Talk about a bold entrance: when Jared Coseglia messaged Catherine Siracusa through her Match.com profile in 2012, he signed off with, “I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal.” The Ron Burgundy reference piqued fellow Anchorman fan Catherine’s interest, and soon the pair met for their first date in Queens, New York. A Texas native himself, Jared was immediately charmed by New Jersey-born Catherine’s accent, and, 48 hours later, knew he had found “the one” when she cheered alongside him in the stands of a boxing match.
Three years later, the New Jersey-based couple had a Folly Beach vacation home (“We love that you can run on the beach at sunrise and there won’t be a soul in sight,” says Catherine). While dolphin-watching from their dock one day, Jared proposed with their pug, Joey Bruno, looking on. When it came to their nuptials, they decided to stay in the Lowcountry. “We knew we wanted to get married in Charleston and make it a destination wedding for our families,” says Catherine.
A World History teacher, the bride set her sights on Middleton Place—the grounds of which are styled similarly to those at the Palace of Versailles—and enlisted Christina Baxter of Cibi Events
to collaborate on a classic garden affair meets all-out-fun fête. “They wanted an elegant and intimate gathering with a family-style setting,” says Christina. As for their must-have details? “Catherine had dreamed of a magnificent flower wall behind the head table, and Jared—a former Broadway theater director and musician himself—wanted a band that would pack the dance floor.”
On the Big Day, their personalities shone through: donning a princess-style tulle gown, Catherine walked down Middleton’s octagonal gardens to an orchestral remix of Radiohead’s “Reckoner.” After a tipple by the Crane Pool, the pair and their 88 guests retreated to the venue’s Pavilion to dine on a four-course tasting menu of Charleston favorites before grooving to the sounds of band Main Attraction. “We’ve never seen our friends and family let loose and enjoy themselves as much as they did dancing that night,” says Catherine. All the while, a showstopping eight-foot wall of blooms stood as a sweetly scented backdrop for the revelry.
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