Navy and Claret Wedding in Charleston

From Kaitlin Poirier Photo & Video: “Meg and Reeder had been dreaming of creating the perfect Southern soiree for all of their friends and family to celebrate the beginning of their lives together, but they did not anticipate that Meg’s father may not be able to walk her down the aisle. Despite spending much of the year in the hospital, he worked so hard to not only be able to walk her down to her new husband, but also give her an amazing first dance! It was such an emotional and special moment and just added to their already incredible day! They also included a lot of special family mementos, like the tradition of wearing the family’s wedding bracelets that go back multiple generations, and included a piece of her grandmother’s wedding dress in her bouquet.”

A bold and fun wedding in Charleston, SC

A bold and fun navy blue and claret wedding in Charleston by Kaitlin Poirier Photo & Video

My favorite design element was my color scheme, in particular how Branch Design Studio incorporated it into my venue decor. I loved my bridal bouquet the most! It was a beautiful arrangement of various deep reds, a touch of peach, gold accents, and rich greenery. What made it even more special was how my Aunt Christy secretly visited Branch the day before my wedding to drop off a flower made from the lace of my grandmother’s wedding dress to be incorporated into the design. My grandmother passed away in 2014, and it was so comforting to know I had a piece of her with me as I walked down the aisle.

For our “guestbook,” we bought 3 photo mats for our guest to sign with pictures from our engagement in them. This was the perfect amounts for our 130 guests at the wedding. After the wedding, we put them in frames and hung them in our home. It is a wonderful way to remember our wedding and all of our guests who made our day special!

We made welcome gift bags for all of our guests from out of town. We found great personalized bags on Etsy with a pineapple and a “M + R” underneath. We filled them with local treats including Benne wafers and Firefly mini bottles. We also included personalized bottles of water and bags of Goldfish to munch on. We included a welcome card with schedule of events and a list of our favorite places to eat, drink and explore.

The most memorable moment from my wedding day was having the opportunity to walk down the aisle with my dad and sharing a dance with him at the reception. My father was diagnosed with a rare lung disease just after the new year in 2016 and spent 54 days in the hospital, most of which were in the ICU at George Washington hospital. Living so far away and being in an intensive training program for my residency it was hard to balance life and my career. I recall one day when I received “the call” that my dad was not doing well, and thanks to my great coworkers, I was on a direct flight to DC within 2 hours. It was a very scary time, but he made it through and has been working to get stronger each and everyday. As the wedding approached, he told me he was working extra hard with his physical therapists because he was determined he was going to walk me down the aisle with only his cane. He did just and more! He gracefully walked me down the aisle and we were both all smiles. Later that night at the reception, he gave a beautiful, yet hilarious, FOB speech, I wouldn’t have expected anything less! We then shared our first dance together to “I Loved Her First.” He came out to the stage with his cane and as the band started playing he threw his cane across the dance floor and whisked me away across the dance floor! I was shocked and so impressed. I think he even danced better than my husband! – Meg

A bold and fun navy blue and claret wedding in Charleston by Kaitlin Poirier Photo & Video