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Anyone in the mood to jet off to Palm Beach for the weekend? While we can’t all literally load our (monogrammed) luggage onto the plane, we can take a mini mental vacation to sunny Florida, thanks to today’s sweet Southern Newlywed couple, Beth and Lawson! Beth is the co-founder of the fabulous Palm Beach lifestyle site/shop, Palm Beach Lately, so we knew that her and Lawson’s home was bound to be as fun, sunny, and light-hearted as her darling corner of the web. We especially love the reminders they have from their wedding day in their house, from their monogrammed pillows to the show-stopping boxwood wall. You can see both of those details and more in action at their gorgeous Rosemary Beach wedding here!

Thanks so much to Shea Christine for these lovely photos!

The couple: Beth (34) and Lawson (31)
Years married: 1.5
Where you live: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Tell us a little bit about yourselves. Lawson currently races in the Tudor United Sportscar Championship, Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and Pirelli World Challenge Series. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2006 with a double major in Engineering Science and Mathematics. My sister, Danielle, and I are co-founders of Palm Beach Lately, the modern online guide and shop that features Palm Beach’s best in beauty, living, social, and style trends. I received a degree in public relations with a concentration in event planning from the University of Florida. After graduation, I moved to New York City, and in 2006, I returned to Palm Beach and started my own public relations and event planning business.
Tell us your love story in one sentence. We met on a blind date set up by a mutual friend and we have been together ever since.

Who cooks dinner? We both do. Lawson used to cook a lot more before we got married, and now I probably cook more than he does. We have an agreement that whoever cooks, the other person cleans. Now we both want to cook so we don’t have to clean!
What is your go-to weeknight meal? Weekend meal? My friend taught me a bolognese recipe that is now Lawson’s favorite thing I make.
What’s your favorite place to find recipes? The Can’t Cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld. A friend gave it to me and it was the best gift. In addition to the recipes, it shows you everything you need to know, from equipment and tool terms, to how to cut an onion and garlic, and more.

Tell us a little bit about where you live. We built a house while we were engaged and moved in right after the wedding. Perfect timing! We live in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and absolutely love the area. It’s a great city that has everything you need. Plus, it’s very convenient and when you travel a lot (like Lawson does), that is important–we rarely have to leave a 3-mile bubble!
Tell us about the process of moving in together. If you respect one another other’s space and ways, you can make for an easy transition. We learned a lot from each other and slowly migrated our daily routines to work for the both of us. Compromise is key!

Which room in your home is your favorite, and why? Beth: I love our kitchen. We were able to pick our finishes, so we customized it with white subway tile, an exposed exhaust, and a fun black and white island. I wasn’t much of a cook before getting married and moving into our new house. Now, I love cooking in the kitchen and making new recipes for Lawson, my family, and friends. Lawson: The garage, of course! It was fun project to sort out. I put a nice epoxy coat on the floor and decked out the garage with a Gladiator Storage workbench and cabinets. Plus, I added a two hanging racks from the ceiling to create some more storage.
What most makes your house feel like home? From the collection of trinkets from our travels to our stylish, but comfortable pieces, our home is a representation of us.

Where do you splurge and where do you save when decorating? We splurged on the bigger pieces we will have for awhile, like our couch, bed, and dining room table. We saved on the accessories with good finds at HomeGoods, Target and Etsy. I love finding inspiration on Pinterest and in Domino Magazine.

What is your favorite memory from your wedding? Beth: When it started to rain on the outdoor dance floor, our guests didn’t skip a beat. The DJ pulled his equipment under the tent and our friends got on their chairs and kept dancing! They were there to celebrate with us, and a little rain wasn’t going to stop anyone! Lawson: I vividly remember standing at the edge of the tent and looking out at the dance floor while the rain started to come down. It was a bit depressing, and I remember saying to myself, “Man…the party was so much fun, I don’t want it to stop!” but as I turned around, I couldn’t believe that everyone climbing on their chairs to keep the party going. It ended up being the defining part of the night. I feel like it gave everyone a second wind!
How do you remember your wedding in your home? We had a custom monogram created for our wedding and we had pillows made for the lounge area that are now on our couch. I also had custom shams monogrammed with the BL logo for our bed. We had grape root in our centerpieces that we brought back and have in the dining room now. Our escort card table had a wall of boxwood, and we have a section of the wall under our stairs with the same faux greenery. We also have a gallery wall of wedding photos and an art print of our vows.

What different decisions, if any, would you make for your registry if you knew then what you knew now? When we registered, we weren’t in our new house yet, so everything we registered for was what we thought we would want. So far, almost everything has worked perfectly in the new house!

What’s your best tip for balancing your relationship and other life priorities? No matter how busy you are, you have to take the time to enjoy each other. Sometimes a night at home, just the two of us, can be a great way to talk and relax. However, we also love being around our friends and try to get out and about whenever possible!
Do you have a favorite date night idea to share? Since Lawson is on the road a lot during the weekends, we make it a point to have one night a week we call “wine and documentary night.” It’s fun to stay home and enjoy a nice documentary with some quality wine!

What is your favorite part of being married? Sharing the rest of your life with your best friend.
What has been the most surprising thing about marriage? Everyone says things change when you get married. I feel that if you’re with the right person, nothing changes–marriage is as fun and exciting as when you were dating!
Before getting married, I wish someone had told me… make sure you take a honeymoon after the wedding.
This year, our family is most excited about… starting a family.

