Earthy Elegance

Spring 2013

WRITER CREDIT:

PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT:

Earthy Elegance | Margaret Winnicki & Jeffrey Stark, April 21, 2012, Legare Waring House

Charleston Wedding Legare Waring House Folly Beach Weddings Daniel Island White Yoj Events fabulous frocks WildFlour Pastry

Earthy Elegance

SIP AND SEE: Upon guests’ arrival to the ceremony site, servers presented glasses of Champagne enlivened with St. Germaine elderflower liqueur and blueberries.

BIG IMPACT: To mimic the florals in a masculine way, the boutonnieres featured either blue muscari or scabiosa pods, along with Dusty Miller to soften the bundle’s flow onto the jacket, all wrapped in brown satin ribbon and gray and white Divine Twine.

HANGING AROUND: In the spirit of allowing the setting to stand at the forefront, Margaret and florist Whitney Randall limited the ceremony flowers to a handful of tastefully filled vases tied to aisle-side chairs.

NOTEWORTHY: The Classical Charleston string trio rearranged modern selections such as Coldplay’s “Yellow” and Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” for the ceremony and cocktail hour. Margaret walked down the aisle to “Forever” by Ben Harper, and the recessional heralded The Beatles’ “In My Life.”

AGENT ORANGE: Branch Design Studio mingled chocolate cymbidium orchids with driftwood and moss for a woodsy effect.

STICK TO IT: Preceding the family-style dinner, Café Catering passed around hors d’oeuvres, including these rum-glazed shrimp on sugar cane skewers.

KNOW YOUR PLACE: Each pinned to a single sprig of blue muscari, place cards bearing the wedding’s signature watermark design dangled from a Spanish moss-covered board.

NATURAL BEAUTY: The dramatic allée at Legare Waring wooed Margaret and Jeffrey, who chose to seat guests deep into the oak-lined avenue for their ceremony in order to create a feeling of intimacy and seclusion.

NUMBERS GAME: In order to bring a bit of themselves into the event, Margaret and Jeffrey chose to number their tables with intriguing personal stats, such as 23 (the day they met), 6 (their shared December birthday), and 79 (the number of guests that travelled over 500 miles to be at the wedding). They even infused a bit of humor into the sums, seating their wildest friends at table 14 (the number of months they “lived in sin”).

SHADE LOVING: Yoj Events' Candice Hilse took care not to be overly matchy, especially with the blue table linens. "Color feels richer in a varying tonal palette," she says.

SERVED WITH CARE: Childhood friend of the bride and graphic designer Stefanie Wardrep created thank-you letters from the bride and groom to greet guests at their tables.

POWER OF THE FLOWER: While the bride carried primarily white blooms, the bridesmaids’ bouquets burst forth with peonies, hydrangeas, sweet peas, and blue muscari.

GENERATION NEXT: Custom throw pillows carried the color scheme into the lounge where photographs of long-married family members hung as screens.

FLORAL NOTES: Crisp white flowers tucked into silver vessels dressed up the setting.

ARRESTING DEVELOPMENT: Chocolate cymbidium orchids and scabiosa pods added subtle warmth to arrangements of peonies, blue muscari, sweet peas, Dusty Miller, silver brunia, ranunculus.

FEELING BLUE: For cocktail hour, Yoj Events designer Candice Hilse topped highboy tables with smoky blue linens and dressed them with carefully edited blooms in bud vases and mercury glass cylinders. “Pillar candles provided the perfect romantic light for sunset,” she says.

BRANCHING OUT: Guests signed pieces of an oak tree puzzle.

BALANCING ACT: “He wanted logistics; she wanted beauty,” explains planner Candice Hilse. “Margaret and Jeffrey are their own little right brain/left brain.” But the couple did agree on one thing. “We really wanted to show off the city we’ve come to call home,” he says.

SIDLE UP: As the sun dipped low, candlelight glowed throughout the venue, from the bar to the nearby fountain.

ALL AGLOW: A newly constructed patio in front of Legare Waring House installed one month prior to the wedding necessitated a change in the event’s initial layout. In the end, the party flowed from the oak avenue to cocktail hour on the new patio, which the planner outfitted with highboy tables and white café umbrellas.

LIGHT BRIGHT: Bare Edison bulbs and swathes of fabric gently draped down from the center of the tent, which boasted a lush canopy layered with moss, branches, and orchids.

TREAT TOWER: The hosts opted for a cascading tray of individual desserts—Mexican chocolate mousse, Margaret’s favorite homemade Oreo cookies, strawberry cream cups, and blueberry crumb cake—created by WildFlour Pastry chef Lauren Mitterer. “We wanted our friends and family to be dancing, drinking, and visiting, not standing around to watch us cut a cake,” says the bride.

DANCE WITH ME: So guests could feel involved with the party, the design team situated the dance floor in the middle of the tent, “where everyone could watch or participate,” says Margaret, who found the idea for the crowning floral installation on Pinterest.

February 2013

Real-Life Weddings

Receptions

Photographs by:

Juliet Elizabeth

When Margaret Winnicki and Jeffrey Stark met at Folly Beach’s Surf Bar, the Lowcountry transplants made a date for the following weekend. Eighteen months later (after Jeffrey had dropped to one knee), the couple reached out to Candice Hilse of Yoj Events to deliver an elegant alfresco fête showcasing Charleston’s natural charms. With the bride’s input, Candice selected a steel blue, gray, and copper palette that played into the organic feel of the Legare Waring House’s oak-lined grounds, as did florals of Spanish moss, branches, and orchids. “The understated décor allowed the house and grounds to stand out,” says Margaret, “and let our guests understand why we fell in love with Charleston.”

