Kismet Connection

Spring 2018

WRITER CREDIT:

PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT:

Kismet Connection | A pair of meant-to-be Auburn Tigers swap “I do’s” surrounded by crisp sea breezes and an even cooler color palette

Charleston Wedding ToAst of the Coast JoS. A. Bank Auburn wedding winnie couture Bella Bridesmaid Big Day chapel Blueprint Brandon Cox calligraphy Carla Toro Nüage Design EventHaus joanna august palmetto bluff Perry Vaile

The couple’s stationery suite included letterpress invitations, a custom gilded map, ikat patterns, hand-calligraphed addressing, and (not pictured) a watercolor of the chapel where they exchanged vows.

Since the wedding, the couple’s fur baby, Jaxson, has become big brother to Carla and Brandon’s “honeymoon baby,” Peyton James Cox, born January 4, 2018.

The Waterside Chapel sits on the May River.

“The Waterside Chapel at Palmetto Bluff is the most charming venue we have ever seen,” says Carla. “It really sold us on the location.”

Mere steps from the chapel, the sailcloth tent on the Village Green beckoned guests to celebrate al fresco. A gospel choir serenaded the couple and their guests with “You Are My Sunshine” as they strolled into the party.

Even without side panels, a tent can define a space as with this outdoor “dining room.” Look closely to see the patterned runners on the tables; those sport the same design as the butler card tiles in the shot at left. As for the blue glassware, Carla fell for them long before she was engaged. When wedding planning kicked off, she tracked them down and bought 250 for the Big Day. Afterward, she divvied them up between her parents, her sister, and herself.

Gilded glass chargers add a dash of elegance to any place setting. Calligraphing an otherwise simple place card like this one transforms it into something sophisticated

The couple enlisted artist Amber Rosenberg of Newly Scripted to create a guest sign-in globe that incorporated their wedding colors and the fonts from both their invitation suite and reception signage. “We now have it in our living room to look at every day and reminisce on the great journey it was,” says Carla.

One of the newest offerings for couples tying the knot at Palmetto Bluff? The resort’s natty mobile whisky bar.

A manly lounge area appointed with library-like accessories gave the gents a place to smoke cigars, sip bourbon, and check out the groom’s cake, which was an homage to Auburn, of course.

Carla and Brandon’s cakes were a smorgasbord of their favorite flavors like cookies and cream, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and more. To contrast with the melange, each was iced in simple white frosting.

Photographs by:

Perry Vaile Photography

Brandon Cox & Carla Toro

April 22, 2017 • The Waterside Chapel & The Village Green at Palmetto Bluff

Sure, between Carla Toro and Brandon Cox, he may be the more obvious playmaker of the two, what with him being one of Auburn University’s former quarterbacks, but off the field, she proved just as strategic—and perhaps when it counted most. A fervent Tigers’ fan girl, Carla, like thousands of others, had “friended” Brandon without actually knowing him. That was in 2007 and six years later, the two Auburn grads found themselves on a remote islet in the Bahamas for a friend’s wedding (him) and for an interior design project (her). When Brandon posted an image from one of the island's local bars, Carla commented on it from her bed at midnight. More comments were exchanged, then phone numbers, and, after a month of actual conversations, the pair met in person when Carla returned stateside and Brandon offered her a ride home from the Atlanta airport. “That was it,” Carla says, “He had me at baggage claim with the most handsome smile I’ve ever seen.”

And while their two-and-a-half-year courtship was filled with surprises (not the least of which was Brandon crashing Carla’s family scavenger hunt one Christmas with a certain something sparkly), their blueprint for their Big Day was straightforward from the get-go. To begin with, Carla’s family owns a home in Hilton Head (south of Charleston), where she spent many summers growing up, so choosing Palmetto Bluff—just a town away from her old stomping grounds—was a sure bet and natural fit. Plus, its Southern appointments appealed to the couple, as she’s from Georgia and he’s from Alabama. Then came the palette. “Our favorite colors are blue and navy,” Carla says, “so we found paint chips that matched what we were looking for, and used those as our guides throughout planning.”

