Nature’s Bounty

Fall/Winter 2015

WRITER CREDIT:

PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT:

Nature’s Bounty | Outdoorsy does it for this Lowcountry pair who celebrated at home, family-style

Charleston Wedding wedding venues wedding wedding cake Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal wedding reception Folly Beach Weddings Bella Bridesmaid Big Day White dresses Cru Catering wine Snyder Events gown favors maddison row Monique Lhuillier

John’s family property graced the watercolored invitation suite. Stationery by Cheree Berry Paper. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Cascading arrangements welcomed guests to Estherville, the groom’s family home, and looked like climbing roses that had grown there for  generations. “I envisioned an unstructured, romantic look with coastal botanicals, delicate greenery, and interesting white blooms,” says Hollis. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Bridesmaids' dresses by Amsale (available locally at Bella Bridesmaids). Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Bride's gown by Monique Lhuillier (available locally at Maddison Row). Florals by Blossoms Events. Hair by Stuart Laurence Salon. Makeup by Kelly Martuscello. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Bridesmaid dresses echoed the blue hue of the Scotch plaid seen throughout the décor. Bride's gown by Monique Lhuillier (available locally at Maddison Row). Bridesmaids' dresses by Amsale (available locally at Bella Bridesmaids). Hair by Stuart Laurence Salon. Makeup by Kelly Martuscello. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Bridesmaids' dresses by Amsale (available locally at Bella Bridesmaids). Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Flower girls wore the bride’s family tartan as sashes. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Photograph by Tec Petaja at Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church.

Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja at Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church.

Boutonnieres were variations on green and white. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Photograph by Tec Petaja.

The wedding party left the church to “Scotland the Brave.” Ceremony music by Palmetto Pipes and Drums. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

John—who sported a  tux from his own closet—says he had a crush on Hollis long before they began  dating. ( Bride's gown by Monique Lhuillier (available locally at Maddison Row). Hair by Stuart Laurence Salon. Makeup by Kelly Martuscello. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Bride's gown by Monique Lhuillier (available locally at Maddison Row). Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Bride's gown by Monique Lhuillier (available locally at Maddison Row). Bridesmaids' dresses by Amsale (available locally at Bella Bridesmaids). Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Wedding design and lounge rentals by Calder Clark. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Wedding design and lounge rentals by Calder Clark. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Interior tent poles were masked with limbs and branches. Wedding design and lounge rentals by Calder Clark. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Wedding design by Calder Clark. Signage by Blossom Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Wedding design by Calder Clark. Linens by La Tavola. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Wedding design by Calder Clark. Catering by Cru Catering. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

A scarf souvenir from the bride’s parent’s honeymoon in Scotland served as a table runner. Wedding design by Calder Clark. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Wedding design by Calder Clark. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Custom bar by Blossoms Events. Bar service by Cru Catering. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Tables and chairs by Snyder Events. Linens by La Tavola. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

“I am definitely a ‘no frills’ girl and John is a Southern outdoorsman  in the truest form,” says bride Hollis, who worked with designer Calder Clark to  pick a palette lifted from the Lowcountry landscape. Here, gray paisley linens  dressed tablescapes topped with greens. Tables and chairs by Snyder Events. Linens by La Tavola. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Tables and chairs by Snyder Events. Linens by La Tavola. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

For a stunning and singular bar setup in keeping with the wedding’s aesthetic, planner Calder Clark affixed fern, fatsia, and elephant ear leaves to linen fabric, then pressed them behind a glass front. Custom bar by Blossom Events. Bar stools and lamps by Calder Clark. Linens by La Tavola. Tent by Sperry Tents Southeast. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Wedding design by Calder Clark. Tent by Sperry Tents Southeast. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Though many of John’s relatives have wed at Estherville, he and Hollis were the first to celebrate on the  property’s front lawn, which overlooks Winyah Bay. Tent by Sperry Tents Southeast. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Ceremony music by Palmetto Pipes and Drums. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Cocktail offerings included single malt Scotch from  the bride’s grandfather’s personal cache. Bar service by Cru Catering. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Bar service by Cru Catering. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

The secret to a party’s success? Per Hollis’ dad: good food, good liquor, and great music. “His advice worked wonderfully!” says the bride. Catering by Cru Catering. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Catering by Cru Catering. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Cake by Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Catering to  reception-goers’ varied tastes  (and the bride’s major sweet  tooth), Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal baked a six-tier beaut featuring chocolate, almond, and coconut flavors. Cake by Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal. Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Tent by Sperry Tents Southeast. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Hollis’ only regret? “I probably wouldn’t have put my hair  haphazardly in a braid halfway through the reception. That, coupled with the camo hat, did not let my ‘bridal hair’ last long!” she laughs. (For the record, John—and his now-mother-in-law—defended her style choice. “They both said, ‘That’s just you, exactly you,’” Hollis told us.) Bride's gown by Monique Lhuillier (available locally at Maddison Row). Florals by Blossoms Events. Photograph by Tec Petaja.

