Murrells Inlet Wedding Engagement by Gigi Noelle Events + Carmen Ash Photography

We're spending our Saturday (and probably Sunday, too!) reviewing tons of gorgeous Lowcountry weddings for Volume 1 of our upcoming print edition of A Lowcountry Wedding Magazine, and I'll be honest, its going to be amazing.  The real weddings we've already accepted from Charleston, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach + Savannah are nothing short of amazing and I'm anxious to see what other lovelies join the club.  We'll be accepting submissions until the end of August, so keep them rolling in!  Since we can't share all the goodness with y'all, we thought we'd shower your with a beautiful Murrells Inlet Wedding Engagement Session from Myrtle Beach Wedding Vendors, Gigi Noelle Events + Carmen Ash Photography.  The sweet couple, Christina + Charlie, wanted to incorporate Charlie's family's 55-foot boat, the Blue Mile, into their afternoon.  Each year, Charlie's family takes the eye catching boat down to the Bahamas for their annual trip over the course of 3-4 months.  So, it was no surprise that including it in their pictures was a no-brainer.  Charlie + his crew immediately began polishing and cleaning the boat prior to the shoot, and we'd have to say he did a wonderful job!  We love this adorable couple, their perfect outfit choices and all of the coastal details incorporated throughout the session!

 Myrtle Beach Wedding Vendors

Photographer: Carmen Ash Photography  //  Rentals: EventWorks  //  Design: Gigi Noelle Events  //  Cupcakes: Cravinleys

Dying for more Lowcountry Wedding Inspiration!?  Check out these beauties…

• Coastal Folly Beach Wedding from Charleston wedding vendor Dana Cubbage Weddings
• Laid back, DIY Lowcountry Wedding from Jeanne Mitchum Photography with burlap and anemones
• Vibrant Myrtle Beach Wedding from Memorable Moments and Scott Smallin Photography
• Sequins and Peony Wedding Inspiration from Savannah Wedding Vendors, Ivory + Beau and Rach Lea Photography
• Dreamy Hilton Head Wedding at the Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort from Landon Jacob
• A Lowcountry Wedding Magazine filled with 13 real weddings from Charleston, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach

Charleston Weddings {Jenna + Adam} Old Exchange Building

I know you ladies love your Southern weddings, but when it comes down to it, you're always craving Charleston weddings!  Lord knows we can't blame you and I have a feeling this Old Exchange Building stunner will do just the trick.  Carmen Ash Photography teamed up with the talented team at Southern Chic Weddings for this formal Lowcountry affair and we're loving every minute of it.  Thanks to Carmen for filling us in on all the details...

Adam and Jenna met in February 2008 after Duke played a rugby game at Elon. Covered in mud and sporting a fading black eye, Adam convinced Jenna to take him to her sorority party afterwards. At the end of the night, Adam went back to Duke and didn't call. Once Jenna made the first move, they met up a few weeks later. Adam spent the next five weeks wooing her before she would agree to go to his fraternity formal in Williamsburg. She finally agreed, and they had a great time.

Fast forward two years through rounds of parties, formals, homecomings, trips to Myrtle Beach, and graduations. Jenna went backpacking in New Zealand and Adam came to visit. Adam got sent on an assignment to China with his job, and came home for a wedding in July. On July 19, 2010, the morning after the wedding, Adam took Jenna for a picnic at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Duke's campus. Taking a walk to cool off, Adam stopped under a trellis and dropped to one knee. Jenna was all too happy to accept.

Both had moved around growing up, and neither had a home town to default to. The obvious choice was a wedding in Charleston, South Carolina- Jenna's favorite city . Jenna took several trips to Charleston in between trips to China, working with vendors from 12 time zones away. They chose the historic Old Exchange Building for the reception. They picked a florist, a planner, and a caterer with one meeting, then found other vendors strictly using the Internet. Jenna ordered the perfect wedding dress from Amsale- complete with a big bow and pockets. With a few local friends including another bride, everything started falling into place. Then Jenna and Adam moved from China to Colorado. Another quick trip to Charleston to solidify their plans brought them to choose the Confederate Home and College garden for their November ceremony. Little did they know that the weekend before their I Do's, Steven Spielberg would be sitting in the same garden at Susan Sarandon's daughter's wedding.

 Charleston Wedding Vendors

Photographer:  Carmen Ash Photography  //  Transportation: Absolutely Charleston  //  Hair Stylist: Affair Hair by...Tanesha  //  Makeup Artist: Bellelina  //  Caterer: Cafe Catering  //  DJ: Charlie Roberts Duo  //  Cinema and Video: Creekhouse Productions  //  Cake Designer: DeClare Cakes  //  DJ: Finger Snappin' Entertainment  //  Equipment Rentals: Snyder Event Rental  //  Event Planner: Southern Chic Weddings and Events  //  Event Venue: The Old Exchange //  Floral Designer: WildFlowers Inc.