Vendor List

Baker: WildFlour Pastry; www.wildflourcharleston.com
Bridal attire: Allure, White on Daniel Island; www.whiteondi.com
Bridesmaid’s attire: Thread, Fabulous Frocks; www.fabulousfrocks.com
Caterer: Café Catering; www.charlestonscafe.com
Ceremony and reception location: Legare Waring House; www.legarewaringhouse.com
Designer: Candice Hilse, Yoj Events; www.yojevents.com
Florist: Branch Design Studio; www.branchdesignstudio.com
Groom’s attire: Canali, Berlin’s for Men; www.berlinsclothing.com
Groomsmen’s attire: Joseph Abboud, Men’s Wearhouse; www.menswearhouse.com
Music: DJ Bryan Mahanes, Other Brother Entertainment; string trio, Classical Charleston; www.otherbrotherentertainment.com, www.classicalcharleston.com
Photographer: Juliet Jones Photography; www.julietelizabeth.com
Stationery: Stefanie Wardrep, stefanie.lister@gmail.com
Transportation: Absolutely Charleston; www.absolutelycharleston.com

The Wedding Row

April 29 2019

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...

April 26 2019

Kaitlin & Allan | The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island

The latest Charleston Weddings magazine features the journey of Kaitlin and her hubby Allan, who defied the odds and overcame a traumatic brain injury to join his bride at the altar on their Big Day...

April 25 2019

Morgan & Chase | Hibernian Hall

When Morgan and her family attended Folly Gras 2015 (a Mardi Gras celebration held annually on Folly Beach), she had no inclination she’d meet her future husband. But when she caught up with her best...

April 24 2019

Vendor Spotlight | Mercantile & Mash

Few things get us through a hump day better than fantasizing about fantastic food and lip-smacking libations. So we thought it was a good time to reach out to Graham Ervin, director of sales at The...

April 23 2019

Hannah & Jonathan | Oldfield

We profiled Hannah and Jonathan’s super lovely wedding in the spring issue of Charleston Weddings, but we weren’t able to include all they had to say, and we had a ton of bonus images to share with...

April 22 2019

Tabletop Styled Shoot | Merchants Hall

Samantha Anderson Events teamed up with Lyndi and Jason Photography to turn a no-fun subject—your wedding budget—on its head. The trick? Samantha dressed three tables at three different price points...

April 19 2019

Blake & Charles | The Gadsden House

Blake, a wedding planner for Pure Luxe Bride, recently had the chance to plan her own Big Day. She and now-husband Charles met in an accounting class at College of Charleston, and a few years later...

April 18 2019

Elizabeth & James | Engagement Session

Here’s a rare wedding bird these days: A Charleston-raised couple prepping to say “I do” here in their own backyard. As Elizabeth and James keep on with the planning, here’s a little about the...

Feature

Pretty Petals

Engaging Events gives us a glimpse of spring with a host of sweet bouquets

Feature

The Power of Flowers

Megan McNally & Michael Spillars; October 18, 2008, Charleston’s French Huguenot Church & the Francis Marion Hotel

Feature

Name Your Pleasure

A host of trends hit the Charleston Weddings Spring Bridal Show catwalk

Feature

All Fore Love

These Kiawah Island nuptials exuded neutral elegance and coastal charm

Feature

Home-Grown Beauty

Get silky soft for your Big Day with these locally made products

Feature

Weekend Itinerary

Charleston is one of the country’s top-tier cities for so-called destination weddings, and any couple getting married here should expect far-flung guests to RSVP an enthusiastic “Yes” to their celebration, especially when this old-school boarding pass, designed by Studio R, debuts your wedding details in high flying style.

Feature

Affairs to Remember - Woodland Fairy Tale

Imagine yourself in a woodland feast reception under the oaks

Feature

Love Naturally

A free-spirited duo marries in a setting that is equal parts earthy and elegant

Feature

On the Surface

Lace, beading, embroidery, and more give texture (and depth) to monochromatic gowns

Feature

True Romance

Feature

Butterfly Garden

Jennifer Koshorek & James Rader, June 12, 2009, Alhambra Hall

Feature

A Formal Affair

<p> A North Carolina couple enjoys an elegant celebration steeped in tradition</p>

Feature

Right on Time

Split-second decisions, a little luck, and lot of focus helped one local couple pull off a dream wedding in a scant three months

Feature

Backyard Beauty

Join us for a garden wedding at one of Charleston’s most storied addresses and get tips for hosting your own haute affair

Feature

Edited to Perfection

What does a Pure Luxe Bride planner do when it's her turn at the altar?

Feature

A Hoppin’ Good Time

A furry friend inspires a celebration of eccentricity and elegance

Feature

Flower Power

Abundant floral and rattan accents turned Daniel Island Club into a resplendent garden party

Feature

Dove Tale

A James Island family brings love birds to your Big Day

Feature

Take a Bow

K. Cooper Ray is on a mission to return menfolk to manners, one bow tie at a time. Find out how the local tastemaker teamed with Brooks Brothers to reinvent a wedding wear classic