And while indigo, cerulean, and slate are palpable in the décor and faceted glassware, other design elements are also attention-grabbing. From the reception’s garland-fringed draped entrance to the geometric pendant lights dotting the ceiling of the sailcloth tent and that luxurious mobile bourbon bar (a last-minute addition guests rave about to this day), the celebration was as chic as it comes.

“I’ll never forget taking a step back to look at how it all came together,” says Carla. “It felt like a dream.” Thank you very much, Mr. Mark Zuckerberg. And War Eagle!

VENDORS
Wedding design: TOAST of the Coast, www.toast-events.com
Photography: Perry Vaile Photography, www.perryvaile.com
Florals: August Events, www.augusteventdesign.com
Venue, catering, bar service: Montage Palmetto Bluff, www.montagehotels.com/palmettobluff
Stationery, calligraphy, signage: Dear Elouise, www.dearelouise.com
Linens: Nüage Designs, nuagedesigns.com; Party Tables, partytables.com
Lighting: Technical Event Company, www.technicaleventcompany.com/
Tent, furniture: EventHaus, www.eventhausrentals.com/
Custom globe: NewlyScripted, www.newlyscripted.com
Music: El Sheddai Choir, www.hiltonheadentertainment.com/index.php/voices-of-el-shaddai; I Love This Band, www.ilovethisband.net
Bride's attire: Winnie Couture, www.winniecouture.com
Bridesmaid attire: Joanna August, available in Charleston through Bella Bridesmaids, www.BellaBridesmaids.com
Beauty: Emma Collins Beauty, www.emmacollinsbeauty.com
Groom’s attire: JoS. A. Bank, www.josabank.com
Cake: Bliss Cakery, www.facebook.com/Bliss-Cakery-More-162617693772852
Transportation: The Hinckley Boat, Palmetto Bluff, www.montagehotels.com/palmettobluff

The Wedding Row

April 17 2019

Kyleigh & Nick | The William Aiken House

Kyleigh met Nick when she was in Cardiff, Wales, getting her master’s degree. (Her friend had convinced her to give Tinder a shot, and her “first, last, and only Tinder date,” she says, was the born-...

April 16 2019

Styled Shoot | Boone Hall Plantation

We don’t know about you, but these past few days of shorts weather have had us daydreaming about summer. Brandy McGhie, owner of local luxury event planning company Classic Planning & Design Co...

April 15 2019

Tricia & Brandon | Founders Hall

Tricia and Brandon were in the same fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary here in Charleston, but their love story didn’t begin until a college football game 14 years later. The South Carolina...

April 12 2019

Lela Rose Styled Shoot | Kate McDonald Bridal

Designer Lela Rose has a saying we can all toast to: “Nothing says chic like matching your drink to your dress.” Fashion stylist Lindsey Nowak took that as a challenge, linked arms with Reagan Barnes...

April 11 2019

Taylor & Samuel | Wingate Plantation

Taylor and Sam may be from Virginia and live in Waco, Texas, but the Palmetto State holds a special place in their hearts. They met at the University of South Carolina when Sam, a freshman fraternity...

April 10 2019

Avery & Henry | Lowndes Grove Plantation

Thank goodness for Joe Quick—the mutual friend who lived up to his name and set up Avery and Henry when all three were in high school in Atlanta. After his pleas for them to meet went unheeded, he...

April 9 2019

Gillian & Philip | The William Aiken House

Gillian and Phil met while studying abroad in Ireland. But because they attended different schools stateside (he was at the University of South Carolina, she was at The State University of New York...

April 8 2019

Emmy & Josh | The Governor Thomas Bennett House

Here’s how Emmy and Josh explain how they became an item: “Josh had been courting Emmy for quite some, and on one evening in June at Dillon’s pub in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, he decided...