William Aiken House Wedding l Charleston Weddings | Charleston Wedding Blog

Oh, how we have anticipated this wedding. Some of our very favorite people have been part of this soiree and we were biting our nails to share it with you! Amanda and Ian live in London and chose Charleston, South Carolina for their wedding festivities. One of my favorite elements, {other than the amazing planner, the over the top florals, the phenomenal photographer, the breathtaking venue, the gorgeous dress and the decadent food} were the brides jewels. She selected these AMAZING green amethyst stunners! I openly admit that jewelry always catches my eye. I love how the pieces are not only striking but timeless. I had to know more about the selection and Amanda graciously sent us the details.

{It’s a custom piece (with matching earrings) by Kirsten Goss. It’s handmade and hand faceted green amethysts. I had a personal consultation with her when she was in her London boutique from South Africa. I was just so not into the traditional bridal jewelry and spent SO much time looking for the perfect piece until I saw some green amethyst used in her other pieces. From there, I went on the describe what I wanted and she made it happen! I also had handcut sterling orchid necklaces made for my maids by her (with a green amethyst drop at the clasp) that almost didn’t make it to the wedding because of all the volcano madness! But thank goodness Kirsten brought them to London herself to make sure I’d have it on my wedding day. I cannot speak more highly of her. In fact, the first time I saw it with my gown at Gown Boutique, Terri and I were blown away. It was total perfection!

We had to choose Charleston as our wedding venue because it was a piece of home for me (especially since we’re living in London indefinitely) and both Ian and I absolutely love coming here to visit. We also knew it would be a great place to host our guests coming from England and Ireland. To us it’s a hidden gem that’s often missed by the European tourist in favor of places like New York or Miami. We couldn’t have asked for a better event designer than Ellen of W.E.D. I only came to Charleston twice (for a 2 day visit each time) over the course of a year and the rest of the planning was done over email. Ellen streamlined everything so our visits were super efficient! Over many emails and conversations we exchanged photos and ideas and I have to say that she managed exactly what we were looking for on the day.

My original idea was a spa zen-like feel for the decor and I wanted to tie in browns, greens, whites and rattan for a base. I especially love the look of spas or poolside areas in Mexico but I still wanted some Southern charm thrown in – and of course Irish touches. Anyone would think that combination was impossible but between Ellen, Sara at Dahlia Designs and Rachael at Studio R Design – all those elements were seamlessly woven together from flowers to fabrics to all the paper goods. We tried to tie in Irish sayings in our welcome cards and at the event (“sláinte” means “cheers” and “Céad míle fáilte” means “100,000 welcomes” in Irish) and almost all the paper had a custom rattan pattern done by Studio R. Ellen discovered amazing green rattan like custom fabrics that she had made into pillows and overlays and Sara created the perfect ambiance with orchids, manzanita branches and succulents.

The food was amazing as well. We had to have Pimm’s which is our favorite summer cocktail in England as our signature of course with a SC flag swizzle stick (with a shamrock replacing the moon) and of course served us Guinness among other beers at the bar. And the potato trio with our mains (sweet, basil, cheese) ended up looking like the Irish flag which we never intended! And to finish off I HAD to have my dessert bar highlighted by our absolute favorite – the Peninsula Grill’s coconut cake. A trip to Charleston for us isn’t complete without it – and I must say that I’d like it to be my last meal before I die – I love it that much.

My dress was also a delight- I bought it in Charleston at The Gown Boutique, a huge convenience so I didn’t have to travel with it overseas, and after just one fitting it fit like a dream. My makeup was done my Meredith Tompkins of Bella Faccia who is an absolute star. She’s based at a salon in Augusta, GA and came down for the event. She made everyone their most beautiful!