LIZ & KURT

OLDFIELD CLUB WEDDING

Okatie, South Carolina

Tell us how you met: Kurt and I met while we were working together in a Microbiology Lab. We both only worked at that particular company for a short period of time so our timing was meant to be.

Proposal Details: October 16, 2015, Philadelphia PA. Kurt proposed at our apartment while we were carving pumpkins. He carved "will you marry me?" into a pumpkin and I was totally shocked. He also planned to have our families drive to Philadelphia to celebrate with us later that night. It was perfect to spend that private moment together followed by another surprise that our families were involved.

How did you select your venue: Since we were having a destination wedding we were looking for a venue to capture the southern charm and Lowcountry feel that we love about vacationing in South Carolina. Oldfield River Club is breathtaking and we both knew immediately that this was the perfect venue for us. In our opinions, nothing was going to top Oldfield Club!

Tell us why you selected your gown and your bridal accessories: I knew I wanted a timeless dress. I was looking for something with a higher neckline and a glamorous silhouette. This dress made me feel regal and we all instantly knew that this was the one. The beaded cap sleeves and deep keyhole back made this dress feel elegant and dramatic. My shoes were satin pointed-toe with a crystal embellished heel. I wasn't sure if I was going to wear a veil at first but decided to wear a fingertip length veil for the ceremony only. I'm glad I did because this is what really made me feel like a bride. I wore matching bracelet and earrings that my sister bought and my hand beaded clutch was a gift from my mother and sisters with my new initials and wedding date. Luckily my Mom and sisters are always there to add the finishing touches. My favorite accessory was a gift from Kurt. He gave me a locket engraved with "always in my heart." On the inside was a picture of my grandparents cutting the cake on their wedding day. It was nice to have a little piece of them there with me.

Hair and makeup: I wanted my hair in a sleek and elegant updo so that the beading on the back of the dress was visible. I asked for my makeup to look natural with a bit of drama with a bold red lip.

Bridesmaids Attire: After considering many ideas, we found these Alfred Sung bridesmaids dresses at Bella Bridesmaids. They were perfect and exactly what I had in mind for the girls. The color and length flattered everyone (two of my bridesmaids were pregnant at the time) and the modified halter straps of the dress added a unique touch.

Groom + Groomsmen Attire: The groom and groomsmen all wore Vera Wang tuxedos with black suspenders and a bow tie. We liked the look of traditional, clean black and white and consistency among the wedding party. Kurt added a touch of personality to the guys attire by wearing fun socks.

Ceremony Details: Our ceremony was held at Oldfield River Club in front of the fountain. The fountain was draped with eucalyptus and a light placement of white roses. The aisle markers were a similar arrangement of heavy greenery and white flowers. During the ceremony we stopped to say thank you to our parents and hand them a rose.

My bridal bouquet was a rounded organic arrangement of ivory, white, greens and grey colors. I wanted to have a wide variety of textures and pops of neutral colors with greenery throughout. The flowers included White garden roses, white peonies, white ranunculus, white lisianthus, champagne spray roses, white anemones with black centers, lisimachia, dusty miller, silver brunia, Italian Ruskus, gunni and seeded eucalyptus. The bouquet was wrapped with ivory ribbon with exposed stems to maintain the organic feel. The bridesmaids bouquets were made of only white flowers surrounded by a cuff of greenery. The flowers used were white roses and spray roses, white lisianthus and a eucalyptus cuff.

The Invitations + Paper Details: Our invitations, programs, and stickers for the coffee cups were all from Minted. We love the design options, and quality of the products Minted supplies. Our invitations matched the minimalist, organic theme we were looking for. We printed our own escort cards.

The Menu: When guests arrived for the ceremony they were greeted with specialty espresso drinks such as salted caramel lattes, red eye americanos, hot chocolates, cappuccinos, and coffee. We had a standard bar inside the River Club building during cocktail hour. Wonton shrimp, smoked BBQ on a sweet potato biscuit, and black mission fig with Gorgonzola mousse on a crostino hor d'oeuvers were passed during cocktail hour. Our bars were moved to the tented reception and dinner was served on the back lawn of the River Club. Our menu included a plantation house salad with balsamic dressing for the first course. Main course options were prosciutto wrapped chicken breast with sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese and balsamic shallot compote; cold smoked grilled salmon with an apricot glaze; and eggplant rollatini; all served with Carolina squash melange and roasted garlic smashed potatoes.

The Cake and Sweets: Our cake was made by Savannah Hall of Cakes. It was a 3 tiered cake covered in buttercream icing. Each tier was a different flavor, which included Savannah Blueberry-Lemon, Italian Cream, and Bananas Foster. The flowers were hand made sugar flowers.

Describe your aesthetic + color palette: Our design aesthetic was timeless elegance. Keeping to that theme, we wanted our choices to be classic, romantic, organic and minimal to embrace the natural beauty of our setting. The color palette for attire was black and white, while reception decor was white and ivory, with silver metallic accents. Table arrangements where similar to the bridal bouquet, neutral color palette (white, ivory, green, grey) of varying textures surrounded by lots of candles.

Guest Count: 85

The Favors: We gave our guests individual packs of coffee. They were personalized and stamped to say "grounds for celebration."

Late night snacks/special treats: My brother Evan was in charge of the late night menu and he chose pizza and chicken fingers. The food was delivered to our after party. We didn't want the night to end!

Oldfield Club wedding in Okatie, South Carolina by JB Marie Photography

Sendoff/ Departure vehicle: We ended our wedding reception with a sparkler send off. Then we joined our guests on the trolleys as we all headed back to Hilton Head Island where we stayed for the week.

Best Piece of Advice for Brides-to-be: No one will notice if certain plans need to be changed the day of the wedding, so there is no reason to worry or stress about these minor adjustments. Your day will still be perfect and the party will still be a blast. As the bride, you set the mood for the entire day. If you're having fun, so will everyone else.

What were the most important elements about your wedding day to you and your husband? Having fun and enjoying the day with our family and friends. We wanted to make sure the ceremony and reception were enjoyable for our guests. We wanted great music and for the dancing to begin as soon as possible. It was really important for us to celebrate our parents and to thank them for all that they do for us.

Check out the H ILTON HEAD WEDDING VENDORS who created it...

V E N D O R S - Ceremony & Reception Venue: Oldfield River Club ll Photographer: JB Marie Photography ll Event Planning: Danielle Seagle ll Floral Design: Urban Poppy ll Gown: Alma Novia by Rosa Clara ll Dress Boutique: BHLDN ll Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alfred Sung ll Hair & Makeup: Bride’s Side Beauty ll Men’s Attire: Vera Wang ll Catering: Oldfield River Club ll Cake: Savannah Hall of Cakes ll Rentals: Amazing Event Rentals ll Invitations: Minted ll Lighting: Amazing Event Rentals, JLK Events ll Transportation: Kelly Tours ll Ceremony Music: Hilton Head Entertainment ll Entertainment: JLK Events ll Coffee Cart: The Corner Perk ll Rehearsal Dinner: The Beach House ll Officiant: George Callahan