we got back to Santa Monica to pop the question. My roommate was home at our apartment when we returned from Malibu but she was supposed to leave shortly for a dinner date. Edwin was planning to propose to me in my apartment. However, my roommate’s plans kept getting pushed later into the night, so Edwin panicked and claimed he was suddenly starving. Reluctantly, I went along with him to get a bite. Edwin opened the car door for me and, as I sat down in the car, he got down on one knee and said the sweetest, most loving, and supportive things I could ever imagine. He then pulled out a beautiful round cut diamond ring. To this day, I wish I remembered everything he said so I could hear it in my head over and over again! We ran inside and shared the news with my best friend, called our families, popped multiple bottles of champagne and headed to a dinner Edwin planned at the intimate restaurant Giorgio Baldi. Our friends who introduced us came and met us after dinner for more champagne and for a night of dancing. It was everything and more!
When did y’all get married? October 28th, 2017f
What were some of the most meaningful or special parts of your ceremony? This might sound silly, but the most meaningful part of our ceremony was holding hands while saying our vows and “I do.” We both wanted a very traditional wedding so we opted for traditional wedding vows. The readings during our ceremony were done by my uncle, who is also my god father, and Edwin’s sister, who was also a bridesmaid.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding. When the band introduced Edwin and me into our wedding reception tent, they played “Going to the Chapel” by the Dixie Cups, which is just about the happiest wedding song I can think of. Our first dance song was an easy pick. We both love classics so there was no other song choice than “That’s How Strong My Love Is” by Otis Redding. My dad and I did our father daughter dance to “Tupelo Honey” by Van Morrison. All my memories of childhood have Van Morrison playing in the background, so that was one of the easiest decisions we made during the whole wedding planning process. Edwin and his mother danced to “Mother and Child Reunion” by Paul Simon because Edwin was raised on Paul Simon. Every song was chosen because it was the music that defined the relationship! I knew I wanted to be super traditional for many aspects of our ceremony, so when I walked down the aisle with my dad, we walked to Cannon D. However, we knew we wanted the celebration to begin the moment we said “I do!” so we walked back up the aisle as a newly married couple to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder. It set the tone for the whole night to come!
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding day? What an impossible question! There are so many! First and foremost, the moment I saw Edwin at our first look was a moment I’ll never forgot. I’ve never seen him look so handsome and I will always cherish my memory of the way he looked at me. Another memorable moment was when my sister helped me into my wedding dress and shoes. It still brings happy tears to my eyes. As I mentioned, I kept my wedding dress a surprise so the moment I put it on and stepped into a room full of my beautiful bridesmaids was also incredibly special and memorable. I also loved seeing my dad for the first time on my wedding day. He came upstairs to see me in my dress and to take photos; it was so lovely and meaningful. During our wedding week, my dad was everything and more that a girl could ask for.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your wedding? Yes, the dance floor! My, what a party! Our band brought the house down so much so that one guest exclaimed that he felt like he was at a concert instead of a wedding! The dance floor was packed all the way up until the last possible moment. I know I’m biased, but it was the best party I’ve ever been to! Our recipe for keeping the dance floor so full of life was to avoid modern music (except for about three songs) or tacky 80’s songs and to keep it strictly to the classics that every generation loves. Our set list was full of Van Morrison, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles, David Bowie, Elvis Presley, and the Rolling Stones.

