An Outdoor Ceremony in Spring

Sarah and Erich are two very special people who found each other and fell in love. They are both very expressive and they often are talking at the same time! But that is what makes them so adorable together. They both love their families deeply and love spending time with them whenever possible. And the most important person in their life is their little Chloe who is the center of their world.

Beck and I met Sarah and Erich several months before their wedding. We immediately clicked and we were so honored that chose us to assist them with planning their wedding. There were emails, phone calls, texts and meetings over the next several months making sure that all the details...big and small...of their wedding day were coming together. Sarah, Erich, Chloe and Maureen (the bride's mother) now hold a very special place in our hearts.



We want to share their very special wedding and the beautiful pictures that Trinity Photography captured from the day. Enjoy the pictures and how it all came together for Sarah and Erich.

Sarah says, "We wanted to have a destination beach wedding but more than anything, we wanted my 95 year old grandma to be able to watch her granddaughter get married. Both of us really enjoy golfing. So the look of The Links at Stoney Point was a perfect substitute for the beach theme we were going for with a classy golf green twist!

The weather was a very important element because our wedding ceremony was being held outside. Many days were spent worrying about the 50% chance of rain and storms in the South Carolina afternoons in spring. The overall atmosphere was also a big element because we wanted it to be perfect and enjoyable not only for us but for our families and friends as well.

Erich and I were able to personalize our wedding with several different touches. We had some lovely paper fans for all the guests to stay cool with during the ceremony. They were personalized with our names and wedding date. The fans also acted as our wedding favors. We made our guestbook together with a collage of pictures from our engagement shoot. Everyone was able to see and enjoy the pictures while signing the book.

The flowers (The Floral Case) were well worth the money that we splurged and they made the wedding absolutely perfect. They were all shades of purple and white...from calla lillies to hibiscus to some gorgeous greens.

We are also glad we splurged and got It's Your Party to help in coordinating everything and making the day perfect and go so smoothly. (Ah...so sweet!)  It helped me to keep a clear mind and know that someone else was in charge.

For the ceremony, we chose the traditional Episcopalian vows which are gorgeous in their own way. We had the wedding party walk down the aisle to "Marry Me"  by Jason Durelo. I was escorted down down the aisle by my mother to the classic " Cannon D". Even today, Erich tears up when he hears Cannon D start playing.

The entire wedding day was perfect but my favorite part was seeing my amazing groom tearing up as I walked down the aisle to him. Being able to finally see him was a big relief to me and warmed my spirits. Watching my little girl walk down the aisle as my amazing little beautiful flower girl also made Erich and me so happy. It meant that we have finally become one.

Erich's favorite part of the day was watching his bride and her mother walking arm in arm down the aisle to say I do. It meant he would be able to hold on to me the rest of the night and celebrate with our wonderful family and friends. Having his brothers, father and closest friend by his side through it all meant so much to him as well.

My amazing bridesmaids and maid of honor surprised me with a gorgeous picture of my father in a turtle locket to walk down the aisle attached to my bouquet. This made me so happy and really brought a very emotional aspect. It meant the world to me that my mother gave me away. It also meant so much to me to have my grandmother there as well as all my family that traveled from all parts of the world including England. It was so heart warming to see all the support from all of my family members.

When it was time to go, we had sparklers for everyone to light up the stairway as we left to go home to finish packing and head to Jamaica for our honeymoon and begin our life as husband and wife.

You can't have a real wedding without a real love story!  Sarah and Erich's love story adds a very personal touch to their beautiful wedding.

It all started when I walked into Skin's Hotdogs and applied for a job.  I finally got the job by calling and checking on my application over and over. By about the third call, Erich said to me "I lost your application. I will call you when I find it."  I never got a call so I called yet again and finally he said for me to come in for the job.  That's when it all began.  Three months later we hung out together for the first time. It was magical and for the next week we spent time together every night getting to know each other better. I soon discovered that I had met "the one".  We quickly found out how much each of us enjoyed traveling together.  We traveled to Georgia for me to meet his mother and also made several trips to the coast. Seven months later we took our first plane trip together to San Juan, Puerto Rico to visit Erich's family for the first time. Instantly I fell in love with the amazing town, the beaches and the history of Puerto Rico. A few short months later we traveled to Puerto Rico again. This time we took our sweet Chloe with us. We then made it a regular thing to travel down. On March 17, 2014, we took a trip as a family down including my mom. Little did I know Erich had asked my mom for my hand in marriage and she had carried my ring on the plane to Puerto Rico, the Island of Love.  On March 19th, Erich and I went for a lovely walk on the beach at sunset. Erich was behind me and he asked "What would make this even better?". I turned around and he was on one knee and said, "if you marry me". On May 17, 2015 at sunset, I said "I do". Who would have thought all this would have come from me begging for a job with a 6 month old adorable little girl. I could not be a happier mom and wife. We have come a long way in our relationship from the first meeting to overcoming many arguments. We have grown from the mistakes and arguments into having a lovely marriage and this is just the beginning! ~ by Sarah


Vendors:
Venue and Caterer - The Links at Stoney Point
Photographer         - Trinity Photography
Florist                    - The Floral Case
Coordinators         - It's Your Party! Events & Weddings
Rentals                  - The Rental Center

A Wedding Full of Southern Charm

Beck and I were so excited when Tara and Ben 
asked us to be the wedding planners for their big day.We have been friends with Tara and her family for many years. We watched Tara grow up and become the beautiful young lady that she is today. 

