Meredith & Bridger {The Confederate Home}

16 Nov Meredith & Bridger {The Confederate Home}

By Andraya Northrup | November 16, 2010

Just when I think that Charleston weddings could not get any better…I see this over the top, insanely gorgeous wedding and the swoon fest starts all over again. The lovely and talented Juliet Elizabeth sent us this fabulous affair at the Confederate Home. The beautiful bride and groom designed a whimsically southern and vintage soiree brimming with personal touches while incorporating their friends and loved ones. I fell even harder for this celebration when I read the amazing details that the lovely bride sent along, including the custom hairpin designed by Magar Hat Works using the feathers from a pheasant that she shot and feathers from a turkey that the groom shot. You will want to devour each and every detail.

Meredith graciously shared the personal details and inspiration for this fabulous fete…..

{It was important for us to feel like ourselves at our wedding & to incorporate as much of our love for the outdoors & our family as possible. We opted for a quite neutral color palette & let our ceremony take center stage… by using our friends as vendors we were able to stay relaxed, because we were confident in their talents…this made it possible for us to stay grounded and allowed us to truly enjoy the event as a whole for what it was.

Photographer: Juliet Elizabeth Photography I’m truly enamored by classic photos and capturing that spontaneous joy at a celebration like this… after interviewing several photographers I was fortunate enough to receive a recommendation for Juliet… we instantly clicked and she totally understood our desire to capture the overflowing emotions and old world feel of our marriage and wedding celebration, we couldn’t have been more please with her approach.

Stationer: Dulles Designs , Martine & Emilee have been friends of mine for years & I’ve always been impressed by their work and attention to detail! Emilee & Bridger actually came up with the idea of having our calligrapher hand write each guests name on their invitation instead of including an inner envelope.

Church: St. Phillip’s Episcopal, our rector Hank Avent has been an amazing support to Bridger & me since before we even became engaged & we feel fortunate to have the foundation of love from him & our congregation at St. Philips.

Venue: Confederate Home and Gardens/ Old Federal Courthouse – we both adore history & this building is packed full of it… we also wanted to assure our guests could walk from the church to the reception & the Confederate Home is just around the corner from St. Philips.

Programs: Mac & Murphy, also good friends, Liz & Ami stepped in to help tie up the final touches of the wedding.

Florals: Branch Design Studio & Wild Flowers Inc. I loved both of these vendors & their natural take on arranging… we were able to maximize our budget by having Whitney at Branch create detailed boutonnieres (with feathers & ribbon provided by the bride & groom)& my bridal bouquet while Beth at Wildflowers made simple & clean bridesmaids bouquets of fresh baby’s breath and reception centerpieces.

Caterer & Event rentals: Granville’s, Trae is a great friend of ours and we couldn’t have imagined using anyone else… he totally got our love of food & made sure everything was fresh & local, he even house cured the duck sausage for us.

Cake: Caviar and Bananas I’ve gotten to know Margaret over the past couple of years & love what she & her husband do at C&B…cake was never a big deal to Bridger & me so when I approached her about being a part of our celebration she really listened to us… the result, the tastiest cake ever, a plus for a bride & groom who don’t normally eat sweets… we didn’t want tiers or fancy icing with rosettes; just good food and they delivered with a bang.

Cake stand: Woodworker Michael Moran, Michael is such a talented artist & it was important to us to incorporate local artisans wherever we could… about a month before the wedding Michael came down to Red Bluff (the groom’s family plantation) to salvage a fallen hardwood for this project. Bridger’s dad, Gordon Gale, knew just where to look on the property & we found the most beautiful red oak… we’re looking forward to using the cake stand as a cutting board for years to come & knowing that it came from such a special place in our lives makes it all the more special.

Silhouettes Artist: Another wonderful artist! Erik Johnson, with Cut Arts joined us to capture our guests images in silhouettes … our parents had had their silhouettes done by Carew Rice as children and we have always adored them…it made for a truly memorable keepsake for everyone.

Bridesmaids: Two Birds Dresses from Allison at Bella Bridesmaid. These beautifully flowing silk jersey gowns are convertible to suit each bridesmaids figure & style… with a range of stylish girls I wanted to make sure as much of their personal style could show through, a bonus: no alterations needed.

Groom & Groomsmen: Berlins, I’ve purchased my formalwear from Berlin’s for years and they are always reliable.

Bridal ensemble: Grandmother’s 1940‘s dress, worn with Monique Lhuillier ball gown skirt & Romona Keveza veil (from Belle Couture Bridal). Bridger and I have always valued our family heritage and are so intrigued with all of the history surrounding it. Since all of our grandparents have passed on, this was a way to have part of them with us. Since my maternal grandmother, Johnny Lybrook was married to my grandfather in DC in 1946, during the war, it was a small ceremony and she wore this beautiful silk crepe short dress (we used a picture from their ceremony as our wedding stamp)… with our nuptials taking place at a much more formal noon, I chose to pair the dress with a full Monique Lhuillier ball gown and a custom sash made by seamstress Susan Stevenson, who helped customize the entire look.

Headpiece: to further incorporate our love of the outdoors & to symbolize our union I took feathers from a pheasant I shot at Fife Plantation and turkey feathers from a bird Bridger shot at Red Bluff to friend and milliner Leigh Magar of Magar Hat Works so she could craft, what ended up being an exquisite hair comb overflowing with sentimental value.

Make up: Dru with Lash de Luxe – Dru totally gets my natural take on makeup and the neutral esthetic we were going for overall…she’s a dream to work with.}