Photographs by:

Tec Petaja

Hollis Johnston & John Lumpkin
October 11, 2014
Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church & Private Georgetown Residence

John Lumpkin and Hollis Johnston drove away from their reception last October with green garlands, deer antlers, and vintage duck decoys in tow, but the unconventional adornments raised nary an eyebrow among the 375 friends and family members who bid the couple farewell. After all, the bride, a Columbia, South Carolina, native, pens “The Bright Side of the Road,” a blog that she calls “a girl’s guide to hunting, fishing, and a love of the outdoors,” and the Georgetown, South Carolina, groom was raised as an outdoor-lover and fishing enthusiast. And if it weren’t for those shared passions, who knows if the two would have ever clicked?

It unfolded like this: in 2010, the Charleston residents ran into each other on Folly Beach two years after first meeting on a group deep-sea fishing trip off Pawley’s Island. Weeks later they headed to John’s parent’s home (known as Estherville) in Georgetown for skeet shooting and that was simply that. “Once we started dating all of our friends said, ‘Oh, obviously—how did we not see it before?!’” says Hollis. Three years later, the couple returned to Lumpkin family turf where, during an ATV ride across the property, John pulled up to “The Granddaddy” (an ancient oak), dropped to one knee, and proposed. “I immediately said ‘Yes’ and went for a hug, but my excitement made it more of a tackle!” Hollis laughs. “The rest was a blur.”

Thanks to some pre-proposal scheming on John’s part, the couple had a wedding planner (Calder Clark—Hollis had long been a fan) and a Big Day date locked down from the get-go. As for wedding venues, they simply looked homeward. “We always knew that Estherville would be the location of our reception,” says Hollis. Nearby Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church—where John’s parents and grandparents had married, as well—also called out as both a sentimental and practical ceremony site.

When it came time for Hollis to join John at the church’s altar, bagpipes bellowed “Highland Cathedral” (a nod to the bride’s Scottish heritage) as she made her way down the aisle. After vows were exchanged, the couple and guests headed to the family home and celebrated with Southern fare and dueling Scotch bars beneath a sailcloth tent dressed in native greens and white blooms. “We wanted people to feel like they had walked into a homey, welcoming piece of who we are,” says Hollis.

As night fell and the dance floor filled, camouflage-hat favors were doled out and the moon—which, thanks to a rare lunar eclipse, was a stunning reddish-orange hue—cast a soft glow over the tent. As it rose, guests started to walk outside and watch, recalls Hollis, adding thoughtfully, “John’s father gave us a book for our wedding called Life’s Extras by Archibald Rutledge. And there, at our wedding reception, we had one of life’s extras that everyone was able to enjoy with us.

Vendor List:

Wedding design, lounge rentals, bar stools, and lamps: Calder Clark, www.CalderClark.com

Venues: (ceremony) Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church, www.PGWinyah.com; (reception) private Georgetown residence

Florals, flower vessels, custom bar: Blossoms Events, www.BlossomsEvents.com

Photography: Tec Petaja, www.TecPetajaPhoto.com

Bar, wine service, catering: Cru Catering, www.CruCatering.com

Cake: Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal, www.weddingcakesbyjimsmeal.com

Tables and chairs: Snyder Events, www.SnyderEvents.com

Linens: La Tavola, www.latavolalinen.com; (napkins) bride’s family

Tent: Sperry Tents Southeast, www.SperryTentsSoutheast.com

Stationery: Cheree Berry Paper, www.ChereeBerryPaper.com

Bride’s gown: Monique Lhuillier from Maddison Row, www.maddisonrow.com

Beauty: (hair) Stuart Lawrence Salon, www.StuartLaurenceSalon.com; (makeup)

Kelly Martuscello

Bridesmaid’s dresses: Amsale from Bella Bridesmaids, www.BellaBridesmaids.com

Menswear: Groom’s and groomsmen’s own tuxedos

Music: Palmetto Pipes and Drums, www.PalmettoPipesAndDrums.com

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