Our Gov. Thomas Bennett Winter Wedding In Charleston

We did it! I am overjoyed to finally call my partner my spouse. Our wedding day was simply magical, and I am grateful to have shared that special moment with our loved ones. Bryce & I got married on February 24th, 2024 in Charleston. We got married at my dream wedding venue, The Governor Thomas Bennett House in Charleston, SC. It was the perfect European-inspired venue for our wedding. I’m so excited to share my favorite images from the day & chat a little bit about each part!

Getting Ready

The getting ready portion of our wedding day was one of my favorite parts. My girls are so important to me & the morning was so peaceful. It was so great to be able to get ready together & just soak in the morning. I woke up on our wedding morning bright and early at 7am. We got an Airbnb with my family near the beach so I had to get up & take a shower so we could drive 30 minutes to the venue. I prepped everything the night before, so I threw on my vintage nightgown & robe, grabbed my bags, and headed downstairs where I met up with my mom.

We arrived at the venue 30 minutes later by 10 am. It was so exciting to start to see everything transforming into our wedding day! My girls were already there so we headed up to the most gorgeous bridal suite! I had gift bags for my bridesmaids all set up upon arrival with their own matching nightgowns and earrings, so they all changed into their “cuter” getting ready outfits and started getting ready for the most amazing day ever! Hillary & Hanna with The Blushing Belle are dear friends of mine so I of course had to have them do our Hair & Makeup. I couldn’t have asked for a better glam team.

Our Details

After 6 years of working in the wedding industry, you would think that choosing my details would be easy, but it definitely wasn’t! I had the hardest time narrowing down the aesthetic that I wanted for our wedding day. I went through probably 5 different ideas but I’m so happy with how everything came together. We really wanted each element of our wedding day to feel personal to us and cohesive. I’m so excited to highlight some of my favorite elements in this post!

Our First Look

Bryce and I chose to do a first look. I was originally opposed to doing a first look because I wanted Bryce to see me for the first time when I walked down the aisle. However, my photographer brain kicked in and with us doing a winter wedding, we just wouldn’t have time for photos.

So to make this work, I actually ended up having 3 different looks for the wedding (you’ll see later). Back to the first look though, Bryce cried just like I knew he would! He looked so debonair in his Tux from Jos. A Bank. I also gave Bryce his wedding gifts at this time. I hand embroidered a note on a hankie for him (see above) & had a pin with a photo of his mom made for his inside suit pocket. His mom passed away 6 years ago & I wanted to give him something that felt special. At the end of it all, I’m really glad we did the first look. It gave us so much more time together on our wedding day & share a precious moment together.

Bridal Party

I’m so proud of our bridal party look! I decided to choose the girls’s dresses based on what they enjoy but also what colors look best on them. I love this mix-and-match look so that’s what we did! We got their dresses from Revelry, they were stunning and of amazing quality! The groomsmen rented their tuxes from The Black Tux which was super easy to use! Bryce got fitted & ordered his tux from Jos. A Bank. The only thing we rented was his waistcoat, which was also from The Black Tux. His feather bow tie is from Jack & Miles. My bridal dress & veil were from Eva Lendel and I had some custom changes made. My pearl drop earrings are from Untamed Petals & my shoes are from Badgley Mischka. I’ll share more of mine later on in this post!

Our Charleston Wedding Venue

The beautiful antique furniture complemented our color scheme, and every detail was perfect. Our aim was to create an atmosphere that felt like a European Home, and with the help of our amazing vendors, we accomplished that. The day was filled with laughter, tears of joy, and endless love.

The Ceremony

Our ceremony was my favorite part of the day. As I walked down the aisle to Can’t Help Falling In Love by Kina Grannis, I felt overwhelmed with emotion. Seeing Bryce waiting for me at the end of the aisle was a moment I will never forget. We wrote our own vows, which made the ceremony even more special. Everyone was in tears, I’m so glad we had hankies because my makeup would have been a mess! We asked my Uncle Thomas to be our officiant and I’m so glad we did. It made it feel even more special, I couldn’t imagine having a stranger marry us.

A little more about my look! For the ceremony, I wanted a long train & also to add something that’s new for Bryce to see since we did have the first look. So I was able to find an overshirt by Kitty Chen Couture that matched the design on my bridal dress almost perfectly! I did get a custom change, making it into a belt style, so I didn’t have to add clasps to my dress.

