Cory & Kyle's Rustic Cotton Dock wedding at Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston, SC
Charleston Wedding at Boone Hall Plantation by Jennings King Photography
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!
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
Boone Hall Plantation Wedding {Jessica + Chase}
Cotton Dock Wedding {Erin + Jason}
You can't go wrong with a Boone Hall Plantation wedding. The entire Plantation is simply majestic and who could ever complain about a Lowcountry evening on the water at the Cotton Dock!? Not this girl! Collette Mruk Photography sent over Erin + Jason's magical Charleston wedding and with every image the dreaminess just kept coming. Shannon McLeod handled the design and coordination by keeping with the rustic beauty of the venue, and with the help of OK Florist, the duo added in sweet touches of Fall. As usual, that wonderful team at Cru Catering delivered a delicious menu of Lowcontry cuisine while Jay Maxwell kept the guest dancing late into the evening!
Photographer: Collette Mruk Photography / Hair Stylist: Salon Summerville / Caterer: Cru Catering / Event Planner: Shannon McLeod / Floral Designer: OK Florist / Reception Venue: Boone Hall Plantation / Cake Designer: Lauren Oats / DJ: Jay Maxwell's Music By Request / Equipment Rentals: Ooh! Events / Makeup Artist: Angela McKee
Boone Hall Wedding {Bethany + Ryan}
Now, you know I'm a big fan of Boone Hall Plantation...and who wouldn't be? The grounds are scattered with regal Oak trees, that are draped with Spanish moss, and at the heart of it all, you'll find a stunning, Lowcountry Plantation. I know, I know...sounds like Charleston wedding heaven, right? Well, go ahead and thank Reese Moore Photography for sending this one over because you are about to fall in L-O-V-E. Bethany + Ryan tied the knot in a vintage wedding filled with sweet DIY elements at the famed Cotton Dock at Boone Hall Plantation. Sherry Ferguson created the beautiful flowers that went perfectly with Bethany's dreamy pink, white and ice blue color palette while Hamby Catering took care of the delicious Lowcountry cuisine!
Vendors
Photographer: Reese Moore Photography / Venue: Boone Hall Plantation - Cotton Dock / Minister: Don Bowen (Grandfather of the Bride) / Coordinator: Sherry Ferguson / Catering: Hamby Catering / DJ: DJ Ron
Brittani {Venue Selection)
Brittani is friend of A Lowcountry Wedding and we're so excited to have her gues! Today, she's filling us in on how she selected her perfect Lowcountry Wedding Venue. Sidenote: Brittani is also an extremely talented photographer. Currently, she is giving away free wedding photography. So, for all you newly engaged brides, check out Britt Croft Photography for all the exciting details!
Hey ALW! It’s so good to be back and I’m excited to use this second post in my guest blogging series to talk a lot more about Dustin and I’s actual wedding. In case you missed the first post about us and our story, you can find it here.
After we got engaged and I moved south, my mom came to visit and I knew it would be the perfect time to start the venue search. To me, the venue and the photographer were two of the most important parts of the wedding (besides saying “I Do” to the man of my dreams of course!).
In the months between our engagement (March) and when my mom came to visit (August), I’d been scouring wedding blogs and using Pinterest to put together lots of inspiration boards that gave a good feel for the colors, vibe, and “look” we wanted, and how we could use décor to really make our Charleston wedding feel like us. I knew it was really important to have a general theme decided on, and based off of who we are and what we like to do together we knew a “rustic lowcountry” wedding would suit us perfectly.
It was important to nail down a way to describe our wedding before looking at venues because it’s key to make sure that the venue you choose will accommodate that style. For us, a church wedding and ballroom reception just wouldn’t fit. People would show up and say, “I thought we were coming to Dustin and Britt’s wedding?!” because that’s how not “us” that would be. When it really came down to what we couldn’t live without, this was our list: to get married outside, to have a semi-outdoors reception, to have the ceremony and reception at the same location, preferably to marry in the fall, and to have a lot of coastal and rustic South Carolina charm naturally at the venue location.
After tons of research, two days of my mom and I driving around the lowcountry, and a Twitpic of each stop, the top venues were: Boone Hall Cotton Dock in Charleston, The Pavilion at Pepper Plantation in Charleston, and Honey Horn Plantation on Hilton Head Island. Before long Dustin and I had narrowed it down to Honey Horn and Pepper Plantation and I just knew we couldn’t go wrong either way. They are both such amazing locations that offered exactly what we wanted, but on a whim I decided to take Dustin and his mom to see the Pavilion at Pepper Plantation because I just had a feeling he would love how masculine and rustic the Pavilion is. To see how excited he was about it – that was it! He’d had the “you handle it honey, I’ll love whatever you love” approach to the wedding so far, so to see how much he loved this location, I knew that was the one. We are so excited about how PERFECT this location is for us! We’ll get married on the back side of the pavilion by the small lake, and our reception will be in the Pavilion, but guests will easily be able to spend tons of time outside on the lawn, in the gazebo on the lake, on the amazing deep lowcountry porches, or in front of one of the giant rustic fireplaces! It’s going to be beautiful!
When it was time to nail down a date, the Pavilion was already mostly booked up for fall 2012, but we had about three openings to choose from – one in late August, one in September, and one in November. When choosing a date, there’s many other important factors to consider, such as what is going on in town that time of the year, what will the weather be like (especially important for us getting married outside!), and if other vendors that you really want will be available for that date. The weather was a big concern for us, but after doing checking out trusty Weather.com, we saw that the average temperature in Charleston in September is 82 degrees…which is perfect! Of course I still fear it will be scorching hot or raining that day, but that’s what tents are for and there’s really only but so much we can control – so it will be what it will be!
Along with the weather, another concern was the photographer – obviously since photography is what I do, this was one of the most important, if not the most important decision for us, and a great photographer will often book more than a year out! We were pretty sure which date we wanted at Pepper Plantation, but…you’ll have to wait until my next post to find out which date it is and what photographer sealed the deal for us!