Southern Wedding Blogger!

My blog has been listed in I love Southern Weddings Magazine!!

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I personally recommend my friend Stephanie's sister Megan @ Fried Green Pickles

Also love: Style me swanky

Hello Dallau

Sweet Iced Tea Soiree

Small Chic Home

Wedding Venue

Ohh Charleston, why do you have to be so beautiful? It's IMPOSSIBLE to pick a venue in this town that is more perfect than the next. Plantations, Antebellum and lawns, riverfront, farms and barns, beachfront...the possibilities are endless! There were 2 reception locations I'd leveled it down to, and Stephen pretty much gave me free reign with this decision:

1. Harborside East in Mt. Pleasant

helloooo view!

Breathtaking place. Marble floors, wooden walls with antique paintings on the wall, chandeliers surrounded by leather sound barriers, dark green marble tables included inside, and tonnns of wrought iron tables and chairs outside, heat lamps included, covered patio with option to roll down sides, with fans and lights under it, stainless steel outdoor bar, movable cocktail bar, amazing bar area inside...and do I need to even MENTION the view?! This place would be tough to beat. Check out a 360 video view here

2. I'on Creek Club

ahhh!

This place is gorgeous. Chi photography photographed a wedding here and I absolutely fell. in. love. It's also on the water, though a tad bit more inland on the Mt. Pleasant side of the Cooper River...so you get more marsh view which is so beautiful at sunset and just screams Charleston. There are tables and chairs included on the inside, however since we are having our ceremony in a church, we would only need the place for the reception. This is a b-e-a-utiful venue, but I think it's even more beautiful for a couple actually getting married outside here on the lawn. So for us, we wouldn't get the full use out of the space.

Harborside has an AWESOME view of the Cooper River Bridge- which means alot to both Stephen and I since we have ran the 10k over the bridge 3 times together. I knew I wanted to have a view of the water, so anywhere inside and inland Downtown were out.

A little history on the building: It used to be the site of the old Zinc restaurant- in fact, our caterer helped open the kitchen and get them on their feet. Their feet quickly sank though and the restaurant went under, becoming a site for weddings, receptions, dinners, and large meetings. A few years ago they closed it though, because it was sinking in the marsh. They have finally completed the necessary restoration and reconstruction (if you find old wedding reception pics of the place, you'll see that they've taken out a large square fountain outside, as well as a few landscaping details on the brick patio).

They re-opened in October for weddings, so this is actually the first "wedding season" they've been open to the public since 2009! So to make this venue even more special (was that even possible?!) was that is still seems exclusive and not too too many couples have been married/had receptions here. YAY!

It's just amazing on the inside and Lindy, the manager at Harborside was so nice and accommodating. I don't think we could have decided on a better location. We can't wait!

aNOTHER tri?

Yep, last year just wasn't enough; I'm getting ready for my third tri!

And my cousin/bridesmaid will be competing with me in her very first
(and hopefully not last)

 It might be hard figuring out who's who from the back haha

...but I'll be way ahead of her anyways OHHHH

I sadly haven't been training NEARLY as much as I did last year. I have run 3 races though...

Columbia's 'Get to the Green' 5k on St. Patrick's Day

Waiting during the 1 hr delay for the Cooper River Bridge run (10k) to begin

Last year, I finished the bridge run 18 minutes quicker than the first year I ran it.

This year, my goal was to shave off another 15 minutes.

I came so close!! Finished 11 minutes quicker :-)

And a week after the bridge run, I did the Newberry 5k with my co-workers and their families

We each placed in our age group!

Chad is my supervisor in the sunglasses flanked by his 2 sons! Chad placed first in his age group

(he was the only male in his age group but that's our little secret!)

And his son placed 2nd in his age group

Next to me is our ATS's son, who placed 3rd in his age group

Then there's me, who placed 3rd in my AG

The girl ahead of me beat me by 5 seconds, FIVE!!

..had I only known this during the race

I did beat my goal by 3 minutes though!!

Stephen placed 1st in his AG!!

Engagement Pics and Vendors

Before I even got engaged, there were 3 vendors I knew I'd HAVE to have when I got married.


1) Landon Jacob Productions - photography
When I moved to the Earlewood area of Columbia, I met my neighbors, Landon and Jordan Thompson, a husband and wife photography/genius/crafy duo. If you look through their blog, you'll quickly see why I wanted them to be our photographers. Their work is so amazing and has been featured in Charleston Weddings, Southern Living- Wedding, Style me pretty, Ruffled, Get Married, and Southern Wedding Magazine. To view our Engagement Pics, click here!

2) Cricket & Kyle - catering
Every April, Summerville holds the Flowertown Festival the same weekend as the Bridge Run. Stephen and I went with Erin in 2010 and stumbled upon one of the food stands serving made-to-order crab cakes. Shut the front. door. They were hands down THE best crab cakes I had ever had in my life. And that is a TAAAALL order to fill coming from a girl raised in Charleston and a boy raised on Maryland blue crabs. I took their business card and promised them, whenever the time came that I got married, I would most definitely be booking them...on their crabcakes alone. I've carried that business card with me for 2 years! Luckily for us, turns out all their food is AMAZING! The company is actually named after the owner (Keith's) children. Keith is the nicest person, and gave us a sampling of every single food item we wanted at our wedding, no charge. I can not wait to have everyone at the wedding discover just how awesome this family owned, local company is.

3) Sinclair Ray - DJ
I have been to my fair share of weddings. No other DJ has been better than Sinclair Ray from Mandy and Robert's wedding back in October. He was so much fun and very professional. So as soon as I attended one of the Charleston Bridal expo's with my mom, aunt, and MOH, I made a BEE LINE to Sinclair to book him!



As far as all other vendors, I truly plan on doing most other things myself! I have the time to plan, I consider myself pretty crafty, and most of all, I know the little details will be most important to Stephen and I if we put our own thoughts and ideas into them.

Insert with bookmark attached

The Save the Dates were printed and put together ourselves, (and we plan on doing the formal invitations as well).

the insert with bookmark flipped up

coming to a mailbox near you!

I'm getting an old friend and awesome cake decorator to bake our cake (and decorate them with these). The flowers, we will all be putting together from Charleston flower market ourselves. And the centerpieces will all be DIY as well! We've already nearly finished cutting all the wine bottles!

 

Our wedding website

After many weeks of editing, our website is finally complete!!

To view the finished product, click here