Annie Stoppelbein relocated from Charleston to Nashville on a whim, and ended up just down the road from Garrett Vangilder. Turns out, it was one of the best moves she’s ever made. “Our relationship blossomed due to the close proximity,” says Annie. “Our friends became friends and everything felt right.” Two years later, Garrett proposed, and the couple, who by then had moved back to the Holy City, aimed nearby for their fantasy wedding location—the Gibbes Museum of Art. With her favorite color, red, on the mind and a winter wedding on the books, the bride handed the rest over to Gregory Blake Sams Events. “We trusted them,” says Annie simply. Days before their nuptials, however, tragedy hit when the bride’s father unexpectedly passed away. “I knew he would have wanted me to go through with the wedding,” says Annie. “It ended up being a blessing that everyone in my life that I love was in the same spot in this moment of extreme grief and also extreme joy.”
Top Tips From This Wedding
• Eat like you do. Being a vegan herself, Annie wanted guests to enjoy a luxe plant-based menu. “We actually saved a good bit by not offering animal products at our wedding,” she says.
• Don’t shy from a patriotic palette. Red, white, and blue in the right designer’s hands can be sophisticated and impart nary a hint of Fourth of July. Mix bold (single-hue arrangements) and subtle touches (red-edged menus and watercolored napkins), and toss in neutrals (like these tablecloths, rattan light fixtures, and sleek chairs).
• Keep family close. The bride danced to her dearly departed father’s favorite band, The Beatles, while in her brother’s arms.
Been wondering why go the extra mile for a bridal portrait shoot? While the tradition began in Southern Europe, at a time when affluent families would hire an artist to paint the picture, we’ve come...
Like any solid relationship, Ali DuRant and Quinn Foster’s foundation began in friendship. They met at a July Fourth party on Sullivan’s Island in 2013. But it was a fated bus ride to a USC vs. UGA...
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Or can you? The old adage implying you can’t have it both ways didn’t ring true with Lauren Margaret Snyder and Robert “Bo” William Bledsoe’s May 1st...
Need ideas for your wedding color palette? If you missed this bold and beautiful mock wedding (inspired by a to-die-for metallic rose gold Shelby Cobra convertible) in the latest installment of...
Love’s Timeline
New Yorkers Philip (Phil) and Brittany (Britt) Mcphail’s first brief meeting was at a concert. Five years later, at Britt’s cousin’s house, the two happened to...
A Charleston Rehearsal Dinner | Introductions
Laura-Brooke and Ryan both grew up in Florence, South Carolina, but they didn’t meet until a college spring break trip to Myrtle Beach in 2015. The S.C....
But What If It Rains?
Anybody who has ever planned a wedding has asked themselves this question. When you’re spending big money and planning for months, nobody wants the forecast to quite...
“Falling” In Love
Picture this. You’re in college, on your way to class. Your crush steps out of the building door two feet in front of you … and you immediately trip over your shoes. You...
