





This post has been a long time coming! I can’t believe that Patrick and I have been married for 7 months now. So without further ado…
Our wedding day truly feels like it was a dream that I had (the most wonderful kind). Having everyone that we love in one place to celebrate with us as we begin this new chapter of our lives as husband and wife could not have been a more special, once-in-a lifetime feeling. We will treasure the memories from our weekend in Charleston for the rest of our lives. I know it will not be THE best day of our lives, but it was without a doubt the best day so far.

Friday morning, Patrick and I started our wedding day with an early morning jog around Charleston together- one of our favorite ways to start most mornings. We were just missing our pup Denny who usually comes along. We jogged by the fountain and waterfront park, and then down through rainbow row to the battery. On our way back we grabbed smoothies for breakfast.











The girls got ready at our reception venue, Legare Waring House. Legare is a beautiful old estate house and grounds within the historic Charles Towne Landing park. The house has several bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs, which made it the perfect getting-ready location for us with plenty of space for hair and makeup. My Dad picked up Publix sub platters for us to snack on for lunch. One of the hardest parts of planning a destination wedding was that I felt like I was was choosing all of these little details, and it was so hard to envision how everything would come together. It was really special to be there to watch everything get set up and unfold throughout the day.






Patrick and his groomsmen got ready at the DoubleTree where we were staying along with our wedding party. The picture above is him opening his wedding gift from me, a monogrammed leather passport cover to take on our honeymoon. His gift to me was a sketch of my wedding dress that he had an artist design for me (with the help of my sister’s coordination, since he had not seen my dress until that day).









Our ceremony took place at Saint Luke’s Chapel in downtown Charleston. We kept the tradition of seeing each other for the first time at the church. I walked down the aisle with my dad to the instrumental version of “Thinking out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. Patrick and I wrote our own vows and recited them to one another, which was one of the most nerve-wracking but special moments of the whole day. We had a getaway car planned to take us from the church over to the reception, but it broke down on the side of the highway and the bus transporting our guests had to swing back around to pick us up. But hey, that’s good luck right? We didn’t get any rain that day, so I’ll take it!






We had a big wedding party! Our siblings were our maid of honor and best man, and in addition we had 14 total bridesmaids and groomsmen.





Our cocktail hour was on Legare’s side lawn overlooking the lagoon. We had Florida and Cornell beanbag toss to represent our Alma maters. My other favorite details from cocktail hour were our personalized drink koozies and the delicious biscuit bar, an ode to Charleston’s southern roots. At the end of cocktail hour, Patrick’s parents offered us bread followed by a shot of vodka in a Polish tradition that represents both the joy and challenges that marriage brings.




Our reception was on the back patio at Legare underneath a tent lit with string lights and chandeliers. Dinner was served family style for a more laid-back dinner party vibe. Everyone shared salmon, short rib, and the best part of the meal– grits!






After dinner came the dancing and toasts. Patrick and I danced to “Yours” by Russel Dickerson (a country tune). Our first dance was so much fun and one of my favorite parts of our wedding day. Our maid of honor and best man gave speeches that had us mildly embarrassed and in stitches.




In addition to a vanilla and red velvet wedding cake, we had pecan pies and peach cobbler for some southern flare. Our baker also made us Polish Waffle, a nod to Patrick’s Polish heritage.






We really wanted the feel of our wedding day to be a big dance party, and it was definitely that! And a sweaty one too. It was an unusually warm day for late September, but everyone made the best of it and danced their hearts out with us. At the very end of the night we had Deep River chips as a snack. Not pictured here– the after party at Bay Street Biergarten that continued until 2 am!
It’s completely true when everyone tells you that your wedding day will go by in one big blur of excitement and emotion. We did our best to soak in every moment, and overall couldn’t have asked for a better celebration with our family and friends.