Alexandra and Michael chose to elope in the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina. With just their pastor, photographer, and the desire to start their marriage with an adventure, they headed out to find the perfect place in the wilderness to say their vows. Read on for more from the bride!
From Alexandra, the bride:
“After Michael proposed last December, we began to unravel what we wanted our wedding day to be like. We decided early on that the day we would begin our marriage would be a romantic adventure. We peeled away expectations and traditions that didn’t really fit our personalities and desires and we came up with a styled elopement (termed by my good friend Joanna Ballentine).
We wanted to travel somewhere beautiful and capture the adventure with as many film photographs as possible. Since Michael and I both grew up in the south, we were naturally drawn to the historic beauty that expands over the Charleston area. We also wanted a destination that wouldn’t be too difficult to travel back to for anniversaries and spontaneous trips. Though most elopements are spontaneous, ours was the result of detailed planning and much flexibility. I had only a few expectations of my wedding day, to marry my best friend and have fun. Every other detail I just left in God’s hands and it turned out beautifully. That’s not to say we didn’t have problems arise because what would a wedding day be without a handful of trouble? After half a day of sideways rain, we were finally able to go outside to take pictures at the most beautiful boutique hotel, Zero George, in Charleston. Michael and I carefully chose Zero George as our first honeymoonlocation and were blessed with true southern hospitality.
For our ceremony, Michael and I did not know where exactly it would be until the moment of. We had heard about Edisto Island and Botany Bay so we had planned to travel and find our place amongst the natural beauty. After driving down oak-lined roads and walking half a mile through a glowing marsh, we found where we would say “I do.” It was captivating. The sand was covered with thousands of seashells and dried up trees created the most beautiful landscape. There was a storm off the coast, but not a drop of rain came. It was as if time stood still for us. I couldn’t have dreamed of anything more beautiful for our wedding day. Looking back I think about how our wedding day flowed with our beliefs on life. We made a commitment to go through the unexpected in life with joyfulness and love. We have decided to stay consistent through the rain and storms of life, to travel to unseen places together, and to expect the best. We did this together on our wedding day and we will do this together through our marriage. It’s a beautiful adventure.
We are also so thankful to our Pastor, John Larson, who is a spiritual hero to both of us. He traveled many miles to officiate our ceremony and it meant the world to us. Our photographer, Faith Teasley, was so good to us to capture this beautiful and spontaneous day. We are also so grateful to Jody Savage for all her help in the detailed planning and vision of this gorgeous day. Thank you, Thank you.”
Photographer: Faith Teasley | Getting Ready Location: Zero George Hotel | Ceremony Location: Botany Bay, Edisto Island | Florist: SYG Designs | Dress: Gossamer Vintage | Men’s Suit: Billy Reid | Calligrapher: September Letters | Film Processing: Indie Film Lab | Hair & Make Up: Bride