Bride + Groom Portraits

These photos are some of my favorites from our Couple Portraits. I rented a vintage Rolls Royce from Lowcountry Valet I’ve always loved vintage cars and wanted one at my wedding but when Bryce made comments about how cool it was to have one at weddings, I of course had to do it. I actually kept it a secret and he was so confused about how I got it! He isn’t in the wedding industry (yet) so he just didn’t know that you could rent a vintage car!

I didn’t know it until the next day, but apparently, as we were taking portraits it was pouring rain at the venue as our reception setup was getting finished! My planner, Tammie, and her team were heroes for getting everything back in order. More on this later but on the short 5-minute drive, the rain completely cleared and the sun came out to give us the most stunning, glowing light for more portraits & the ceremony. It was such a miracle that it stopped just in time and I am so thankful!

Cocktail Hour

After the ceremony, we had a cocktail hour where guests enjoyed a delicious grazing table and signature drinks. Bryce’s cocktail was an Orange Old Fashioned. My cocktail was a Blood Orange Martini. We had the greatest bartender, Magnolia Mixers. Everyone loved her & she was so, so sweet. One of the things I love about Thomas Bennett is the beautiful fireplaces. Since we had a winter wedding, they allowed us to have these burning and it made it so cozy and romantic. We also had Lowcountry Pianist play old Jazz music at the Baby Grand during cocktail hour!

Ceremony & Reception Details

For our decor, we really wanted to focus on texture, color palette, & overall Old World meets old Hollywood. I’m still obsessed with how everything turned out. All of our paper goods are by Cotton & Silk Paperie (me). For our plates, I saw these on display at Curated Events and just knew I had to have them! I actually want to find these for Bryce & I’s home! Grace & Thorn did our florals, she really did a beautiful job with our vision! Linda (Sugar Whisk Co), my favorite cake designer, made the most stunning & delicious cake! Photos of every detail below…including our tea towels, signature drinks, florals, & tablescapes that I absolutely adored!! It all came together beautifully!

The Reception

For our reception, we really wanted to focus on as much time dancing with our favorite people as we could. We didn’t want a ton of speeches or events like the bouquet toss…we just wanted quality time with our people and our favorite music. First, we got introduced to our reception! We had our first dance, I had a dance with my dad, Bryce did a dance with his Aunt, we did a second-line parade (without the band) through the garden, and then we had a family-style dinner.

Bryce & I chose to do family style because we loved the idea of our guests being able to sit, relax, and pass the food around just like during holidays. We chose to do an al fresco style dinner without a tent and prayed for amazing weather…and we got it, after the 10-minute rain. As mentioned earlier, it ended up pouring while we were away taking photos. Well, my amazing planner, her team, my family, & the venue coordinator all pulled together to get everything back in order. Tammie, my planner, even took my linens to a dry cleaner after they got soaked! Talk about an awesome team, I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. We are still so thankful.

After dinner, I had a quick outfit change. I switched to the cutest short veil from Etsy, vintage gloves, and a custom bow belt from Eva Lendel. Bryce gave a small thank you toast, we poured out champagne tower and cut the cake…then we opened up the dance floor!

The Party

The reception was a blast, with lots of dancing and fun. It was party time! I loved being able to celebrate with all our closest people. One of my favorite parts of the night was when our incredible DJ Mikey, ML Entertainment, called me up to the booth and had me play around with the music! He helped me mix into Party In The USA then called Bryce up to join me! It was an incredible moment.

Our Getaway

To end the night, Bryce & I had a private dance to You Send Me by Sam Cooke. Then we grabbed my clutch handmade by an artist on Etsy, and headed to our stay at The Jasmine House. We decided to do a bubble exit with bell tassels on our way to our Rolls Royce.

I am still in disbelief that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend and soulmate. The memories from our wedding day will be cherished forever. To all the future brides and grooms out there, remember to take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy every moment of your special day. It truly goes by in the blink of an eye. Thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout our journey and helped to make our wedding day unforgettable. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Venue: @govthomasbennetthouse
Photo: @astridphoto
Video: @elephantmemoriesweddingfilms
DJ: @mlevententertainment
Event Rentals: @curatedeventscharleston
Planner: Tammie Hall / @chandepines / @rootedgatherings
Florals: @graceandthornsav
Cake: @sugarwhiskco Caterer: @bakedbymaggie
Hair & Makeup: @theblushing_belle
Vintage Car: @lowcountryvalet
Pianist: @lowcountry_pianist
BTS: @loveanneliesephoto / @lovebeinginthemoment
Bar: @magnolia_mixerscharlestonsc
Dress: @evalendel@themadelinebridalboutique
Bridemaids Dresses: @shoprevelry