Lindsay and Giles hosted the most gorgeous wedding ever at 701 Whaley in Columbia, South Carolina! Friends and family traveled from afar to be there, so the pair pulled out all the stops not only with a crazy beautiful day, but also with a party that was literally planned around their absolute favorite band ever: The Hackensaw Boys. I can’t even imagine the delight of the couple, as well as their friends, to join in such a fun night!! There’s so much more to the big day, that we’re letting Lindsay take over and tell you all about it! Le sigh!
What made the wedding special and unique?
Since moving to Columbia, whenever we have out of town visitors it always rains. Literally always. We really wanted an outdoor wedding but since we were cursed and all of our guests would be traveling from out of town, we would bring the garden inside! Fern Studios is an absolute genius! The overflowing centerpieces in vintage boxes to the ladder overflowing with greens, the reception felt like being in a garden. I told Sarah, owner of Fern Studios, to design whatever she wanted and to be as creative as possible, and it was the best decision ever. After all, she is the professional so I wanted her creativeness to run wild. To complete the look, Meagan Warren, my wedding planner, suggested we use farm tables and vintage china. To top it off, we rented vintage furniture from 428Main in Charleston. It was my big splurge and it was worth it! I took all of Meagan’s suggestions and let her run with her imagination! Best lesson I learned is to find vendors with similar styles, take their advice, and let them be creative!
We absolutely love live music. And we especially LOVE bluegrass music. One of our favorite bands, that we’ve seen so many times and traveled many miles to see, is The Hackensaw Boys. It had always been a joke that we were going to have the Hackensaw Boys play at our wedding. Once we finally got engaged, we decided to see if we could make this little joke into a reality. After a little Google-ing, I got a hold of The Hackensaw Boys‘ booking manager. To our complete surprise, they agreed to play a private event. Since we hadn’t set a date, we booked our wedding around when the Hackensaw Boys were available to play. We debated on having them play at the reception, but decided having an after-party was the best idea. The wedding and reception were over, so at the after-party we really got to let loose and enjoy having a private show by our favorite band. It still feels like a dream thinking back at it!!
Tell us about the dress and where/how you found it!
When my sister, Beth, got married in 2013, my mother and I traveled to DC (where my sister lives) to go wedding dress shopping. I wanted to share the same experience with them. So we traveled to DC and went to many of the same bridal salons. On the second day of shopping, we went to a boutique that my sister’s best friend, who is like a sister to me, got her wedding dress. Mom knew instantly that was my dress because I started swaying and spinning like I was dancing. It was the perfect dress because it was whimsical but classic and most importantly…did not require lots of squats to fit into! Since we found the dress so easily, we had some extra time for the weekend in DC. Beth somehow convinced me to get glitter Kate Spade shoes. I have never owned anything like these shoes and are not typically my style. I figured you are only a bride once, so heck, you might as wear gold glitter shoes!
What were some touches added to make it personal?
Our family and friends are scattered throughout the US, so we figured whatever city we decided to have the wedding in, the majority of our guests would have to travel. Many of the guests had never been to Columbia, SC so wanted to stay as southern as possible. We decided to stay as southern as possible, having a low-country boil for the rehearsal dinner, and things like fried green tomatoes and deep-fried catfish at the reception.
We love to drink craft beer so we wanted to feature that at our wedding. Giles’ favorite beer is from a local brewery in Nashville, TN. Since it was the city we met and fell in love in, we definitely had to have it at the wedding. The only problem was they do not sell Yazoo in South Carolina. And its legal to ship across state lines. So to solve this problem, we ordered a keg of Yazoo’s Pale Ale and had a friend bring it with her from Nashville. Not only was it fun to feature Giles’ favorite beer, but also to share a Nashville favorite in South Carolina.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
Besides the vows and getting to marry Giles, I have one memory that always sticks in my mind. It was when my Dad first saw me in my wedding dress. My family means the world to me and having the moment with my Dad was so special. I had accidently sent him a picture of the wedding dress and he was very upset that the surprise might be ruined. (My mom caught the email before he saw it!) Those were probably the hardest tears to hold back. I’ll always be his little girl but he looked so happy for Giles and I to start our new life together.
Giles says his most memorable party of the day is getting to see the Hackensaw Boys!
Tell us how you met and became engaged!
Giles and I were set up by a mutual friend while living in Nashville, TN. She knew of our shared love of great music and being outdoors, so she knew we would be a good match. Giles and his friends had weekly Sunday night dinner which I was invited to one night. It was actually at his apartment. Following the dinner, our mutual friend organized the group to go see “The Muppets Movie” later that week. Conveniently everyone in the group cancelled (probably because its The Muppets and we were almost 30 haha) so it was only Giles and I. We left halfway through the movie and went to a bar for dinner and a drink. We talked all night and have spent almost every day together since.
Giles proposed in August of 2013. One Saturday we decided to go kayaking on Deher Island at Lake Murray. When we go kayaking, we take both of our dogs, Hogan, an old beagle and Banjo, a yellow lab puppy. We paddled to one of the many small islands on Lake Murray to let the dogs swim. Giles asked me to turn around because he had a surprise for me. The whole time I thought he had gotten some new toy for the dogs (I kept thinking, did he really buy an inflatable kayak for the dogs?!). But when I turned around, he was on one knee holding a ring box. He had a blanket laid out with champagne and candles. Plus he had both dogs on each side dressed in their finest clothes–Banjo had on a pink princess dress and Hogan had on a bowtie. Of course I said yes! We drank champagne, swam with the dogs in the lake, and then paddled back to call our parents.
Lindsay and Giles Short Highlight Film from Cinema Weddings on Vimeo.
Vendors: Photography: Landon Jacob Productions // Wedding Planning & Event Design: Meagan Warren Weddings // Floral Design: Fern Studio // Ceremony & Reception Venue: 701 Whaley // Linens: Creative Coverings // Rentals: Party Reflections, Inc. // Ceremony Musicians: Simply Strings // Cocktail Hour & Reception Music: Partytime Djs // Cake & Desserts: Christie Richardson, The Southern Gourmet // Caterer & Bar: Southern Way Catering // After Party Venue: Pearlz Upstairs // After Party Band: The Hackensaw Boys // Bridesmaids Attire: BHLDN // Departure Transportation: 1953 Blue Alpine Sunbeam // Makeup & Hair: MiKel Rumsey // Honeymoon: Breckinridge, CO // Invitations: Poeme, Ohio // Lighting: Ambient Media of SC // Officiant: Rev. Kevin Roberts of VOW // Rehearsal Dinner: City Roots // Lounge: 428 Main // Guest Transportation: Southern Valet // Videographer: Cinema Weddings
