A Garden Party Wedding on Kiawah Island That Was Anything But Ordinary

[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”][/field]
[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

The colors were intended to be light spring colors with a nod to hydrangeas that bloom on Nantucket Island, where the couple said “I do” the year prior. The couple selected a palette of lowly saturated pastels, with varying shades of pinks, greens, yellows, and white taking the main stage.

The couple wanted their wedding to be timeless, and not look so much like a wedding, and more of a very elegant garden dinner party that “just so happens to also be our wedding.” Nicole Sheppard of Wander Event Design was pivotal to turning the bride’s vision into a reality, creating the perfect classic, timeless ceremony. It was important to the couple to steer away from louder and trendier designs to ensure their choices reflected their tastes for many years to come, but also to capture 2024, a very special moment in time.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

In October 2022, Jeff asked Taylor to lunch at Gramercy Tavern on a date in November. As this was a month in advance, and given that “going out to lunch” was not something they ever did in their nearly two years together, Taylor was skeptical. Jeff had arranged for a key to Gramercy Park, a private park in New York City where they met and lived together in the West Village. Jeff proposed on a beautiful sunny day in late November, just before Thanksgiving. It was perfectly private and a wonderful way to mark where their love story began.

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]For the welcome party, a semi-vintage midi dress by Rosie Assoulin was the first thing the bride sourced shortly after getting engaged. “I had my eye on this dress for years, and I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to find one, new with tags, in my size!”

The bride wore a custom dress designed by Lela Rose after their Spring 2024 Maison Gown. When trying on dresses, the bride kept coming back to the Katherine Tash backless Bella gown from her wedding planner’s atelier, and decided on the elegant silk dress for her reception dress, staying true to the Black Tie nature of the event. [/field]
[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

None! The bride and groom chose not to have wedding parties for their wedding, one of the earliest (and easiest!) choices they made for the wedding.

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”][/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]

Guests enjoyed fresh oysters and passed hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour before transitioning to a plated dinner ‘al fresco’. Beneath the twinkling lights and a perfect sunset, guests were served a first course of fried green tomatoes, a South Carolina staple, with field pea salad. A seasonal tomato gazpacho with chive créme fraiche served as the palate cleanser between the courses. For dinner, there was a selection of pepper-seared filet mignon with roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach or a pan-roasted chicken breast with carrots and wild mushroom risotto. Wedding cake, chocolate-covered strawberries, and macarons were served on the dance floor for dessert. The signature drinks included a mint mojito for the bride and a spicy margarita for the groom. A special espresso martini recipe from a bar in the West Village was brought out around ten o’clock, and was a huge hit to keep the after party going! At the after-party, which took place as a pool party in the bride’s family home, late-night bites were served.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]

The bride and groom wanted to keep their florals classic and perfectly understated. Pops of pink and green were scattered throughout, with the centerpieces varying from small stems to large hydrangea installations. Candles and wicker baskets filled with florals adorned tabletops as well as the entrance to the tent, creating a perfect harmony between dinner and dancing. Napkins were custom embroidered with each guest’s name and carefully folded and placed at each seat by Nicole and her team.

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

For their wedding cake, the couple selected a simple two-tiered cake topped with flowers from their ceremony. The cake was provided by the Ocean Course and Kiawah Island bakeries.

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

The band “Jump Street” from East Coast Entertainment delighted the crowd and kept the party going all night long, even allowing for the father of the brides oldest friends to join the stage for a song or two before the grand finale, “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra, a nod to the couple’s home.

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]The couple agrees that Kiawah Island holds a special place in their hearts, as their families both grew up spending summers in Kiawah since before they were born. “We knew we wanted to tie the knot in a setting that was as intimate as it was meaningful.”
The bride’s family has a summer home on the island, a charming property surrounded by lush greenery, where the sound of waves crashing on the beach is a reminder of the island’s natural beauty. “The backyard was practically designed to hold a wedding ceremony! We couldn’t have asked for a more idyllic setting—lush and peaceful, it was a space that had witnessed countless summer memories, and now, it would be the scene of the most important day of our lives.”[/field]
[field title=”Special Detail #2″]

The bride originally envisioned a private, intimate ceremony for her wedding, as she struggled with the thought of reading her vows in front of a crowd. So, the couple decided to marry in a quiet, personal ceremony on Nantucket the summer prior, with the bride’s brother officiating the event. His words were so heartfelt and meaningful that they both found themselves moved to tears. The feeling of reading their vows privately inspired them to share their vows aloud during their larger wedding celebration on Kiawah Island the following April. The moment, which had begun in private, blossomed into a public declaration of love that felt even more profound and unforgettable in front of their family and friends.

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]

After one very humbling dance lesson, the couple chose to do a private last dance instead of a first dance in front of their guests. Once guests were escorted to the shuttles to be taken to the after party, the bride and groom stayed to dance to “At Last” by Etta James alone under the tent. It was the perfect end to a perfect celebration, and they quickly rejoined their guests who had already been brought back to the bride’s house for a pool party and late-night snacks.

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Weekend Events”]

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