Caroline O’Brien & Ryan Schneider
December 16, 2023 • Lowndes Grove
The adage “opposites attract” rings true for Caroline O’Brien and Ryan Schneider. She’s a well-heeled, stylish, creative type (a graphic designer by trade), and he’s a wholesome, rugged Army Ranger. Both New Englanders, they crossed paths soon after Caroline graduated from Ole Miss and moved to Savannah, Georgia, where they hit it off. After several years of dating, Ryan popped the question in an over-the-top fashion. He decked their apartment with hundreds of white roses and candles and invited Caroline’s sisters to hide in wait to surprise her after the big moment. “Ryan’s love for my family was one of the many reasons I fell for him,” Caroline gushes.
The couple loves the South and chose to marry in Charleston after Lowndes Grove took their breath away. They enlisted Abby Frye and Emma Karpovich with PPGH Peninsula Events to help execute Caroline’s vision for their 180-person winter celebration. The black-tie affair bore all the hallmarks of a traditional wedding, says Abby, the flow of the day, cocktail hour by the water, good food, lots of dancing. “The punch of the party though was definitely the design,” she says.
Inspired by her favorite childhood movie, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Caroline envisioned a fanciful garden full of flowers, unexpected details, and larger-than-life elements. “I’ve always believed that more is more, and it was so fun to plan every wild detail,” the bride says. The planners brought in florist Lori DeNicola of Petaloso to bring Caroline’s concept to life.
Lori and her team used tons of moss, ferns, orchids, and lots of atypical feathery and drooping blooms to craft arrangements that graced tables, climbed draping, spilled across the floor, and hung from trees. No two arrangements were the same. Flowers like spider Gerbera daisies, spider lilies, and clematis brought the whimsy. She even grew mushrooms for the displays and carefully coaxed a pitcher plant to peak bloom for the groom’s boutonniere. But the stars of the show were the two towering, pink plaster mushroom installations Lori’s staffer Ashley Stanol (a former art student) designed and took over a month to create. Decked with moss, florals, fungi, twinkle lights, and surprise forest creatures, the displays were showstoppers. “We’ve created floral environments before, but this one was extra special and makes me excited to continue to create,” says Lori. “It was a dream for me and my brain, which lives in the land of Dr. Seuss most days.”
For Caroline and Ryan, the outcome of the design and guest response was well worth it. “We were absolutely blown away,” says Caroline. “It really captivated our guests and felt surreal in the best kind of way.”
Vendors
Venue, Catering, & Bar: Lowndes Grove, Patrick Properties Hospitality Group
Planning: PPHG Peninsula Events
Photography: Theresa Kelly Photography
Florals: Petaloso
Cake: AP Flour
Rentals: Snyder Events, Curated Events Charleston
Linens: Luxe Linen, Stradley Davidson Linens
Draping, Lighting: Loluma Events
Beauty: Ash & Co
Entertainment: Bryan the DJ
Transportation: Coastal Limousine of Charleston, WhipDash
Table Lamps: LIT Charleston
Videography: Serio Visuals
