I remember the first time I saw Rachel + Matt's Litchfield Plantation wedding, I was awe-struck. It was the epitome of a Lowcountry wedding. An effortlessly stunning bride, dreamy florals, the perfectly draped tent and a bluegrass band - what more could a girl want! So, without question, we added it to our lineup of real weddings we featured in our first issue of A Lowcountry Wedding and it was a huge hit! And as we gear up for our next issue, we thought we'd share the pretty designed by Gigi Noelle Events and captured by Alixann Loosle Photography. Get ready to pin your little hearts away!
The Gown: The truth is choosing a gown was so hard for me! There are so many to choose from, and well..then there’s Pinterest. But I finally settled on a dress from Modern Trousseau. I cried every time I tried it on! Turns out there is a flagship store in Charleston. (although I got my dress in Cincinnati). They even embroider your new initials to the inside of the dress.
Ceremony Site + Details: The ceremony was held at a different part of the reception venue. On one side of this old plantation house is a large open grass lawn with two rows of old oak trees lining the way to a perfect alter spot draped in Spanish moss. The beauty of the area is incredible, so we simply hung one chandelier from the trees to preserve the natural beauty of the place. Our preacher was one of Matt’s friends from college, and we had spent many nights doing pre-marriage counseling with him (via Skype!) so it made it very special for him to marry us that day. I couldn’t help looking around during the ceremony at the beauty of the place, surrounded by all the people I love in this world, marrying my best friend, and thinking this was the best moment of my entire life. (I sound so cheesy! But it’s true.)
Aesthetic + Color Palette: The whole place was so beautiful naturally that I didn’t want to distract from that. I decided to keep the color palette to neutrals with pops of reds, corals, and pinks. It’s funny how details evolve from the beginning of the planning process to the end. Originally I wanted a very rustic feel to the wedding, but in the end it turned very elegant and southern - and I loved it.
The Food + Beverage: The food was catered by my wedding planner’s father, Creative Catering, and it was delicious. The cocktails were a really neat touch: They were done by two very good friends of ours, Lukas and Corrie, from Denver, CO (where we moved after we got married!). They run a spectacular catering business called Pistil and Stamen, and Lukas is an expert cocktail connoisseur. He created a bride and groom specialty cocktails for each of us, and used bitters from a little town called Silver Plume, CO – where we took our engagement photos! The bride cocktail was a White Pepper Lavender Lemonade, and the groom cocktail was called The Evergreen. They used mason jars with lids and premade the drinks the day before so that they could be served chilled at the party without having to use a bartender to mix them individually (Lukas was also a part of our wedding band, and Corrie helping out with day of details, so they needed to be two places at once). The jars themselves were wrapped in twine and lavender or evergreen tree branches, and they were the hit of the party.
Personal Touches: We wanted our wedding to be a celebration of our love (obviously), but also the love we have for those who are in our lives. So, one of the most special things about our wedding was the roles our friends and family played in the event. We both love music, and have many talented friends, so instead of hiring a wedding band we asked several of them to get together to play a few songs. Two of the guys are Matt’s best friends from college, representing our pasts, and the other two are two friends of ours from our future home in Denver,CO. They created the best folk band, complete with bowties and suspenders, and swooned away during the ceremony and cocktail hour. Being serenaded by our friends under the oak trees was a memory I will have forever. They were amazing!
The Favors: Since Matt & I are both physicians, we thought it would be cute to add some sort of medical theme into our wedding, and so for the favors we decided to wrap little cookies (since I am a cookie monster) shaped like hearts with EKG traces on them into little individual burlap bags with the red cross on the front and “in sickness and in health” printed. We added a sign that read “Take one and don’t call us in the morning” (wink wink)
Best Piece of Advice for Brides-to-Be: Every girl grows up thinking planning your wedding is going to be this magical process, (and really it is fun and mostly magical!), but there are things about it that are actually pretty tough! Living in a Pinterest crazed world it is easy to get overwhelmed and stressed when you have so many options! Sites like Pinterest are so great, but I know for a while there I got a little DIY crazed and obsessed with having everything just-so, and well, that’s just not possible! My advice, just let it go! The age-old saying is true: remember that at the end of the day it is about the fact that you get to marry your sweetie and be surrounded by all the people in this world who love you and support your relationship – and how cool is that? It’s the best.
Designer and Floral: Gigi Noelle Events // Catering: Creative Catering// Hair and Makeup: Studio M (Charleston) // Photographer: Alixann Loosle Photography // Videographer: Hart to Heart Media // Dj: Stuart Howe, Pinnacle Light and Sound // Cake: Croissants Bistro and Bakery // Officiate: Crawford Stevner// Venue: Litchfield Plantation // Rentals: Hotz Rentals// Gown: Modern Trousseau