Lauren & Austin’s Fall Lowndes Grove Wedding
Lauren & Austin got married on a beautiful September day at Lowndes Grove Plantation! Their dusty blue, ivory & champagne color scheme was no random choice – those colors reminded them of the classic vibes that Charleston represents to them! Intentional choices like that make your wedding unique to your story even if the color scheme is popular. Lauren & Austin both fell in love with the romance or Lowndes Grove, its so classic and Southern that they felt it would be the perfect backdrop for their Southern wedding.
Getting Ready
Both Lauren & Austin got ready with their wedding party at Lowndes Grove – ladies up top, guys on the ground floor.The plantation house is filled with gorgeous natural light and makes for the most beautiful getting ready photos! We love photographing grooms getting ready at Lowndes Grove because 9/10 times they get stiffed on well lit getting ready locations, but not here! Lauren had lots of pretty blue details for me to photograph and also included an antique style ceramic ring box. After stepping into her dresss, she did a first look with her bridesmaids and her dad!
Portraits
Lauren & Austin shared a first look on the upper portico of the house. They both ended up crying which made for some really sweet photos! We ended up photographing quite a bit inside the main entrance because the light was to DIE for and we had more portrait time scheduled for after the ceremony too down by the water when the lighting was a little softer.
Ceremony & Reception
The ceremony was on the front lawn with the Ashley River in the background. Lauren really wanted a photo of her and her dad as they walked arm in arm out of the front doors. Austins grandfather did a reading for the couple right before their first kiss as husband and wife!
My favorite detail of their day was their LIVE painter! The couple had their first dance painted on a canvas that they plan to display in their home (-:
The couple got to mingle at their cocktail hour with their guests before being introduced as husband and wife!
I asked Lauren some questions about the wedding day:
How did you feel the morning of your wedding?
Very calm! I actually had a lot of anxiety about being a nervous wreck all day and not being able to stay in the moment but I felt so excited to get to Lowndes Grove in the morning and spend the day with my sisters, bridesmaids, mom and mother in law! Everyone did a great job at keeping conversation light and bubbly.
What was the most memorable moment of the wedding day?
It’s very cliche but I vividly remember walking out the front doors of Lowndes to Austin and just having tunnel vision for him. I didn’t see anyone or anything else, only him. All of my nerves completely washed away the second I saw him and I said to myself “you got this” the moment the doors opened.
What was your favorite detail of the day?
Aside from marrying my best friend of course, I really enjoyed dancing the night away with my best friends and family. Everyone says the night goes so fast and we had made a point the entire time to make sure we had fun with our guests because we only get this night once.
What did you splurge on & what did you save on?
We splurged on photography, videography, and our painter. We really wanted to remember the evening for years to come and having great vendors to capture those moments for us was so important. We saved on floral because Lowndes is so beautiful we felt like we didn’t need to go overboard in order to complement the space. The view and sunset speaks for itself.
What made your wedding day special, unique or personalized to you as a couple?
I think the visible love Austin and I show for eachother made our wedding day special. We are very emotional people, especially when it comes to eachother. We weren’t embarrassed to cry in front of everyone and let our emotions shine through. We kind of fly under the radar in most facets of life but it was nice to express our happiness in front of 100 of our closest friends and family.
Whats the best advice you have for future couples planning their big day?
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Focus on the things that you think are the most important and make sure those things are perfect for you, and of course remember you’re marrying your best friend at the end of the day. If the flowers aren’t the right shade of pink or your bustle rips, you’ll still be married and that’s what truly matters!
Is there anything you would change or do differently?
I would stress less if I had to do it all over again. I spent many night crying over “no” RSVPS of people I really wanted to share my day with but at the end of the day, the people who came all the way to Charleston to be with us care about us so much and we had the best time with every single person.
Planner: Intrigue Events
Venue: Lowndes Grove
DJ: Darby Events
Cake: PPHG
Florals: Framptons Florals
Hair & makeup: Lashes & Lace
Rentals: Snyder, La Tavola, Ooh Events
Ceremony Music: Charleston Virtuosi
Live Painter: Paint by Chloe
Stationary Designer: Dearly Creative
Videographer: Dock House Digital
Photographer: Catherine Ann Photography
Check out Lauren & Austin’s Rainbow Row engagement photos
If you’d like Catherine Ann Photography to capture your Best Day Ever, click here to contact us!
