Pretty as a Picture

Spring/Summer 2013

WRITER CREDIT:

PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT:

Pretty as a Picture | Elise Yardley Cobb and Tim Hussey, November 5, 2011, Private Downtown Home

Charleston Wedding Stage Presence Equipment Rentals wedding Snyder Event Rentals veil wine Garden Rachel Gordon Social Tim Hussey

KEEP IT SIMPLE: Exposed lightbulbs and rustic wooden elements helped lend the evening its old-timey feel. The bride wore a gown from local designer Rachel Gordon. (above)

STRIKE A POSE: Elise, a part-time model who got her start walking in Charleston Fashion Week®, shows off her custom-made gown by Rachel Gordon of One Love Design.

WARM FEET: As Tim and Elise exchanged the vows they’d written, a heater (a last-minute addition since there’d been a cold spell the night before) worked to keep them toasty.

HOUSE PARTY: Once Tim and Elise thought of the huge backyard, sweeping orange tree, and exposed light bulbs of Josh Nissenboim and Helen Rice’s downtown home, their venue choice was a no-brainer.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Bright bulbs gave the backyard a whimsical glow. A few strands were spiraled up the orange tree, focusing due attention on the newlyweds-to-be.

BARELY THERE: Flower arrangements were artfully spare, like baby’s breath in a Ball jar.

KIND WORDS: Guests tapped out congrats on a 1928 typewriter or wrote messages in a secondhand book refilled with recycled paper by Etsy vendor BindingBee.

PET PROJECT: The pair made homemade vanilla extract favors and picked cotton for décor.

ON THE PROWL: Elise says she and her mom exhausted nearly every antique store in Charleston in search of tinted bottles and Mason jars. Instead, they bought new vessels and used navy, teal, emerald, and white glass paint to achieve the vintage look.

WIPED CLEAN: With help from friends, Elise stamped images of antique sewing machines and light bulbs on more than 500 cocktail napkins.

BANNER DAY: Surrounded by Twenty Six Divine treats served on silver pooled from both families, the cake wore a banner made from pages of Pride and Prejudice.

WHAT A SPREAD: In the spirit of intimacy, the couple used only silver hand-me-downs as serving dishes. The cake, baked by Twenty Six Divine, was complemented by smaller treats from local bakeries, like Saffron Café and Bakery.

FINAL DASH: “The morning of the wedding, I panicked that we wouldn't have enough desserts, so my grandmother and aunt rushed out and bought 150 more individual treats!” remembers Elise.

BUNDLE OF JOY: Blue Planet Green Events mixed sea holly, Dusty Miller, and lavender with eucalyptus leaves and berries and cotton boles for an earthy, casual bouquet.

GUT FEELING: Though the couple dated for precisely 364 days before Tim proposed, “We’d basically agreed within the first month that we had every intention of always being together,” says Elise.

SISTER, SISTER: Charlotte Cobb poses with her newly-married older sis. Elise’s advice for brides-to-be? “Designate friends and family to help! They truly want to!”

SAYONARA: Friends and family saw the newlyweds off by tossing dried chamomile and lavender, provided for them in miniature burlap sacks.

BORN TO RIDE: Tim’s 2007 Ducati G2100 sported a pennant that transformed it into a getaway vehicle.

LAST GOODBYES: As guests looked on, Tim and Elise prepared for departure. Says Elise of the wedding, “I don't think we would have done anything differently. The day was so perfect that we’d always follow the same path that got us there.”

When Elise Yardley Cobb met Tim Hussey outside King Street’s Rebekah Jacob Gallery, she recognized him from a documentary she’d seen about the Charleston painter, photographer, and graphic designer. Three hundred and sixty-four days after their first date, Tim proposed, and the design-savvy duo quickly began brainstorming a cozy, backyard affair. “Everything was loaned, antique, local, or designed by us,” says Elise, a former elementary schoolteacher. The bride assembled family wedding photos and borrowed her great-grandmother’s veil from the Smithsonian. Tim bartered art for services so they could splurge on extras, like 1980s Polaroid film for a photo booth (with one of his abstracts as its backdrop). When the day arrived, the couple swapped vows in a friend’s garden beneath an orange tree draped in lights. Says Elise, “It was perfect.”

Vendor List

Baker: Twenty Six Divine; www.twentysixdivine.com
Bride’s attire: Rachel Gordon with One Love Design; www.onelovedesign.com
Caterer: Social Restaurant + Wine Bar; www.socialwinebar.com
Day-of coordination and florist: Blue Planet Green Events; www.blueplanetgreenevents.com
Lighting: Stage Presence Equipment Rentals; www.stagepresencellc.com
Rentals and linens: Snyder Event Rentals; www.snydereventrentals.com
Music: Heddy Rae; www.myspace.com/heddyrae
Photographer: Gately Williams; www.benwilliamsweddings.com

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