Southern Weddings

I can only imagine how much Haley and Dylan’s wedding from V6 inspired not only countless brides, thanks to the bright color palette and unique design elements, but also, many Southern grooms, thanks to the delectable-looking bacon bar! This fun Charleston wedding is a feast to the eyes, as well as a fabulous representation of Haley and Dylan’s self-proclaimed “over the top” personalities. They chose the bold colors and details to reflect their belief in living life to the fullest. Considering how much fun it sounds like everyone had, I’m sure the night was a wonderful reminder of this for their guests as well!

We’re so glad Tim of Timwill Photography was on hand to capture this special day and share it with us!

A Charleston Bride does such a great job with florals, I didn’t have to give much direction. Our flowers were bright red, pinks and corals, and most were displayed in a variety of gold containers. They were a mix of spray roses, cymbidium orchids, tulips, dahlia, hydrangea, peonies, ranunculus, celosia and lisianthus.

Being in the wedding industry, I always wanted to choose a time of year that was considered “off-season.” However, Dylan proposed in November and I didn’t want to wait until the winter of 2014, so summer it was! Lowndes Grove is my most favorite spot in Charleston, so there was no doubt with that choice!

We chose our ceremony music based on the music we both loved, and we were okay with not being super traditional. We chose a string duo to play some more modern songs. I walked down the aisle to “Imagine” by John Lennon and we recessed to “All You Need is Love” by the Beatles. Our officiant was also the president of our college–it was very important to us for him to be included in our big day. He is the most inspirational speaker and was very special to us.

Did you have a cocktail hour? If so, what was it like? Our cocktail hour was on the front lawn of Lowndes Grove. We served a specialty cocktail made of champagne, St Germain, and brandied cherries. The glass was rimmed with edible gold glitter! The weather was absolutely perfect and the sun was just starting to set on the Ashley River.

What was the design inspiration for your reception? To put it mildly, we are pretty over-the-top people. Dylan and I love making a statement and we wanted the room to be filled with color and truly embody us as a couple and how we live our lives to the fullest. With the help of our planner, Melissa, we chose a palette of red, pink, and metallic gold! We also wanted the lighting in the tent to be insane–Technical Event Company used a mix of amber uplighting and gold chandeliers to really amp up the natural beauty of the plantation.

Who was your favorite vendor and why? Melissa, our wedding planner. She really kept us sane the entire time. Her attention to detail is unrivaled and I had never met someone more organized than me until I met her! I rarely meet someone that can fully read my mind (especially when it is going in a million directions) but then rein me in at the same time. I remember at one point she said, “No Haley, we cannot have a fully gold confetti wall, edible gold glitter, gold cakes, gold chandeliers and a gold dance floor”–and sometimes I needed that!

What kind of food did you serve? Custom hors d’oeuvres were passed along with oysters on the half shell during cocktail hour. Chef Nico Romo of Fish Restaurant catered an entire custom menu based on our favorite meals and family recipes. Some of our favorites were “Dylan’s Bacon Bar” that included pork belly sandwiches, “piggy pops,” and even bacon-infused bourbon. We also served fried catfish and gravy with horseradish mashed potatoes, which is a staple in the Harper home! My parents wrote a cookbook together based on family recipes, so it was important to us that we shared some of our favorites with everyone. Having amazing food was probably most important thing to us. That is one of the reasons we chose Lowndes Grove–so we could use their caterer!!

We chose to have three different cakes! All were beautifully done with various gold designs. My favorite cake had gold polka dots and a fondant bow that mimicked the bow on my wedding dress. We had three flavors: chocolate with honey buttercream, lemon with passion fruit mousse, and raspberry jam and almond cake with cinnamon cream cheese.

Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration: “Hold hands, look both ways and stay together.” My dad said this in his toast. It is something he has told me since I was a little girl and I never realized until that night how important it really was.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Dylan and I met mainly because my college roommate and one of my best friends had a huge crush on him. While I was out of town one of the first weekends of our freshmen year of college, he and his friends decided to play a prank on her! I came home to a completely turned upside down room–drawers flipped upside down, sheets off the bed, and everything a complete mess!! The next time I saw him, I told him he was never allowed in our room again. Our love story is definitely a little slower–we started as inseparable friends and our foundation is based on that friendship. It wasn’t until a year later that we decided to take that risk of turning our friendship into something romantic. After that, we never turned back.
Tell us all about the proposal! Dylan told me that we had a work dinner to go to at one of my favorite restaurants in Charleston, Charleston Grill. We arrived about ten minutes late. They served us a glass of champagne and let us know that our party was late as well, which seemed odd to me. We were escorted to the courtyard area, and not a minute later, Dylan was down on one knee asking the most important question of my life! He had also booked a photographer to capture every moment of the proposal! I wanted to call my parents immediately, but Dylan told me that he had a surprise outside and to not get on the phone. I was then surprised by my very best friend and maid of honor, Ashley, and our best friend Clarke on rickshaws draped in string lights with a “JUST ENGAGED” sign! The rickshaws then drove us to Fish Restaurant, where we were greeted by family and friends. It truly was the most magical night and we’ve never felt so loved!
Tell us about your beautiful engagement ring and how/why your husband (or the two of you!) chose it: I always thought I knew what I wanted in an engagement ring, but found I was so wrong when I actually went and tried them on! Dylan ended up getting a ring made for me that included some family stones, which made it very special for us. It is a five-stone round diamond ring, and it is stunning! My wedding band is all rubies and family stones from my grandmother. Dylan’s wedding band is a gold band engraved with lyrics from our wedding song, “The Best is Yet to Come,” and our wedding date.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Fabulous, romantic, unforgettable.
How many friends, family, and loved ones attended your wedding? 180
Tell us about finding your wedding dress. What was your favorite thing about it? My wedding dress was beautiful, and the second I tried it on, I knew it was the one. My mother, mother-in-law, and one of my friends came dress shopping with me over Thanksgiving, and our last stop was Maddison Row. Lindsey, the store manager, made me feel 100 percent comfortable throughout the entire process and we still see each other often. My favorite part of my dress was the horsehair bow with lace ends that was around the waist. We also incorporated this design on our cake.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We used a mix of traditional and contemporary vows. We thought it was important to focus on the words and what we were promising to one another, so we worked really hard to make sure each line was something we would and could live by for the rest of our lives. Our favorite line was “All that I am, I give to you and all that I have, I share with you.”
Were there any family traditions you included in the ceremony? My mom gave me her penny that she wore in her shoe for good luck the day of her wedding.
What was the most memorable or touching moment about your wedding day? The morning of my wedding, I started the day having breakfast alone with my parents. Being both only children, this was a big day for us! Afterwards, my dad dropped my mom and I off at Lowndes Grove to start getting ready, and not much later, I received a flower arrangement with a note that read “I love you, Ms. Harper!!! Love, Daddy.”
Did you toss the garter or bouquet? Yes! We had too. You don’t see it too much at weddings anymore, but I swear, it is the most fun part! Something funny always happens. At our wedding, Dylan totally missed everyone during the garter toss, so he had to do it again!
Tell us about your grand exit. We had a sparkler exit, which I think always looks the most magical in pictures! Then we left in a 1966 red Pontiac GTO!!.
What was Southern about your wedding? We are both from the South, so we definitely included some Southern traditions. Dylan gave his best guy friends monogrammed rocks glasses with our wedding date and bourbon and coke in a cigar box. Dylan’s fraternity brothers did their traditional “round up,” which is where they basically all sing in a circle and pour beer on one another. We nixed the beer throwing for our wedding though! During the ceremony, my dad walked me down the aisle, Dylan’s dad was his best man, and we both had a house party instead having a bridal party. My high school girlfriends and I have a hanky that we are passing down with our new initials on it to wrap around our bouquets. I was the second person to use it and it was really special. Before the ceremony, we opted not to see each other at all–I think that may be where all the nerves came from, but it was so worth it once the doors opened and I walked onto the front lawn at Lowndes Grove.
Did you take a honeymoon? If so, where? We decided to go to San Francisco and wine country. Dylan and I are total foodies and love a great glass of vino. We wanted to go somewhere that would get us out of the heat a bit and allow us to really enjoy our time together.
What advice would you give to someone currently planning his or her wedding? Two things: have a welcome party, even if it is something small or a get together at a local spot. It really helped us make our rounds and say hello to everyone so we didn’t feel pressure on our big day. Second, hire a planner. They make your life way easier throughout the whole process so that you feel 100 percent carefree during your wedding week and while you are away for your honeymoon.

Photographer: Tim Willoughby / Videographer: Film Anywhere Productions / Planner: Melissa Barton with A Charleston Bride / Designer and Florist: A Charleston Bride / Venue: Lowndes Grove / Catering: Patrick Properties Hospitality Group / Wedding Cake: Susie Ieronomo / Bride’s Gown: “Promise” by Monique Lhuillier / Bridal Salon: Maddison Row / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Bride’s Earrings: Croghan’s Jewel Box / Bride’s Veil: Vera Wang / Hair Stylist: Paper Dolls, Carrie McLeod / Makeup Artist: Elina Mille / Groom’s Fashion: Ben Silver / Paper Products: Lytle Cannon / Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals / Linens: Snyder Events Rentals and Nuage Designs / Transportation: Lowcountry Loop / Lighting: Technical Event Company / Band: Charleston Groove Factory / Ceremony Music: Other Brother Entertainment / Calligraphy: Paige Tanenbaum / Officiant: Dr. John Griffith

A Charleston Bride is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

Written with love by Lisa