Annie Stoppelbein relocated from Charleston to Nashville on a whim, and ended up just down the road from Garrett Vangilder. Turns out, it was one of the best moves she’s ever made. “Our relationship blossomed due to the close proximity,” says Annie. “Our friends became friends and everything felt right.” Two years later, Garrett proposed, and the couple, who by then had moved back to the Holy City, aimed nearby for their fantasy wedding location—the Gibbes Museum of Art. With her favorite color, red, on the mind and a winter wedding on the books, the bride handed the rest over to Gregory Blake Sams Events. “We trusted them,” says Annie simply. Days before their nuptials, however, tragedy hit when the bride’s father unexpectedly passed away. “I knew he would have wanted me to go through with the wedding,” says Annie. “It ended up being a blessing that everyone in my life that I love was in the same spot in this moment of extreme grief and also extreme joy.”
Top Tips From This Wedding
• Eat like you do. Being a vegan herself, Annie wanted guests to enjoy a luxe plant-based menu. “We actually saved a good bit by not offering animal products at our wedding,” she says.
• Don’t shy from a patriotic palette. Red, white, and blue in the right designer’s hands can be sophisticated and impart nary a hint of Fourth of July. Mix bold (single-hue arrangements) and subtle touches (red-edged menus and watercolored napkins), and toss in neutrals (like these tablecloths, rattan light fixtures, and sleek chairs).
• Keep family close. The bride danced to her dearly departed father’s favorite band, The Beatles, while in her brother’s arms.
Jessica and Jay met online and dated long distance (she was here in Charleston, he was in Connecticut) before she made the move up North. The two came back to visit the Holy City often, though, and...
Food plays a part in every aspect of this Atlanta, Georgia, couple’s relationship, from the first time they met to their Big Day at The Gibbes Museum of Art. It’s fitting, Alex says, as he owns that...
We’ve all seen photos of Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s Jodhpur, India, nuptials by now, thanks to how social media was lit up with the bright colors and ornate designs of their festivities. But...
When the bride owns a wedding and event planning company, you know her Big Day will be something remarkable. Such was the case for Liz, owner of Elegant Aura in Boston, Massachusetts. After her...
Usually no one gets a word out of a barkeep regarding his or her personal life, so today’s an extra special treat considering the groom du jour is Jayce, longtime bartender and bar manager at Edmund’...
Jackie and Conor both went to College of Charleston, but they didn’t meet until the New Year’s Eve after graduation. That’s when both were secretly set up by mutual friends (and Jackie’s sister) at...
Magic brought Mary Jane and Alex together. No, really, it did—they met while working at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, part of Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Five years later, while on...
Here’s how the writer-bride talks about meeting her now-hubs on their wedding site: “Liz and Chris lived in the same apartment complex. The ‘boys upstairs’—as they were lovingly known by the girls in...
