With Italian roots, our bride wanted everyone to feel as if they were celebrating all weekend-long in Europe, but with a modern twist in the design. We brought a bold design to Hotel Domestique, a never-before-seen aesthetic at this location filled the space.

Our Story

Couple / Lauren + Matt

Wedding Date / 5.20.2023

Location / Night Before- Passerelle Bistro // Wedding- Hotel Domestique

Rehearsal Dinner + Welcome Party

An evening kickoff at one of the most romantic restaurants in the world, Passarelle Bistro. A quaint cafe in downtown Greenville that felt like you were in a corner cafe in Paris for the evening. Complete with a Mandolin player, gelato stand, and all the french-inspired details!

Rehearsal Dinner Fashion Vision

My requirements for my rehearsal dress were simple, it had to juxtapose my two wedding day looks, and fit the dreamy venue for our welcome party, Passerelle Bistro. I chose the Grayson Gown from The Bar for its plunging back and floral detail. Paired with the classic Manolo Blahnik Hangisi heel, a diamond tennis bracelet rented from verstolo, and an undone updo by Elizabeth at Collective Beauty, it was the chic euro look of my dreams.

(Photography) Jennifer Austin Photography

How We Met

Matthew and I went to nursing school together at Clemson University, but it wasn’t until after graduation that our paths crossed long enough for a love to spark. Both nightshift nurses, we found ourselves eating late night pizza in the middle of the week, slowly forming a friendship that would turn into much more. When I bought a house that summer, Matthew would make any excuse to come over, including mowing the lawn, hanging artwork, and cleaning surfaces I didn’t even know existed in a home. It was then our friendship blossomed into love.

What Excites us about Marriage

I think we both can agree that we are most excited about simply experiencing life together, watching each other grow, creating our own family and cherishing those little moments each and every day. 

Our Design Inspo

I can’t say that there is a single picture on Pinterest that reflected my vision for the day. I knew I wanted to draw from the modern black and white aesthetic, but didn’t want it to feel boring, or having been done before. I imagined we had transported everyone to Europe for the weekend and drew inspiration from Italian venues. Most importantly, I wanted it to be both beautiful and personal. From the spice rack seating chart inspired by our love for food and cooking, to the dance floor decal of one of our favorite songs, I loved every touch that made the day, our day. 

Each of our vendors shared one commonality; they were excited to curate something unique for our wedding day. We appreciated the artistry of each of our vendors, and leaned into any creative ways to make our “classic, modern white rose” wedding different from any other. We appreciated super open lines of communication.

(Dress) I finally found myself at White Magnolia in downtown Greenville. I planned to have my mom, mother in law, sister and law, and the most fashion forward woman I know, Matthew’s grandmother Betty, join me in the process.  I must have tried on 10-15 dresses before the stylist pulled this one gown, an ivory off the shoulder ballgown with a plunging neckline and sheer corset back from Martina Liana. It was almost perfect, but I wasn’t sold on the voluminous pleated skirt. The boutique manager, Johna, stepped in and had me try on another gown with a more clean style skirt, and said, “What if we asked the designer if we can combine the two?” I quickly performed my litmus test, turning to the side and imagining Matthew standing right in front of me and knew that the custom look was exactly what I had been searching for. 
I paired my timeless gown with a dreamy pair of the Jimmy Choo Amara mules in black to complement the design of our wedding day. The pearl detail was also carried through in my veil by untamed petals. I wore the Bridgitte earrings and rounded tennis bracelet from Verstolo diamond rentals, paired with a gifted three stone diamond bracelet (also Verstolo) from my mother the morning of the wedding day. Along with my stunning radiant cut engagement ring, I wore opposite to that, a dainty gold knot band from Aubare Jewelry on my right hand, that I also gifted to all my bridesmaids the morning of, to symbolize tying the knot.

(Photography) Jennifer Austin Photography. From my first call with Jenny, it felt like she was more than someone I was hiring, but a friend. We bonded over our dogs and when she sent me a full album to see her work I was blown away by the shots, the colors, and just how it felt like I was present on that wedding day, even though these people were complete strangers. I could feel their love through these pictures. 

We connected more during our engagement shoot and got Matthew more comfortable in front of the camera. She was our ultimate hype woman and honestly made us laugh away any nerves we had. She was on board with all of my crazy ideas, including three outfit changes, leaned into my six page mood board, and communicated with the hotel and restaurant where we took our photos. She made the experience effortless, which was only a precursor for the wedding day. 

I made an extensive shot list including all the group photos I wanted and Jenny truly got all the shots. On the wedding day, I had completely forgotten about some of my ideas but Jenny made sure we got those pictures I had asked for. I am so glad I made that list because there were a hundred other things running through my head that day and she took that list off my shoulders completely. 

My only other tip is that if you are doing a choreographed first dance send a video of you practicing to your photographer and videographer. Try to let them know where you think the best place to be for those big moments (they know and will find the shot but it’s great for them to have a heads up.) Try to eliminate surprises for your photo and video team and let them know about outfit changes, dips at the end of the aisle, etc. so they could make sure to capture those moments. 

(Rentals) Professional Party Rentals was responsible for most of our large rentals, with Nuage Designs for linens. Because our venue didn’t supply a specific chair or tableware, the ladies at H&T were able to carefully curate the tablescape from scratch. We chose all rectangular extra wide tables to line the fountain in the courtyard. The napkins rented from Nuage were the perfect pop of color to complement our  modern black and white aesthetic. The ghost chairs were a must, especially in the ceremony space as to not obstruct the mountain view even ever so slightly. 

