05 Apr Suzanne and Ben {William Aiken House}
It is no secret to my friends that I can get excitable. I was just that when I saw these images courtesy of Corbin Gurkin. Charleston brides are quite lucky that such a talented photographer calls the Holy City home. While Corbin lives here, she is often globe trotting to capture weddings around the world. This wedding was just a few short months ago. The bride and groom selected some of Charleston’s most stunning venues for their celebrations. The couple started the weekend with a rehearsal dinner at the South Carolina Aquarium and then danced the night away at the William Aiken House on their wedding night. The bride wore a gown the she designed and then had custom made by The Dressing Room.
Corbin was kind enough to share the details about the event.
{Ben proposed to Suzanne at the end of August and with just a few short months to plan the perfect event, Suzanne decided to embrace the holiday and infuse it into her wedding in subtle ways. The 27th of December had special significance to the Bride’s side of the family, as it was the day that her maternal grandparents were married. Both Suzanne and Ben are very close to and have quite large families so they worked off of the idea of the Southern Family Christmas – of the 200 guests that attended, most of them were relatives.
Wanting a venue that had a traditional Charleston aesthetic, Suzanne decided on the historic downtown William Aiken House. Because her wedding date allowed for less time than most bride’s have to plan, Suzanne put a lot of her trust in designer Ashley Wenz of WED in Charleston. Suzanne’s parents are active members of the board on Kiawah Island and WED was recommended to the family through the resort.
Suzanne wanted a “garden aesthetic” recalling her childhood home where her mother always filled vases of fresh cut flowers. Floral designer, Hannah Alexander and Ashley took a contemporary approach with the exterior designs, using combinations of cranberries, orchids, and various other seasonal florals to complement the more traditional architecture of the venue. Suzanne wanted the wedding to look contemporary without taking away from the traditional elegance of William Aiken. Many of the interior designs were inspired by the color of the rooms themselves and the flowers were meant to highlight the already present tones.
There were many sentimental aspects to the wedding and Suzanne honored various members of her family with specific objects, music, and florals. Suzanne wore her grandmother’s engagement ring, carried her maternal grandmother’s handkerchief, and wore a cameo on her gown which belonged to Ben’s great grandmother and has been worn by all of the brides in the Harris family. Suzanne incorporated her monogram into the wedding designs and cake. Instead of a traditional groom’s cake, the couple had a tower of cookies (Ben’s favorite!)}
Photography by Corbin Gurkin | Wedding Invitations : Studio R Design | Wedding Reception Venue: William Aiken House | Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Venue: South Carolina Aquarium | Wedding & Event Design: WED | Floral Design: WED | Catering: Fish | Band: Two Three Ways
