14 Feb Caroline McMillan Hagood & William Wells Patrick
Written By Emily Storrow
Photographs By Anne Rhett
Caroline McMillan Hagood and William Wells Patrick’s families have been friends for generations. But with their hometowns across state lines—she grew up in Charleston; he in Charlotte—they didn’t grow close until attending high school together in Virginia. A strong friendship soon blossomed into something more, and they dated long-distance throughout their college years. A decade in, Wells proposed in a place dear to both of their hearts: the mountains of Linville, North Carolina. But their nuptials could only be held in another spot they love—this time, on the coast.
Caroline grew up spending summers in Rockville, a quaint community on the banks of Bohicket Creek and site of the legendary Rockville Regatta each summer. Her family has owned a home on the water there for generations, and Caroline has long been captivated by its landscape: massive moss-draped oaks and the kind of enchanting sunsets that only a still, tide-swollen marsh can deliver. “There aren’t as many places left in the Lowcountry as peaceful, untouched, and undeveloped as Rockville,” she says.
It’s easy to understand why she wanted their wedding day to feel like a natural extension of that familial love of the place. The couple said “I do” in Grace Chapel, just steps from the home. The celebration’s color palette borrowed on the pastoral blues and greens of the surrounding landscape, while family silver and china adorned the dinner tables at the Sea Island Yacht Club.
Dashes of whimsy abounded in custom sailor’s flags printed and hoisted in their honor and the hand-drawn menu illustrated by dear friend and jewelry designer Mini Hay Avant. The cake (lemon with swiss meringue buttercream) echoed the blue and white chinoiserie motif that was carried through the dinner china, bridesmaid dresses, and the invitation suite.
Though the day was everything Caroline and Wells could have hoped for and more, it didn’t come without its surprises. Plans for a ceremony-to-reception parade along the waterfront and a porchside dinner quickly changed when sideways rain and gusts rolled in.
Umbrellas drawn, guests hurried to the nearby Sea Island Yacht Club. “Our entrance to the reception was unreal, with the wind blowing like crazy and such incredible energy from our friends and family,” Caroline says. “It felt like we were rushing the field!”
Planning: Reagan Events
Images: Anne Rhett Photography
Venue: Sea Island Yacht Club
Catering & bar: Cru Catering
Florals: Juniper & Jasmine
Cake: ABCD Cakes
Rentals: Snyder
Beauty: Wild Ivory
Stationary: Hatchcove Designs
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