The River Course on Kiawah Island runs along the marsh, and on this particular day the Spanish moss hung heavy from the oaks while a sweeping floral installation hovered over the dance floor. The arrangement, built by Em Creative Floral, was suspended in the air, a dense canopy of white and green that gave the reception a sense of enclosure, as if the celebration was happening inside a living structure. Behind the sweetheart table, a wall of candles flickered, their light reflecting off the glassware and the faces of the guests who had gathered for the ceremony.
A Charleston Bride planned and designed the event, and the details carried a consistent botanical thread. Lily of the valley appeared in unexpected places, woven through the linens and tied into the napkins, a delicate motif that repeated itself across the table settings without ever feeling repetitive. Studio R Design created the paper goods, including Harvey drawings that were placed throughout the venue. Harvey is the couple's dog, and his presence was felt beyond the illustrations. The signature drink of the evening was a blueberry vodka lemonade, named in his honor, and guests toasted with it before dinner was served.
Kailee DiMeglio Photography, a Little Black Book member, documented the day, and the images capture the weight of the floral work. The installation above the dance floor was not a small accent piece. It commanded the space, drawing the eye upward even as the candles at the couple's table pulled attention back down. The sweetheart table itself was positioned against the candle wall, creating a warm, glowing backdrop for the first dance and the toasts that followed.
The color palette stayed disciplined. White and green dominated, with the natural textures of the island providing the contrast. The Spanish moss, the marsh grass, the oak bark, all of it worked with the florals rather than against them. It was a Southern wedding in the truest sense, not because of any single decorative choice, but because the setting and the design were allowed to coexist. The River Course, with its Lowcountry landscape, gave the event a sense of place that cannot be manufactured.
Guests danced late into the night under that suspended installation. The blueberry vodka lemonade remained the drink of choice, and the Harvey drawings served as quiet reminders of the couple's life together before this day. The candles burned down as the evening progressed, and the photographs taken in those final hours show a room still full of energy, the floral canopy still holding steady overhead.
The lily of the valley, delicate and fragrant, threaded through the reception in ways that guests may not have noticed at first glance. It was in the details, in the folds of the linen, in the small touches that made the design feel cohesive. Studio R Design's paper goods matched the restraint of the florals, with clean lines and a muted elegance that complemented the natural surroundings.
Kailee DiMeglio Photography's work on this wedding captures the balance between the grand and the intimate. The installation was a statement, but the real focus was always on the couple, on their dog's drawings, on the drink they chose to share with their guests. The River Course provided the backdrop, but the day belonged to the details, to the flowers, to the candles, and to the long night of dancing that followed.
According to Style Me Pretty.
