Combining her Florida roots with a California aesthetic into a design that felt very clean, relaxed and classic, bride McKayla incorporated details that felt fun and personal. Think coastal California meets a little bit of southern formality. South Carolina wedding photographer ELIZABETH LANIER captured their celebration in her usual magical way.
The couple wanted to spend as much time with their guests as possible during the wedding weekend and searched to find a location that was relatively easy to travel to but still felt totally unique. "We didn’t want to deal with the complications or guest costs of an international wedding but wanted that destination feel. We had previously spent Thanksgiving with my family at PALMETTO BLUFF and fell in love with it. Between the food, the May River, the nature reserve, the golf, and the island feel, we were sold."
HOW DID YOU MEET? We were introduced by a friend at a party when we were both students at Stanford University. We stayed friends for about a year or so before both finally admitting feelings and starting a relationship.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: It's a bit of a crazy story, we were living in Lake Tahoe at the time and Sean had planned to propose one weekend on this lakeside path we love to walk. However, it was January and the week he planned to propose there was a huge storm and we got seven feet of new snow in four days. Unbeknownst to me, Sean called every snow removal company he could find in the Tahoe area asking them if they could plow this public walking path (that was never cleared by the city), and unsurprisingly not a single company called him back. So instead he convinced me to take a lake “walk” in extremely deep snow, where I almost turned back twice, but made it just long enough for him to pop the question with our golden retriever Zephyr.
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS/ATTIRE: Picking the perfect dress was really hard for me, I went wedding dress shopping 8 times (!) and it took me a while to figure out what I was looking for. Eventually I realized I wanted something that was classic but not boring, that I felt comfortable in but was also flattering, strapless and with a train (because when else do you get to wear a train), and no appliques, lace, sequins, or sparkle. Once I finally found my dress, I knew I wanted to do something unique with my veil, since my dress had a more traditional feel. I first saw a picture of the colorful Monique Lhuillier veil series in an instagram post from bridal fashion week and I could not get it out of my head. I went back and forth for weeks before going for it, it felt really true to me to have a little zing of color on my wedding day.
DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY ELEMENTS? We made our own wedding invitation suite! I work in marketing and love design and so it was something I really wanted to do. There was something so special about sitting at our dining room table hot gluing ribbon and our wax seals to our invitations that would go to all our loved ones. We also got married on Easter weekend and put together welcome easter baskets for each guest filled with some of our favorite things (and chocolate Easter eggs).
DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS: Classic white florals building around my favorite two flowers: peonies, ranunculus with textured greenery. They also included a nod to my mom featuring a small cascade of her favorite flowers: orchids.
FAVORITE DETAIL OF THE DAY: I had my husband’s initials very subtly painted on my ring finger nail which felt like a fun little nod to the new ring & commitment I was making.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? 1. If you want something to happen at your wedding, lead by example. Guests will follow your vibe so if you want the dance floor to be THE PLACE, then don’t leave the dance floor. This goes for your energy and activities all weekend. 2. Know that things are going to go wrong, they literally always do. If you have that mindset going in and are prepared to just roll with last minute things popping up you can spend more energy focusing on the joy and happiness of marrying the love of your life. 3. While weddings are full of tradition and “norms”, it is truly your weekend, the best weddings are the ones that incorporate things that feel special to the people getting married.
WHAT ASPECT OF THE WEDDING WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU BOTH? We wanted to really have fun with our guests and each other during the time we spent together. We love to host people and this felt like the ultimate hosting gig so the experience we had with everyone who had put in so much effort to be there with us was extremely critical. We put in a LOT of thought around the different events we had through the weekend and experience for us and our guests. We started on Thursday with a small bridal party rehearsal dinner and after party. Then my mom hosted a little morning workout and bridesmaid brunch before we joined all of our guests that afternoon for a pickleball and rose afternoon and then a welcome party. We concluded the weekend with a Sunday easter egg hunt & brunch the morning after the big day.
ANY OTHER DETAILS THAT HELP TELL THE STORY OF YOUR DAY? It was supposed to rain all day, which had me super stressed the morning of our wedding (see my advice about things going wrong). But we decided to move forward with outdoor plans and the rain held off all day, until just as I was walking down the aisle it started to rain. I distinctly remember looking at my parents (who were walking me down) and audibly going “oh no!” But as I got to the end of the aisle and got to Sean the rain just stopped. And then the sun proceeded to come out as I was reading my vows. It made the ceremony feel extra magical.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR HONEYMOON: We took a mini moon to Cap Juluca in Anguilla for a few days of laying on the beach and relishing in just married happiness. Then we took a longer two week trip around Italy encompassing our favorite things: good food, great drinks, time on the water in Lake Como and the Amalfi coast.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD CHANGE OR DO DIFFERENTLY? In retrospect, I would not stress so much about the weather.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND ELIZABETH LANIER TO OTHER BRIDES? WHY OR WHY NOT? I would wholeheartedly recommend Elizbeth Lanier, Sarah was one of the highlights of my wedding day. Having a photographer that you trust, enjoy spending time with, and makes you feel comfortable is absolutely critical. Aside from (hopefully) your spouse, your photographer is probably the person you spend the most time with throughout your entire wedding weekend, they play such a large role in both how you experience your wedding and also how you remember it, to me it was my most important vendor selection.
A huge thank you to South Carolina wedding photographer ELIZABETH LANIER for sharing this beautiful wedding with us. Specialising in destination weddings, Sarah and Will of Elizabeth Lanier Photography, capture sophisticated, adventurous, and wildly in love couples all over the globe. Their passion for documenting authentic love stories and genuine relationships between the clients they photograph inspires discerning couples worldwide to entrust their most cherished memories to Elizabeth Lanier Photography. Head over to their portfolio to see more and be sure to check out this Fresh, lush green and white wedding inspiration.
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