Clubbin' Downtown

Summer 2018

WRITER CREDIT:

PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT:

Clubbin' Downtown | A classic Charleston wedding on Church Street with a parade and party at the yacht club shares a bevy of clean, crisp ideas

Try a Little - Welcome gifts need not be elaborate. A treat and a note from you and yours can do the trick.

Bosom Buddies - Flower girls Caroline and Kennedy are first cousins of bride Libby. The junior attendants’ monogrammed sashes were made from extra fabric Libby ordered with the bridesmaids’ gowns. “The girls felt extra-special when they got soft curls and a touch of makeup,” says Libby.

Photographs by:

Virgil Bunao

Libby Proctor & Byrd Miller

July 15, 2017 / Private Downtown Club

“Funny how you think you can control God’s plans,” says Libby. When she and her now-husband, Byrd, attended a July wedding, they swore to never get married in that sweltering month. A year later, they were given two date options at their venue, and “hot July, here we came!” she laughs. Luckily, their reception locale being on the water mitigated the heat and served as the perfect backdrop for the traditional celebration she envisioned. “When we look back at pictures for years to come, I wanted it to feel timeless,” she says. That translated to watercolor programs featuring St. Philip’s Church (where they swapped “I do’s”) and décor elements from Gathering Events like verdant topiaries and crisp-lined white furnishings. Fast-forward to the night’s end, and the newlyweds headed out via a sparkler exit to board Byrd’s fishing boat.

As they turned out of sight, it started to drizzle. “Byrd kept saying, ‘We’re married, and we’re on the Two Dogs, and it’s raining! How cool is this, Lib?’” the bride laughs. For a July night with their plans on the soggy side, it was pretty cool, indeed.

Top Tips

• Make a reception space your own. The private club’s patterned carpet clashed with Libby’s palette, so Gathering Events laid down a neutral carpet that better suited the day’s gorgeous color scheme.

• Color block your setting. Here dark greens popped off whites.

• Have fun. Byrd ordered half the couple’s koozies printed with “Drunk in Love” and the other half with “Just Drunk.”

• Pamper your flower girls. Kennedy and Caroline (Libby's cousins) attended the bridal luncheon and each were gifted a Croghan's Jewel Box necklace engraved with the wedding date.

Vendors

Wedding design, florals, specialty furniture, koozies: Gathering Events
Photography: Virgil Bunao
Venue, catering, bar service: Private club
Cake: DeClare Cakes
Rentals, linens, stage: Snyder Events
Stationery, signage, artwork: Studio R Design
Lighting: Technical Event Company
Bride’s attire: Modern Trousseau (gown); Bits of Lace (garter); Croghan’s Jewel Box (necklace); BHLDN (earrings); Badgley Mischka (shoes)
Bride’s dresser: Cacky’s Bride + Aid
Beauty: Lashes and Lace
Bridesmaids’ attire: Monique Lhuillier (available through Bella Bridesmaids); Monkee’s of the West End (jewelry); Smithworks Fine Jewelry (wedding band)
Groom’s attire: Jos. A. Bank (tux); Cole Haan (shoes); Brackish Bow Ties (tie); Croghan’s Jewel Box (wedding band)
Flower girls' attire: Southern Belles (dresses); Stitch Witch (sashes); B. Picky (monogramming)
Calligraphy: Elizabeth Porcher Jones (wedding invitations, programs, cocktail napkins), Mary Ruth Miller of Gathering Events (save-the-dates, koozies)
Music: St. Philip’s Church (choir, organist, trumpeter, Citadel bagpiper), Party on the Moon from East Coast Entertainment (Reception)
Men’s attire: Jos A. Banks (white dinner jackets)
Ring Bearer ensemble: Southern Belles
Getaway boat: Two Dogs (the groom’s Bertram fishing boat)
Welcome Box: Gathering Events (design), ABCD Cakes (Bundt cake), Studio R (printed material)
Bridal Party Transportation: Charleston Style Limo
Officiants: Reverend Thomas Brown of St. Paul’s Church, Reverend Andrew O’Dell of St. Philip’s Church

The Wedding Row

March 27 2020

Laurie and Graeme | Charles Towne Landing Elopement

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, the majority of us are anxious and overwhelmed. And when you’re engulfed in worry, you often dig further and further down that hole and forget to take in the beauty...

March 26 2020

Coronavirus and Your Wedding: Tips For Brides During a Pandemic

Maybe you’ve been planning your dream wedding for months. Maybe you just got engaged and cannot wait to start booking vendors. Either way, you weren’t expecting a pandemic like the COVID-19...

March 19 2020

Ashlyn & Tommy | The Island House

For anyone who doubts that chemistry trumps all, meet Ashlyn and Tommy. The two Charlestonians were struck super shy when they first bumped into one another at a party in 2013, but thanks to a little...

March 18 2020

Annie & Drew | The Gadsden House

Charlotte, North Carolina, residents Drew and Annie were introduced at a birthday party in a local brewery. He heard she was a physical therapist and asked her lots of questions about his “hurt”...

March 17 2020

Anna & Ian | Engagement Session

Five years ago, Anna just happened to sit right behind Ian while both were in Savannah, Georgia, at pharmacy school. Soon after, he asked her to a wedding as his plus-one, and they had a grand old...

March 12 2020

Christina & Daniel | Lowndes Grove

When bridal boutique owner Christina was struggling to lug a new desk into her East Greenwich, Rhode Island, condo, her neighbor Daniel (Dan), on a business call, saw her plight … and kept on walking...

March 11 2020

Mallory & Brian | The William Aiken House

Today we have two local lovebirds, Mallory and Brian, who were introduced through Bumble. Their first-date stops were Charleston favorites: Home Team Barbecue on Sullivan’s Island for ’cue and The...

March 10 2020

Annie & Garrett | Gibbes Museum of Art

This one brings a whole new luxe-wedding vibe to “painting the town red!” Charleston native Annie moved to Nashville on a whim, where her new home just happened to be down the road from Music City...