Karon Rebecca Blackman & Alexander William Ramsay, Jr.
November 19, 2016 • A Private Residence & The Governor Thomas Bennett House
Picture this: You’re vacationing with your beau and his family in a romantic medieval French village and he’s got a ring you know nothing about. Your last night there, he leads you on a random errand that lands you in a square that had been a ghost town when he scouted it days ago, but now it’s crammed with people. Because your honey has his brother secretly taping the big ask, it’s now or never. You are shocked, and just after you accept his proposal, you’re simultaneously body-checked by a Frenchie with grocery bags and your now-bethrothed shouts, “She said ‘Yes!’” to his videographer sibling.
So it went for Charlestonians Rebecca Blackman and Alex Ramsay—romcom stars of their own story. After a few surprise days in Paris to celebrate, the two returned stateside to plan. When both of you are Holy City natives and one of you is part of the Ramsay clan behind Croghan’s Jewel Box, choosing where to get married might be easy, but aesthetics took some thinking. “We wanted something formal, but not stuffy,” says Rebecca, “Something that was ‘Charleston’ but not cliché.” She worked with family friend Haley Kelly of A Charleston Bride, and together the pair hashed a plan to transform the piazza at her parents’ Ashley Avenue home into a ceremony site and the garden of The Governor Thomas Bennett House into a reception-slash-dance hall.
“Most importantly,” says Rebecca, “we wanted personal details to reign.” And reign they did: from linens and kilts in the Ramsay family tartan to blue jay feathers in the boutonnieres (Rebecca’s mom has long gifted the feathers to her daughter) and Alex’s favorite late-night street food—a baguette with a hotdog and mustard—the celebration was uniquely them. “I always love doing weddings with locals,” says Haley, “because it can be more of a challenge since they’ve seen so many Charleston weddings.”
On the day, guests gathered in the garden of Rebecca’s family home as bagpipes played and champagne flowed. The bride’s grandmother Meme, who is unable to travel, attended via FaceTime thanks to a friend who trotted down the aisle holding up her cellphone to give granny the full experience. “Some guests may have thought it strange,” says Rebecca, “but it was one of the most special things that day for us and her.” Let’s hear it for family first, all the way.
Vendors
Groom’s attire: groom’s own
