Rich in Love | Two foodies—he’s worked at Oceana, The Obstinate Daughter, and Wild Olive and she’s penning her first cookbook—tie the knot on All Hallows’ Eve at the bride’s family home on Sullivan’s Island
Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church & Family Residence on Sullian’s Island
Victoria Frank and Carmine Peluso’s tale is the stuff rom-coms are made of. In 2009, when the then-New York City residents and French Culinary Institute students paired up for a class on cooking onions, they mixed about as well as oil and water. “Carmine was super bossy,” laughs Victoria. “I thought to myself, ‘What a know-it-all.’” Little did she know, he had the exact same impression of her.
Still, a few months later, they ended up on a dinner date that culminated in a midnight walk across Manhattan. “I was dying for that good-night kiss,” recalls Victoria, who got her wish. “After, it started to snow, and I knew right then and there it would be my last first kiss.”
With such cinematic stops and starts, the bar was set high for Carmine’s eventual proposal. When the time came, both had been living in the Lowcountry, and he asked Victoria to meet up for a stroll along the beach at Sullivan’s Island, starting at her parent’s house. When Victoria arrived, she came across a path of rose petals and followed them to the porch where he’d laid out an immense feast complete with terrific wine, a seaside view, and a killer sunset. He dropped to one knee and, laughs Victoria, “I cried so hard I’m pretty sure the folks on the beach thought he was breaking up with me.”
Though their courtship may sound like a Katherine Heigl flick (or, better yet, read like a novel by the bride’s mom, Dorothea Benton Frank), Victoria brought everything back to the classics for her nuptials. A Shakespeare buff (and College of Charleston theater grad), she had long imagined a Midsummer Night’s Dream-styled wedding, and called upon Cory Winn Lambert of Sage Innovations to translate that idea into an autumn fête. The result was a lush baroque affair in which florals of peach, eggplant, and berry hues abounded; golden cutlery sparkled against golden linens; and foodie elements like herbs and whole fruits nodded to the season—and the newlyweds’ professions.
Indeed, cuisine reigned on the Big Day. “Our guests were eating the entire time,” Victoria boasts. That morning, the bridal party (who’d had a sleepover at the family beach house) loaded up on Mama Frank’s pancakes. And that evening, as an ode to Carmine’s Italian upbringing, Cru Catering served antipasti plates, charcuterie boards, carbonara, and handmade gnocchi with perfection.
As the night drew to a close, Victoria and Carmine took one last bite of their opulent, gilded cake and started dreaming of wine and cheese dates on their Parisian honeymoon. Cue the credits, and fade to black.
Indeed, cuisine reigned on the Big Day. “Our guests were eating the entire time,” Victoria boasts. That morning, the bridal party (who’d had a sleepover at the family beach house) loaded up on Mama Frank’s pancakes. And that evening, as an ode to Carmine’s Italian upbringing, Cru Catering served antipasti plates, charcuterie boards, carbonara, and handmade gnocchi with perfection.
As the night drew to a close, Victoria and Carmine took one last bite of their opulent, gilded cake and started dreaming of wine and cheese dates on their Parisian honeymoon. Cue the credits, and fade to black.
Here’s a sweet-as-pie love story for your Monday. These newlyweds first met in college at Furman University after Ashley asked for Emily’s help in their shared computer class. Little did Emily know,...
Happy Friday, lovelies. To start the weekend off on a high (and crazy pretty) note, we present to you the wedding of Alexandria and Chandler. University of South Carolina alum Alex met her future...
When Hurricane Florence hit, Jacqueline and Matthew, only a week out from their wedding, feared the worst. With their hometown of Southport, North Carolina, completely flooded, it seemed like...
Funnily enough, romantic gestures aren’t the only way to find love. New York natives Lauren and Austin met when he boldly cut in front of her in line outside of a bar in the Hamptons. She took notice...
Believe it or not, produce (yup, apples and oranges!) is what brought Emily and Anthony together. The pair met online and had their first date at the SoWa Market, the Boston equivalent of our 2nd...
Dockside just happens to be our best side and it seems to be Franzi and Martin’s, too. The duo, who both hail from Germany, flew all the way to our beloved Charleston just to document their...
After meeting at Wake Forest University in 2009 and being drawn together by what she describes as fate (more about that later … ), Stephanie and Greg officially tied the knot here in the Holy City....
Although high school sweethearts Maddie and Jackson may not be evenly matched on the athletic field (the pair’s first encounter involved Maddie whipping Jackson’s tail in a game of volleyball) they...
When a belle of an old-guard Charleston family opts for a pre-ceremony “first look” with her groom, it means times are changing. See why a sneak peek worked for Kathleen Hay and Andrew Hagood, and why you might follow suit
![Victoria chose their Halloween wedding date not for the holiday, but for its proximity to the month’s full moon. “The tide pulls back enough to give you a tiny private beach [at my parents' house], which makes for great photos,” she says. (Image by Juliet Elizabeth Photography)](https://charlestonweddingsmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/juicebox_medium/public/Juliet_Elizabeth_Photography-13cx_0.png?itok=XE2r0LRv)
