Erin & Matthew | Lowndes Grove Plantation



When a gal can name how many days she’s dated her beau (“One thousand and nine, but who’s counting?” laughs Erin), you know she’s ready for him to put a ring on it. When Matthew obliged, he and his betrothed invited nearly 380 guests to a celebration that properly introduced the Massachusetts residents’ mostly New England friend-base to Southern traditions and the Lowcountry landscape alike. Why Charleston? “It’s a big part of our story,” says Erin, who, as a Charlotte, North Carolina, native, grew up vacationing here. “We visited countless times while we were dating,” she says.

Since the couple couldn’t shake their craving for a barn-style wedding, planner Tara of Soirée by Tara Guérard by met them in the middle with a reception featuring a first for her and her crew , who are known more for over-the-top finished looks: a custom rustic wooden wall that rose up behind the band and a framework of timbers that spanned overhead. Add roped chandeliers hanging hither and yon, lawn games, and a family-style dinner and the chill couple and their 378 guests got just what they hoped for: a marriage of laid-back, free-spirits (“Just like me and Matt,” beams Erin) in a like-minded setting.

As you browse the images, check out some of our favorite pretty and posh ideas:

  •     the ombré hues on the bar fabric and escort card backdrop;
  •     that gorgeous limo (love the lettering in the window) that took them from the ceremony to the reception site…and how the couple left the reception in a VW bus;
  •     using copper julep cups for floral vessels and colored candles and blue glassware on the tablescapes;
  •     installing wooden backdrops in the tented area;
  •     lining the invitations with gorgeous papers;
  •     patterning the cake after the bridesmaids’ gowns;

printing the menu on cloth napkins.

Design, florals, linens, speciality decor: Tara Guerard Soiree | Images: Corbin Gurkin | Venue, catering, bar: Patrick Properties Hospitality Group | Rentals: Snyder Events | Cake: Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal | Stationery, signage: Lettered Olive | Gown: Anne Barge | Dresser: Cacky’s Bride + Aid | Beauty: Meg Workman + Deidre Outlaw | Transportation: Lowcountry Valet

The Wedding Row

October 1 2018
Truth time: Sometimes we get these engagement sessions and straight-up envy the charmed Instagram-worthy lives the couples seem to live. And Kaitlin and Allan’s shots could do just that. But....

September 28 2018
We’re heading into this football weekend with a true fan fave. Molly, a University of South Carolina law school grad, and Logan, who works with the Gamecocks football team, were successfully nudged...

September 27 2018
Do you know about Alhambra Hall in Mount Pleasant? That two-story, meeting house on Charleston Harbor that’s tucked away in the Old Village? Let’s let these shots of Abby and Patrick’s wedding...

September 26 2018
For the love of a topknot, people! University of Pennsylvania freshman Praachi and Shiv met one night when each were out with their friends and topknot caught his eye. “I remember thinking how...

September 25 2018
Eleven months after Stephanie and Scott met, the avid travelers ventured to Iceland for a long weekend (a surprise trip planned by him) and Scott popped the question on their balcony overlooking...

September 24 2018
Amber and Phil met while working in the same nonprofit organization together in Washington, D.C. Three years later, during a hike in Great Falls, Virginia (the same place where they did their first...

September 21 2018
TWR: How and when did you meet one another? Was it love at first sight? Daisy: Brent and I met through mutual friends on Halloween night at the University of North Carolina Delta Kappa Epsilon house...

September 20 2018
The Wedding Row: Tell us how your love story all began. Kiernan: Pawel and I met each other while we worked together at an ad agency in New York City. Early on in our friendship, Pawel tried to plan...