For his 30th birthday, New Jersey-born Matt Quinn scored the ultimate gift: His future wife. It happened when Kaminer, an Aiken, South Carolina, native who had relocated to Charleston, met up with a mutual friend of hers and Matt’s and headed to his surprise party. A College of Charleston grad, Matt had also settled in the Holy City, and that night he and Kaminer hit it off. Soon after, the pair went on their first date to a friend’s wedding and, as fate would have it, four years later they chose to host their own Big Day at the same spot—the William Aiken House. “The house has significant meaning to my family,” Kaminer explains. “William Aiken was my maternal great uncle.” And although the house is no longer in the family (it’s owned by Patrick Properties), the downtown landmark proved to be their perfect venue. Kaminer paired with Kristin Newman Designs and Heather Barrie of gathering: floral + event design to ensure the night’s festivities went off seamlessly on every front. “Matt and I appreciate a contemporary, modern style,” says Kaminer, a local silversmith who teaches at the Art Institute, “and I love Art Deco, so the visuals centered around those themes.” With an atypical color scheme of charcoal gray, deep orange, and pale blue, and many details of the day created by the bride herself—the wedding bands, groomsmen’s cuff links, bridesmaids’ earrings, and cake stands—the overall look was as personal as it was distinctive. Ultimately the day began with a ceremony at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church, where a bagpiper and drummer played in honor of Matt’s Irish heritage. “They were incredibly dramatic,” says Kaminer, “and their unexpected entrance certainly set the tone for the rest of the evening—fun, sophisticated, and formal.”
