I always love Charleston elopements. They are so cute and charming and it seems that every single street and corner have photo potential!
Bethanni and Joey chose to get married at White Point Garden with his uncle officiating and his Grandma as their only guest (how cute!). They busted out their custom shotski post ceremony and then headed off to dinner to continue the celebration.
You’ll note there isn’t a mask in sight as this one was in fall 2019. You know, before we bridal masks were something on the wedding planning list!
Check out the gorgeous photos and some Q&A with the couple below.
Photography: MCG Photography
Getting Ready Location : The Vendue Inn
Ceremony Location : White Point Garden
Flowers: Bloominous
Hair & Makeup : Alter Image Hair & Makeup
Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.
A: Joey and I met on a beach trip with mutual friends while we were in college at the University of Louisville. After we got back we talked all summer and started dating in September 2012. In November 2016 we moved in together, then moved from Louisville to Cincinnati a year later. Joey’s family lives in Asheville, NC and we visit a few times a year. We had a trip coming up in May 2018 and I had a feeling that he might propose. On Saturday morning he asked if I wanted to go for a hike with our dog (Rosie) and I said yes, but when I asked his mom if she wanted to go he said, “No, she can’t come with us!”. So then I hurried up and filled in my eyebrows! We went to a trail in the Blue Ridge Mountains, typically a gorgeous view with mountain sides covered in flowers, but it was so foggy you couldn’t see more than 5 feet in front of you! I was walking ahead and when I turned to see if he was coming, he was down on one knee. I know it wasn’t the picture perfect view he had planned, but it made for a better story.
Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?
A: We had a casual and charming elopement at Battery Park in Charleston, SC. We chose to elope because we felt like an intimate setting would allow us to quiet our minds and be ourselves. While we didn’t have a theme, I would describe the style of our wedding day as “classy casual”. We wanted to keep the palette very neutral and timeless, so we chose white and navy. I also felt like this let the beauty of Charleston speak for itself with it’s lively colors, the waterfront, and park views.
Q: Let’s talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
A: Without a wedding or reception – decorating is easy! Our pre-ceremony location was The Vendue, a boutique art gallery hotel, which made for plenty of unique and glamorous background decor. Once again, the beauty of being outdoors in Charleston is all you need.
Q: What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?
A: For our “wedding party” I had a bridal bouquet while Joey, his uncle, and his grandmother each had boutonnieres. My bouquet had quite a variety which included: White Veronicas, Green Dianthus, Blue Eryngium, Seeded Eucalyptus, Italian Pitt, Italian Ruses, White Spray Roses, and Vendela Roses. All of the boutonnieres had Seeded Eucalyptus, Vendela Roses, and Italian Ruscus to match. I loved the greenery (especially the Eucalyptus!) and it really pulled our look together with the scenery in the park.
Q: What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
A: Our favorite part of our wedding day was being asked “are you a real couple or a model couple?”… just kidding! That was probably one of the funniest moments of our day though. The First Look is always a highlight because the anticipation is through the roof. Embracing each other after the build up of getting ready soothed any nerves and then we were on our way! Of course the entire day was wonderful, but one favorite was we were able to walk through the cobblestone streets with our photographers, laughing, making jokes, and enjoying ourselves the whole time. It felt more like we were on a 4 hour double date instead. Another was our “cake cutting”. Joey’s mom is an excellent baker and she baked us a cake for after the ceremony. The four of us enjoyed dinner at Circa 1886 (who showed us wonderful hospitality, kindness, and celebrated our day with us) and afterwards we brought the cake out, did the traditional cake cutting, and gave each other a bite of cake (nicely – no cake smashing!). It was heartwarming to have this made with love for our wedding day and was a wonderful memory that my new mother in law helped us make! I could go on and on….
Q: Let’s talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.
A: I had a solid idea of what I wanted in a wedding dress – form fitting, crepe or jersey material, with no embellishments. I found my dress on Still White (a wedding dress consignment site) that was exactly what I wanted, jersey material, form fitting that flared slightly from the knee to ankle, a sweetheart neckline, and a similar cut on the back of the dress that was about mid-way. but the scary part was buying it without trying it on! Fortunately it only needed minor alterations. I wore my hair down with loose curls (which is my everyday look, assuming I fixed my hair) with one side pulled loosely back. Make up was very natural and I wore my everyday, favorite lip color. Joey wore a navy suit with a gray vest, a solid navy tie, and a navy and white floral pocket square. His attire really complemented the flowers and pulled together the Blue Eryngium in the bouquet.
Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?
A: 1. Hire a good photographer(s)! It’s so important to have someone who understands how you envision your wedding day being and can connect with that intention. 2. Be yourself. It sounds simple or cliche, but it is so easy to get wrapped up in wedding planning, opinions of family/friends, and other dynamics that come along with getting married. Surround yourself with the flowers, dress, decor, etc. that will make you feel like YOU instead of an expectation of what it should be. You will be less anxious and happier in the long run.
