Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met for the time in Jackson Hole, Wyoming! Harrison was out for the summer living the ski bum life. I thought he was so cute when we met through friends, and I was hoping to run into the whole time. I didn’t see him again until the last night out there and apparently he got my number. Funny enough, when we recount this story I swear I don’t remember that part! And he doesn't remember the first meeting! We didn’t see each other for 5 or 6 years until we both moved to Charleston, SC at the same time. As fate would have it, we ran into each other at a mutual friend's wedding and were pretty much inseparable after that! The day he proposed, he had me doing yard work all day - so unglamorous. I was so tired when he suggested we go take a sunset walk on the beach. When I claimed I was too tired, he begged me, saying we had to return equipment to Lowes, and he also bribed me with a hot dog from my favorite spot. “Ok sure, I’ll go for the hot dog,” He sneakily started driving to the beach, and I begrudgingly went along for the ride. Of course I was totally surprised when he popped the question on our walk! He then surprised me with dinner at Leon’s- a Charleston favorite-where both of our families were waiting! The Ring: I love my antique estate engagement ring and actually admired it years ago when shopping for fun in my hometown, Augusta, GA at Crown Jewelers . When Harrison went to talk to my parents about his intention to propose, they said yes and we know where you can find a ring! I was so surprised and thrilled when he presented it.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We always wanted to get married in Catholic Church, and we couldn’t go to Italy in 2020, so we decided to get married in a private family-only ceremony at the church where we had been taking marriage classes. It was so delightful to just wake up and roll over to the church during the daytime! After the ceremony, we headed to Le Farfalle, a beloved Italian restaurant that is walking distance from church. It all came together really easily! We ended up loving our ceremony and reception location and seeing the silver lining of the forced small guest list. What was originally my dream wedding- a small intimate dinner party- happened naturally due to these surprise circumstances.
How many guests did you have?
We had 18 guests plus our photographer Anne Rhett.
Tell us about your outfits.
My dress was a bit of a DIY creation inspired by quick courthouse elopements. It was fun, and the hemline felt spur-of-the-moment. It started as a white shirt from COS, and I had an extra panel added to the bottom to make it a mini dress. My go-to when getting dressed is startched white collared shirt, so when I saw that one I was determined to make it work as dress. Voila! I carried a simple-lily-of-the-valley bouquet from Charleston Street. Harry got a new suit made down the street from the church at Grady Ervin, and we got him some Gucci loafers as fancy little nod to Italy.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
A sit down dinner! wanted it to feel intimate. I love dinner parties and wanted our guests to sit down and really talk to the people next to them. It was great! Le Farfalle opened early so we could have the whole bar to ourselves, and we drank Aperol spritzes (of course) in a toast to Italy. We had name cards and party crackers-my favorite tradition borrowed from Christmas Eve with my family. We had oysters and aperol spritzes, free flowing champagne red wine, pasta and Olive Oil cake for dessert.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
My mom and grandmother owned an antique store in Augusta when I was growing up, so we share an affinity for old treasures and finds. My mom loved these Italian paper mache shells that she used to carry in her store, and she managed to locate 20 of them for our palace settings. I loved that while the shells were Italian they harkened back to the beach where we got engaged. In the Italian tradition, we also had Jordan Almonds as party favors. Five almonds signify five wishes for the couple: health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity. The pandemic forced/allowed our guest list to be extra intimate, so it naturally worked out.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during Covid?
Go with the flow because a lot is out of your control, and the most important part is just being with your family and your significant other and keeping the focus on what you are there for - the marriage the celebration of love!
Photographer : Anne Rhett Photography @annerhettphotography | Ceremony Location : St. Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church | Reception Location : Le Farfalle @lefarfallechs | Flora + Stationery : Charleston Street @charlestonstreet | HMUA : Cameron McCormick @muahbycam | Linens : Coleur Nature @couleurnature | Bride's Dress : Custom, COS @cosstores | Groom's Suit : Grady Ervin @gradyervin | Groom's Shoes : Gucci @gucci | Bride's Ring : Estate Ring from Crown Jewelers Augusta | Groom's Ring : Croghans @croghans | Bride's Shoes : Alexandre Birman @alexandrebirman from Hampden Clothing @hampdenclothing + Golden Goose @goldengoose | Earrings : Chan Luu @chanluu | Bracelet : Family heirloom
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