Love & Charleston



WRITER CREDIT: 
PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
Love & Charleston | A historic Broad Street home was transformed into a floral-filled oasis for this couple’s springtime soirée
Anne Flanigan & George Matelich
May 6, 2023 • South Carolina Society Hall & private residence
 
Anne Flanigan and George Matelich met while living in San Francisco, and both felt an instant and undeniable spark on their first date. For Anne, a Missouri native, and George, who grew up in New York, finding each other in the City by the Bay via a dating app might have seemed like sheer luck. But they’d soon find out that they weren’t the first in their families to cross paths: their fathers had worked together long before the two were born!
 
Over the next two years, the couple’s love bloomed, and George set about planning the perfect proposal. He popped the question along the oceanfront at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, where their families had gathered to meet “for the first time” and celebrate Anne’s birthday. She said yes—and the joy-filled group toasted to their love with a bottle of bubbles.
 
Anne and George decided their dream wedding could only be set in one city: Charleston. Anne’s parents had recently bought a house on Broad Street, and the couple was eager to introduce their out-of-state guests to the Lowcountry’s charms. They swiftly enlisted the expertise of Christina Baxter to deliver their vision of an elegant ceremony followed by a reception at the historic home. 
 
On May 6, 2023, the two exchanged handwritten vows surrounded by loved ones and the storied, portrait-clad walls of South Carolina Society Hall. A jazz band beckoned guests back outside, where they boarded buses bound for the house. After entering through the wrought-iron gate and double-oak doors festooned in white flowers and greenery, all enjoyed a cocktail hour that spilled across the yard, along the piazza, and into the circa-1873 home. 
 
And that was just the beginning of a reception to remember. Dinner was hosted in a dramatic fabric-draped tent bedecked in abundant blooms, creating the illusion of a luscious garden growing throughout the space. Along the tables, each place setting included a custom illustrated menu booklet by Hatch Cove Designs previewing a Lowcountry-inspired meal by Cru Catering of warm biscuits, pan-seared fresh catch, and other delights. After dinner, Anne and George’s guests brought the party as they danced the night away.  
 
Vendors
Planning & Design: Christina Baxter Weddings & Events
Photography: Nirav Patel Photography
Venues: South Carolina Society Hall (ceremony), private home (reception)
Florals: August Floral Design
Caterer & Bar: Cru Catering
Cake: Peninsula Grill
Rentals: Snyder Events
Linens: Stradley Davidson
Drapery: Veil
Entertainment: Charleston Virtuosi (ceremony), New South Jazzmen (reception)
Stationery: Studio R and Hatch Cove Designs
Bridal Attire: Oscar de La Renta (dress), Manolo Blahnik (shoes)
Bridesmaid Attire: Maria Lucia Hohan
Beauty: Bellelina Charleston (makeup), Patrick Navarro (hair)

The Wedding Row

July 23 2021
Been wondering why go the extra mile for a bridal portrait shoot? While the tradition began in Southern Europe, at a time when affluent families would hire an artist to paint the picture, we’ve come...

July 8 2021
Like any solid relationship, Ali DuRant and Quinn Foster’s foundation began in friendship. They met at a July Fourth party on Sullivan’s Island in 2013. But it was a fated bus ride to a USC vs. UGA...

June 24 2021
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Or can you? The old adage implying you can’t have it both ways didn’t ring true with Lauren Margaret Snyder and Robert “Bo” William Bledsoe’s May 1st...

June 14 2021
Need ideas for your wedding color palette? If you missed this bold and beautiful mock wedding (inspired by a to-die-for metallic rose gold Shelby Cobra convertible) in the latest installment of...

April 29 2020
Love’s Timeline New Yorkers Philip (Phil) and Brittany (Britt) Mcphail’s first brief meeting was at a concert. Five years later, at Britt’s cousin’s house, the two happened to...

April 28 2020
A Charleston Rehearsal Dinner | Introductions Laura-Brooke and Ryan both grew up in Florence, South Carolina, but they didn’t meet until a college spring break trip to Myrtle Beach in 2015. The S.C....

April 23 2020
But What If It Rains? Anybody who has ever planned a wedding has asked themselves this question. When you’re spending big money and planning for months, nobody wants the forecast to quite...

April 22 2020
“Falling” In Love Picture this. You’re in college, on your way to class. Your crush steps out of the building door two feet in front of you … and you immediately trip over your shoes. You...