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Charleston Wedding {Kristen + Jake} Boone Hall Plantation

You know how sometimes a wedding catches your eye and just makes you smile?  Well that's exactly what happened when this insanely awesome Charleston wedding designed by Ashley Rhodes made its way into my inbox!  Mixed with a little chevron, this vibrant color palette of bright pinks and blue with pops of orange brought a whole lot of sass to the lovely Cotton Dock!  Even though we wanted to, we couldn't include everything in the magazine, so to find out a little more about Kristen’s big day, check out her answers below and to see all the details you can purchase a digital edition of the Mag here!

What made you choose your venue? What elements drew you to it?

Boone Hall Plantation was one of the most well rounded venues we could find.  The drive in with the Avenue of the Oaks was the perfect scene we wanted to set as our guests drove in.  We wanted a mix of indoor and outdoor, with a beautiful backdrop to give our guests a true taste of Charleston.  We started out with just renting the Cotton Dock for our reception site, but then after touring the entire property, we knew we wanted to get married on the front lawn in front of the beautiful plantation house.  The back patio offered the perfect area for our cocktail hour also.

Tell us all about the details!  Did any have special meaning? What was your favorite?

We wanted to make sure that the entire weekend was focused on the guest experience.

We rented a gigantic beach house on the Isle of Palms, and stayed there with all of our bridesmaids, groomsmen, and their dates.  It was only 2 blocks from the beach, it had a swimming pool and hot tub, and basketball court, a putting green, you name it!  To kickstart the weekend, we had all of our family over Friday night for a cook out and just a chance to let everyone meet each other and relax.  Our rehearsal dinner was on Saturday, and we did a catered dinner downtown at Granville's Catering, and then took our guests on a sunset cruise through the Charleston Harbor on the Palmetto Breeze.  That was Jake's favorite part of the entire weekend!

At the actual wedding, we had a lounge out front of the Cotton Dock with cigars, craft beers, and custom made cornhole boards that were a truly family effort.  Jake's brother made the boards, Jake and I painted them to fit our look, and my mom made the bags.  We also had a candy bar, and koozies as our wedding favors.  My favorite detail of the entire evening was all of the custom made linens that my mom made - the napkins, the runners, and the backdrop for our photo booth.  Jake's favorite detail was the bottom layer of our wedding cake -funfetti - which is our absolute favorite!

Tell us a little bit about your menu...

We used Granville's Catering for our wedding.  Trae's style is true Southern cooking, but elevated.  We served she crab soup, cajun style shrimp and grits, crab cakes, fried green tomatoes with a balsamic reduction and crumbled goat cheese, and my absolute favorite which is Trae's grandmother's specialty - angel hair mac and cheese.

Specialty Drinks?

We didn't do any specialty drinks, but we did have an open bar.  Out front in the lounge area, we did serve specialty craft beers.

What’s your favorite picture from your wedding and why?

Our photographer was absolutely incredible - it would be very hard to pick just one photo.  The one I love the most of just the two of us is in the rose garden near the front lawn.  The sun was starting to set, he kissed me, and Carmen captured the moment beautifully.

Out of the entire day, what was the most memorable moment?

Leading up to the wedding, the one thing I was soo nervous about was the actual ceremony.  I was so afraid I was going to be a teary, mumbling mess, and wouldn't be able to get any of the words out.  In actuality, the entire ceremony was the most memorable and special part of the entire day.  We were both just grinning ear to ear, looking into each other's eyes, and committing our lives to each other.

Color Palette

My color palette was a bright coral watermelon, tiffany blue, and tangerine. My entire color palette was created from a picture I saw of a bouquet on Pinterest - it was love at first sight!

How did he propose?  How long were you engaged for?

From Jake's perspective:

I had decided for months that I wanted to propose to Kristen on the Pitt Street Bridge in Mount Pleasant where we had our first date. The trouble was, trying to figure out how to get her there without my plans being too obvious, as we had moved to, and were living in Savannah, GA. I planned the engagement for the weekend of her 29th birthday, and we had purchased tickets to visit a tiger preserve in Myrtle Beach. Perfect! It also just so happened that my Aunt Jessamine's birthday was the same weekend and (like the mastermind that I am) I had my cousin, Lynne, send us an invitation to a "surprise party" that was being thrown on.....the Pitt Street Bridge.

