With a classic style and monogram crests, Katie and Jesse’s Charleston wedding had the perfect amount of Southern charm and elegant style. The River House at Lowndes Grove Plantation was the perfect setting for their wedding. The large white plantation style home overlooking the river offered a gorgeous backdrop for their classic Southern details.

Jesse’s traditional black tux was the perfect compliment to Katie’s white lace dress, and we absolutely love the cutout in the back of her gown, adding a classy detail to the already beautiful silhouette. The teal gowns worn by the bridesmaids created a bold pop of color in the relatively neutral color palette of the day, and the white and blush of the florals created a soft romantic feel found all throughout the day.

We absolutely love all of the details that Pure Luxe Bride pulled together to make their day absolutely stunning! Guests entered the reception under a large clear tent with market lights draped across, which surely created an elegant and romantic look for the entire evening. We love the detailing of the circle-backed chairs and the pop of teal with a beautiful textured napkin fold that really added a punch to their overall reception style. Katie and Jesse also incorporated gold monogram detailing in a beautiful way, and we love how it made a big impact on the overall bar look, adding a personalized touch to this focal piece of the design.

The entire day was full of simple details that together created the most charming day, and we think you’ll love how Aaron and Jillian Photography captured every moment.

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on yourwedding day? 

Our wedding planners, Francesca and Blake, from Pure Luxe Bride made our planning and wedding day completely stress-free!  I also couldn’t have done it without my husband, Jesse, and my mom helping me make decisions!

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Between reading reviews online and getting word-of-mouth recommendations whenever possible, I’d say having a good, old-fashioned conversation will give you the most insight into what it will be like to work with someone. We spoke toFrancesca on the phone for over an hour when were looking for a wedding planner, and we could tell right away she was not only professional and honest, but so sweet and would take the time to listen to us.  Hiring Pure Luxe Bride was the best decision we made in the planning process, because they have an incredible reputation in Charleston and all of the vendors they recommended were amazing! I also think it’s important to have a conversation and get to know your photographers and videographers because they are going to be around you the whole day. Our photographers and videographers were not only extremely talented, but some of the sweetest people, which made our day that much more pleasant!

What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?

Our venue, Lowndes Grove, is a gorgeous old plantation home on the Ashley River in Charleston, so we wanted our wedding to align with the setting: southern, classic, and elegant.  We chose primarily southern cuisine, and my mom made homemade pralines wrapped in little white boxes with gold ribbon for favors. A few months before our wedding, Jesse and I decided to go on an 8 month trip around the world after the wedding (we’re currently in Vietnam!), so we also decided to incorporate a few travel-related details into the wedding. Instead of a guest book, we found a huge map of the world on Etsy for our guests to sign. We also had travel-related slogans on our coozies and signs.  I also knew that I wanted chandeliers and gold details, but other than that we relied heavily on our wedding planners for the design and details. They are incredibly talented and have a flawless portfolio, so I felt totally comfortable with anything they’d choose, and they went above and beyond our expectations!

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

That’s a tough one, because I loved everything about it, so here are my top 5 (sorry if that’s cheating)!

1. Marrying my best friend!

2. Having all of our friends and family together in one place. Part of the reason we chose to have a destination wedding was to have a captive audience for the weekend!

3. Our huge, kid-filled, pet-friendly wedding party! We had 11 bridesmaids, 9 groomsmen, 2 junior groomsmen, 2 flower girls, 3 ring bearers, AND a best dog! I know a lot of people advise against having such a large wedding party, but it was important to us and I’m so glad we did it! Our absolutely amazing photographers, Aaron and Jillian Photography, definitely deserve an award for being so kind and patient while managing to capture wonderful pictures of such a big group!

4. Our 10-piece band, Emerald Empire Band, was incredible and kept everyone on the dance floor the whole night, which was exactly what we wanted!

5. Our same-day edit by our videographers, Film Anywhere Productions, was so cool and is something you don’t see at every wedding. I can’t even count the number of times we’ve watched it since or how many compliments we received on their behalf!

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Try to spend as much time as y’all can together, on the dance floor! One thing that helped us maximize our fun on the wedding day was having a welcome party the night before, where we were able to greet and chat with almost all of our guests. That way, by the time the reception started, we were able to be together, dance, and enjoy the party with our friends and family! 

We also had our photographers take a picture of everyone on the dance floor at one point, which is one of our favorite pictures from the wedding (and was a sneaky way of getting EVERYONE on the dance floor).

My husband’s advice (which I wish I’d listened to for our wedding), try not to stress about the weather, there’s nothing you can do to change it!

Not only was Katie and Jesse’s wedding day a beautifully crafted wedding with classic elegance and Southern charm, but it kicked off their many adventures as they embarked on a year of traveling after their wedding. What a way to celebrate!

VENDORS WHO MADE IT ALL HAPPEN…

Photographer:  Aaron and Jillian Photography // Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Mens Warehouse // Dress Designer: Alfred Angelo // Musicians: Bob Williams Duo // Jewelry: Diamonds Direct // Cinema and Video: Film Anywhere Productions // Dress Designer: Madison James // Hair Stylist: Paper Dolls Wedding Hair & Makeup // Event Planner: Pure Luxe Bride // Event Venue: River House at Lowndes Grove Plantation // Dress Store: Sweet Elegance Bridal // Lighting: Technical Event Company // Floral Designer: WildFlowers Inc