Photographer: Virgil Bunao | Videographer: East West Production | Planner: Lindsey Boyce of A Charleston Bride | Venue: Legare Waring House | Florist: Out of the Garden | Wedding Cake: Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal | Caterer: Cru Catering | Drape: The Social Spool | Linens: Pressed Fine Linens | Rentals: Snyder Events, Ooh! Events, and Skyline Tent Company | Restroom Trailer: Nature’s Calling | Lighting: Av Connection | Band: The Atlanta Showstoppers | Monogram Pillows, Napkins, and Bride’s Wedding Bouquet Ribbon: Number Four Eleven | Escort Card Boards: TEC | Paper Products: Studio R Design | Bride’s Gown: Oscar de la Renta | Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil/Jewelry: Saks Fifth Avenue | Hair Stylist: Ash & Co. | Makeup Artist: Paper Dolls | Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaid Dresses: Styled by Cynthia Cook Brides | Groom’s Attire: J.Crew | Groomsmen Attire: The Black Tux | Welcome bags: A Signature Welcome

marissa Written with love by Marissa
10 Comments
  1. avatar Neza Reisner reply

    Awesome wedding!

  2. avatar Week Recap, Vol. 46 reply

    […] is Jillian‘s Charleston wedding?! Loved seeing all of their beautiful details over on Southern Weddings. 3. I also am loving Jenn‘s shoot at this adorable Austin spot (bookmarking it for my trip in […]

  3. avatar Weekend Notes – Lauren Nelson reply

    […] Jillian’s wedding was absolutely gorgeous!! – Southern Weddings  […]

  4. avatar craig williams reply

    Love these details and photography so beautiful

  5. avatar Kyla Shattuck reply

    This wedding sounds like an absolute dream! Those design details are so swoon-worthy, and their joy is so apparent! :)

  6. avatar Janecia reply

    This wedding is gorgeous. Such a fan of the mixed bridesmaid’s dresses. So dreamy!

  7. avatar NST Pictures – Artistic Wedding Videos reply

    This Southern wedding is everything! Being amidst nature, the theme, the blue motif and of course, the attention to detail!

  8. avatar My Bridal Brunch at Cannon Green reply

    […] loves! After last week’s big wedding reveal post about our wedding being featured by Southern Weddings, I’m so excited to share more about our wedding weekend with a post dedicated to my bridal […]

  9. avatar A Look at our Wedding Ceremony and Reception Spaces reply

    […] same venue, the breathtaking Legare Waring House. I shared more about how we picked our venue in this feature but, today, I wanted to give y’all a glimpse at what the ceremony, cocktail hour, and […]

  10. avatar March Favorites reply

    […] the only girl out there who has been planning her wedding for her entire life. At least I hope not. Jillian’s wedding was recently featured on Southern Weddings and is one of the most picturesqu… And can we please talk about her dress??? Jillian also has the cutest style. You can check out her […]

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Bride Mary Catharine shares her downtown Charleston wedding!

Please meet our sweet bride for today, Mary Catharine! I really think you’re going to like her. Not only is her wedding to Cody paw-sitively (get it?!) lovely, but they sound like the sweetest couple. I loved learning about how they chose their wedding venue, and especially their proposal – you know it’s going to be good when mama is involved, y’all! Not to mention, the way Mary Catharine described their love story is simply the best. She said it is “an example of patience, friendship, and love, persevering over long-distance to become teammates, PAWrents, husband, and wife.” Keep reading to hear more about this adorable duo and their extra-cute pup!

Thanks to Kati Rosado for sharing!

Tell us the highlights of finding your wedding dress. I took an impromptu trip to Winter Park with my friend and her daughter (my goddaughter and one of the flower girls!) to re-try on a favorite I had found in Charleston a few weeks prior. The stylist had pulled a few others just to give me a variety, but I was pretty set on the one from Charleston – until I put on what would become my wedding dress. It just felt like the dress was made for me! Classic, yet flirty with the low neck line, and it had pockets!! I was so in awe that I didn’t even notice the cluster of people outside of the large glass doors that were signaling that this had to be my dress!

Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? We did! Since we chose to do an intimate family-only ceremony, we wanted to make sure we were there to greet our guests when they arrived for cocktail hour. It was so nice to have our family formals out of the way so we could enjoy the reception with everyone! Plus, it definitely helped calm my nerves to see him before the ceremony :)

What were some of the most meaningful or special parts of your ceremony? I lost my father two years ago, and the thought of his not being at our wedding made me tear up every time I thought of it. I knew I could never hold it together with the pressure of so many people staring at me as I walked down the aisle, so we decided on an intimate family-only ceremony (20 people and our pup Walter) and asked my oldest niece to marry us! We are only three years apart and she is my best friend. She wrote the most perfect ceremony, bringing everyone to laughter and tears, and honored my dad in the best way possible. We wrote our own vows, full of memories we had shared over the past seven years and promises to keep in all of our years to come!

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? We have always known we wanted to get married in Charleston – it is where my family lives and where we spend most of our holidays! We didn’t have a specific venue in mind, but knew that we wanted it to accommodate both our ceremony and reception (as well as dogs!), and Cru had to be our caterer! When we stumbled across Upstairs at Midtown, we instantly fell in love with its intimate feel, Southern charm, and, of course, their love for incorporating our pup Walter into our day!

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. We chose much of the music based on concerts we had seen together. We shared a list of these artists with both our ceremony/cocktail hour musician and our DJ, and they knocked the playlists out of the park! My favorite choice was the song we walked back down the aisle to, an acoustic version of “Feel So Close” by Calvin Harris, played by our guitarist. At the reception, DJ Wade made it next to impossible to leave the dance floor, with each song better than the last!

What did you serve for your wedding cake or dessert? We had two cakes – one a more typical wedding cake (for cake cutting pictures, serving guests, and saving for our one year anniversary!) and one made by my uncle (a childhood favorite of mine and the groom’s favorite flavor – a little vanilla cake with chocolate frosting). We also served mini skillet bread puddings, our go-to dessert at Cru Cafe.

Tell us your love story in one sentence. An example of patience, friendship, and love, persevering over long distance to become teammates, PAWrents, husband, and wife.
Tell us all about the proposal! Cody and my mom planned the whole thing! They tricked me into thinking my mom had surprised us with a trip to Blackberry Farms in Tennessee as a Christmas gift for the two of us, but really they had been working together and planned it as an engagement trip. He proposed the first night, outside at sunset after taking a few pictures to send my mom! We spent the rest of the trip devouring delicious food, celebrating with lots of champagne, and playing with truffle hunting dogs! It was the most amazing trip in the most magical place.
When did y’all get married? September 16, 2017
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 85
What was your favorite detail from your wedding? If we had to choose, it would be the live painter! The first thing our guests saw when they entered our reception was her painting a scene from our ceremony. I wanted everyone to feel like they were witnessing our ceremony come to life, even though they weren’t actually there.
What was Southern about your wedding? The location and the food! We made sure to include all of the Southern staples: chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, mac and cheese, she crab soup… the list goes on and on! We emphasized to our guests that they should arrive overly hungry!
What was the hardest part about planning your wedding? Finding the perfect way to include my father, who passed away two years ago. I didn’t want to do anything that would make me too emotional, because he would have hated that! So I made our signature drink “The Geezer” (our nickname for him), an old fashioned with a whole cherry and orange slice. It was his drink of choice, and I stuck to them as well the whole night! It made me smile every time I took a sip, or saw a guest with one in hand!
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? Since I do calligraphy as a side business, Cody and I were able to design our own stationery and I completed all of the calligraphy for our envelope and signage.
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding day? Our whole day was so perfect, but I think I can narrow it down to our pup Walter joining in our first dance, and the look on Cody’s face when I surprised him with his favorite Buffalo Wild Wings as a late night snack on the dance floor! The look on his face was priceless!

