Staying the Course



PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
Staying the Course |
Kaylee Taff & Joshua Rye
August 7, 2021 / River Course at Kiawah Island Club
 
Kaylee Taff and Joshua Rye’s love story is the stuff of daydreams. Boy meets girl in college her freshman year; she plays volleyball and he, baseball. They fall in love and become each other’s biggest fan. After graduation, they both land jobs in Houston. Kaylee had spent summers in Kiawah since she was 10, so when the pandemic hit, they packed their bags for a weeklong respite and headed east. No surprise that six days turned into six months and remote work, though the July Fourth proposal among family was surely the highlight. Given their connection to Kiawah, there was no question it would be the place they would marry.
 
The team from A Charleston Bride helped the couple create an elegant three-day affair at Kiawah Island Club. Kaylee wanted a very traditional color palette with classic touches. White, ivory, and gray were enhanced with texture, pattern, and greenery. The custom crest by Studio R was used throughout, and looked particularly exceptional on the wedding cake. Though perhaps the most striking detail was the custom candle wall by Loluma that served as the backdrop for the band and took more than two hours to light. Suffice to say, a glowing great time was had by all. 
 
Top Tips
 
• Create custom pieces you love. Kaylee and Joshua’s crest by Studio R was used throughout the design to create a cohesive look. It appeared on everything from their save-the-date cards and invitations to the welcome bags, cocktail napkins, and wedding cake. Even other printed materials, like bar menus, used a deconstructed version of it.
 
• When it comes to a neutral palette, it’s important to layer up on texture. Here, three different linens, all similar in color but with different patterns, were used in the ballroom.
 
• Repurpose where you can. Kaylee and Joshua’s ceremony aisle runners were designed to be moved during the cocktail hour and were repurposed in front of the band stage. It’s a design tip that lets you get the best bang for your buck and two floral installations to boot!
 
Vendors
 
Planning, design: A Charleston Bride
Images: Aaron & Jillian Photography
Venue, catering, bar: River Course, Kiawah Island Club
Cake: Ashley Brown Cake Design
Florist: EM Creative
Calligraphy: J. Lily Design
Stationery: Studio R Design
Bride’s attire: Bridals by Jodi
Bridesmaids’ attire: Bella Bridesmaids
Beauty: Lashes & Lace
Rentals: Ooh! Events, La Tavola, Loluma, Stradley Davidson, EventWorks, Party Tables 
Lighting: Technical Event Company
Entertainment: Palmetto Strings (ceremony, cocktail hour), Big Bling and the Funk Machine reception)
Videography: Hart to Heart Media
Photo booth: Natty Heavy
Transportation: SC Express
Oyster service: Oysters XO

The Wedding Row

April 17 2019
Kyleigh met Nick when she was in Cardiff, Wales, getting her master’s degree. (Her friend had convinced her to give Tinder a shot, and her “first, last, and only Tinder date,” she says, was the born-...

April 16 2019
We don’t know about you, but these past few days of shorts weather have had us daydreaming about summer. Brandy McGhie, owner of local luxury event planning company Classic Planning & Design Co...

April 15 2019
Tricia and Brandon were in the same fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary here in Charleston, but their love story didn’t begin until a college football game 14 years later. The South Carolina...

April 12 2019
Designer Lela Rose has a saying we can all toast to: “Nothing says chic like matching your drink to your dress.” Fashion stylist Lindsey Nowak took that as a challenge, linked arms with Reagan Barnes...

April 11 2019
Taylor and Sam may be from Virginia and live in Waco, Texas, but the Palmetto State holds a special place in their hearts. They met at the University of South Carolina when Sam, a freshman fraternity...

April 10 2019
Thank goodness for Joe Quick—the mutual friend who lived up to his name and set up Avery and Henry when all three were in high school in Atlanta. After his pleas for them to meet went unheeded, he...

April 9 2019
Gillian and Phil met while studying abroad in Ireland. But because they attended different schools stateside (he was at the University of South Carolina, she was at The State University of New York...

April 8 2019
Here’s how Emmy and Josh explain how they became an item: “Josh had been courting Emmy for quite some, and on one evening in June at Dillon’s pub in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, he decided...