California-based Kate and Edward decided to tie the knot in Charleston, South Carolina, and fell in love with the classic and historic aesthetic of the Bennett House. Two hours before their ceremony, a ferocious summer storm came through, drenching their ceremony garden. Undeterred, The Petal Report and Tiger Lily moved the ceremony indoors to the base of the dramatic staircase. The rain cleared just as the ceremony ended, just in time for the couple and their guests to dance the night away to Palmetto Soul. These two are hopelessly in love, and it shows through in every beautiful moment captured by Rachel Red Photography!
In their own words
What is your proposal story?
Edward was living in New York, and I had come down to visit over a long weekend in October. The night before I was leaving to go back home, he made a reservation at a fancy restaurant in Central Park. Dinner and wine were consumed, and he insisted we go on a walk through the park on this crisp evening afterwards. Edward sneakily led me to Bow Bridge, where he got on one knee. I elatedly said yes!
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
We wanted to throw a party that our friends would have a lot of fun at, especially since we knew everyone would be traveling. For us, that meant food and band were high priorities. We chose to skip on a bridal veil. We did our own save the dates on a shoestring budget, so that we could be a little more spendy on the invitations.
What were your favorite parts of the day?
Our beautiful garden wedding was completely flooded, so we had to improvise with an indoor plan. However, it was still an amazing day, and the rains cleared up just as the ceremony ended (what luck!). Edward’s favorite part was getting to let loose during the cocktail hour, finally getting to spend some time with our guests. I think my favorite moment was the first look. I had spent the whole day excited to finally see him, and getting to goof off with him for a bit before the ceremony was an amazing way to calm the nerves and keep the energy level high. It was a terrific reminder of why I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this guy, right before we said the words to make it so.