Jumping (the Broom) for Joy



WRITER CREDIT: 
PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
Jumping (the Broom) for Joy | Christi Ascue & Sean Kershaw; April 11, 2009, Boone Hall Plantation
Christi Ascue and Sean Kershaw first had eyes for each other in 2000, at the very beginning of their freshman year at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. A few months later, a mutual friend introduced them, and the pair’s fast friendship evolved into romance.

Eight years later, Sean sat next to Christi’s father at a family meal and asked for her hand. “Everyone started clapping,” laughs Christi. “It seemed like we began planning our wedding that week.”

A loan auditor by day, Christi became her own event designer by night. But it wasn’t much of a stretch. As a niece of Charlotte Jenkins, the maven behind Mount Pleasant’s Gullah Cuisine Restaurant, Christi had grown up learning all about food, events, and service while working for her aunt.

So Christi began by picking a venue. An Awendaw native, she spent years passing Boone Hall Farms and “dreamt of having my wedding where they picked strawberries,” she says. But when the guest list, which included a substantial slice of the Awendaw community, swelled to 700, she opted to hold the ceremony on the porch of Boone Hall Plantation’s manor house and reception on its back lawn.

In the end, it was a truly local affair, with friends and family pitching in to pull off the day with panache and plenty of Lowcountry seasoning. Christi’s father drove her up the long oak allée in his red ’68 Buick convertible. Then, hand-in-hand, Christi’s and Sean’s aunts, uncles, and close cousins proceeded down the aisle. Family was followed by 14 bridesmaids, 15 groomsmen, two flower girls, and a ring bearer. After the ceremony, the couple joined guests in a tent filled with white linens and well-wishers. From jumping the broom into a new life together to the fireworks that capped off the evening, it was a celebration that Christi, Sean, and all those who attended recall whenever they roll down Highway 17 and pass Boone Hall.


Vendors

Cake: Sweet Creations by Gwen Simon
Catering: Gullah Cuisine by CJ’s Catering Service Inc. and Joe’s Catering by Buckshot’s Restaurant
Cigar Rollers: Coastal Cigars
Fireworks: Firecracker Bill [(843) 216-8141; firecrackerbill@bellsouth.net]
Flowers: Forget Me Nots by Lee Horst Puckaber and Ruthie’s Wayside Florist, McClellanville, (843) 257-2649
Gown: Sposa by St. Pucchi from Bel Fiore Bridal & Special Occasion Salon (Marietta, Georgia)
Rentals: Ruth’s House Inc., Holly Hill, S.C. (1-866-788-4431)
Stationery: Kia Faison Brown, Columbia
Tuxedoes: Reuben’s Mens & Boys Wear [480 King St.; (843) 723-5421]
Wedding Design and Planning: Ascue’s Unlimited
Wedding Design: Christi Ascue-Kershaw & Pearl V. Ascue


The Wedding Row

February 14 2022
Written By Melissa Reardon Photographs By Lucy Cuneo A transplant from Virginia, Weston “Wes” McAfee vividly remembers the first time he saw his future bride-to-be. Charleston native Dana Elaine...

December 29 2021
An Elegant Affair Proves New Year’s Eve Might Just Be The Perfect Time To Start A New Life Together By Joanne O’Sullivan | Images by Brandon Lata Photography Few people anywhere in the...

December 16 2021
A Match Made in Heaven Classic white blooms, greenery, and wooden elements set off this stunning Charleston wedding under the oaks When it comes to love and marriage, couples who pair well...

December 2 2021
A Charleston Winter Wedding Embraces the Season with Sophistication and Glamour Just a few hours before sunset in mid-winter, Charleston takes on a certain golden glow, unparalleled at any other...

November 17 2021
Take Cues from this Intimate Dreamy Blue “I Do” Amy Bronston and Trevor Pittman’s love story reads like a romantic movie. It was during the 2019 holiday season in Washington DC, where...

October 28 2021
This Halloween matrimony perfectly plays up the holiday—with a dash of fun and plenty of class in a scenic coastal Charleston setting By Joanne O’Sullivan | Images by Anne Rhett Photography...

October 11 2021
By Melissa Reardon | Images by Kelsey Halm Photo Expert Advice for a Beautiful Fall Bouquet With seasonal change comes an exciting rich color palette and tons of texture with which to design....

September 29 2021
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work Photos by Dana Cubbage Weddings | Written by Melissa Reardon They say the greatest marriages are built on teamwork. And indeed, it’s one of the marital building blocks...