Seaside Cents | Trading vows on a sea island isn’t as simple (or inexpensive) as it once was, but take a cue from this couple who made it work in delightful DIY fashion for $10K
“While our exhausted classmates slowly trickled home every night, Joe and I were always the last on the dance floor,” says Déla Breyne of meeting Irishman Joe O’Callaghan during a college trip to Belgium. Three years later, Joe proposed on Garnish Island in Ireland, but with the rigmarole of visas, the groom made it stateside a mere two months before the Big Day. Flying solo for most of the planning (and wanting to stick strictly to their $10,000 budget), Déla struck gold when she found a private home on a local beach that could host their 20ish guests for the laid-back day on the coast she had dreamed of. “I knew I wanted something low-key and low-stress,” she says, “with a vibe that was romantic and ethereal but not over the top—like a really great dinner party at a friend’s house.” And she got it. “I loved having all our friends here for the weekend,” she says, “it was like a big sleepover.”
Sea What Works
Choose wisely. Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Folly Beach, Kiawah, and Seabrook have varying rules about hosting ceremonies (or receptions) on the beach and throwing parties in rental homes. Visit (and bookmark) CharlestonWeddingsMag.com/BeachRules for details.
Play it close. Sidestep many regulations—plus gusting wind, blowing sand, and onlookers—by holding the ceremony in your rental’s waterfront yard and the reception on its decks.
Aim for double duty. Besides having it host the Big Day, use your rental for accommodations.
Pick a pretty one. Opt for a property (Déla found this one on VBRO.com) with an aesthetic that requires minimal additional décor.
Get crafty. The bride (a graphic designer) made the invitations and heart garlands, while the same pals who bussed tables and kept drinks full folded napkins with a flourish.
Vendor List
Wedding design, planning: Dela O’Callaghan (the bride)
Wedding Wednesday is in full swing over here at The Wedding Row office and we’ve got a stunning styled shoot to prove it. When photographer Leigh Heyward submitted this gallery to us, it stuck out...
Bride Meagan is a gal who certainly has her priorities straight. Besides finding the man of her dreams in fiancé Derek, she was pretty adamant about what was most important to her on her Big Day at...
Welp, ladies and gentlemen, our holiday hiatus is officially over and we are back at it once again on the blog. To kick off 2020 we are sharing a super (duper) special post, something “outside the...
The Wedding Row: So, how did you two first run into each other?
Caitlin:We worked together on a tennis tournament in California; I was an intern and Patrick has worked for my boss the three years...
Although they met as freshmen at Clemson University, it took four years of undergrad and plenty of greek life functions for South Carolina natives Lisa and Jack to realize they were destined to be...
Jessica and Casey’s first date involved the both of them, obviously, and a very fluffy third wheel (wait for it). After meeting on Memorial Day weekend through mutual friends, Casey became smitten...
Katie and Gil are just too cool. For starters, just look at their Big Day ensembles. Him, a burgundy suit and floral button-down shirt for their September wedding at Founders Hall and her, a beyond...
Caroline and Robert are a special couple for many reasons but one of them is that miss Caroline was born in France, right outside of Bordeaux (hello, vino). She’s European, you all, and there...
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
Give your gown some sparkle, fasten your sash in place, or simply dress up your bouquet wrap. However you enlist them, these keepsake brooches are ready to report for duty
