Stephanie Frehse & Daniel Lempesis
February 7, 2015
Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity & Lowndes Grove Plantation
After years of attending services at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, Stephanie Frehse knew the Lempesis family, but somehow had never met pappa Pete’s son Dan. The patriarch remedied that by setting the two youngsters up on a blind date and a year later, Dan was gearing up to propose.
But fate stepped in (again) and changed up the would-be bridegroom’s plans when Stephanie opened a credit card statement that showed a major—a one-in-a-lifetime kind of major—purchase from a jeweler. Dan was standing right there as it happened and broke into the hallmark of their relationship: laughter. “We both started cracking up,” says Stephanie, “because all his hard work to surprise me fell through.” Nonetheless, Dan told her to relax, that nothing would happen for a while. But later that very night, during a visit to his family’s Folly Beach home, they took a walk and Dan popped the question as dusk settled over them.
Soon after, Stephanie went about planning their wedding with the aid of A Charleston Bride and inspired by her hometown’s moodier side. “I love the way Charleston looks after a storm at sunset,” says Stephanie, “so that’s where we started—dark and stormy.” That translated into posh gray French furniture, violet florals, and black tapered candles. And for Dan? He got a “man cave” lounge area with a wall of beer taps and a cigar roller.
When the day rolled around, everyone headed back to the church where their story started, and both Stephanie’s grandfather and her father walked her down the aisle. After the bride and groom were pronounced husband and wife, the congregation headed to Lowndes Grove Plantation where Stephanie danced first with her husband, then with her dad and pappous. “The reception could have been over after those dances and I would have been a happy camper,” she says. And to that, we say opa!
The sparks flew for Cole and Nick one fateful night at a mutual friend’s New Year’s Eve party. Truth be told, both admit to not wanting to attend the festivities, but the two tell us that when they...
Two weeks before Mike graduated from Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, he met fellow student Taylor, who was wrapping up her freshman year. After six years of dating, the two had a thriving...
So we’re back to the offices after having evacuated Charleston due to Hurricane Florence. While we’re thankful that the Lowcountry was spared devastation, it’s obviously bittersweet relief given so...
From a flying groom (you’ll see) to a floral installation of 875 tulips (yep, we’re totally serious), our Instagram page was certainly filled with excitement during the month of August. As a little...
Hot times calls for haute trends. From custom newlywed crests to one cutie of a bar-on-wheels, here are our top five takeaways from the current issue of Charleston Weddings magazine. Click here to...
The Wedding Row: Tell us about the beginning of you as an item.
Emily: In 2014 I was home from grad school and I went to the gym. That’s where I met Justin–a new guy who had just moved from...
A last-minute opening at Carlos Hernandez’s autumn photography workshop at Lowndes Grove Plantation led to today’s minimalist and moody post shot by Rachel Craig. Her big takeaway from the styling,...
Lindsay and Andrew, who both grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, first met at the Charleston Animal Society’s Firefighter Calendar Debut party and auction. Yep, you read that right. A PG-version of a “Magic...
