Emmie & Matt’s Garnet & Gold Wedding at the Cedar Room
This wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty
A hurricane threat wasn’t going to stop Emmie & Matt from getting married! Literally days before the wedding was supposed to happen Charleston was in the path of yet ANOTHER hurricane (like can we get a fuckin break PLEASE) buuuuuut we got very lucky and it was only about a Category 1ish so lots of rain and wind which took down a few tree limbs around town.
Emmie & Matt got the call from the Citadel that they were going to be unable to have the ceremony there due to downed tree limbs but a few phone calls were made and Voila! It was back on! Getting married at Summerall Chapel was EXTREMELY (and I cannot emphasize that enough) important to Emmie, Matt and her family. Emmie’s parents got married at the chapel and a few months before the wedding, her father sadly lost his battle with cancer and his ashes are interred in the Clock Tower next to the Chapel. Im so so glad that they were still able to do the ceremony there!
Getting Ready
I was practically drooling over Emmie’s bridal details. Her veil had flowers and butterflies stitched on it and they had a custom logo made as well! Emmie also told me that the earrings and necklace she was wearing were stones her mom & dad picked out in Brazil and then finished custom designing right before he passed away. Her wedding band was also passed on from her parents- they got it to symbolize their upcoming 30th wedding anniversary when they knew her dad’s time was getting small.
Her mom & sister helped her get into her dress and then we did an awesome reveal with the bridesmaids who literally complimented her for like 5 minutes!! They were all so excited and happy for Emmie!!
Portraits Downtown
Emmie & Matt shared a first look on Chalmers Street and I think its so adorable that Matt was visibly nervous (in an excited way of course!!) to see Emmie! We even got to take some photos of them with their pup Folly!
Matt had a cool pair of cufflinks to show off his love of the Carolina Gamecocks. I wonder if thats why he had a Brackish Bowtie too (-;
After their Chalmers St portraits, we headed over to Hampton Park for the wedding party & family photos because it’s right behind the Citadel and we figured it would just make life easier for everyone – doesn’t hurt that Hampton Park is gorgeous & very historic. It pre-dates the Civil War!
Ceremony at the Citadel
Emmie & her mom wanted a photo together in front of the clock tower where Emmie’s dad’s ashes are. Her brother walked her down the aisle and her sister stood by her side as Maid of Honor.
After the ceremony, we took some Just Married photos outside the Citadel before getting them on the bus to their cocktail hour!
Garnet + Gold Wedding at the Cedar Room
I KNEW the reception space was going to be stunning. How could it not when Pure Luxe Bride & Flora come together?!
And I say this because they all did our wedding (-; Talk about Dream Team!!
Emmie & Matt brought that Gamecock pride to the reception with garnet flowers and gold candles & chairs. The hanging flower install above the sweetheart table was absolutely gorgeous and the talk of their guests that night!
Excited and relieved! Definitely more calm than I was anticipating– a Hurricane will do that, I guess. :)
I would say the doors of the chapel opening and being able to see Matt and everyone we love there to support us and celebrate with us!
The flowers- especially the hanging installation over our sweetheart table.
We splurged on the dinner and the flowers, and saved a bit on the venues and save the dates/invitations by having my cousin design/print them. We also didn’t have favors, and ended up making some of the stuff in our welcome bags to save money!
Throughout the process, we really wanted to make sure that we did what WE wanted rather than following what everyone else is doing. We also wanted to made sure we honored several people through our celebration that couldn’t be there with us through signage, our gifts in the welcome bags and hand me downs (handkerchiefs, jewelry, charms, etc.). We enjoyed designing a crest and using that throughout our save the dates, invitations, and on the bars!
Make sure that you plan a day that’s for you as a couple- instead of for your parents, friends, etc. Also, HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER- we truly couldn’t have pulled ours off without them! They helped us to not get bogged down in all of the decisions and solely focused on celebrating the fact that we were getting married. Lastly, we did a lot of the research into vendors on Instagram and that was very helpful to get a feel for their style, see their work and also see their personalities to ensure they would be a great fit.
Planner: Pure Luxe Bride / Venue: The Cedar Room / Band: Right to Party / Cake & Caterer: Mercantile & Mash / Church: Summerall Chapel / Florals: Flora / Hair & makeup: Pampered and Pretty / Rentals: EventWorks / Videographer: Dock House Digital
Katie + Jay of Catherine Ann Photography are Charleston & Destination Wedding Photographers specializing in candid & colorful wedding photos for fun couples at outdoor and historic venues!
