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
The dog just melt my heart <3
Every wedding needs a dog. Love this :D
So much green!