Atalaya Castle Wedding in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

The Lowcountry is full of exquisite venues ranging from historic homes to sprawling plantations but one of our favorites is the Atalaya Castle located in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. This Spanish-style home was built in the 1930's and overlooks Huntington Beach State Park (that's right it's on the beach!), giving couples a captivating mix of an oceanside soiree with a beautiful architectural backdrop. We're loving the exposed brick and breezed archways! After a site tour, Bride Morgan was sold on the unique space and loved that her 93-year old grandparents (who lived right down the street and have been married for 70 years) would be able to attend. Morgan wore a dreamy gown with tulle layers from BHLDN that perfectly complemented her effortless style and sweet floral crown. The ceremony took place in the courtyard in front of their nearest and dearest friends where Andrew Lovedale, President of A2S, a non-profit that the couple was involved in founding, presided over the ceremony (A2S, which operates in Benin City, Nigeria and North Carolina, looks to provide sustainable programs that generate positive change for Nigerian children and their communities). The couple celebrated their nuptials with some beautiful portraits on the beach before returning to the castle for the reception. Event planner, Lauren Evans of Kelley Event + Design, designed an effortless evening under the cafe lights where rose centerpieces in mason jars lined the dark wood tables. From Morgan, "I’m so glad that we decided to have a full wedding - being surrounded by our closest family and friends was irreplaceable - there will never be anything like that again! " Thanks to Riverland Studios for capturing their Atalaya Castle affair.

"We couldn’t have gone through the planning process without Lauren Evans, our wedding planner and designer. Lauren made the entire thing a breeze - finding all of our vendors, coaching me on how to create a look and style, and coordinating our families to pull off such an amazing event. She helped us set and stick to a budget, and brought together all of the little details that made the day feel like a well-coordinated and classic, timeless event. From the candles to the flower boxes to the hurricane vases - she thought of everything!" - Morgan

Andy and I had “buried the bourbon” and we put the bourbon we dug up on the wedding day at the dessert table so that our South African guests could treat themselves to a Dom Pedro. Andy and I shared Dom Pedros with our South African friends when we visited South Africa in 2013, and this was a fun way to share memories with them and thank them for coming all the way to our wedding!

My aunt and cousins are famous in Chapel Hill for “Chapel Hill Toffee.” My aunt made toffee when I was growing up and it was a favorite of mine, along with her pound cakes. She turned her toffee into a business a while back and it’s been a success ever since. We gave out boxes of Chapel Hill toffee to our guests - many of whom were also UNC graduates.I mentioned my aunt’s pound cake - she made four pound cakes with a beautiful flower display and we featured these at our rehearsal dinner and the wedding reception. This was particularly touching for me as my uncle had passed away just a few years earlier, and having my aunt be a part of our wedding in this way felt like he was there, too. I love dessert! In addition to the pound cakes and toffee we had an ice cream bar.

But the one tradition we did have was the first dance and father/mother dances. Andy and I took dance lessons leading up to the wedding and they paid off. I’m so glad that I did this as we were completely confident in ourselves and had fun showing off our new moves. It was a surprise for our parents and our dance is something that they will cherish forever. I know this because they still tell me about it every week!