Sophie + Charlie by Sydney Marie Photography

Dark green velvet was used throughout the weekend.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We love exploring our city (NYC) and trying new restaurants and wine together. We are huge travelers and are always going somewhere but also value a cozy night at home just together on the couch watching Survivor.

In August 2024, we flew to Europe to watch one of Charlie’s close friends compete in track and field at the Paris Olympics. After a few days in the city, we headed to the South of France to meet two of our best friends and stay at her family’s beach house. After a few well-placed white lies about why every beach club was suddenly booked, she suggested we spend the afternoon wine tasting at a nearby vineyard. It turned out to be part of the plan all along: Charlie proposed at Château Barbeyrolles, with the stunning vineyard as the backdrop. Their rosé has since become one of our favourites and made its way into all of our summer wedding events.

I love Charlie’s confidence and excitement to try new things together. Sophie is the most caring and thoughtful person and is truly dedicated to those close to her. Also, her drive and ability to accomplish anything she puts her mind to are continuous reminders to me that together we can accomplish anything.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Although we grew up in Fayetteville, GA, about 20 minutes apart from each other, we didn’t meet until college at Georgia Tech. Junior year, Charlie’s fraternity threw a “crush party,” where dates were invited anonymously. Charlie didn’t have anyone to invite, so he asked his friends, who suggested he invite a girl who had recently joined their sorority… and the rest is history. My first impression of Charlie- tall and effortlessly funny. First impression was correct on both accounts! Charlie’s first impression of me was a stunning and stylish girl with a quick wit that could pace the conversation.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

Dark green velvet was used throughout the weekend- from tablecloths at our welcome party through to the napkins at the reception. This is a colour/texture combo that feels so me- it’s my favourite way to add colour, but keeping a natural feel. It’s evident throughout our home, so it only made sense to pull this into our wedding design as well.

Charlie’s mom also owns a home design store in our hometown, so a lot of the Southern-inspired prints and textures we used were influenced by her style and the fabrics in her store, like the crane-print linens at our welcome party and the Magnolia wallpaper behind the reception bar.

For the flowers, we drew inspiration from the fluid, cascading lines of Lowcountry Spanish moss, a detail that’s always felt deeply romantic and tied to our time in Savannah with Charlie’s family. I wanted that same organic movement to shape the florals throughout the weekend. My personal bouquet was pure white orchids, which have such a beautiful cascade, and we tied orchids into the florals throughout. For our welcome party, a laid-back fall Lowcountry boil and oyster roast with a bluegrass band, I kept the florals sculptural and monochromatic. Dahlias and mums were the perfect seasonal touch.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

Doing most of the planning with my mom! She has the best taste, and it was so fun bouncing ideas off each other. We definitely became closer throughout the process. We prioritised intention over extravagance. Our focus was on creating a beautiful weekend that felt personal and grounded in meaning.

My best advice is to release the need for perfection! Weather, travel, timing– little surprises are inevitable.

Staying connected to your partner keeps everything in perspective. Charlie and I decided early on that we’d make a conscious effort to stay with each other the entire night and not let ourselves get pulled into separate conversations, and it ended up being the best thing we could have done to stay grounded and present. Being side by side let us actually experience the night together, rather than catching up on moments afterwards.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

Allison, Tara, and their entire team were truly exceptional. I didn’t stress about a single detail; they anticipated needs before I even realised them and handled every day-of change with absolute ease. They created an environment where we could be fully present, knowing everything behind the scenes was in the best hands. We couldn’t have imagined a more thoughtful, capable, or calming team, and we’re endlessly grateful for them.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

All of my jewellery was from the closest women in my family- I wore my mom’s earrings, my grandmother’s tennis bracelets, and my aunt’s earrings for the afterparty.

My wedding dress was silk taffeta, one of my favourite fabrics, and I loved the organic, unstructured skirt. I wanted to incorporate that effect in other design elements, and we actually did the tablecloth with our table escort cards, inspired by the skirt of the dress.

Lastly, it was so special to wear my mother’s wedding dress the night of our rehearsal and welcome party. We had it restructured to be more of a party dress, but kept the sleeves and train portion so you could still clearly see it was her dress!

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

I was obsessed with our bar- the most gorgeous bistro bar with a classic Southern magnolia fabric wallpaper as the backdrop. My personal favourite design detail was the “Feldner” bistro tile inlaid in the tent flooring- inspired by our favourite cocktail bar in our neighbourhood, Dante. It will never be over the iconic inlaid floor mosaic that we have plans to place in our home one day!

The afterparty was also so much fun- we transformed the space into “Feldner Haus,” a lounge-y Euro-house nightclub washed in red light and lasers.

One detail our guests especially loved was the handwritten, personal notes we used in place of traditional escort cards. Throughout the night and even after the wedding, so many guests told us how meaningful those notes felt, especially since it’s impossible to have long, personal moments with everyone on the day itself. Being able to share a memory or a bit of gratitude with each person was really important to us.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

We wanted our guests to feel like true witnesses to our marriage and to recognise the role each person has played in our lives. The entire wedding was so special, but our ceremony was my favourite. I felt so present and connected to Charlie, and our vows to each other made the experience feel very sacred and special. The ceremony is truly the inflection point between your separate lives and your life together as a married couple, and we both definitely felt that tangible shift through our vows and rituals. We used the unity candle from my parents’ wedding to make it extra special.

Second, I have such a clear memory of sitting next to Charlie as the reception wound down and watching two of our friends dancing with our grandmothers. It felt incredibly special to see people from all parts of our lives, across generations, connect so naturally, even though they’d never met before.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

Marriage isn’t just a single moment of celebration; it’s the foundation we get to return to every day. Even though marriage is between two people, like with so much of life, your village is so important. Our friends and family were such an important part of our wedding day, and I know they will continue to show up for us throughout our marriage.