We met with Tara and her mom several months prior to the wedding. Tara told us all about the wonderful southern touches that she and Ben were planning to use on their wedding day. We absolutely
loved them all.

Now you enjoy the gorgeous images by Lotus Creative Studios and the details Tara shared from the day.

By Jane White, wedding planner at It's Your Party! Events & Weddings

You can't have a real wedding without a real love story! The love story always adds a personal touch to the beautiful wedding photos.

How we met-

          My mom met Ben at an Ag-in-the-Classroom educational event. She called and told me all about this cute farmer with a great personality that she had met. She also told him all about her single daughter. But she knew better than to give him my phone number! Several months later I was at the Blind Horse Saloon in Greenville, SC. A guy came up and asked me to dance. That guy turned out to be Ben! We didn't realize until the next day that he was the guy that my mom had met several months earlier. My mom still claims she picked him for me!  

Our Wedding Day-

 Ben and I are both from small, southern towns and Ben is a farmer. We knew we wanted a southern wedding with touches of agriculture in our décor. There was little doubt where we would have our ceremony – in the church where I grew up and where my parents were married. It is a beautiful, pre-civil war church and we continue to receive comments from guests about how much they loved the church.

Also, to go along with the agricultural/southern theme, we picked the Livery Stable on The Square in Abbeville,SC for our reception venue.

 "The original Livery Stable was built in the 1840s and was used to board horses until 1872 when it was destroyed by a fire. It was rebuilt on the original site in the late 1870s. In 2010, The Livery Stable was renovated. Today it is home to the local Farmers' Market and the site of many special events."

I cut a portion of my mom's wedding dress and wrapped it around my bouquet. To it, I tied a memory charm of a dear family friend who was like my second mother my entire life. She had wanted so badly to live to see my wedding day. She passed away seven weeks before on May 6th. A piece of my mom's wedding dress with a photo of her tied to it was one of the most special mementos of the entire day. Another special heirloom was my grandmother's engagement ring. My aunt gave it to me to wear for the day. It was like having a small part of my grandmother there with me.

Getting married in the church were my parents were married was extremely important to me. That meant we had to cut the guest list more than we wanted, but during the planning process Ben asked me, “What will you regret more in ten years – not getting married in the church you grew up in and where  your parents were married, or inviting an additional 100 guests?” Decision made with no regrets.

We personalized our wedding in so many ways, many of which were small and probably went unnoticed by most people. From the cotton included in the arrangements which was from a friend's farm in Newberry, SC, to the paper cones which were made of pages from "Gone with The Wind", a classic southern novel and my namesake; the hymns that were played and the scriptures that were read; the ring box and cake slab was made by Ben; to our guest book being pictures of us on Ben's family's farm.

We also wanted as many friends and loved as possible to participate in our wedding. Aside from the wedding party, we had family friends officiate our wedding, be our soloist and pianist, bake our cake, film our wedding, and be our wedding planners. That helped make our special day even more meaningful.

Ben said his favorite part of the day was when he first saw me at the back of the church. That is when he teared up but quickly composed himself.

Mr. Cotton, a dear family friend and our officiant, used our vows in several ceremonies – they were more casual than traditional vows, but we felt they best described our relationship. "Amazing Grace" was sung in memory of our loved ones who are no longer with us. 

Our first kiss was my favorite part of the day. Whenever Ben and I kiss 'hello' or 'goodbye', we always kiss three times. (I like things in threes!)  So, when we kissed, we had a long kiss, then a pick. Then, I snuck in a third quick peck. Ben laughed and said, "I knew you were going to do that."  His mic picked up that comment, so it's on our wedding video.

We took our southern theme and ran with it. The decor included cotton and peaches. We had pimento cheese, boiled peanuts and southern signature drinks during the cocktail hour. We served BBQ for our meal catered by Shealy's BBQ from Batesburg-Leesville, SC. Even our wedding cake incorporated peaches as a filling. The wedding planners did such an incredible job adding so many additional southern touches to the reception, including burlap and lace overlays.

Our first dance was to the song "Waiting on a Woman". It has been our song since the first month we met...apparently, I'm always running late.

We are so happy we splurged on having a band. I had heard them play in Charleston ten years ago. I had always said I would have them play at my wedding. Ben and I knew we wanted a band instead of a DJ, which was a splurge in and of itself. I had no idea how much the New South Players would cost. They were the first phone call I made after we were engaged. They were surprisingly one of the less expensive as far as bands go. They were incredible and kept people on the dance floor all night long! 

I hear so many people say, "I wish I had done this and I wish I hadn't done that" regarding their weddings. I can honestly say there is not one thing Ben and I would change about our wedding. The venues, band, caterer and the especially the wedding planners made our wedding day absolutely perfect. ~ Tara

Vendors:

• Photographer -   LOTUS creative studios 
• Caterers         -   Shealy's Bar-be-que 
• Rentals           -   Greg Hall and Company, Event Rentals
• Florals            -   Greg Hall and Company
• Coordinators  -   It's Your Party! Events & Weddings
• Band              -   New South Players

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Thank you,

Jane