Most of your probably know from reading previous blog posts that Jay and I got engaged in November of 2017. I was graduating that following May, and Jay was going to start law school in the fall of 2018. That meant that it made the most sense to get married in the summer of 2018. After tossing around a few dates that worked with the venue I wanted, we settled on June 30th. That gave us almost exactly 7 months to plan the whole thing. 

My parents live in Beaufort, SC, which just so happens to be the most beautiful place on the planet, so it was a no brainer that we have the wedding there. Jay and I both always wanted to have the actual wedding ceremony in a church, so we booked a date at the Beaufort First Presbyterian Church.

As for the reception, I insisted on the waterfront park. I had seen a wedding there the summer before, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on.

We had our guest list settled. It would be a big wedding, with 300 guests. We were going to have a sit down dinner. Our first dance was going to be a wedding waltz to “All I Ask Of You” from Phantom of the Opera. See video below of what I envisioned my wedding being like.

Well, as many of you know, that is not how my wedding turned out. Two months after the proposal, Jay and I found out that we were 9 weeks pregnant. We very quickly decided to move the wedding date up to March 31st. Even though everyone knew I was pregnant, I still didn’t want to have a giant belly at my wedding. 

I suddenly had a new thing to obsess over. The wedding took a total backseat in my mind. I was still in school and in complete baby mode, so I really didn’t want to be bothered with planning the wedding. I originally told my mom that I only wanted family there, and that there weren’t going to be any bridesmaids or groomsmen -just me, Jay, and our siblings standing up there. It was almost as if we were going to elope. 

My mom said to me, if that is what you, then that is what we’ll do. Just remember, it is still your wedding day. You want it to still be special, because it will be one of the greatest days of your life. I will handle all of the planning if you still want a “real” wedding.

I gave her the green light to go ahead and plan nearly the whole thing, and man did she hit it out of the park. My wedding (in my opinion) was something out of Southern Living. 

We still had our ceremony at the Beaufort First Presbyterian Church. We had a bagpiper there piping while everyone entered the chapel. The little church was filled with 120 of our family and closest friends. The ceremony was traditional, but still personal.

A gospel choir then walked the guests from the church to my parents inn (only a block away), where the reception was held. Jay and I came in through the back and took the elevator up the floor so that we could enter the reception from the grand staircase. We had our first dance, father/daughter dance, and mother/son dance.

Everyone ate, drank, and mingled while the wedding party took pictures. To all of you future brides and grooms out there: make sure you take time to actually make a plate of food, go somewhere just you and your husband, and enjoy that meal together. I promise you won’t regret it. Jay and I got a plate of food and took it into one of the rooms at the inn and locked the door. We sat there, just the two of us eating our food and talking. 

The next part was probably my favorite part of the whole day. Jay and I decided to find out the gender of the baby the week before at our 20 week prenatal visit. I then called the cake baker and told her to make the bottom layer of our red velvet cake bight pink. When we cut into that bottom piece, the whole room roared with cheers. Everyone was so incredibly happy. 

Jay and I then went to take some more pictures by the water just the two of us. Finally, we “left” the wedding in a horse drawn carriage. This really meant that we took a ride around the block and then came back to the inn, because that’s where we were staying. We got to enjoy some time with our friends and family, before heading to bed early. I couldn’t image my wedding any other way than exactly how it was. 

Photographer: Alex Leaphart

Videographer: Adam Siegel

Food: Byron Landis

Cake: Brenna Chiaviello

Venue: Anchorage 1770

Flowers: Farm City Flowers

Bagpipes: Robert Laing