Hilton Head Weddings

Couple’s special bond celebrated with Bluffton wedding

BY BECCA EDWARDS | PHOTOS BY GABRIELA LOPEZ

What makes a good love story? Dylan Rosser would argue Willie and Nicole Cram do.

Officiating their wedding on Oct. 16, 2021, Rosser spoke to the 175 friends and family members in attendance and recounted the kind of love story that makes for a good rom-com complete with a happy ending and a life take-away.

What to know when honored as best man or maid of honor

BY NINA GREENPLATE

Standing up as one’s best man or maid of honor is both a sweet tribute and a time-honored position of responsibility.  

Weddings are as unique as the happy couple themselves, yet much of the ‘to-do’ list comes standard.

// WINTER WEDDING // Breaks tradition, full of surprises

What do football season and a winter wedding have in common? Just ask Hilton Head newlyweds, Camille and Charlie Schramm.

Both are graduates of the University of South Carolina and avid football fans, which explains Charlie’s choice for proposing in September of 2018 at — what else? — a tailgate.

Plan an unforgettable //DESTINATION WEDDING// 

With post-pandemic trending terms like “minimony” and “sequel wedding,” it’s hard to know how to begin planning your destination wedding, but fortunately Lowcountry experts have offered their insightful expertise. “When you have a vendor who translates for a Lowcountry feel,” Beth Baldwin of Beth Baldwin Weddings said, “it ‘marries’ the elements of the evening in perfect harmony.” The top advice for maintaining harmony: Hire a wedding planner.

SAYING ‘I DO’ TO ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

Something just clicked when wedding photographers Amanda Olivia and Mekina Saylor met two years ago at a mastermind. “We are complete opposites,” began Mekina, “But we developed a friendship and we both like to give our clients the best possible experience.” That friendship has continued, and recently Amanda Olivia shot Mekina and her fiancé Nick Pennetti’s engagement photos on Hilton Head. “I call it an engagement ex perience because my sessions are an experience. I don’t want it to be 10 minutes and done,” said Amanda Olivia.

MAKE THE BIG DAY MORE MEMORABLE

Are groom’s cakes a thing of the past? 

Local cake maker Courtney Glover doesn’t think so.

Glover, of Brown Sugar Custom Cakes, which serves Beaufort and Bluffton, still finds them regularly requested.  She says groom’s cakes are very appealing to couples, especially if the wedding budget is substantial enough to include special little extras that make an entire wedding weekend more memorable.

MOSS CREEK COUPLE REVELS IN UNEXPECTED ROMANCE

“It’s true what they say,” marvels Lea Allen. “When you least expect it, it happens.”  

Her husband, Tommy Smith, nods in agreement.

“It’s a good time of our lives,” he adds, “The kids are grown, we’ve been through marriage before, and we’re more spontaneous.”  

COUPLE ENJOYS INTIMATE WEDDING ON THE MARSH

Laura and Jayson Johnson know quite a lot about working through a challenging situation. Laura is an RN at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Jayson is a drill instructor at Parris Island who will soon transfer to San Diego’s Camp Pendleton to serve as a combat engineer.

The two met and fell in love in March 2020 — right when the rest of the world was thrown into an unprecedented state of isolation and anxiety due to the global pandemic. 

PLANNING A PERFECT REHEARSAL DINNER

In 2020 many engaged couples said “I do” to postponing their nuptials until 2021. Now that couples are revisiting their wedding plans, celebratory events like the rehearsal dinner are getting a COVID-friendly makeover.

“Now, venues that are doing events have had to start thinking outside of the box as to how they can safely host while protecting the guests and their staff,” said Beth Anderson, Director of Events for Sea Pines Country Club. “One such option is to have the event outside.”

REVAMPING YOUR PLANS DURING A PANDEMIC

What do you do when you’ve paid $60,000 for a wedding that’s supposed to take place in five days and a pandemic threatens to bring everything to a halt? 

Aimee Fennessey, local wedding planner and owner of Amanda Rose Weddings, says, “Modify!”

Bento Boxes. Tiny toasts. Custom sneakers.

As the saying goes: Necessity is the mother of invention.

Bridal trends for 2021 are no exception. Everything from crowd size to fashion choices reflects the aftermath of COVID-19’s appearance. Nevertheless, hope and flexibility have prevailed.

DREAM WEDDING AT HONEY HORN PLANTATION

Both competitive golfers, Colleen Cully and Justin Imel met on a golf course in Jupiter, Fla., in May 2019.

Originally from Indiana, Justin had moved to Florida to play professional golf. Colleen was working for a golf club at the time. The two hit it off immediately.