Outdoor Wedding at Historic Brattonsville Plantation

Q1: Tell us about your wedding!

“Since I was young, I always knew that I wanted to get married outdoors at a historic home. We used to go on field trips to Brattonsville and Hightower Hall when we were in elementary school, and  until we got engaged, I hadn’t been back out there since then.

“When Miles and I went and visited the venue, we both agreed it was the perfect place for us to get married. One of my favorite colors is blue, so I knew I wanted my bridesmaids to wear blue.

“The dusty blue went really well with the house. I wanted the color palette to be very clean and simple, so we stayed with shades of blue, white, and greenery.

“The pastor that married us was the pastor that I had grown up with in my family’s church. We had been on several mission trips to Africa together, and we shared a special bond. He retired several years ago, but was happy to come back to marry us. He also married my brother and his wife just 2 months earlier!”

Q2: Let’s talk wedding decor

“I knew that I wanted Hightower Hall to be the main focus of our decor. It is such a beautiful place that we didn’t need many decorations. We kept everything very simple, and for the reception stayed with the same blue, white, and greenery theme.

“For any frames for signs, we used gold. We wanted the wedding to have a rustic feel since it was outdoors, and for everything to be simple. So much of our wedding was DIY.

“My favorite part was the arch that we got married under. My dad and brother built it for us, and we donated it to Hightower Hall for others couples to get married under!”

Q3: What were the florals like in your wedding?

“I absolutely loved the flowers at our wedding. A friend named Lisa Spangler from Rock Hill did all of flowers for us, and she did such an amazing job. We kept with the less is more theme, and went with white hydrangeas and white roses, with eucalyptus leaves and other greenery.

“All of the flowers throughout the ceremony and reception were variations of the same flowers. The flowers that she attached to the wedding arch were my favorite.”

Q4: Did you personalize the day in any way?

“We had a couple personalized elements to our wedding that I really loved. Our entire wedding suite was made by Emily Mayne. I found her on Etsy, and she is an incredibly talented artist. She drew an illustration of Hightower Hall that went on our invitations and RSVP cards, and created a custom crest for us with our initials and the exact flowers that we were going to incorporate into our wedding.

“My favorite thing that she did was draw an illustration of our dog, Mosby, to go on our cocktail napkins during the ceremony. This was one of mine and Miles’s favorite elements of our wedding. We had so many people tell us how much they loved them!

“Also, our cake designer, Jossie Perlmutter, created custom mini desserts to go along with our cake based on our favorite flavors. There were mini cheesecakes, snickers cups, and several others desserts that were so delicious. This was such a fun way to customize our wedding!”

Q5: Let’s talk fashion

“I was so excited to go wedding dress shopping, and I went really early. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted, but I ended up getting something completely different. I knew that I wanted it to be lightweight and comfortable, because I knew it would be hot.

“My sister picked my dress, and I tried it on at the very beginning because I thought I wouldn’t like it and I wanted to get it over with. However, once I got it on, I fell in love with it. Nothing else I tried even came close to it. I loved the lace open back with the buttons all the way down. It was fitted without being uncomfortable, and I loved how it got flowy at the bottom.

“Miles knew that he wanted to wear a navy suit, which went really well with the bridesmaids dresses. He and all the groomsmen got their suits at the same place that I bought my wedding dress, and we went together and picked it out. He really liked his suit, and he looked great in it!”

Q6: How did you meet?

“Miles and I met in high school. We sat next to each other in 10th grade history class, and became close friends. We started dating the summer after 10th grade. We went away to different colleges after graduating, and after 4 long years of long distance, we moved back to Rock Hill. Miles took me back to the same spot that he asked me to be his girlfriend in the 10th grade, and proposed to me there. It was so special, because it felt like our relationship had come full circle.”

Q7: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

“I think that Miles and I would both agree that the most anticipated and special moment of our wedding day was me walking down the aisle. We opted to not do a first look before the ceremony, because we wanted the first time he saw me to be when I was walking down the aisle towards him. And we are both so glad that we did that! Walking down the aisle with my dad towards him was hands down the best moment of my life, and one that I’ll never forget.”

Q8: Any wedding planning or marriage advice to share with other couples planning their day?

“I think we would both say to not sweat the small stuff. Wedding planning can be so stressful and overwhelming, but at the end of the day, no matter what, it’s going to be the best day of your lives. Do not sacrifice what you want for your wedding day to make others happy. It’s your day, and it should be exactly like you envisioned it. This is just one day of a lifetime of days together, so don’t forget to enjoy it! It will be over in the blink of an eye.”