Photographer: Kati Rosado | Videographer: Hart To Heart Media | Day of coordination: Kathleen Shuler of King Street Hospitality Group | Venue: Upstairs at Midtown | Florist: Branch Design Studio | Wedding Cake: Ashley Bakery | Caterer: Cru Catering | Linen rentals: La Tavola Fine Linen | Event rentals: Snyder Events | Ceremony Acoustic Guitar: Josh Johansson from Other Brother Entertainment | Reception DJ: DJ Wade from Other Brother Entertainment | Paper products, signage, and koozies: MC Calligraphy | Illustrations: Betsy Petersen | Bride’s gown and earrings: “Mason” by Carolina Herrera | Hair stylist and makeup artist: Lashes and Lace | Bride’s shoes: Badgley Mischka | Attendant dresses: Amsale from Bella Bridesmaid Winter Park | Groom’s suit: Alton Lane | Groom’s bow tie and Walter’s collar and leash: Crewlala | Attendant tote bags: Coastal Kelder | Wedding logo and welcome bag logo: Anchor Design Co. | Champagne flutes and dog bowl: Artworks by Teri | Flower girl dresses: J.Crew | Live painter: Artistic i

marissa Written with love by Marissa
3 Comments
  1. avatar nyfika reply

    The dog just melt my heart <3

  2. avatar 14photographers reply

    Every wedding needs a dog. Love this :D

  3. avatar Noveli Photography reply

    So much green!

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Sharing our Gone With the Wind inspired editorial from our tenth anniversary issue!

Without a doubt, there is one story in the Southern pantheon that stands apart from all others. It’s required viewing (and reading) in the Southern Weddings office, and we knew if we were ever going to tackle it in an editorial, it could only be done once, and it had to be done right. There could be no more fitting place for it than our tenth anniversary issue, and so today, with joy, I present to you our Gone With the Wind inspired editorial, photographed oh so beautifully by Elisa Bricker!

Frankly, my dears, I hope you love it :)

Given the gravity of this shoot, we knew we needed to choose our vendor team extra-carefully. Enter: Calder Clark, one of our longtime friends and partners. (Remember this collaboration?) She worked with aplomb, pulling together a talented Charleston team who knocked our socks off with totally Scarlett-approved details!

Our favorite Charleston hair and makeup gal, Ash and Co., took care of our model’s beautiful tresses and glamorous look.

Paper perfection, yes? Yonder Design brought a modern sensibility to the project while also looping in handwriting details that hearken back to the Civil War era.

It’s no Tara (nothing could match her!), but we loved how the Gadsden House’s clean lines made for an equally-elegant setting that felt like home (albeit, a very grand one!).

Our ceremony spot’s sweeping staircase was another nod to GWTW’s epic storyline.

Scarlett O’Hara was many things, but plain she was not. A great lover of detail and possessor of many fabulous gowns and equally gilded interiors, we knew any wedding design inspired by her would have to be full and intricate. From the bow-bedecked chairs to the Greek key detailing on our linens inspired by one of her ensembles, no detail was left undone in this fun tablescape.

The table, of course, wouldn’t have been complete without the gorgeous centerpiece from Blossoms!

The sculptural, tone-on-tone cake by Jim Smeal was inspired by the plasterwork seen in grand old homes like Tara. Paired with individual chocolate opera cakes from Cru, it was a delicious ending to the day!

See more of this feature in our tenth anniversary issue, on newsstands now and in our shop!

Planner and Stylist: Calder Clark Designs | Photographer: Elisa Bricker | Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab | Venue: The Gadsden House | Florals: Blossoms Events | Hair and Makeup: Ash and Co. | Catering: Cru Catering | Cake: Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal | Paper Goods: Yonder Design | Vintage Car: Lowcountry Valet | Vintage Furniture: Snyder Event Rentals | Chair Rental and Glassware: Event Works | Linen Design: Calder Clark | Linen Production: Nuage Designs | China and Flatware: Small Masterpiece | Bride’s Gown: “Arielle” by Carolina Herrera from Betty Bridal Atelier | Jewelry: Croghan’s Jewel Box | Ring Box: The Mrs. Box | Hair Piece: Emma Katzka | Shoes: Heidi Elnora Atelier | Menswear: Menguin

Elisa Bricker is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

emily Written with love by Emily
1 Comment

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