We’re so grateful to Beth and Lawson for sharing their hearts and home with us! Be sure to follow along with them here:

Beth: Palm Beach Lately | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Lawson: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

A little reminder: we’d love to hear from you! Our hope is to feature REAL couples in the South – not just folks who write blogs (though we love them, too!), but also your inspiring friend, super talented cousin, or neighbor with the cutest house – the kind of person everyone would love to “e-meet.” If that sounds like you or someone you know, take a peek at our Southern Newlywed submission page and shoot us an email!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
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Yep, Bess and Ben’s home is beeee-autiful. (But then again, I would expect nothing less from the director of a curated online shop!) At work, Bess’ mantra is to “live with things you love;” at home, it’s clear the number one priority is “live with whom you love.” These two love each other a lot and have plenty of wisdom to share from their 1.5 years of married life. Friends, please enjoy this peek inside Bess and Ben’s Charleston home!

Big hugs to Olivia Rae James for these photos!

The couple: Bess (31) and Ben (30)
Years married: 1.5
Where they live: Charleston, SC
Tell us a little bit about yourselves. We met 5 years ago in London, England, while Bess was researching her master’s thesis at Sotheby’s and Ben was living and working. We were married 1.5 years ago in Nantucket, MA, and recently moved to Charleston where we’re loving settling into life in the low country.

Tell us your love story in one sentence. It was a typical rainy summer night in London where only a local pub would suffice; the vacant seat within lead to a remarkable journey to Charleston, the other side of the world (or as we now call it, home).
What is your favorite part of being married? Living with your best friend.
Do you rent or own? We recently completed a five month renovation of our first home. We love living in an older house which has been updated to our specifications. We purchased our home because we adore the area and think that it has potential for us to grow into it. The schools are wonderful and we love our neighbors and the historic community here.

Tell us about the process of moving in together. Ben: Without a doubt Bess’ career experience with renovation and interior design guided most of our decisions for the house. Luckily, we both like to mix styles. It’s fun to throw her a curve ball that breaks convention and see how she fits it all in!
What most makes your house feel like home? Having items which have been passed down to us from both sides of the family. We’re big antique people and love living with a mix of old and new pieces together.
Where do you splurge and where do you save when decorating? Bess has been collecting furniture and design pieces throughout her career. We splurge in our kitchen and master bedroom, but save on items found at estate sales or at one of our favorite home stores, Ikea…

What’s your best tip for balancing your relationship and other life priorities? Try to give each other what you need. Most weekdays we reconnect by taking our dog, George, for a walk in the evening and discussing our day together. We both need time to unwind and we make sure to try and spend as much time by the water as possible. It’s a great stress reliever.
Do you have a favorite date night idea to share? Date night for us is different every time and we find the most memorable ones tend to reflect the time preceding it. If we’ve been traveling for work, then nothing can beat an intimate dinner at home with a simple meal and the dog at our feet. A picnic at the beach around sunset is pretty idyllic, too… Simple evenings are best and we try to avoid routine and crowds.

What different decisions, if any, would you make for your registry if you knew then what you know now? We would have focused more on what we use for entertaining friends. We love having friends over for cocktails and food and I wish there were more registries focused on these types of items. Our great friends recently opened a wedding registry site focused on fabulous items for entertaining. I wish they had been around when we were registering!

Which room in your home is your favorite, and why? Our kitchen – it’s where we spend most of our time – we both love to cook and entertain.

Which items from your wedding registry do you use the most often? Our kitchen items are what we use most often – a beautiful cutting board, everyday cutlery, and cocktail glasses.
Who cooks dinner? Mostly Bess, however we shop together and enjoy joining forces when we host. We tend to throw ourselves into the deep end in the kitchen and like to experiment. This usually allows for Ben’s scientific approach to clash with Bess’ creative flair!

What is your go-to weeknight meal? Weekend meal? Weeknights are quick and easy. We like our local Trader Joe’s or the fish market for fresh meat/veggies and seafood. On the weekends we splurge by grilling out with friends or trying a new restaurant downtown.
What’s your favorite place to find recipes? We love traditional cookbooks – old classics like Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and new icons like Gwenyth’s It’s All Good. I also love great food blogs like Food 52 and Feed Me Phoebe.

What is your favorite memory from your wedding? There are so many wonderful memories, but recapping the night when it was just the two of us after the reception was so special. We stayed up late drinking champagne and laughing, never wanting it to end!
How do you remember your wedding in your home? We treasure our wedding photos which are framed throughout our home. We also love watching our wedding video on special occasions!
What is one small way you love or serve your spouse? Ben: I wash her car for her on the weekends – the pollen during spring in Charleston is brutal, and I know she loves a clean car. Bess: I keep his favorite breakfast and dessert foods on hand at all times, and I make sure he always has clean socks.

What has been the most surprising thing about marriage? How fast time flies. I feel like I’ve known Ben my whole life, yet our wedding day still feels like yesterday!
Please finish the sentence: Before getting married, I wish someone had told me… Ben: …how exciting being married would be. Routine and process was an urban myth. Never have I been busier and achieved so much.
This year, our family is most excited about… planting roots in our new home and discovering new things about our (fairly) new city and community.

We’re so grateful to Bess and Ben for sharing their hearts and home with us! Be sure to check out Bess’ beautiful online shop, Lola & Bess.

A little reminder: we’d love to hear from you! Our hope is to feature REAL couples in the South – not just folks who write blogs (though we love them, too!), but also your inspiring friend, super talented cousin, or neighbor with the cutest house – the kind of person everyone would love to “e-meet.” If that sounds like you or someone you know, take a peek at our Southern Newlywed submission page and shoot us an email!

emily Written with love by Emily
2 Comments
  1. avatar Jehnel Oboza-Davison reply

    Holy smokes! This home is gorgeous! Welcome to Charleston, Bess and Ben! I hope your stay has been the bee’s knees so far. ^_^

  2. avatar Alexandra Bee Blog reply

    Ooooh, I really like their dining room and that bathroom looks divine!

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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