Good Tidings

Fall/Winter 2016

WRITER CREDIT:

PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT:

Good Tidings | Let the holidays fill your winter wedding with a cozy, festive look

Charleston Wedding Croghan’s Jewel Box wedding Snyder Event Rentals Bella Bridesmaid Big Day Hibernian Hall White calligraphy wine Cypress gown maddison row joanna august Monique Lhuillier Shoes

Opt for hardy, everlasting evergreens—like these pine and magnolia leaves—which stay crisp out of water. (Image by Ashley Seawell Photography)

(Image by Ashley Seawell Photography)

Photographs by:

Ashley Seawell

Amy Leatherman & Merritt Smith

December 12, 2015

Bethel United Methodist Church & Hibernian Hall

“Truthfully, Merritt and I chose December for our wedding because football season would be over, and we wanted as many attendees as possible,” laughs Amy. The added bonus of a holiday-season affair like theirs? “It allows you to utilize the seasonal décor that’s already in your venue,” says planner Heather Barrie of Gathering Floral + Event Design. Indeed, Hibernian Hall came with a 20-foot tree adorned in gold and silver ornaments, while the couple’s church (which Lowcountry native Merritt has attended since birth) ordered white poinsettias instead of their usual red to fulfill Amy’s “White Christmas” vision. Come December 12, it was good-bye, Big Game and hello, Big Day for wedding-goers, who sipped champagne in a winter wonderland complete with soft candlelight, ivory blooms, and cedar, magnolia, and pine scenting the air. Touchdown.

Words from the Wise

• Think local. The bride wished to incorporate seasonal, indigenous greens into wedding décor, so Gathering relied on magnolia, pine, cedar, and cypress for a Lowcountry look.

• Use lighting as décor. Tiny white lights twinkled romantically around Hibernian’s entrance and spotlights at the base of the columns made a majestic sight after sundown.

• Temper holiday colors. Red was limited to the edible strawberry “tree,” while blush, silver, gold, and white accents were peppered throughout.

Vendor List

Wedding design, planning, florals, linens: Gathering Floral + Event Design, www.GatheringEvents.com

Photography: Ashley Seawell Photography, www.AshleySeawellPhotography.com

Venues: Bethel United Methodist Church, www.BethelCharleston.com (ceremony); Hibernian Hall, www.Millshouse.com (reception)

Catering, bar and wine service: Aberdeen Catery, www.AberdeenCatery.com

Cake: Jim Smeal, www.WeddingCakesbyJimSmeal.com

Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals, www.SnyderEvents.com

Stationery: Danielle Nance, DanielleBNance@gmail.com

Calligraphy: Ashley Sellars, AshleySellars@gmail.com

Bride’s attire: Monique Lhuillier, available in Charleston at Maddison Row, www.MaddisonRow.com (gown); Croghan’s Jewel Box, www.CroghansJewelBox.com (jewelry); Jimmy Choo, www.JimmyChoo.com (shoes)

Bridesmaids’ attire: Joanna August, available in Charleston at Bella Bridesmaid, www.BellaBridesmaids.com

Beauty: Canvas Salon, www.CanvasHair.com

Flower girls: Southern Belles, www.SouthernBellesChildren.com

Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse, www.MensWearhouse.com

Transportation: Absolutely Charleston, www.AbsolutelyCharleston.com

Music: Greg Jones, www.Bethelcharleston.com/Staff (ceremony); Loose Chain, www.EastCoastEntertainment.com (reception)

Videographer: KLC Productions, www.KLCWeddingVideos.com

The Wedding Row

January 29 2019

Mason & Alex | Boone Hall Plantation

What do you get when you mix a love for the outdoors with the inherent girly-girl style that comes when you run a hair and makeup company? Mason and Alex’s well-rounded wedding, of course! Bride...

January 28 2019

Chanel & Alex | Engagement Session

Chanel and Alex’s courtship reads like a rom-com, so buckle in for the ride. The two (he’s from Boston and she’s from Atlanta) met during their sophomore year at College of Charleston when Alex...

January 25 2019

Styled Shoot | Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

We love it when neighbors from “Off” come to Charleston with a fresh look at some of our favorite old stomping grounds to give brides ideas anew. That’s what we’re showcasing today, thanks to...

January 24 2019

Mindy & Matthew | Lowndes Grove Plantation

New Yorkers Mindy and Matt picked Charleston for a destination weekend a scant few months ago (his biz partner is based here, so they’d fallen for the city some time before). In proper Big City style...

January 23 2019

Meghan & Beau | Private Downtown Club

There are wedding hashtags, then there are neon signs for wedding hashtags! Meet Meghan and Beau, who are not only aces at hashtags but also so bold as to commission a neon sign reading #...

January 22 2019

Mary & Reid | Fenwick Hall

Ever wonder how a super fancy blockbuster wedding gets pieced together while still coming off as personal? We took a look at Mary and Reid’s fantastic Fenwick Hall wedding, planned exquisitely by...

January 21 2019

Devin & Scott | Lowndes Grove Plantation

So does all the heart candy in stores have anyone else out there seeing red–in the good way? Us, too. Thus we bring you Devin and Scott’s enchanting wedding at Lowndes Grove Plantation...

January 18 2019

Caitlin & Michael | The William Aiken House

Can we just say we love how Caitlin and Michael operate? The pair, who live outside Indianapolis, Indiana, wed on a Sunday last summer with a handful of family and little ones in tow at The William...

Feature

Classic Romance

Looking for an old-fashioned Southern wedding done right? Look at this beauty that took place at a Charleston plantation by the water

Feature

A Splash of Orange

Kendall Casey & James Mayo; September 12, 2009, Boone Hall Plantation

Feature

Commission Couture

Hire a Charleston jewelry designer to make necklaces, earrings, and more for your bridesmaids

Feature

Earthy Elegance

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

Feature

Understated Glamour

Patterned fabrics and stunning wallpaper make this Lowndes Grove wedding akin to the poshest Charleston home

Feature

Meant to Be

Hibernian Hall plays host to this Lowcountry classic wedding

Feature

Ancient Greece Meets Charleston

A styled shoot takes its inspiration from a locally designed sandal

Feature

Taken by Surprise

Christine Nott & Eric Jablon; April 14, 2007, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim & The William Aiken House

Feature

Skip the Clichés

Fresh fall and winter inspiration for cool-weather brides

Feature

Sew Stylish

Celeste Rose & Joshua Pratt; December 21, 2008, The William Aiken House

Feature

Back to the Future

A College of Charleston grad returns to her old stomping grounds to wed her dream fellow at her dream location amid a sea of color

Feature

Charleston Weddings TV

Feature

School Crush

Teenage sweethearts seal the deal with a church wedding in downtown Charleston and a plantation-set reception by the water

Feature

Party People

When a preppy pair unites, their revelry rocks Meeting Street in sweet, Southern style

Feature

Pure & Simple

A Beverly Hills couple ties the knot with a simple and chic, modern-meets-rustic affair at Runnymede Plantation

Feature

Call it Kismet

The stars aligned for one couple’s perfect wedding day

Feature

Signs of the Times

Sara Lofton and Gregg Pavone, owners of Charleston-based Limelight Custom Sign Co., channel their talents into their Big Day at Boone Hall's Cotton Dock