Clara Easterlin & Thomas Grey Reames
April 27, 2024 • The River Course at Kiawah Island Club
Like so many couples, Clara Easterlin and Grey Reames met in college, as freshmen at Washington and Lee University, but their romance didn’t officially begin until senior year. After bouncing around the East Coast to build careers, the couple got engaged during a visit to her family’s Hilton Head beach house. As they began envisioning their big day—a polished affair celebrating the Lowcountry scenery and spring season—both agreed Kiawah Island, where her parents were building a new vacation home, would be an ideal spot to say, “I do.”
“I like a traditional wedding,” says Clara, so everything from the five-tiered floral cake to the hand-drawn botanical invitations reflected her affinity for classic Southern style. She asked planner Lauren Fox to lean into Kiawah Island Club’s gorgeous setting and create a sense of flow without too much production. “It’s one reason we held the ceremony and reception in the same place,” explains the bride.
For their nuptials, the couple “brought the church to the marsh” with a seven-and-a-half-foot wooden cross accented by pastel blooms and Clara’s family pastor from Atlanta to officiate. The bride’s gown incorporated a chapel train, dropped waist, and delicate floral embroidery. And for her “something borrowed, something blue,” she donned heirloom accessories, including her grandmother’s custom wedding band and a pearl bracelet with a diamond and sapphire clasp that her father had gifted her mother on their fifth anniversary. Grey, too, looked dapper in a white dinner jacket, patent leather loafers, and Brackish feather bow tie.
The elegant reception began with a cocktail hour featuring fresh oysters and a rousing gospel choir. Inside the dining room, cascading floral arrangements, candles aglow in glass pillars, and a jazz quartet welcomed guests to a seated dinner. In every corner, explosions of peonies, roses, foxgloves, tulips, hyacinths, and greenery seemed to spring from the ground and walls. And under a softly draped reception tent, a live band invited guests to revel against the picturesque backdrop of the Lowcountry marsh.
“Everything felt cohesive, though it took a long time to get there,” recalls Clara, who admits to being indecisive at times. “The one thing I never second-guessed was who I was marrying. That was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.”
Vendors
Planning & Design: Fox Events
Photography: Virgil Bunao
Florals: Blossom Bay
Catering & Bar: Kiawah Island Club
Oyster Catering: Oysters XO
Cake: Vanilla & the Bean
Rentals: Snyder Events, Loluma, CHEERS, Curated Events Charleston
Dance Floor: Charleston Wraps
Draping: Loluma, Becky Buffum Co.
Lighting & Sound: Technical Event Company
Linens: Nuage Designs, BBJ La Tavola, I Do Linens
Stationery & Signage: Happy Menocal Studio
Calligraphy: J. Lily Design
Entertainment: Charleston Virtuosi (ceremony, dinner), Az IzZ (reception)
Bridal Attire: BW Designs Inc.
Beauty: Patrick Navarro (hair), Cheryl Quinn (makeup), Jenny Pancoast Styling (stylist)
Groom’s Attire: Gucci (shoes), Brackish (tie)
Day-of Coordinator: Cacky’s Bride Aid
