Sparkle, elegance, luxury

Daniel Moskowitz proposed to his future bride in Middleton Gardens, under the premise of going up to his parents’ beach home in Charleston to help his father with some repairs. He even went so far as to pack the car full of tools. During the trip, he mentioned he needed to make a quick detour to look at a piece of land his co-broker wanted him to see.

When she saw they were at Middleton Gardens, she realized this was the moment they had both been waiting for to be exactly right. “You can’t buy Middleton Gardens, so by then I was just like ‘Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!’ ” said Laren Moskowitz, laughing. Daniel proposed, the couple enjoyed a glass of wine with beautiful vistas and a wonderful weekend, and from there, the wedding planning began.

After traveling to New York City with her mother for a wonderfully special weekend, and falling in love with a wedding gown from Kleinfield, it became clear to the couple that the wedding would sparkle.

“My mom always said that I’m like a bird, attracted to anything shiny and sparkly,” said Laren Moskowitz. “The gown really set the tone for our wedding, an elegant and luxurious feeling with lots of flowers and sparkle.”

Sparkle-weddin02 The couple chose an all-white flowerscape complemented perfectly with crystal and mercury glass accents that glittered as the candlelight danced around them. For contrast, smoky amethyst linens adorned each table. They draped the chuppah (the traditional canopy Jewish wedding ceremonies are held beneath), in crystals for an especially gorgeous touch. Laren Moskowitz compliments their wedding planner, Beth Baldwin, for her impeccable taste, skill and meticulous detail, as well as Dawn Kiritsy with A Floral Affair as, “magicians who truly made the décor more than we ever could have dreamed.”

About 200 guests gathered at the Sea Pines Country Club to celebrate the couple’s union. Laren Moskowitz, in all her sparkle and shimmer, walked down the aisle to the music of Charleston Virtuosi, a string trio and trumpet group that also punctuated the ceremony with lovely music.

The Moskowitzes debated over when they would first see each other on their wedding day. Logistically both agreed that they should see each other before. But emotion won the debate and they chose to wait for that moment when the bride stood at the end of the aisle.

“That moment we saw each other was the official start of a new chapter,” Laren Moskowitz said. “You aren’t closing a door on anything, but you’re opening a new door. That feeling of having so much hope and so much promise, and you are sharing it with the person you’ve chosen to spend the rest of your life with … it’s incomparable to anything.”

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Guests dined on a feast with Lowcountry flare. Among the dishes were crabcakes, made with Laren Moskowitz’s father’s recipe. The wedding cake stood nearly 4-feet tall with six layers and was trimmed in shimmering Swarovski crystals.

Of everything that was special to them that day, the guests who made the journey were among the most precious.

Laren Moskowitz’s maternal grandfather, “Poppy,” was homebound at the time of their wedding, but through the determination and love of her grandmother, “Memaw,” he was able to make the journey to see his granddaughter married. Daniel Moskowitz’s brother, Harrison, made the journey from Hong Kong, where he lives and works, and the couple agree it would have never been the same without him.

Sparkle-wedding04 Among the special guests and moments, the memory Laren Moskowitz holds most precious is her father’s role in their special day.

“My father was very ill for over a year leading up to the wedding. Him walking me down the aisle and being able to share our father-daughter dance are memories I will hold extremely close to my heart.” He lost his battle with cancer two months after the wedding. Laren Moskowitz and her father chose to share their special dance to Blake Shelton’s ballad “I Loved Her First.”

Laren and Daniel Moskowitz shared their first dance to “Crazy Love” by Michael Bublé. Laren admits she truly didn’t care what song was playing, she just wanted one that was lengthy.

“During your wedding there are so many people you want to spend time with,” she said. “Family and friends have traveled so far and you want to spend a minute with each of them and it all flies by. That first dance was our special moment to have a bit of private time.

We just wanted that time while the song played to relish in the moment and share it with each other.”

Midway through the reception, everyone was invited to step outside for a group picture. Guests were treated to a surprise fireworks show that lit up the sky over Sea Pines Country Club.

After that the whole group danced the night away to music by 7Once, an 11-piece party and show band who kept guests young and old on their toes until the the newlyweds were ready to make their grand exit.

When the night came to an end, Laren Moskowitz changed into a short feather and rhinestone cocktail dress for their departure. While she changed guests dined on late night snacks of sliders, barbecue and French fries. As the newlyweds departed, guests got to add to the sparkle of the night with silver metallic confetti. The couple drove off in the groom’s parents’ antique 1920s Buick ready to begin the rest of their lives together.

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