Turn off the Lights | Pump up the romance at your reception when you cut the overhead lights and rely instead on the soft glow of real candles and twinkling trees
When Londoners Lisette and Krysto chose Charleston for their destination wedding, Tropical Storm Bonnie wasn’t even an inkling of a worry. But sure enough, she rained down on their day and forced them off the marsh where they planned to exchange vows and onto the porch of Kiawah Island’s River Course clubhouse. But all wasn’t a wash, thanks to a brilliant use of lighting. Alise Taggart shifted the 70 guests and then set out a multitude of lanterns. “They looked so romantic with all that rain coming down behind us,” says Lisette. From there, the silver linings only got better. “I’ve always dreamt of having hundreds (or thousands) of fairy lights in trees for my wedding,” says Lisette. “And since the dining room was so cavernous for our smaller party size, I wanted to shrink it down.” Bring on the twinkling trees, and tables with at least eight tapers, seven mercury glass votives, and as many clear votives that could fit. Enchanted garden wish? Granted.
Get the Glow
Learn the rules. A venue that allows open-flamed candles (meaning those without a sheath) is the exception rather than the rule, especially in a town with as many historic properties as Charleston. Ask before you book your location.
Choose candles that burn long. Tapers tend to burn an hour per inch of height. Drafts, jostling, and bases that don’t hold the taper erect can diminish the burn time.
Mix light sources. Here, a mix of twinkling fairy lights (20,000 in total), tapers, and votives gave a layered look to the lightscape.
Plan your attack. Light candles using gas sticks about 15 minutes before guests arrive to the reception.
Double up. For the head table, double the number of candles used elsewhere.
The Wedding Row: So, tell us how it all began.
Meaghen: We met at Fisher College back in 2005. It was my second semester and Brett had just transferred in. He frequented the house parties my...
Back in high school, Brian stood at the top of his football field’s bleachers and screamed into a megaphone while holding a 10- foot sign. All in the hopes that this cute cheerleader named Lindsey...
A mutual friend and a 90s cover band are to thank for uniting Kristen and Shane back in 2016. The two, while listening to some live tunes, were introduced and it seems they have never looked back....
A week before Mary Lake was to depart for her freshman year at Clemson University, a mutual friend introduced her to Tyler, a fellow Charleston-ian, and a fellow incoming Tiger. Having written off...
These two Terps Alumni (that’s the University of Maryland, for those fans only familiar with the SEC) Natalie and Will dated for six whopping years before getting engaged. Over their stint of time as...
You’re now welcome to board the love story that is Anne-Kyle & Drew. Now, this first sentence may not make sense at the moment but trust us, the meaning will hit you in just a second. These two...
It’s not like we needed it (we already live on the surface of the sun), but this wedding warms our hearts up to the highest degree. Megan and Chase exchanged their vows last fall at the Gadsden House...
Claire and Jay are one of those couples that we just want to be friends with. They exude cool and have that “it” factor that makes you love them instantly (even though we have never met them). But...