So I made the arrangements; I was freaking out because the ring was taking longer than they had originally told me, and I wasn't able to pick it up until that morning. Kristen was dropping the dogs off at the kennel, and we were going to meet there and drive up to Charleston together. So of course when when we go to leave the kennel, the battery to the car was dead. At this point I was about to rip every hair out of my head....

Finally, we got the car jumped and drove to Charleston. We got to the bridge and started walking down to the end where there is a dock (I told her that is where the surprise party was, and thats why we didn't see anyone yet). I was walking slowly, trying to let my cousin, DuBose, catch up with us as she was going to sneakily meet up with us to take photographs.

Once we got to a good spot, I stopped Kristen so that we could look over the Charleston bay together; it was sunset and a beautiful site. I let her know that there really was no party taking place. I got on one knee and let her know that the last four years together had been the best of my life, and I couldn't imagine my life without her there to share it with. I asked her to spend the rest of her life with me.

Tell us a little bit about how you met your husband…

We were both working at Enterprise Rent A Car, in the city that we both love: Charleston, SC.  We knew of each other through work, but hadn't really ever hung out. Some of our mutual friends put together a surprise birthday party for one of my best friends (and now bridesmaids), Nicole Miles.  We hit it off immediately, and literally stayed up the entire night talking and laughing, and getting to know each other.  The next day Jake called and asked me out on an afternoon date.  So he picked me up, along with my dog, Zoe, who has ALWAYS been my most loyal companion and took us to a place I had never been before... the Pitt Street Bridge. The Pitt Street Bridge is a beautiful waterfront view in the "old village" of Mount Pleasant.   We spent the afternoon just walking, talking, and soaking up the sun.  Feeling a little adventurous, Jake took Zoe down to the marsh to wade through the water, sniff around, and explore. While they were down there Zoe stepped in the pluff mud and cut her paw on an oyster shell! It wasn't a bad cut but she got a few little bloody paw prints in my new company car! I still give Jake a hard time about it to this day, and let him know he is lucky I stuck around, haha!I The Pitt street bridge is still one of our favorite places in Charleston, and holds a very special place in both of our hearts.The last 4 1/2 years have been spent pretty much the same - continuing to get to know each other, making each other laugh, and making wonderful memories along the way!

 Charleston Wedding Vendors

Photographer: Carmen Ash Photography  /  Event Planner & Stationery: Ashley Rhodes Events  /  Venue: Boone Hall Plantation /  Rentals:  Amazing Event Rentals, Ooh Events, Snyder Event Rentals  /  Lighting & Dj:  Jlk Events  /  Catering:  Granville's Catering  /  Floral:  EWW Floral Design  /  Ceremony And Cocktail Music:  Charleston Virtuosi  /  Cake:  Ashley Bakery  /  Photobooth : Coast Photo Booth  /  Hair/Makeup: Salon Capelli  /  Officiant: Reverand Rich Robinson  /  Bridal Shop: Gown Boutique Of Charleston

DeBordieu Club Weddings {Bevin + Casey} Carmen Ash Photography

While we’re still recovering from all that glittery goodness we delivered yesterday, we’re moving on to Georgetown, South Carolina where they deliver wonderful DeBordieu Club weddings that are sure to suit your fancy.  Georgetown is a cozy, coastal town located north of Charleston and just south of Myrtle Beach.  It is home to the beautiful DeBordieu Club which recently hosted Bevin + Casey’s lively Lowcountry wedding.  The beautiful couple brought on the talented crew at Blossoms Events to dazzle their guest with dreamy peony and tulip arrangements, while the bridesmaids were dressed in fabulous LulaKate gowns.  As always, thanks to the wonderful Carmen Ash Photography for capturing this one-of-a-kind DeBordieu Club wedding!

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 Charleston Wedding Vendors

Photographer: 

Carmen Ash Photography

Hair Stylist: 

Stox & Co. Salon & Day Spa

Favors and Gifts: 

Redemption Art

Floral Designer: 

Blossoms Events

Reception Venue: 

DeBordieu Club

Dress Store: 

Gown Boutique of Charleston

Cake Designer: 

Croissants Bistro and Bakery

Band: 

Men of Distinction

Equipment Rentals: 

EventWorks

Bridesmaid Dresses: 

Lula Kate Bridal

Photo Booth Equipment: 

Shutterbooth

Litchfield Plantation {Meghan + Joshua}

I’m about to treat you to a big dose of preppy perfection from Carmen Ash Photography…so you can go ahead and thank me!  It took place just up the road in beautiful Pawleys Island, South Carolina at the picturesque Litchfield Plantation.  The sweet Southern couple enlisted a brilliant team of Lowcountry wedding vendors to pull off their big day.  Blossoms Events created a heavenly backdrop of lanterns that acted as the alter for their outdoor ceremony and it is bound to make you go weak-in-the-knees!  Bride Meghan dreamed up a classic pink and green color palette that she tasked Della Ramsey and crew with executing all of the whimsical details. Don’t you just love those adorable pinwheels and that fabulous bar?! Lastly, every last, dreamy moment was captured by the talented lenses of Carmen Ash Photography.  Enjoy!

