Abby reached out to me in March of 2019 asking me to be a part of her special day, being hosted on September 7, 2019 at The Gadsden House. The crazy part? Abby and my very first bride, Laura, who also had her wedding hosted at The Gadsden House, got in touch with her mutual friend to ask Laura who some of her vendors are -- and Laura recommended me!
It was a bittersweet moment when I received the e-mail, as Laura is one of my favorite people on this earth, and her wedding will always hold a special place in my heart. But, on top of that, Abby is just absolutely breathtaking, incredibly sweet, and could not have picked a more beautiful venue for what she envisioned her day to look like.
Abby and Adam met many, many years ago, off of a dating app known as "Tinder". They met, hung out, and the rest is history, and they've been together ever since. Their love for one another is infectious. Adam let Abby hold onto the reigns of every aspect of their wedding day and 100% had her back throughout the entire process.
As the week leading up to the wedding, Charleston was hit with the news of Hurricane Dorian coming into town. As I had two weddings scheduled that weekend, I began to start coming up with as many plan b, plan c, and plan d options throughout my head. Abby tho, was so calm and was sure that everything would be fine for their wedding day. They even flew in and stayed in their hotel downtown and bunkered down for Dorian to hit. Of course, their wedding day could not have been more perfect. The venue was completely untouched, and we were ready to rock and roll and get these two married!
Abby and her girls headed up to the third floor of the house in the bridal suite, where they enjoyed champagne, music, and laughs while they were getting glammed up by the team at Paper Dolls. Abby's family dogs even showed up as guest appearances so she could get her favorite pups pictures with her while she was getting ready. The boys were having a grand time getting ready and hanging out in the morning of Adam's wedding day.
Abby and Adam shared a very special first look off of the grand staircase in The Gadsden House and then headed out among the streets of Charleston with their bridal party. Abby's girls were decked in all black dresses while Adam's men were dressed in black tie. The wedding party looked absolutely killer.
After the wedding party photos were completed, it was about time for these two to say I do. Jacob Christopher began the processional song with the famous, Cannon in D for the bridal party. Abby then walked down the aisle with her father, where Adam waited patiently at the altar for his soon to be wife. The two exchanged vows and sealed their wedding with a kiss, a promise of forever.
As guests parted from the ceremony location to the cocktail hour location, located on the second floor of the Gadsden House, myself and my team worked on flipping the space to the reception. Guests enjoyed the views of the city on the wide wrap around porch, while snacking on hor d'oeuvres and drinks.
The clean crisp design created a timeless look for Abby & Adam's wedding reception. The white linens with the gold accents for flatware & chairs, accented perfectly with the fluffy heightened hydrangea arrangements created by Branch Design Studio, that lined the long community style tables. All tucked underneath a strand of bistro lighting provided by Lowcountry Entertainment.
Once the reception location was completed, guests were welcomed down to find their assigned seats and kick off the reception.
The gold framed bar shelving and gold accented chargers & flatware brought in the perfect touches from Event Works, while the rest of the rental items, such as the chairs, bars and linens were provided by Event Haus. Sometimes a mixture of a couple of rental companies makes for the perfect dreamy reception set up.
The two kicked off the reception by being introduced from Crescendo Entertainment as Mr. & Mrs. Adam Smutney and to lead them into their first dance as husband and wife. They danced to the song, Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran, and it was truly goose bump worthy.
Guests enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Cru Catering, with food items such as southern styled crab cakes, sliced praline encrusted sage chicken, and braised boneless beef short rib. There definitely wasn't much left, as guest throughly enjoyed their meal and began enjoying the massive cookie table, a tradition in Pittsburgh, where the aunts of the family bring an insane amount of cookies and treats for guests to enjoy, rather than a large cake. Truly, I've never seen so many cookies at one wedding before. Abby provided to-go boxes for her guests to take desserts with them for the rest of their stay in Charleston. As guest enjoyed their dinner & dessert, Paint by Chloe captured the guests eating at their seats and sharing stories with one another.
Abby had a quick outfit change, into dress #2, a shortened white dress with a fluffy bottom, super fun for dancing -- of course! The rest of the evening was filled with dancing, mingling, and celebrating the new Mr. & Mrs! Guests sent the couple off with a sparkler exit to end such an amazing evening! Congratulations to Abby & Adam on such a beautiful wedding day!
If you'd like to see more about this beautiful wedding day, check out the video below created by Cloud Craft Studios!
This day could not have been possible without the help of an amazing vendor team:
PLANNER: Nicki Paige Collection
VENUE: The Gadsden House
PHOTOGRAPHER: Shannon Oleksak Photography
VIDEOGRAPHER: Cloud Craft Studios
CEREMONY MUSIC: Jacob Christopher
RECEPTION MUSIC: Crescendo Entertainment
LIVE ARTIST: Paint by Chloe
CATERING: Cru Catering
FLORALS: Branch Design Studio
CAKE: Peninsula Grill
TRANSPORTATION: Lowcountry Valet & Shuttle
RENTALS: Event Haus + Event Works
LIGHTING: Lowcountry Entertainment
HAIR AND MAKEUP: Paper Dolls