Jessica & Jay | Middleton Place



Jessica and Jay met online and dated long distance (she was here in Charleston, he was in Connecticut) before she made the move up North. The two came back to visit the Holy City often, though, and on one of those trips, Jay made dinner reservations at the restaurant where they’d had their first date, 39 Rue de Jean. He then proceeded to intentionally intensely annoy Jessica all day so that she wouldn’t suspect what was coming. (Hey, that’s one way to throw your gal off track.) When he got down on one knee during dinner that night, she still said “Yes” no matter his earlier obnoxiousness. Back home days later, they dove into venue shopping. “We visited countless venues in Connecticut, but after failing to find a place,” says Jessica, “we finally looked at each other and said, ‘Who are we fooling?’ Charleston is the perfect place for a wedding, and Middleton Place is gorgeous.” So they traveled back South for their Big Day, which they ensured was one big party by serving Moscow Mules to guests as they entered the gardens for the ceremony. Later, Jessica and Jay had planned one seriously choreographed number for their first dance, but they were a little nervous they would forget the moves. So between cocktail hour and their reception entrance, they snuck off to a little side garden to run through the routine. Talk about a wonderful Middleton memory. Oh, and just so you know, they nailed it when it came time to throw down for real.

Wedding Design & Coordination: Ooh! Events | Florals: Out of the Garden | Photography: Sera Petras Photography | Venue and Catering: Middleton Place | Band: Punch – EastCoast Entertainment | Bride’s Gown: Wtoo by Watters

The Wedding Row

December 20 2018
Although Heather and Peter grew up in the same town in New Jersey, they didn’t officially meet until he noticed her wearing a Ridge High School lacrosse sweatshirt at a Lafayette College fraternity...

December 19 2018
High school romances can be so very, very awkward. Take Chapin, South Carolina, natives Lindsay and Tyler, for example. “He claims he charmed me when I fell up the stairs to our Spanish class and he...

December 18 2018
Charleston residents Ross and Chase met online back in 2014, got engaged in 2016, and invited one and all—Ross is one of 30 grandchildren—to their seriously wonderful wedding in 2018. Family...

December 17 2018
While the event maestro Kim Newton orchestrates plenty of weddings in her own neck of the woods (that’s Alexandria, Virginia), she also has clients who say “I do” here in Charleston. While on one...

December 14 2018
Happy Friday, brides! Do you remember these two? To trigger your memory, here’s a link to when we posted Sara and Colin ’cycle-centric engagement photos by shutterbugs Aaron and Jillian. Well, now it...

December 13 2018
You know we’d only share a gorgeous wedding with you. So we’ll pause on the descriptors of this couple’s Big Day for a moment and tell you a little about the pair themselves, because when...

December 12 2018
You know about “designated travel companions,” right? It’s when someone who works for an airline gets to pick a “buddy” who can travel at the same nominal fees (we’re talking taxes and regulatory...

December 11 2018
Today’s couple hit it off one night at a Baltimore bar. Credit for the first move goes to Olivia, who made her intentions mighty clear on her way out by hip-checking another girl out of the way so...