Lowcountry Weddings {Top 10}

Today we're announcing the Top 20 Lowcountry Weddings of 2012! If you didn't catch 11-20 this morning, no worries, just make sure to check it out here. The Top 10 were the most viewed weddings for 2012 and boy, were they beautiful!  They were captured by some of the South's most-sought-after wedding photographers and designed by the uber-talented wedding planners that call the Lowcountry home.  So take a look, and let us know which one catches your fancy :)  

10. Nicole + Blake's Bluffton Wedding from Debra Gulbas Photography and Embellished Events

9. Meghan + Joshua's Pink and Green Litchfield Plantation Wedding via Carmen Ash Photography

8. Jennifer + Mike's Grey and Yellow Pepper Plantation Wedding shot by Virgil Bunao!

7. Tiffany + Chris's Grande Dunes Wedding from Myrtle Beach Wedding Vendors Memorable Moments and Gene Ho Photography

6. Meghann + Jordan's Seaside Kiawah Island Wedding at the Sanctuary shot by R.L. Morris Photography

5. Linnea + James's Charleston wedding at the Boone Hall Plantation Cotton Dock from Corey Potter Photography

4. Cameron + Janie's Charleston wedding at Magnolia Plantation captured by Carmen Ash Photography

3. Liz + Andrew's vibrant DeBordieu Club wedding via Carolina Photosmith and Della Ramsey Weddings

2. Chelsea + Hunter's Charleston Wedding from Diana Deaver Photography

1. Katie + Yashar's Isle of Palms wedding shot by Riverland Studios

 Lovely, eh?  Congrats to all the brides and their fabulous vendors.  Can't wait to see what's up their sleeves in 2013 :)

Lowcountry Weddings {Top 20}

Yall, 2012 was an awesome year here at A Lowcountry Wedding!  Thanks to your support, our readership has grown by leaps and bounds and we CAN'T wait to see what's in store for 2013.  In honor of our fabulous year we wanted to share the love and present the Top 20 Lowcountry weddings from 2012.  The Top 20 were determined by the posts with the most pageviews and they range in location from Beaufort to Charleston and Georgetown to Myrtle Beach!  Thanks to all the wonderful vendors involved and stay tunedfor the Top 10 this afternoon!  

20. Toby + Erica's Charleston National wedding from Richard Bell Photography.

19. Shannon + Jacob's Charleston Wedding at Magnolia's via Charleston Wedding Photography

18. Jessica + Elliotte's Pepper Plantation wedding shot by Richard Bell Photography

17. Bridgette+ Asher's Charleston wedding at McCrady's via Jenna Marie

16. Samantha + Scott's Pawleys Island Wedding by Carolina Studios by Gillian Reinhardt!

15. Chris + Katie's Wild Dunes Wedding from Morgan Trinker Photography!

14.  Brittany + Tim's Pepper Plantation wedding from Reese Moore Wedding Photography!

13.  Jess + James' Charleston Wedding from The Click Chick Photography!

12. Meredith + Keith's Beaufort Wedding captured by Angela Cox Photography!

11. Rees + Nicole's Downtown Charleston Wedding from Britt Croft Photography!

Stay Tuned for 2012's Top 10 Weddings later today!

Beaufort Inn Wedding {Amie + Jeff}

This gorgeous, destination fête took place at the quaint, Beaufort Inn and is the epitome of all your Lowcountry dreams!  The beautiful Bride, Amie, rocked a breathtaking, lace gown with a seriously. flattering back and bold, emerald earrings.  The gals looked fabulous in classic, green frocks that were complimented by fresh, white hydrangea bouquets.  After a romantic outdoor ceremony, the lively couple and their guests celebrated the night away in a stunning, tented reception complete with Lowcountry cuisine from Southern Graces.  Thanks to Charleston wedding vendor, Fia Forever Photography, for capturing all this Southern perfection!

Hilton Head Wedding Vendors

Photographer: Fia Forever Photography  /  Venue: Beaufort Inn  /  Caterer and Event Designer:  Southern Graces Catering  /  Dress Designer:  Jim Hjelm Blush  /  Band:  Palmetto Groove  /  Shoes:  Nina Shoes  /  Jewelry:  Roberta Chiarella  /  Event Venue:  Beaufort Inn

Lowcountry Wedding {Details}

Can we talk about some of my favorite Lowcountry wedding details?!  I thought so :)  The coast of South Carolina is home to a few of my favorite beach towns: Hilton Head, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.  These coastal cities are full of Southern charm and have a distinct Lowcountry personality that makes our weddings every Southern girl’s dream!

