Will and Eliza 's Wedding in Charleston, South Carolina

The story of our wedding

I'm Eliza, a fashion influencer native to Charleston, married in our "secret garden"-inspired brunch affair May 27, 2023, in the heart of old downtown!

As a Charleston local working in fashion, yet marrying a man whose life passion is bracing the elements while sailing in the open ocean, it was important to me that our wedding reflected these seemingly-opposite, yet beautifully complementary aspects of ourselves as two became one. We accomplished this by hosting morning nuptials with a brunch reception and daytime formal attire requested - the perfect blend of elevated and relaxed, colorful yet timeless - everything Charleston has always been to us.

St. Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church, located in the heart of downtown Charleston, is the oldest Catholic parish in the south - established in 1789, the year that the United States Constitution declared religious freedom for all!

We fell in love with our quiet garden courtyard reception venue in the heart of old Charleston for its natural, antique charm and proximity to our church where we said "I do" a few blocks away, and loved that it's a lesser-known event venue in our home city that's already a top choice for destination weddings. While we hoped to have our reception in the walled courtyard garden, the weather had other plans! Our "secret garden" affair felt just as classic, intimate, and timeless in 62 Broad Street's courtroom, antechamber, and wide covered porch. Built shortly after the Civil War and at various times serving the Charleston community as a home for war widows and orphans then a girls' boarding high school and college, the property now houses living for senior citizens on fixed income. We loved that the funds spent on our venue went directly toward supporting this group in need.We wanted our wedding to have a more traditional and intimate feel, as if each guest was seated at our own dinner table, so we opted for long tables and assigned seats with family-style serving - something I have yet to see at another wedding. By serving family style we were able to ensure everyone had their own seat to rest in and enjoy table-side service in a manner that felt more relaxed than individual service from waitstaff. Will and I also took care of all wedding party, family, and portrait photos before the wedding so that we could greet each guest in a receiving line as they entered our cocktail party - that way, we knew we'd be able to hug and speak with everyone at least once during our reception. Plus, this meant that we didn't have guests coming up to our table to say hello while we were eating our delicious brunch at a long table with our parents - we actually finished our entire meal!Our food was chosen very intentionally to reflect my more formal and Will's more relaxed natures as well. We passed our favorite shrimp and grits recipe to Duvall Catering, a Charleston classic that's homegrown by nature but can be elegantly dressed up for more formal dining. Hors d'oeuvres of fried okra and hot chicken biscuits were a hit with our guests, and we enjoyed champagne-based cocktails for another beautiful execution of more laid-back yet elevated daytime formality.Custom GownI chose Modern Trousseau from the beginning for their ability to hyper-customize my gown choices without a need for multiple alteration appointments - they specialize in creating your dream dress from the ground-up! My sister helped me find the right silhouette, and the MT team was able to attach a horsetail bow I loved on another dress to my silk charmeuse slip gown. I ended up surprising myself with the dress I said "yes" to, but it felt perfect for the personality of me and Will's love and the more old-fashioned feel to our ceremony and reception. A featherlight chapel-length veil with a blusher and simple jewelry completed the airy, soft look I loved. I wanted my bridesmaids, when standing together with me, to look like a bright, lush bouquet of Lowcountry summertime flowers - matching the feel of our wedding florals! To achieve the mismatched bridesmaid dresses in a composition that felt cohesive, I assigned each friend a color shade or floral pattern in a certain color family, told them to choose floor-length in formal fabrics, and let them run free! It was important to me that each of my closest friends felt most comfortable and like herself in her dress, so I chose colors for them that, to me, suit their personalities and senses of style.It was important to me to express my personal style through our flowers - I wanted arrangements exploding with summertime color, movement, and organic composition. I asked my florist to include mostly flowers native to the South Carolina Lowcountry, and if not native, then at least already growing on her farm on John's Island - I wanted my flowers to travel as short of a distance to get downtown as they could! With small arrangements scattered throughout our long tables in antique and chinoiserie vases, my florist created exactly the lush, Lowcountry look I had dreamed of.As with the florals and bridesmaids' dresses, I wanted our cake design to reflect the natural look of the Lowcountry landscape. I asked Kamryn of Kam's Confections for an impressionist floral design covering all sides of our simple tiers, and we chose strawberry pound with cream cheese and fresh strawberries between layers to complement their peak in the season - yum!