Shelley McLaughlin & Kent Scott
September 20, 2014
Middleton Place
Shelley McLaughlin may live in New York City, but she says she always knew she wanted to get married under a mossy oak tree. (Her mother’s from South Carolina, so the woman knows her live oaks and “mossy” to her equals Spanish moss). After a Central Park proposal from beau Kent Scott, the pair flew South and headed to scope out Middleton Place for their special day. It was the first venue on their itinerary, but they were so smitten with it they cancelled all other site visits and headed downtown for celebratory drinks with planner Lauren Fox of Fox Events—a childhood friend of the bride’s. As for aesthetics, “I wanted it to feel like you were in a garden,” says Shelley, who got just that. Tree slab cake stands, wooden lanterns, and leafy garlands wrapped around poles and rafters did the trick in charming, homespun style.
Top Tips Take It from the Scotts ...
• Cakes from family friend Libby Murdock are a longtime McLaughlin family tradition on visits to South Carolina. The bride enlisted her to bake the wedding desserts.
• While it’s common practice to showcase family wedding photos at a reception, Shelley put a spin on that idea by displaying her mother and grandmother’s wedding gowns.
• The bride was so smitten with her Etsy-found crystal bouquet she skipped fresh flowers for herself. Faux florals are a great option for cold weather months when blooms are priciest.
As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, the majority of us are anxious and overwhelmed. And when you’re engulfed in worry, you often dig further and further down that hole and forget to take in the beauty...
Maybe you’ve been planning your dream wedding for months. Maybe you just got engaged and cannot wait to start booking vendors. Either way, you weren’t expecting a pandemic like the COVID-19...
For anyone who doubts that chemistry trumps all, meet Ashlyn and Tommy. The two Charlestonians were struck super shy when they first bumped into one another at a party in 2013, but thanks to a little...
Charlotte, North Carolina, residents Drew and Annie were introduced at a birthday party in a local brewery. He heard she was a physical therapist and asked her lots of questions about his “hurt”...
Five years ago, Anna just happened to sit right behind Ian while both were in Savannah, Georgia, at pharmacy school. Soon after, he asked her to a wedding as his plus-one, and they had a grand old...
When bridal boutique owner Christina was struggling to lug a new desk into her East Greenwich, Rhode Island, condo, her neighbor Daniel (Dan), on a business call, saw her plight … and kept on walking...
Today we have two local lovebirds, Mallory and Brian, who were introduced through Bumble. Their first-date stops were Charleston favorites: Home Team Barbecue on Sullivan’s Island for ’cue and The...
This one brings a whole new luxe-wedding vibe to “painting the town red!” Charleston native Annie moved to Nashville on a whim, where her new home just happened to be down the road from Music City...
