Secret Garden



WRITER CREDIT: 
PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
Secret Garden |
Sophie Ritter & Adam Foster  
October 15, 2022 / Gibbes Museum of Art 
 
Sophie was a college student—21 and single—when she first fell for the Gibbes Museum. On a family trip to Charleston, she watched in wonder as the museum’s grounds were set up for an evening wedding. Little did she know, her own nuptials would take place in this very garden. 
 
Sophie and Adam met at work in 2018. It wasn’t long before their friendship and tennis partnership grew into something more, and in April 2021, Adam proposed in a peaceful garden in Charlotte, North Carolina. When planning began, Sophie couldn’t shake the memory of the Gibbes, and soon it was booked for a mid-October date. Letting the venue speak for itself, the event was a simple but breathtaking affair, with airy autumnal florals accenting the already lush gardens. The couple said their “I dos” in the museum’s majestic rotunda, proceeding outside for cocktails, dinner, and dancing. Before making their getaway, Sophie and Adam snuck in one final dance—alone under twinkling lights, to Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love,” the song that accompanied Sophie down the aisle. 
 
Top Tips
 
• Let the venue shine.
Between the Beaux Arts architecture and lush Lenhardt Garden, the Gibbes Museum of Art was stunning on its own. Simple, seasonal decor kept the space at center stage. 
 
• Take advantage of your tiers. 
Each layer in the three-tier cake was carefully chosen: classic vanilla for Sophie’s dad, chocolate with chocolate icing for the couple, and pumpkin with cream cheese icing in a nod to the season. 
 
• Snag a doggie bag. 
Ensuring the bride and groom had a chance to savor the food, Salthouse Catering had to-go boxes ready—which Sophie and Adam dug into in their hotel after the festivities.
 
Vendors
Planning & Design: Anderson Event Design
Photography: Lindsey Morgan Photography 
Venue: Gibbes Museum of Art
Florals: Festoon Charleston
Catering: Salthouse Catering
Bar: Spike Bar
Cake: Flowerchild
Bridal Attire: Monique Lhuillier (dress), Loeffler Randall (shoes)
Rentals: Snyder Events
Linens: Stradley Davidson
Beauty: Pampered and Pretty
Entertainment: Palmetto Strings (ceremony), Blaze The City (reception)
Stationery: Kate Eliza Creative
 

The Wedding Row

May 21 2019
Happy Tuesday, to all you folks out there as wedding-obsessed as we are here at TWR office. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the coffee is flowing, and we have a delightful post for you...

May 20 2019
We share engagement sessions every so often and while they are always beautiful, none have stuck out in our mind as much as this one below. Lauren and Ben met their photographer, Charlie Martin, at a...

May 17 2019
Thank goodness it’s Friday! And because of that, because we made it through another long week, we are going to treat you all to a wedding that is fantastically fun. Trip and Lucy’s Big...

May 16 2019
Is there anyone else out there counting down the days until summer officially begins? Well, we still have more than a month to go so before we all get ahead of ourselves, let instead start with...

May 15 2019
While most gals respond to a proposal with a happy dance and an excited “Yes!”, Jenny said something else when her beau of three years, Michael, knelt down on Valentine’s Day. But before we get to...

May 14 2019
Stephanie and Michael’s relationship was a love match from the very start. How now, you ask? The duo, who hail from the suburbs of Atlanta, met during one of Stephanie’s tennis practices while she...

May 13 2019
When Elizabeth’s brother brought his best friend and college roommate, Will, to their family beach house over spring break one year, he couldn’t have known that he was about to make a big, HUGE...

May 10 2019
Before we heard Ryan and Devan’s story, we’d have told you there’s nothing especially romantic about March Madness … but now we may have changed our minds. These two met at The Alley, a bar-slash-...