These chairs are wonderful and when teamed up with those fabulous fans you’ve got pure perfection.   They’ll give your guests and extra breeze as they watch your intimate ‘I do’s’.  I’m picturing an gorgeous, outdoor ceremony under the grand Oaks with a beautiful Plantation home in the background.  Swoon.

Menus on printed on napkins…yes, please!  What an elegant touch to any place setting.  I just hope I wouldn't get it dirty!

Don’t you just love this idea?  Place note cards on each table with fun questions printed atop each one.  Throughout the reception guests have the opportunity to leave their comments on the card(s) of their choice.  I can only imagine how amusing/inappropriate the answers could get as the evening goes on.  How much fun would it be to read over their answers when you return from your honeymoon with a bottle of wine?  Tons!

I just had to include this.  I can’t think of a better way to really get your guests excited about your upcoming nuptials then to let them know there is going to be some serious celebrating taking place and you need to know what tunes get them out of their seats.  Forget the entrée choices, just make sure we’ve got some ‘Party in the USA’ and ‘Tootsie Roll’…you know what I mean!?

Joy Thigpen, just stop it with your seaside perfection.  I love everything about this.  It is oh-so Lowcountry.  Not only do I love the grey linen but that oyster garland is pure heaven.  If done right, and it’s done so right here, oyster shells are a laid back but chic touch.

I had to share these star lanterns.  What a beautiful touch to this Southern soiree.  They’ve got a clean, modern feel that would a darling addition to any tented reception under the Lowcountry stars.

Monogrammed veil, nuff said!

How fantastic would an eclectic mix of candles be lining the aisle.  Dreamy...

Southern Weddings {Place Settings}

If it wasn't for Pinterest, I'm not sure I would get my daily fix of Southern wedding details.  Luckily, with all the talented wedding vendors that call the Lowcountry home, I don't have to go far to get my pin on!  So, today I'm sharing a serious round up of some of my favorite place setting that have recently graced my Pinterest account.  Boy, do I love a good tablescape.  It adds an instant dash of elegance for any Charleston, Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head Wedding!  Don't you agree?

Southern Weddings {Boutonnieres}

Who’s ready for a little bout-scootin’ Wednesday?!?  Today in the Lowcountry, we’re sharing our current obsession…boutonnieres!  I'm not sure why, but boutonnieres have become one of my favorite wedding details.  They sum up your entire wedding in one adorable little package and, let’s be serious, who doesn’t love accessorizing all the men in your bridal party?  You know I get a little Pinterest crazy sometimes and I live for beautiful, Southern wedding details, so here are a few that caught my eyes from some of our favorite Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach and Charleston weddings.

Southern Weddings {Cakes}

I have a slight tendency to go a little crazy on Pinterest and who can blame with all the fabulous wedding inspiration there is out there.  Today, I'm sharing a handful of my favorite cakes that have been floating around in Pinterest-land and I know you're going to love every single one!  I guess I'm having a gold moment because quite a few of these lovelies are dusted with a gold shimmer.  If you haven't already, don't forget to check out our previous posts on our favorite, swoon-worthy wedding cakes.

Lowcountry Venue {September Oaks Vineyards}

Today's stunning styled shoot at September Oaks Vineyard in Ridgeland, South Carolina was designed to show off the stunning Lowcountry wedding venue and highlight the 2012 Pantone Color of the year, Tangerine Tango...and I promise, you're going to love it! The 10-acre vineyard property originally was part of the McTeer estate and is now home to an award winning family owned boutique winery. Beginning in 2011, it has been made available as a wedding and event venue with a charming guest house, a paved arbor, gazebo and plenty of convenient onsite parking. Because September Oaks is a working vineyard and winery, all events are held outdoors. The dream team of Lowcountry wedding vendors started with Larger than Life Events who designed the chic affair while InventivEnvironments handled the dazzling decor and Marie Kato rocked it with the fabulous flowers (I die over those tulips!). Thanks to the talented Bita Bookman for the gorgeous images...