Lowcountry Wedding Vendors

Photographer: Carmen Ash Photography  /  Dress Designer: Pronovias  /  Floral Designer: Blossoms Events  /  Cinema and Video: Hart to Heart Media  /  Equipment Rentals: Snyder Event Rental  /  Lighting: Technical Event Company  /  Band: Deas Guyz  /  Event Planner: Della Ramsey Weddings  /  Event Venue: Litchfield Plantation

Charleston Wedding {Cameron + Janie}

We’re wrapping up this week with a classic Charleston wedding from Carmen Ash Photography, and if I had to guess, you’ll be daydreaming about these Lowcountry details for the rest of the weekend!    Janie + Cameron met while their dads were coaches for the Chicago Bears.  As the couple’s friendship grew, so did their football family!  Janie’s brother coaches for the Carolina Panthers, Cameron’s dad coached for the Colts, his brother coaches for Standford and his uncle is Norv Turner, the head coach for the San Diego Chargers (hence they didn’t get married during football season!)  Personally, I can’t get over Bride Janie’s beautiful strapless, lace gown, birdcage veil, flawless hair and the perfect pink lips!  She’s just glowing.  Her bridesmaids looked equally stunning in peacock blue dresses from J. Crew that were accessorized with gorgeous green and white bouquets from Branch Design Studio.  The guys looked handsome in tan suits with green ties…perfect for a summer wedding in Charleston.  Since the groom had previously worked at the Citadel, the couple tied the knot in front of a packed house on campus at the beautiful Summerall Chapel.  After, they snapped some seriously frame-able shots on the parade deck and in the barracks (must-haves if you get married at the Citadel!).  The couple and their guests headed to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens for one heck of a celebration from a group of fabulous Charleston wedding vendors!  Guests dined on Lowcountry cuisine from Granville’s Catering, Branch Design Studio set the mood with dreamy florals, d’lish served up a jaw-dropping cake and Archer Music Services kept the crowd dancing all evening long, but the BIG hit of the night was the cigar bar! Even grandma loved it!

Charleston Wedding Vendors

Photographer: Carmen Ash Photography  /  Caterer:  Granville's Catering  /  Floral Designer:  Branch Design Studio  /  Reception Venue:  Magnolia Plantation and Gardens  /  Cake Designer:  d'lish  /  Band:  Archer Music Service, LLC  /  Ceremony Location:  Summerall Chapel

Charleston Weddings {Christen} College of Charleston

You asked for A Lowcountry Wedding Vendor section and we answered...well, we're in the process of answering :)  That's right, in just a few short weeks, we'll be bringing you Charleston, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach's most sought after wedding professionals so you can select your Lowcountry wedding vendors with complete confidence.  So, keep your eyes peeled to find out who gets our stamp of approval! It's no secret that it's truly difficult for me to control my gushing when a dreamy bridal session rolls across my inbox, so I'll try to keep it short and sweet as I give you a little insight into Christen's Charleston bridal session...but no promises!  Captured by the talented Carmen Ash Photography and surrounded by downtown's history, Christen started her day in front of the Cistern on the grounds of College of Charleston...which, if you've ever seen it, is absolutely stunning.  She was dressed to perfection in a soft, strapless Watters gown (The Torreno Style) that she complimented with a beautiful Spring bouquet from Carolina Charm.  Afterwards, they moved the party to a picturesque Lowcountry plantation to capture this glowing Southern bride in all her glory.  Don't you just love all things Charleston weddings!

Boone Hall Plantation {Colleen}

Today's bride, Colleen had the brilliant idea to select the grounds of Boone Hall Plantation as the backdrop for her bridal portraits...and boy, did it pay off!   Located just over the bridge in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, this stunning Lowcountry venue is a must-see when location scouting.  Once home to the 2004 movie, The Notebook, Boone Hall offers a picturesque setting for bridals, engagement sessions, rehearsal dinners and weddings.

Photographed by talented Charleston photographer, Carmen Ash, Colleen spent the day touring the  property and taking advantage of the beautiful scenery.  How beautiful is this Southern bride and her perfectly Lowcountry portraits?