Carolina and Jack’s winter wedding in South Carolina

Cold weather is coming to its end throughout most of country and what better way to wave goodbye than to share Carolina and Jack’s incredibly romantic winter wedding. Planner Jessica Rourke, pulled out all the stops in creating an memorable evening celebration at The Lace House in South Carolina. Entrusting and celebrating all-things-local was important to Carolina—an artist herself—so local florist Fern was the perfect choice for the breathtaking bouquets and staircase garlands. We also LOVE the ballgown + turtleneck sweaters on the bridal party. And last, but not least, we’re obsessed with the gorgeous photography of Bette Walker. She captured the day, in all its glorious moody light perfectly and we couldn’t be more excited to be sharing the images with you!

What made the wedding special and unique?

Our wedding was special because of the detail that went into making every aspect of the day reflect us as a couple. Jack and I describe ourselves as a rustic, chic, and quirky couple and we definitely felt that it was important to stay true to our style and ourselves on our big day. My bridesmaids wore long ball gown skirts and long sleeve turtleneck sweaters so that was a unique way to bring my style into their look. We both are small business owners who work with power tools on a daily basis and found it important to showcase some of what we do and love at the wedding. For instance, I made 200 handcrafted drinking glasses (all custom etched) with the lariat from our Save the Date card for our guests to take home with them at the reception. We also found it extremely important to promote local business on our wedding day. A majority of our vendors are locally owned and operated businesses in Columbia, South Carolina and surrounding cities.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

I found my gown at London and Lace, a locally owned bridal boutique in Columbia, South Carolina. It was the first dress I tried on and knew instantly it was the one. I did try on a few more dresses at the salon that day, but always came back to the Alvina Valenta dress I tried on first. I have always wanted a lace dress with sleeves and a low back and this gown fit my vision perfectly.

What were some touches added to make it personal?

There were so many personal touches present throughout our wedding. My cousin made and hand-painted our wedding cake. It was truly one of a kind. Also, the floral staircase in the heart of the Lace House was absolutely stunning. My jaw dropped when I saw it for the first time. Another personal touch was sewn into my gown. I had my mom cut a piece of lace from her gown and it was sewn into my gown right above my heart.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Our entire day was an amazing memory. We were blown away by the amazing touches and attention to detail at our wedding. However, if we had to choose on moment that will always stick out in our minds is the moment the door at St. John’s Episcopal Church swung open and we saw each other for the first time. That was a heart stopping moment.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

It’s a pretty long story but to sum it up we met at my old workshop. Jack came by to purchase some of my drinking glasses for a wedding present. He then kept stopping by my shop regularly and I finally put two and two together that it was not just the glasses he was interested in. We became very close friends and eventually started dating. After a few years of dating Jack was ready to propose. I was totally unaware of his planning and needless to say was shocked when he proposed on November 30th 2014 in Sulphur, Lousiana. We had driven from Columbia, South Carolina to my grandparents’ house in Sulphur, LA two days prior to spend Thanksgiving with my parents and grandparents. My grandfather is unable to travel and Jack knew he would not be able to come to the wedding so on the morning we were leaving to head back to Columbia he proposed in front of my parents and my grandparents. He wanted to make sure that my grandfather would be a part of our wedding through the proposal. It was absolutely perfect! However, he did not take into account that he would have to ride in the car with me all the way back to Columbia after he proposed. Needless to say we talked a lot about our wedding.

Carolina & Jack | Wedding Video from Joshua Rainwater on Vimeo.

Wedding Planner / Stylist and Coordinator: Jessica Rourke, Planning & Styling of Weddings // Photographer: Bette Walker  // Florist: Fern // Videographer: That Rainwater  // Invitations: Lady Letterpress // Calligraphy: Lydia Robins Hendrix  // Caterer & Bartenders: Spotted Salamander // Cocktail Hour Musician / Brian the Violinist // Reception Band: The Mighty Kicks // Hair & Makeup Team: MiKel Rumsey // Cake: Lindsay Still // Rentals / Party Reflections // Linens: La Tavola // Favors: Cellar to Ceiling (Bride’s Company) // Signage Designed by Lady Letterpress and created by Paper Birch // Wedding Dress: London and Lace // Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid Columbia // Reception Venue: The Lace House // Ceremony Venue: St. John’s Episcopal Church