Dockside DIY Wedding



PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
Dockside DIY Wedding |
Meg Sawyer & Richard Doelling
 
April 27, 2019 / Bowens Island
 
Charleston lawyers Meg and Richard, who met during their first week of law school at Washington & Lee University, initially planned for a Virginia wedding but shifted gears when her father was diagnosed with cancer. With that news, they did a major redirect to the iconic eatery Bowens Island, just down the road from her parents’ place. “It captures our favorite parts of Charleston—the beautiful waterways, the wildlife, the oysters, the Spanish moss,” says Meg. Aiming for casual Southern sophistication (“Richard and I aren’t super fancy people,” says Meg), the DIY affair drew its palette from the waters and whitecaps of Folly River with décor in shades of blue and cream. Though Meg’s father tragically passed away before he could walk his girl down the aisle, the couple moved forward with their plans as a way to celebrate his life and their new lives together, too. With restaurant patrons cheering them on, Meg’s mom escorting her to the ceremony, and a reception party that was by all accounts full-tilt fabulous, the day was a roller coaster laced with romance.
 
Top Tips
 
• Prep the powder rooms. The couple added mats to the site’s bathrooms the morning of the wedding to minimize slipping.
• Generate a breeze. Rented industrial fans regulated the temperature inside the dock house.
• Work around beach traffic. Meg and Richard advised guests to head to the venue early to beat the Folly Road rush.
• Take a water taxi. The couple used the locally created HOBA app (Hop on a Boat, Anywhere) to exit the reception and head to their Folly Beach hotel.
 
Vendors
 
Coordination: Christy Loftin, www.ChristyLoftin.com
Images: Kimberly Florence Photography, www.KimberlyFlorence.com
Venue, bar service: Bowen’s Island Restaurant, www.BowensIsland.com
Catering: Crazy Dutchman Catering, www.CrazyDutchmanCatering.com
Florals: Lux & Union, www.LuxandUnion.com
Rentals, lighting: EventWorks, www.EventWorksRentals.com
Music: Emerald Empire Band (reception), www.EmeraldEmpireBand.com
Signage: Gillian Sawyer, www.Etsy.com/shop/YesSheCanvas
Getaway Boat: HOBA, www.HOBARides.com/
Bride’s attire: Pronovias from Gown Boutique of Charleston (gown), www.GownBoutiqueofCharleston.com; Alena Fede (veil and alterations), www.AlenaFedeFashion.com; Anthropologie (earrings), www.Anthropologie.com; Sam Edelman (shoes), www.SamEdelman.com
Beauty: Lashes & Lace, www.LashesandLaceCharleston.com
Bridesmaids’ attire: Jenny Yoo; Show Me Your Mumu, www.ShowMeYourMumu.com
Men’s attire: The Black Tux (suit, shoes, tie), www.TheBlackTux.com

 

The Wedding Row

September 18 2019
It’s hump day, and to help you get through the rest of the week—you. can. do. it.—we’re bringing you all the pretty (and then some) from Brynne and Alex’s Big Day at The Gibbes Museum of Art. Though...

September 16 2019

September 10 2019
We had a brief hurricane hiatus (ugh, Dorian), but we’re back in full action and bringing you the backyard summer soirée of your dreams. So, grab your drink and kick up your heels for this A-plus...

September 4 2019
Cue the “awwws” because we’ve got an endearing engagement shoot filled with love, nose boops, and … potatoes. Yep, that’s what Keely was seasoning one random Friday evening when Poole got down on one...

September 2 2019
We’re kicking off this four-day week with an ever-so glamorous wedding filled with southern hospitality, sequins, and more florals than a girl could ever dream of. Seriously. Erin and Andrew met one...

August 30 2019
Alrighty everyone, we’re kicking off this Friday on a fabulous note. There is so much goodness wrapped up in this waterside wedding and you will be amazed at every last detail. We certainly were....

August 28 2019
The day that Lee, Andrew, and their adorable son, Camon, all became one was for sure a day to remember. Check out the elegantly rustic greenery hanging above the space at The Cedar Room that the very...

August 27 2019
My, oh my. This Charleston engagement shoot has our wedding-loving hearts bursting at the seams. Historic downtown buildings, two elegantly blue-hued wardrobes, the breezy Folly Beach air, AND two...