Robert Edgar Wilder, III & Margaret Alison Courtney
June 18, 2016 • Lowndes Grove Plantation
We all love a good fairy tale, and Lowcountry natives Alison “Ali” Courtney and Robert Wilder are the real deal. When they met in passing at a University of South Carolina football game, she says he was the best looking man she had ever laid eyes on. And Robert? He drifted to sleep that night still thinking of “that girl in the red dress” (Ali, of course). “We both thought we would never cross paths again,” Ali says. But their story didn’t end there, thanks to good old-fashioned dental hygiene. What? Yep, it turns out they shared a dentist (luckily one who has a penchant for matchmaking), and he had planned to set them up all along. It worked, and the couple dated for a few years before the next chapter of their romance was written.
Ali, a model, was headed for what she thought was a gig with Gwynn’s of Mount Pleasant at Lowndes Grove Plantation. She got into character and started posing. “A few minutes in, I was startled by a familiar voice,” Ali says. “It was my Prince Charming! As Robert went down on one knee, I couldn’t control the flood rushing down my cheeks.” Apparently he staged the entire shoot to catch her unawares, to make sure everything was caught on camera, and to guarantee she had a grand story to tell.
After Ali’s “Yes,” the couple decided to get hitched at that very same plantation. As the owner of Ali Wilder Interiors, the bride was eager to dress up her magical venue. “I just kept revisiting the site and envisioning new ideas,” she says. With the help of close friend and planner Lauren Fox of Fox Events, they outlined the basics: lighting (crystal chandeliers and gold candelabras), florals (greenery and all-white blooms), and linens (a mix of emerald and black). With the nuts and bolts out of the way, Ali let her imagination run wild with creative ideas that were both pretty and practical.
For instance, the tent’s 15-foot birch tree centerpiece doubled as seating when they encircled it with a wraparound bench. An abstract gold-and-silver painting served as both décor and guestbook (and now hangs in the couple’s Mount Pleasant home). Perhaps the most miraculous element of the evening, though? The five-tier hanging cake, which was suspended from an oak tree and accessed via a small stage edged in boxwood. Thanks to the elevation, the cake cutting and sunset champagne toast were easily seen by all 325 guests.
As Ali and Robert start their latest chapter, this one as newlyweds, she only has minimal advice for fellow brides. “Hug your parents, let your planner do her job, and definitely break in your wedding shoes.” Words to wed by.
Vendors
Wedding design, florals, lounge rentals, signage: Fox Events, www.afoxevent.com
The sparks flew for Cole and Nick one fateful night at a mutual friend’s New Year’s Eve party. Truth be told, both admit to not wanting to attend the festivities, but the two tell us that when they...
Two weeks before Mike graduated from Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, he met fellow student Taylor, who was wrapping up her freshman year. After six years of dating, the two had a thriving...
So we’re back to the offices after having evacuated Charleston due to Hurricane Florence. While we’re thankful that the Lowcountry was spared devastation, it’s obviously bittersweet relief given so...
From a flying groom (you’ll see) to a floral installation of 875 tulips (yep, we’re totally serious), our Instagram page was certainly filled with excitement during the month of August. As a little...
Hot times calls for haute trends. From custom newlywed crests to one cutie of a bar-on-wheels, here are our top five takeaways from the current issue of Charleston Weddings magazine. Click here to...
The Wedding Row: Tell us about the beginning of you as an item.
Emily: In 2014 I was home from grad school and I went to the gym. That’s where I met Justin–a new guy who had just moved from...
A last-minute opening at Carlos Hernandez’s autumn photography workshop at Lowndes Grove Plantation led to today’s minimalist and moody post shot by Rachel Craig. Her big takeaway from the styling,...
Lindsay and Andrew, who both grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, first met at the Charleston Animal Society’s Firefighter Calendar Debut party and auction. Yep, you read that right. A PG-version of a “Magic...