Lowcountry Wedding Vendors

Event Design - Atosha Barboza Bennett - Larger Than Life Events   /  Photographer - Bita Bookman   /  Flowers - Marie Kato  /  Stationer - Sage and Time Designs  /  Cake - Ashlee Perkins - Tier Luxury Cakes  /  Decor - InventivEnvironments  /  Rentals - Classic Party Rentals Savannah/Hilton Head  /  Sweets - Savvylicious Sweets  /  Hair/Make-Up - Defining Beauty Salon  /  Stylist - Taliyba Reinberry  /  Model - Amanda Negrete

Southern Weddings {Bouquets}

If I don't immediately share all these whimsical wedding bouquets, I think my Pinterest account might just blow up! So, go ahead and daydream about your Lowcountry weddings as you gawk over these fab wedding bouquets.  Number four is my absolute favorite.  Oh, and next week, we're talking peonies, so don't miss it!

Hilton Head Wedding {Megan + Kevin}

Ladies, if you're anything like me, Sunday's during the Fall consist of being inundated with NFL Football games (we're talking multiple TVs and computers!) and the most up-to-date stats on my husband's Fantasy Football team...sounds like heaven, right?  Not so much!  So, with the hopes of brightening up your Football-soaked Sunday (and mine), we'll be delivering some Lowcountry wedding loveliness for your viewing pleasure :)  To kick things off right, we're serving up Megan + Kevin's peacock-inspired Hilton Head Wedding at the luxurious Omni Oceanfront Resort.  With Fierce Photography on hand to capture the entire affair, the couple said 'I do' in a sweet, outdoor ceremony before join their guests for a lively celebration!

Hilton Head Wedding Vendors

Photographer:  Fierce Photography  /  Venue:  The Omni Oceanfront Resort

Southern Weddings {Save the Dates}

I thought about whipping up a whole post discussing the do's and don'ts of Save the Dates, but then I figured I should leave it to Charleston wedding stationer-extraordinaire, Scotti Cline Designs!  Located in Charleston, Scotti assists Lowcountry brides in creating all of their swoon-worthy wedding paper needs and, lucky for us, she's sharing a few must-read pointers on creating personal and informative Save the Dates!

"It's hard for me to write about why I think save the dates are important because my OWN MOTHER thinks they're silly. She's a little old fashioned about these sort of things but having been in the wedding industry for going on 5 years now, I think they have earned their place and aren't going anywhere. In a time when there is rarely a "hometown" wedding and destination weddings have become more popular and accessible, it's important to make traveling fun and as easy as possible for your guests. A save the date informs guests of all the pertinent information and hopefully you can convey some excitement about the wedding and their destination with the design of the save the date. That's where I come in..."

"I usually recommend brides include accommodation information and their expiration dates for room blocks in addition to their wedding website. Particularly for Charleston weddings, hotels book quickly and many guests don't understand that the room blocks do not guarantee they can book a room the week before the wedding. Guests may not even visit your website until after the room blocks have expired."

"For send out, I highly recommend sending out in the 6-8 month window. Yes, even for destination brides. Unless you have a large number of guests traveling internationally, none of your guests will be making travel plans any earlier than that. I understand brides are excited to share a first glimpse of their wedding with family and friends but sending out a year in advance is overkill. It will also make you want to send your invitations out unnecessarily earlier which will really diminish your RSVP return."

" Also, a word to the wise for European save the date recipients, always include the wording "formal invitation to follow". Save the dates are understood in the United States without that wording but if you don't include it for Europeans, you will be receiving some very strange phone calls about how to RSVP to the "invitation". Not kidding."

"For save the date design, there are so many wildly different options out there I would never go as far as suggesting what someone "should" do. I only suggest you should make yourself happy. Save the dates have a little more room to be fun because they are not as traditional as the invitation. I have some brides who come up with some really interesting ideas (I'll begrudgingly admit it's always the brides who have the best ideas, not me). Incorporating your destination, as many of my Charleston brides do, is a great way to get people excited about traveling there. I've done a ton of oak tree and iron gates for Charleston because it is such an iconic look for the city and very Southern."

 "I'm personally not a huge fan of photo save the dates strictly because I don't want to put the picture of you almost making out my fridge to see every morning before coffee and I kinda doubt people who know you do either. I've received and done some photo save the dates that are awesome though. I had a bride this year who included a photo booth strip tied to her save the date which incorporated an oak tree and a pattern that we will carry into the invitation. This way, the picture didn't dominate the save the date and we had plenty of room for design and information (and who doesn't love a good photo booth strip?). I recently received a photo save the date of my friends holding up signs (with their wedding date) like they were taking mug shots (he's a detective) and I laugh every time I look at it, it's great. I think that's the perfect save the date, make it about you and make your guests smile."

