Cate Marr & Alex Rock
October 14, 2023 • Riverfront Park
Come time for a Lowcountry native to tie the knot, it’s not uncommon to feel beyond familiar with many of the region’s lauded venues. Such was the case for Cate Marr, who grew up on Sullivan’s Island, when she started planning her dream day with husband-to-be Alex Rock.
The two first met over a Memorial Day Weekend in Dewey Beach, Delaware, and say their love story started “with a crush”—a few Orange Crushes, that is—at local dive bar favorite, the Starboard. As fate would have it, Cate’s parents met on the same holiday weekend and at the same bar some 30 years prior. Alex’s proposal four years later would make for another full-circle moment, when he asked for Cate’s hand at his family’s beach house, in the very town where his parents met.
A wedding and event planner herself—under Peggy Marilley of Precision Meetings & Events in Washington, DC—Cate was well-positioned to begin plotting the bash back home and spared no detail in making it uniquely her own. She and Alex found a storied setting in North Charleston’s Venues at Riverfront Park: a collection of historic buildings on the bank of the Cooper River that was originally part of the Charleston Naval Base. The ground’s grand oaks and space for the couple to stay overnight were icing on the cake.
Peppered with defining moments, the big day was a celebration for the ages. In lieu of a traditional wedding party—Cate and Alex each have siblings and an abundance of friends—they dubbed the crew their “house party,” inviting friends to join them at the Admiral’s House for a pre-ceremony cocktail.
After the “I dos,” a boisterous second line brass band paraded guests from the chapel to cocktail hour at the neoclassical manse, where 15 waiters lined the entrance donning trays of Champagne and embroidered monogrammed hand towels. Cate and Alex skipped the spirited spectacle, instead catching the birds-eye view of their loved ones from the second floor porch. Over a glass of bubbles and a few bites of food, they savored the intimate moment together and the sheer joy on their guests’ faces.
Vendors
Wedding Planning: Cate Rock and Peggy Marilley with Precision Meeting & Events
Photography: McSween Photography
Venue: Venues at Riverfront Park
Design & Florals: Vero Events
Caterer: Cru Catering
Rentals: Snyder Events, EventWorks, Emerson James Rentals
Linens: Stradley Davidson, BBJ LaTavola, Stephanie Miller Designs
Stationery: Lewes Lettering Co. + Kate Eliza Creative
Bridal Attire: Love Couture Bridal (bridal salon), Anne Barge (dress designer), shoes (Jimmy Choo)
Bridesmaid Attire: Monique Lhuillier
