Our Lowcountry Wedding
To say our Lowcountry Wedding Day was an absolute dream is an understatement! To this day, Chris and I still agree that if we had to do it all over again, we wouldn’t change a thing!
All of the stresses of wedding planning finally melted away a couple of hours before the ceremony. It was actually happening. The day Chris and I had been planning and anticipating for almost two years!
And it turned out better than I could’ve ever imagined!
Chris and I just celebrated our six month wedding anniversary (we’re always looking for reasons to celebrate). So I thought it was the perfect time to share all the details of our Lowcountry Wedding Day!
The Theme
Ever since I was little, I never really dreamed about all the details of my wedding. The only thing I knew for sure was that it would be in South Carolina, and that there would be bushels of oyster shells!
After Chris popped the question, everyone was always asking what my color scheme and theme was. Even though I was asked more than a handful of times, I could never give a straight answer. All that I knew was that I wanted a bunch of white flowers, greenery, and to celebrate the beautiful Lowcountry landscape.
But if you really wanted to label it with a theme, the closest thing would be a Lowcountry Garden Wedding. Everything was kept in neutral tones, a bunch of local flowers and greenery, oyster shells, and rustic touches.
The Venue
One other dream that I had was the wedding being held at my great uncle’s river house in Pinckney Colony, South Carolina. Between the wonderful memories and it’s picturesque Lowcountry beauty, it was too perfect to not be where we said “I Do”. Luckily, my great uncle was more than happy to have us host our wedding and take full advantage of the all the beauty it had to offer!
The ceremony and reception were held on the same area of the property. The wedding ceremony overlooked the Okatee River and we said our vows under the moss and oaks as the sun was starting to set.
My dad was stressing about the tide level for the wedding photos as well as the marsh gnats (real life wedding problems). Thankfully, I picked the absolute perfect weekend for our wedding! The tide was at its highest during the ceremony and the weather was absolutely perfect!
The Decor
Most of the wedding reception décor were actually easy DIY projects (like the oyster Shell runner and Window Chalkboards) that I started a month or two before the wedding! We hung a bunch of strands of white fairy lights down the old oaks and moss along with some vintage lanterns.
My maid of honor and I also created these oyster shell place cards that also served as the party favors (which were a huge hit)!
To continue the Lowcountry Wedding theme, the inside of the sailcloth tent was decorated with white tea candles, oyster shells, and a bunch of natural florals, palm fronds, and ferns. The tables were kept simple with burlap tablecloths, white linen napkins, white plates, copper silverware, and a small floral arrangement.
The Dress
My wedding dress was something I never thought I would wear, a ballgown. I always dreamed of something more slim fitting, very unique, and with a deep back.
The best advice I ever listened to was trying every style of dress I could find. I went to multiple boutiques and was set on finding a fitted A-line gown, but I ended up falling in love with the Montgomery Ballgown Dress by Wtoo.
This dress was unlike anything else I’d seen before in wedding gowns. It was a ballgown with horsehair trimmed layers and modern floral lace, making it fashionable, feminine, and was perfect for a garden wedding.
The sheer bodice gave the dress a hint of sexiness while still being very elegant and timeless. I loved that the top of the dress showcased my waistline while the flowy skirt gave the dress movement and whimsy.
However, the only thing I didn’t realize until the wedding day, was that the dress’s skirt acted as a very fashionable mosquito net! My dress was dragging everything from begger’s lice to small branches! Luckily, I had the best gals as my bridesmaids to help pick them out before the ceremony.
The Bridal Details
When it comes to accessorizing, I’m the less is more kind of gal. I knew that I just wanted to wear statement earrings and a pair of Jack Rogers sandals for my bridal details.
These shell earrings from Spartina played along so well with the oyster shells and were still very neutral and not fussy.
For the Jack Rogers sandals, I’ve always loved their bridal collection, but I wanted to buy a pair that I could wear after my wedding day. These gorgeous blue hydrangea sandals were on sale and I knew they would be perfect! They also acted as my something blue and new!
As for my hair, I knew I wanted soft, glamorous curls with a small side braid.
Maddie, my hair stylist at The Parlour, gave me the perfect wedding day hair and was the absolute sweetest!
The Wedding Cake
Fun fact about the wedding cake! We chose our wedding cake from the same small town bakery that my parents bought their wedding cake from, Ronnie’s Bakery! It was such a sweet and unique sentiment and it was honestly one of the best cakes I’ve ever ate!
To celebrate my Southern heritage and Chris’s Sicilian roots, our three layered cake was one part coconut cake and two parts cannoli cake that was covered in whipped cream frosting. The whipped cream allowed the cake to not be too sweet and be lighter on the palette.
The first two layers had the whipped cream applied in rustic uneven lines while the bottom layer was shaped as gorgeous roses. The cake was then lightly decorated with fresh gardenias to complete the perfect Lowcountry wedding cake.
I knew the cake would be a show stopper, so I wanted to make it a focal point during cocktail hour. My dad made us the most gorgeous cake swing made out of old wood from the cottage. Everyone was so impressed and it honestly turned out even better than I could ever imagine.
Luckily, it was one more thing I was able to keep after my wedding that could possible be used as a family heirloom for future generations.
Fun fact: We used the exact cake cutters from my great aunt’s parents’ wedding. They were married for over 50 years!
The Bridesmaids’ Dresses
I think I had a much more difficult time picking out the bridesmaids dresses verses my own wedding dress. I wanted a dress that would be flattering for my girls, kept with the neutral theme, but was still elegant. My maid of honor and I found these spectacular sequin dresses at Bella Bridesmaids in Winter Park, Florida.
The high neckline was very flattering while the slit made walking on the grass much easier. These girls are my family so I felt they deserved to look and feel their best as well.
The Food & Cocktails
So we taste tested the cake, but we didn’t taste test the cocktail hour and dinner menu! Since we live four hours away from Bluffton, we had to make some long distance decisions. However, Geist Ussery was our Wedding Coordinator, Floralist, Caterer, and a dear family friend so we had complete trust in him!
Appetizer Menu
Petite Ham Biscuits with Pimento Cheese
Cheese and Tomato Tartlettes
Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade Sauce
Dinner Menu
Mixed Green Salad
Yeast Dinner Rolls and Southern Biscuits
Sliced Round Roast Beef
Bourbon Pork Tenderloin with Candied Pecans
Roasted Asparagus
Gourmet Mac & Cheese
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
We had a full open bar so we wanted to make sure people had plenty to eat!
Speaking of open bar, we had a really efficient set up! Since half our guests were beer drinkers, we set up a serve yourself beer trough! This allowed beer drinkers to quickly grab a bottle while allowing bartender to serve the liquor and wine folks.
Our signature drinks were a classic Moscow Mule and a Manhattan.
The Photography
I just had to give a shoutout to our wedding photographers, Jennifer and Jeramie Beck from JB Marie Photography! I found Jen’s Instagram a week after Chris and I got engaged and I adored her photography style.
What was really important for me also was that their personalities really meshed well with ours. If you’re looking for a wedding photographer, make sure you love their personality as much as their work. Since I felt so comfortable with Jen, I had so much more fun and it felt natural while taking photos!
We were absolutely loved how Jen captured our day, and we cannot wait to have her capture more memories in the future!
Vendors
SERG Catering with Geist Ussery
I feel so blessed to have been able to have the Lowcountry Wedding of my dreams. But, I’m most thankful that Chris was the one waiting for me at the end of the isle. That’s what means the most at every wedding, the rest is just a bonus!
What did y’all think of our Lowcountry Wedding? Let me know in the comments!
Much Love,
