We love this charming Charleston wedding!
Shea Shoemaker
Shea Shoemaker June 22, 2016

DIY Wedding | Will + Laura

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“Laura and Will tied the knot on November 7, 2015 at the St. Lukes Chapel in Downtown Charleston. The reception followed at The Francis Marion Hotel. I absolutely loved the layout of this hotel, it was so great for us wedding planners to sneak up to the Bride and Groom’s hotel room to add decorative rose petals and tidy up before the night was over. We love adding an extra surprise for the bride and groom at the end of the night!

Everything about their wedding day ran smoothly. My favorite aspect of this wedding was their gold sparkly linens. That will definitely be something I plan to have at my own wedding! Laura’s artistic flare also added to the whole presentation and look of the day. She did all the calligraphy herself and even drew and designed their sign in photo of the Charleston area. How creative!

This incredible couple also shared their spotlight during the reception by lighting a candle on a cupcake and singing “Happy Birthday” to a Groomsman in their wedding party. It was so sweet to see how much their family and friends adored them! The night was filled with laughter, love and lots of dancing. I would definitely say their guests had a great time! We sent this sweet couple off with confetti and a romantic ride on a rickshaw around Downtown Charleston! Congratulations again to the new Mr. & Mrs!” – Erica with Mac & B. Events

We're swooning over this classic Charleston wedding!
How cute is this couples Save the Date and ring shot?! Love!
We're in love with this gorgeous Bride's bouquet and turquoise ring box! Stunning!
Beautiful Bride getting ready for the big day with a note from her Groom!
How drop dead gorgeous are these details? We're in LOVE with this Bride's turquoise ring box and more!
The gorgeous Bride getting ready for the big day in her bridal robe!
Loving this Bride's gorgeous wedding shoes!
How drop dead gorgeous are these details? We're in LOVE with this Bride's turquoise ring box and more!
This Bride took our advice and used a special wedding day fragrance!
We love this Bride and Groom's wedding ring style!
We love this gorgeous Bride's classic style at her Charleston wedding!
We're in love with this Bride's classic wedding style and modern bouquet!
We're in love with this Bride's classic wedding style and modern bouquet!
We love the colors of this gorgeous Bridal parties dresses!
We love the colors of this gorgeous Bridal parties dresses!
Such a fun photo of the Bride and her Bridesmaids!
We're loving the details of this Groom's wedding style!
Love this shot of the Groom reading a note from his Bride the morning of their wedding!
We love detail shots of the handsome Groom getting ready!
Great photos of the Groom getting ready for the big day!
Loving the shot of the handsome Groom and his Groomsmen on the big day!
Great shot of the Groom and his handsome Groomsmen before the ceremony!
We love this darling first look of the Mr. and Mrs. before their charming ceremony!
Loving this couples gorgeous Charleston ceremony venue!
We're swooning over this ring shot in the Bride's gorgeous bouquet!
We're swooning over this couple's super cute ceremony programs!
We're in love with this gorgeous classic Charleston ceremony!
We're in love with this gorgeous classic Charleston ceremony!
We're in love with this gorgeous classic Charleston ceremony!
We're swooning over this classic Charleston wedding!
We're swooning over this classic Charleston wedding!
We're swooning over this classic Charleston wedding!
We're swooning over this classic Charleston wedding!
We're swooning over this classic Charleston wedding!
We're swooning over this classic Charleston wedding!
We LOVE this Bride's gorgeous wedding bouquet!
We're swooning over this classic Charleston wedding!
We're in LOVE with this gorgeous Charleston wedding and Mr. and Mrs!
We're swooning over this classic Charleston wedding!
Loving the darling details on the Groom and Bridesmaid's dresses! Swoon!
We love the colors of this gorgeous classic Charleston wedding!
We love this classic Charleston wedding and style!
We're swooning over this gorgeous gold ring shot!
We love this fun couple's childhood photos at their reception! Fun!
How AMAZING is this handmade guestbook by the Bride?! We're in LOVE!
How AMAZING is this handmade guestbook by the Bride?! We're in LOVE!
How AMAZING is this handmade guestbook by the Bride?! We're in LOVE!
We love this gorgeous table decor for this beautiful Charleston wedding!
Gorgeous golden glitter tablecloths at this darling sweetheart table!
Such a sweet idea! A memory candle and photos at their reception!
We're in love with these super sweet wedding favors!
Loving this couples gorgeous wedding cake style!
We're in love with these super sweet wedding favors!
We love this darling Bride and Groom and their cake cutting!
We're loving this super sweet first dance as Mr. and Mrs!
We love this Mr. and Mrs. first dance!
How fun is this Bride and her photobooth photo?! Love!
We love this super sweet couple's exit photo!
How darling is this exit as the new Mr. and Mrs?! LOVE!
We LOVE this super fun confetti photo of the new Mr. and Mrs!
What's better than leaving a Charleston wedding than in a Just Married trolley car?! Super cute!