Southern Engagement {Katie + Nick}

I just love when our Lowcountry brides personally send over their engagement sessions and weddings for us to share!  It's always fun to finally put a face with an email address.  Beautiful bride-to-be Katie is in full on planning mode for her Hilton Head Wedding next year.  She's assembled a fabulous team of vendors for her big ol' Southern wedding and I just can't wait to see everything come together.  So, to hold us over until the big day, Katie sent over her classic, Washington D.C. engagement session with fiance Nick along the Georgetown Waterfront...aren't they adorable?

A Lowcountry Wedding Vendors!

Some of you may have noticed that A Lowcountry Wedding is in the process of welcoming a new addition to our site, and we couldn’t be more excited.  We are thrilled to FINALLY introduce all of our fabulous, Southern brides to the insanely, talented wedding vendors that call the coast of South Carolina home.  You’ll find we’ve divided things up into vendor categories, and even broken it down to different cities, so you’ll be able to locate approved A Lowcountry Wedding vendors in Charleston, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach (perfect, right?).

Well, while we work on finalizing some details behind the scenes, we’ve decided it’s time for a contest!  To thank all of our vendor friends that have been overly supportive, this week we’ll be giving away one free vendor listing.  The listing will include a complete description of your company, contact info and even a photo gallery to show off your work right here on A Lowcountry Wedding!  To enter, it’s simple, if you don’t already, ‘like’ us on facebook and then, share this post.  Easy, huh?  We’ll announce the winner Friday, August 31st!  Good luck and thank you for your support!

If you’re interested in becoming A Lowcountry Wedding Vendor, shoot us an email at hello{at}alowcountrywed.com for an application, pricing and our stats!

Southern Weddings {Groom's Attire}

Don't you love a good-looking, Southern gentleman dressed to the nines?  You don't have to answer, I already know you're shaking your head 'yes'!   Luckily, our Lowcountry grooms sure know how to add their classic, Southern style to their wedding day, and this round up of our favorites will show you how the men of South Carolina do it best!  In Hilton Head, you'll find the boys draped in seersucker.  At a Charleston wedding, they'll be rocking classic, black tuxedos, and the men in Myrtle Beach are fans of a tan suits and preppy bowties!  So tell us, what will your dapper dudes be wearing?

Seaside Engagement {Sasha + Riley}

Oh, Paul Johnson!  What have you done to me with this gorgeous, coastal engagement session?  Snapped along the Florida shoreline in beautiful Seaside, the camera fell in love with the adorable Sasha + Riley.  Not only was the backdrop flawless, but the duo's effortless style combined with the talents of Paul Johnson Photography made for an engagement session that tops my list of favorites.  Simply perfect.

Lowcountry Weddings {Wine Barrels}

There are days where I just can't tear myself away from Pinterest and thanks to all the wonderfully creative people that I follow, I'm usually knee deep in some serious wedding inspiration.  Lucky you for you girls, I just can't keep these beautiful Southern secrets to myself!  One of my favorite recent findings is wine barrels (sigh!).  They're the perfect touch to a gorgeous Charleston, Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach Wedding!  They're classic charm and rustic appeal make them the perfect addition to your Lowcountry wedding!

Bluffton Wedding {Nicole + Blake}

Debra Gulbas Photography teamed up with Embellished Events for this stunning, low key beach affair in Bluffton, South Carolina.  Just outside of Hilton Head, Bluffton is one of the Lowcountry's hidden treasures for brides hoping for a laid back wedding with that signature, dreamy scenery...which is exactly what today's couple, Nicole + Blake, took full advantage of!  They kept it simple with a beautiful ceremony on the beach before celebrating the night away with their closest friends and family!  I'm totally loving (okay, maybe drooling over) Nicole's oh-so-flattering gown and her gorgeous, seasonal bouquet.  Doesn't it make you want to head for the beach?

Hilton Head Wedding Vendors

Photographer:  Debra Gulbas Photography  /  Caterer:  Embellished Events LLC

Southern Wedding {Ashley + Brian}

We just love when Chris Isham's camera graces a Southern wedding with it's presence.  This time, the South Carolina based photographer headed to Augusta, Georgia to capture Ashley + Brian's darling, April affair at the Marbury Center.  Ashley dazzled in a structured gown that she accessorized with a whimsical flower in her hair, while the men sported blue suits and assorted ties to compliment the vintage blue and yellow color palette.

Southern Wedding Vendors

Photographer:  Chris Isham Photography  /  Hair Stylist:  Rachel Biestman  /  Reception Venue:  The Marbury Center  /  Bakery:  Cupcakes by Britani