Bachelorette Session | Isle of Palms



If you’ve ever walked down King Street on a Saturday evening, you know Charleston’s the “It City” for bachelorette parties. So when North Carolina native and bride-to-be Cristen decided to hold her own bachelorette party here, she wanted to make sure it was a standout event, and one that was well-documented. To do both, she enlisted photographer Charlie Martin to capture the weekend, an idea he loves. “Too often,” Charlie says, “brides are super focused on the wedding day and not all the days leading up to it. Every single day, event, and moment leading up to the biggest day of your life is worth being professionally captured for you to look back on and smile.” Cristen’s bachelorettes created the hashtag #VaughnVoyage for the festivities (Cristen’s last name is Vaughn, and the weekend was a chance to say “bon voyage” to her maiden name), and they decorated their Isle of Palms rental with palm leaves, pineapples, and rose gold accents to fit the theme. Read on for their weekend itinerary and score ideas for your own bridal bash.

Friday

Guests arrived at the beach house to find canvas welcome bags filled with personalized notes, bracelets, tattoos, candies, and, of course, some Advil. They mingled, munched on tacos, and sipped Mexican beer as travelers trickled in.

Saturday

The morning began with breakfast and a mimosa bar, followed by a quick change into matching monogrammed shirts before a DIY flower crown workshop. (This is when Charlie showed up to capture the midday fun.) The ladies (and gentleman) then changed for a night on the town, starting with a trip to the Historic Downtown Market, cocktails at The Cocktail Club’s rooftop bar, and then dinner at Stars.

Sunday

While many bachelorette weekends kick off with a lingerie shower, these gals (and guy) held Cristen’s on Sunday morning and dubbed it “Bagels & Bras.” Consider a similar idea for a low-key ending to your celebratory weekend.

Images by Charlie Martin Photography

The Wedding Row

January 23 2020
Both our bride and groom grew up along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, but in cities over 700 miles apart—Anna in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and Jeff on Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. When...

January 22 2020
Their story plays out like a romantic movie. We will title scene one “Young Love.” 10-year-old Abby holds hands with her cousin’s friend, 10-year-old Greg, on the couch. Scene Two “Grown Up.” After a...

January 21 2020
Sometimes Cupid himself works his magic, and sometimes puppies have to step in and act in his stead. Without the canine dynamic duo of Stella and Bella and there matchmaking at the dog park, their...

January 20 2020
Not even rain could ruin this love parade! Despite Morgan’s type-A planning precision in creating a classic, timeless affair, Charleston decided to celebrate this bride and groom with … a blustery...

January 17 2020
Thank goodness it’s Friday. Can we get an amen? We aren’t sure about you guys but this week has seemed extra long and we are so happy that it is coming to a close and that the weekend is...

January 15 2020
Kyle and Kate attended the same college (and both hail from the Windy City) but it was the Holy City that stole their hearts as quickly as they stole one anothers. The pair, who met postgrad while...

January 13 2020
Anyone else out there a superfan of the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Such a cute rom-com, right? Well, Kelly & Elias’ wedding at Runnymede Plantation was kinda, sorta the same (groom Elias is...

January 9 2020
One of the nicest comments one can ever receive may be, “You have a beautiful smile.” Welp, for Karen and Andrew, we reckon they can say that to each other on the daily. Why? These two met in dental...