Nearly a year and a half in the making and laden with Southern style, the June wedding of Lauren Daniels and Dave Jarman was an event unprecedented in Palmetto Bluff history.
Inspired by the rustic charm of the surroundings, the event was planned by the Caitlin McGettigan and Julianne Austin of New York City-based outfit Cait and Jules Fresh Events, along with mother of the bride Lisa Daniels. Together the group developed a decor that used allnatural and indigenous materials, including birch bark, cotton pods, magnolia leaves and lots and lots of moss.
Accordingly, florist Sue Burden accented the quaint Palmetto Bluff Chapel with monochromatic white floral wreathes on the doors and small bouquets of cotton on each pew. Sweet personal touches, such as a flower girl’s basket fashioned from the mother-of-the-bride’s wedding gown and musical selections that mirrored the bride’s parents’ wedding, made the ceremony feel intimate.
After the ceremony, the Gullah choir Voices of El Shaddai led the guests on the short walk to the reception with gospel standards such as “Oh Happy Day” and “This Little Light of Mine” while Lauren and Dave rode off in their Cinderella carriage for portraits with Charleston-based photographer Clay Austin.
At the reception, the gorgeous 125-foot Sperry sailcloth reception tent by Skyline Tent Company, set among the ruins of an old plantation home, showcased at its center a 20-foot-tall live Southern oak that was dripping with Spanish moss and hanging votive candles. After the wedding, the tree was donated by the bride and groom to the Palmetto Bluff conservancy.
True to the Southern way, guests were encouraged to graze and mingle leisurely throughout the evening, Throughout the tent, framed photos from generations of family weddings adorned the tables as fun conversation starters and a sentimental tribute to the bride and groom’s loved ones.
Elaborate food stations — with wine pairings curated by father of the bride Charlie Daniels — surrounded the tent, including an Italian version that featured mozzarella and sopresatta made fresh that day by a family friend. The dessert station featured a custom-tiered cake by Minette Rushing Cakes of Savannah, and a seemingly endless batch of miniature cupcakes in Lauren and Dave’s favorite flavors. Each buffet was finished with a handdrawn menu created by New York City-based calligrapher Nicki Sebastian.
Some of the evening’s most candid moments were captured in an interactive photo booth installed atop the old plantation’s crumbled staircase. Against a green moss backdrop, guests got creative with props such as picture frames and chalkboards to write sweet messages for the bride and groom.
The fabulous Atlanta-based band The Heather Hayes Experience, fronted by Isaac Hayes’ daughter, had the dance floor packed throughout the reception, as guests traded their heels for white flip-flops and danced the night away.
BY CAITLIN MCGETTIGAN / WWW.CAITANDJULES.COM / CONTRIBUTING: LEAH MCCARTHY