Will and I grew up three miles from each other in Summerville, South Carolina just outside of Charleston, but we didn’t know one another at all. Both of us moved away for college, never having spoken. We were both living back in Charleston by the time we met, he was attending law school and I had just moved back for a new job and yet it was Clemson, South Carolina where we finally ran into one another in Fall 2011.

We were both in Clemson that weekend to watch the Tigers play some football. He was visiting friends and fellow alumni and I was visiting my sister who was a student {and also just so happened to be friends with Will}. We tailgated together and went to a big group dinner after the game, but parted ways after that weekend. Will and I would communicate online every now and then and he made several attempts to hang out, but I wasn’t having it and managed to dodge them, claiming to be busy with work, school applications and other excuses. When my sister moved back to Charleston in early 2012 she and I became roommates and our friend circles started to interact. Finally, I ran out of excuses not to hang out with him. Through this, we developed a friendship through team trivia nights with friends, college football watching on the weekends and movie nights. On November 7, 2012, after he finally charmed me out of my stubborn ways, we went on our first date, not then realizing that exactly three years later we would be celebrating the biggest day of our lives together.

We had a 16-month engagement, which gave us plenty of time to plan, prepare, personalize and create details for the big day. I’m a creative, do-it-yourself kind of gal, yet very {VERY} indecisive. I am also very detail oriented and organized, so Will found it hilarious that I carried my planners {Yes, plural} with me everywhere we went. As a little girl, I wasn’t the kind to plan my future wedding day. My sister and I were too busy playing dress-up, making messes or splashing in puddles to “plan” a wedding. So other than the big details like flowers, photography, color palate and food, I really had NO idea how to start developing a vision for the day. All I knew was that our wedding day would be classic Charleston with details that were timeless, elegant and personalized. Like most brides, I gathered a lot of inspiration from magazines, Pinterest and Etsy, and then made it my own. I loved the idea of incorporating calligraphy at the wedding, but the cost of hiring a calligrapher was so high that I decided to teach myself! I bought a how-to book, a few supplies, watched a few videos online and practiced until my fingers were numb. I was able to create a number of gold framed signs at the wedding for food displays, the bar and seating. It was the perfect touch of personalized elegance.

My favorite detail of the day was our “guestbook”, which was really a watercolor map of the peninsula. Again, I had gotten the inspiration for this map online, but rather than spending hundreds of dollars to hire an artist, I did it myself. After sketching out the peninsula, I incorporated some of the important streets and locations for the wedding weekend as well as recognizable Charleston landmarks, including: the Cooper River Bridge, the pineapple fountain at waterfront park, the cannons at the battery, St. Luke’s Chapel, the Francis Marion Hotel and the Daniel Island Club. The map was set in a matte that guests signed in gold and silver pen, and now the map is displayed in our new home! It is the perfect daily reminder of our perfect day.

A majority of Will’s Groomsmen, friends and family are Clemson alumni, and our wedding day just so happened to fall on the day of the huge Clemson vs. FSU game. His friends had forfeited their tickets to spend the day with us, so we brought a bit of the Tigers to the wedding. His Clemson fan Groomsmen were given orange socks to wear with their tuxedos so they were still able to show their team pride. Shortly after we said “I do”, the Tigers pulled out another win in a stellar season, so with everyone on the dance floor, the DJ played Tiger Rag and our friends and family celebrated the big win together! Not only did our wedding day fall on a big Clemson football day, but it was also the birthday of one of Will’s groomsmen. You can’t celebrate a birthday without cake, so we made sure to get Greg his own cupcake before our cake cutting, which he ate after our guests sang him happy birthday and he blew out the candle. Before our confetti exit, guests took their favors, local honey made and jarred by my Mother and her honeybees. We were happy to share our big day with friends, family the Clemson Tigers and it was a wonderful and memorable night for everyone!

Our day-of coordinators at Mac & B events and the staff at the Francis Marion Hotel really brought my vision to life in a way that I couldn’t have imagined or hoped for! Everything was so perfect when we snuck into the ballroom before the reception, that I burst in to overwhelmed tears of joy. I can’t thank them enough for being there for us to make the day beautiful and memorable! -Laura, the bride

Event Credits

Photographer: Dana Cubbage Weddings // Videographer: Siegel Films // Wedding Coordinators: Mac and B. Events // Venue: Francis Marion Hotel // Florist: Diane Thrower // Officiant: Nathan Rice // Ceremony Music: Jason Bazzle // DJ: Complete Weddings and Events // Cake: Bakies // Transportation: Charleston Rickshaw // Trolley Rental: Fingersnappin' Entertainment // Hair and Make-up: Lashes & Lace

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