Photography by A Bryan Photo.

Maris & Andrew met at a friend's wedding while they were a bridesmaid and usher, and have been together ever since! For their own special day, they worked with Event Planner & Designer Calder Clark to come up with a playful palette of pink and white (and how great are their bright fuchsia monograms, used on everything from the stationery suite to cocktail napkins?) The newlyweds definitely got their wish for a night that was relaxed and fun - they even skipped a whole course of their planned dinner to get straight on the dance floor!

The bride's bouquet included ranunculus, clematis, peonies, garden roses, scabiosa and sweet peas, mostly in her wedding's signature pink!

Did you include any other traditions in your wedding? Something Old: My grandmother's wedding band / Something New: My dress / Something Borrowed: A diamond bracelet from one of my bridesmaid's / Something Blue: I had an evil eye painted on one of my toe nails to honor my husband's Greek heritage

The Ceremony

Why did you choose this location for your ceremony? We knew we wanted a destination wedding to keep our special day intimate, and Charleston was the perfect place. We fell in love with the romantic, quaint town when we attended friends' wedding a few years earlier. It has fantastic restaurants, shopping, and site seeing. It was so special to have all of our favorite people come together for our celebration and meant the world to us.

Please tell us about any other special details from your wedding: Getting to work with Cheree Berry Paper was one of my favorite parts of the wedding design process as I love paper. They are geniuses and I was obsessed with everything they presented. The stationery suite was the perfect blend of elegance and whimsy. They created a custom watercolor crest for the save the date along with a more formal monogram for the invitation. The primarily pink palette was perfect for the locale and time of year and the touches of floral on the invitations and programs sweetened the suite.

What was your ceremony music?
Seating of the Grandmother and Mothers: In My Life - The Beatles
Processional: All I Want Is You - U2
Processional of the Bride: Crazy Love - Van Morrison
Recessional: All You Need is Love - The Beatles

What was your favorite thing about your wedding ceremony? My favorite moment was walking down the aisle seeing my soon to be husband standing in front of all of our closest friends and family, who joined us to witness the beginning of our new life together.

Who officiated your ceremony? How did you choose him/her? Andrew and I really wanted our day to be near and dear, so we chose one of his best childhood friends to marry us. Scott became ordained just for our wedding, and put together a very personal and beautiful ceremony.

What were your ceremony readings? When a Man and a Woman Are in Love by Stephen T. Fader; The Hands Ceremony (unknown author); I Carry Your Heart With Me by e.e. cummings.

What were your vows like? Andrew and I wrote our vows together, which made them that much more meaningful.

Your ceremony in three words. Breezy, intimate and unforgettable.

Why did you choose this location for your wedding? Andrew and I knew we wanted a wedding location that felt relaxed yet refined and Lowndes Grove is just that. The oak lined property sits along the Ashley River and is completely captivating.

What advice do you have for other couples in the midst of planning a wedding? Don't lose sight of what your wedding is about, you and your fiancée. Everyone, including your second cousin twice removed will have an opinion, but stick with what feels right! You will be over the moon when your wedding day turns out exactly as you imagined and feels like you.

The Reception

Did you have a signature cocktail? During cocktail hour servers passed Champagne with a splash of cranberry juice to add a pop of color, which matched their pink houndstooth bowties and our pink monogrammed cocktail napkins.

How would you describe your reception? Our reception was lighthearted and colorful. The formality of people being seated for a few exquisite courses allowed for old friends to catch up, new friends to meet, and everyone to relax for a bit before our band turned it up with their tunes. The tent was cozy and layered with lovely lighting and our two custom quatrefoil grille bars. The evening was pure magic.

How did you go about planning your wedding? Calder Clark did an incredible job at understanding our personalities, style, and tastes. We fell in love with the way Calder was able to make the weddings she had previously designed so unique and once we spoke with her on the phone, we fell in love with her too! I emailed almost daily with Calder and Caitlin and the whole process ran smoothly because thanks to them and their team. Calder Clark took care of so many things behind the scenes, like vendor negotiations and wedding day timelines that I never had to worry about. We couldn't imagine our day without them!

What inspired you when you were planning your wedding? It took us forever to decide on our colors but we knew we wanted something bold and bright to reflect our personalities. I found a fuchsia and lavender print dress one day that I sent to Calder and she played on those colors by adding an Ice Blue. Calder gained a lot of inspiration from our home décor style, which had a Moroccan flair, and she carried that theme through the wedding with our gold chandeliers over the head table, custom bars, and wedding cake.

What type of cake or dessert did you serve? Jim Smeal created the most intricately patterned and tasting cake. It was four tiers of differentiated sizes - each with a beautiful design. On the inside, we alternated tiers of lemony sponge cake with lemon curd and chocolate cake with fresh raspberries. All tiers featured an ice blue buttercream background, with alternating gold and white patterned tiers. The white pattern was inspired by the leaves on Maris' wedding gown, and it was also adorned with two, large sugar flowers.

Do you have any other advice for brides and grooms-to-be? Pick a first dance song that is somewhat upbeat. While we loved the song we chose, we were laughing the entire time and kept saying to each other "when is this going to end?!" The slow song we chose felt like the longest two minutes of our lives, especially knowing all of our guests had their eyes on us.

What was your favorite moment or part of the reception? Caitlin, one of our wedding planners, gave us the best advice. She forewarned us that the day would go by in five minutes, and at some point in the evening we should take a moment to ourselves and soak it all in. Just after we cut our cake, Andrew tapped my shoulder and we walked to the edge of the tent. In that moment, overlooking the celebration, I was the happiest I have ever been. I had just married the man of my dreams and I was able to look upon all of my favorite people in one place having an incredible time. We both will cherish that moment forever.