DAUFUSKIE WEDDING AT HAIG POINT LIGHTHOUSE
Cali & Robert
August 24, 2013
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Haig Point Lighthouse on Daufuskie Island
Photographer: {Once Like A Spark} Photography
While growing up, Cali, owner of (Once Like a Spark) Photography and Borrowing Magnolia, never dreamt of the details of her own wedding day. However, she knew one thing was certain – when she got married it would be on Daufuskie Island. So, after Robert’s sweet (and impatient) proposal at Cali’s house in Athens, Georgia, the UGA grads were eager to share the mystique of Daufuskie with 160 of their closest friends and family…and boy did they ever!
Planning & Design: Ever Thine Vintage // Florist: Gertie Mae’s Floral Studio // Bar & Catering: Haig Point // Cake: Signe’s Bakery // Reception Band: First Generation Band // Ceremony Music: The Plantation Singers // Gown: Primrose by Christos // Dress Shop: Fabulous Frocks (Charleston, SC) // Veil: BHLDN // Shoes: Badgley Mischka // Bridesmaids Dresses: Various// Hair & Makeup: Claudia Mejerle // Groom & Groomsmen’s Attire: Dick Ferguson’s (Athens, GA) // Rentals: Ever Thine Vintage // Wedding Favors: MC’s Poundcakes// Invitations & Programs: Jolly Edition // Officiant: Tina Clark// Rehearsal Dinner: Strachan Mansion // Rings: Simon G // Ceremony Sign, Table Numbers, Escort Cards & Cake Topper: The First Snow, Etsy
Tell us how you met: Robert and I were initially introduced by a mutual friend (and later a bridesmaid!) while we were both students at the University of Georgia. Despite our mutual friend’s repeated efforts to set up us, Robert and I remained casual acquaintances. We both graduated and went along our respective paths, until we had a chance encounter when we ran into each other at a favorite coffee shop in Athens, GA a few years later. The rest was history!
Proposal Details: Robert had grand plans to propose to me at our favorite restaurant (Last Resort!) in Athens, GA over a bottle of champagne, but the ring was burning a hole in his pocket and he proposed to me pretty much the instant that he got to the house to pick me up that evening. :) I was ecstatic, of course, and we ended up having a wonderful dinner celebrating - just after the fact :)
How did you select your date + venue: I've never been the girl who has dreamt for years about every detail of her wedding, but growing up, I did know one thing for sure - when I did get married, I wanted it to be on Daufuskie Island, SC. Daufuskie Island is the small, residential sea island between Hilton Head Island, SC and Savannah, GA that I consider to be my home. All of my family - myself and my now husband, Robert, included - has a touch of wanderlust, and my family's home on the island has really been the only geographic constant for me in my life. Daufuskie has a truly rich, diverse, and sometimes dark history, and the fact that Daufuskie has no bridge to the mainland has allowed it to maintain a rare mystique and lowcountry charm that Robert and I were eager to share with 160 of our closest family and friends for our wedding.
To that end, we didn't really have a wedding day - it was more of a wedding week. Our large bridal party (10 on each side) came in a few days early, and we all stayed together in one of my favorite locations on the island - the grandiose Sea Oak Manor in Bloody Point. We invited all of our guests to make a mini-vacation of our wedding, and over the course of the week leading up to our ceremony, we were able to spend precious time with them. One of these evenings, while we were hosting a lowcountry boil on the beach to welcome everyone to the island, we had the unforgettable experience of witnessing a nest of baby sea turtles hatch and journey to the ocean. It was truly an incredible moment, and I was thrilled Robert and I were able to share the magic of the island in this way with our guests.
We held our ceremony beneath the great oaks outside on the lawn of the historic Haig Point Lighthouse. We woke up to stormy skies and rain on our wedding morning, and as the day progressed, I resigned myself to the fact that we were going to have rain. Just before the ceremony, however, the skies parted and we were married beneath a beautiful, golden light (and the earlier clouds cooled everything down - the heat can be intolerable in late August on the island!). One of the first decisions Robert and I had made in the planning process was to hire the Plantation Singers, an a capella group that sings in the style of Gullah spirituals, as a nod towards the island's rich Gullah history. The singers gave me chills during our ceremony and our guests were completely mesmerized - their songs will forever be ingrained in my memory. After the ceremony, we proceeded to celebrate with a wonderful reception filled with lots of dancing, laughter, and a fair share of happy tears. Not to mention one of my own personal highlights of the week - Robert performed a surprise serenade of one of our favorite songs in French (Robert is a fluent French speaker, and we were long distance the first year of our relationship when he was living in Paris!).
As a wedding industry professional and the owner of (Once Like a Spark) Photography, a national wedding photography collaborative, as well as Borrowing Magnolia, a digital bridal consignment and rental boutique, I felt quite a bit of pressure to have a flawless, immaculately planned wedding. Despite my best efforts, things did NOT go exactly as planned - they never do with weddings! - but in a funny turn of events, I really think the hiccups made the day even better than we could have expected. One quick example - I originally planned to have my bridesmaids choose their own dresses in a similar color palette, but when we all got together on the island, the dresses completely clashed. One boat ride and a quick trip to the TJ Maxx clearance rack solved that problem - almost all of my bridesmaid's dresses were from TJ Maxx, and they turned out beautifully! Robert and I had a complete dream team of vendors who allowed us to go with the flow and focus on what was most important - celebrating our marriage with our closest family and friends on an island that will always be home.
The Gown: Primrose by Christos, purchased at Fabulous Frocks in Charleston
The Hair + Makeup: Claudia Mejerle
The Accessories (Shoes, Jewelry, Veil): Veil - BHLDN, Shoes - Badgley Mischka, Earrings - Oh Kuol, Bracelet - Urban Southern Charm
Bridesmaids Attire: Various (mostly TJ Maxx!)
Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Dick Ferguson’s
Aesthetic + Color Palette: blush, cream, gold
Guest Count: 160
The Send-off/Getaway Vehicle: a golfcart!
Best Piece of Advice for Brides-to-Be: In the midst of the inevitable craziness of planning, don’t lose sight of what is most important...at the heart of it, your wedding is about celebrating the start of a union, and nothing else.
Are you planning a Daufuskie Island wedding at Haig Point Lighthouse? Check out our list of preferred Hilton Head vendors and venues. Oh, and if you need help securing guest rooms for your wedding, let us help you secure your hotel group blocks!