“I am an outdoor girl who loves hunting, fishing, boating, pluff mud—you name it,” says Mason McCoogan, née Coombs, who wed Alex at Boone Hall Plantation’s Cotton Dock a few months ago. “But,” adds the co-owner of the bridal beauty crew Charleston I Do, “I am also a super girly girl who loves fashion, hair, and makeup.” If building a wedding aesthetic around that persona seems challenging, you haven’t met Natalie Knox, Boone Hall’s on-site designer and coordinator. Over the two years (yep, two) that she spent working with Mason and her mother, the trio became “framily” and dreamed up one stunner of a mix-and-match day. Sound right up your alley? Read on.
Charleston Weddings: Mason, what were you hoping for in your wedding?
Mason McCoogan: I wanted a true Southern wedding, complete with feathers from Eastern wild turkeys shot by my husband, my dad, and me over the years—we love hunting in the Lowcountry.
CW: Natalie, where did you go with that?
Natalie Knox: She told me she wanted something glamorous but simple at the same time; something that dressed up the Cotton Dock while bringing in elements of her and Alex’s Charleston roots as well. I tried to find ways to do that while complementing the site’s
CW: Those swings hit on all those points.
MM: Natalie came up with those and I loved them—what a whimsical and fun take on outdoor dock seating. I wanted people to be able to enjoy the view, swinging with a “Sage,” the cocktail we named after our German Shorthaired Pointer.
CW: Did Pinterest come into play?
NK: I always tell brides that it’s great to get an idea of your style, but once I get what they are looking for, we ditch Pinterest altogether.
CW: What can you tell us about the crest?
NK: We created something feminine (with the font and coloring), but something that had personalized elements—their precious dog, Sage, of course, and turkey feathers.
CW: What can you tell us about the favors?
NK: They gave out duck calls. Mason’s grandfather got on stage and said he had to say something to the groom. He did a duck call, which was followed by the FOB doing a duck call, then her brother ... the entire party went hysterical.
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