Seven years after Lesley Landrum spotted Robert Brickman’s “ugly shirt” (her words) at a birthday party, the couple started planning a shindig of their own: their wedding. Their wish? For it to be “a grown-up kids bar mitzvah,” says Lesley. As they discussed their wishlist with planner Tara Guérard of Tara Guérard Soirée, an upscale carnival took shape and the Gaillard Center became a grand, black-tie big top for the day. After a ceremony in the venue’s lobby, the ballroom doors opened to Burke High School drum line’s infectious beats, silk aerialists twirling above bars, a magician, and even drag queen performances. “We threw out the rules about what a Southern wedding has to be,” says Lesley. “It’s OK to be a kid,” Robert adds. Case in point: though he skipped the ugly shirt this time around, he donned Lego cufflinks that had Lesley falling in love all over again.
FOLLOW THEIR LEAD
• Pick a central location. Being downtown meant guests could walk to the fête from their hotels.
• Pay mind to your vendors. With a menu that was a nod to the couple’s love of travel—it ran the gamut from chicken piccata and chicken tikka masala to okra jambalaya and hand-rolled sushi—a large, well-equipped indoor kitchen was critical for catering prep.
• Personalize a large ballroom. Custom carpet was brought in to dress the setting in the couple’s palette. Garlands and draping made the towering ceilings more intimate.
• Beware of Mother Nature. August and September are in the peak of hurricane season, and Lowcountry summers bring plenty of pop-up showers, so an indoor venue provided peace of mind.
• Soften a stately setting. Metal lanterns added a summery touch to the classical entrance and cast a mellow glow after the sun set.
We couldn’t come up with a better love story than Taylor and Jonathan’s if we tried. They met while she was in dental school and he was completing his medical residency. (She’s a dentist, he’s a...
Who doesn’t have a soft spot for college sweethearts? Liz and John met their sophomore year at Providence College in Rhode Island, not knowing that nine years later John would propose on the very...
Oh my gosh is he a good guy! After meeting at work (at the Daniel Island Club), Ginny says she didn’t even know she was on her first date with Daniel when he offered to spend an afternoon helping her...
OK. So these two New Yorkers are kind of a big deal (she’s a VP at a hedge fund group and former account head at the Olgivy agency with an MBA and he’s a marketing director at a Big Apple firm and...
We want to be invited to *that* New Year’s Eve party! We’re talking about the one where Mount Pleasant native Bree met Mobile, Alabama-born Josh, and the two hit it off enough for us to be talking...
Lanier and Luke met in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, during a Friendsgiving supper one November along with some 30 pals. That run-in led to a friendship that turned into a romance and by 2017, the two were...
O.M.G. You are so going to love these two! For starters, they tricked—yes, tricked—their families into a shared Thanksgiving vacation in Charleston that turned into a surprise wedding for them and...
We hate to do this to you, but we have to tell you some things about bride Sarah Grace that might very well intimidate you (like it did us). Yes, yes, yes, she and her sweetheart Martin (aka “Bug”)...
Two foodies—he’s worked at Oceana, The Obstinate Daughter, and Wild Olive and she’s penning her first cookbook—tie the knot on All Hallows’ Eve at the bride’s family home on Sullivan’s Island