There was never a sense of “no Lauren, that’s impossible” and I couldn’t have dreamed it up better myself. I envisioned the flowers springing up from the ground around our ceremony aisle, and not only did she achieve this look on a concrete slab but then she was able to move them into the reception space to create such an abundance of florals my heart could explode. I remember we had multiple, what felt like last minute phone calls regarding changes I wanted to make either due to vision or guest count and Jenna was always understanding and made it her mission to see my vision clearly and execute. 

Most Important Element to Us

It was so important to make our wedding as personalized and intimate as possible. We did this through keeping a short guest list, writing our own vows, and with the support of our amazing vendors, putting personal touches into our décor, music, and overall vibe of the day. 

(The Glam). Bel Fiore Beauty. I am typically the most glam person in any room I walk into. So I struggled with the decision to have complete control for my makeup or alleviate the stress of messing up my own eyeliner on wedding day. I chose the latter. The Belfiore Team was all I could have asked for. I knew I wanted my hair down for the ceremony, and Carly helped me match my hair color for extensions for volume and had them ready for my trial. I also knew that I would be spending a majority of my night on the dance floor, so I decided to add on services to include touch ups up until the reception as well as a second hairstyle, a party pony for, well, the party. During pre-ceremony photos, I looked at her and asked her how people do this without her? She was constantly making sure my hair was back in place, my tears were dried properly, and my lip gloss remained more on my lips than Matthew’s. She searched the whole hotel for my snack of choice while I had some alone time before my first look, and was a calming presence in the moments right before we walked out for the ceremony. She was basically a bonus bridesmaid.

(Venue) It is almost impossible to pick a favorite space at Hotel Domestique. The helipad is the perfect backdrop for ceremony, with the picturesque evergreens and blue ridge mountains framing the background of our ceremony photos. The courtyard fit our 100 plus guests like a glove and was only enhanced by the café lights strewn across the space. If I had to pick one place though, it was the bridal suite, Lombarde, that I shared with my husband. Not only do the amenities go above and beyond, from turn down service, a complimentary bottle of wine on arrival, and the dreamiest views right from our bed; but our room was the sanctuary where we ate breakfast the morning of our wedding while overlooking the courtyard. We practiced our first dance that morning in the middle of the room in our pajamas. During the reception, we snuck away and got to watch our guests dance and enjoy the party we created through the window overlooking the space. And the following morning, we were greeted by the beautiful blue ridge mountains that had been witness to our marriage the day prior. The space not only was a beautiful backdrop for some of my favorite moments of the day, but also a little sanctuary for myself and Matthew throughout the weekend. 

(Fashion + Beauty). I took advantage of our long engagement by investing in pre-wedding skincare and beauty. I regularly alternated between HydraFacial and “tighty-brighty” facials by Sandra at Alchemy West. I was there so frequently, that she gifted both myself and my husband HydraFacial’s the week of the wedding for our best bride and groom glow. I also found refuge in practicing bridal nails with Amber at Nails on the River for over a year before the big day, as well as shaping the perfect bridal brow with Azaria at Azaria Leann Beauty. I tested spray tans with Zoey at BeautyBFF for all my bridal events and hosted a spray tan party for my bridesmaids the week of the wedding with her at my house. These ladies were there through the ups and downs of wedding planning with me and contributed to making me feel and look my best on wedding day. 

My bridal wardrobe was of the upmost importance to me, so much so that it was common knowledge that I would have two wedding dresses, much before the trend picked up this year. Dress shopping was one of the first tasks I completed during the planning process, which for someone so fashion forward, was very difficult. The dress I envisioned for myself had yet to exist. I tried on every style: lace, sparkle, fitted and ballgowns, with every neck line you can imagine. I would put on a dress, turn to my side and pretend I was holding Matthews hands and would ask myself, “can I see myself at the altar? Saying yes to the love of my life?” The answer was no for a LOT of dresses.

Best Wedding Investment

Our planners! While I have been dreaming of this day since I was a little girl, I knew it was no small undertaking to plan a wedding, especially with what I had envisioned. Not only did the H+T crew help source the majority of our vendors, they spent countless hours behind the scenes communicating and coordinating with them not just for the day of, but throughout the planning process to make sure the vision came to fruition. It was especially apparent we made an excellent choice throughout the wedding weekend, when mother nature wasn’t getting along with us, when they were simultaneously running through our rehearsal and setting up for a stunning welcome party off site, and I’m sure there were plenty of things that went wrong that I was completely unaware of due to the diligence of my amazing planners. 

(Videography) Recollective Films. Both myself and my husband are Clemson graduates and huge Clemson football fans, so when the girls at H&T recommended the same videographer that filmed for some of our favorite players, we knew we were onto something good. Have you ever cried at a stranger’s wedding video? Nick and Hallie will make you do just that. They have an incredible talent of capturing the emotion, the love of the day in their videos. They attended our welcome party as well to truly capture the whole wedding weekend. During some of our calls I shared with Hallie how I’ve watched my mothers-in-law’s wedding video from the 90’s, and cherished hearing the voices that were no longer with us. It was really important to have those words of our loved ones, not just seen but heard.

 

(Signage) Unspoken Designs. Our signage by Audrey at Unspoken Designs was so personalized and special and we felt so listened to when it came to communicating our vision. Our signage was one of my favorite elements of our wedding. If I had room for an 8 foot tall seating chart in my house, we would’ve taken it home with us. Inspired by our love for cooking together and food in general, our seating chart was “seasoned with love” complete with personalized jars of our favorite spice blend for our guests to take home. Every sign was intentional and personal. Our bar signs were interchangeable for both nights and featured a picture of our favorite drink, an espresso martini, taken by Jenny during our engagement session. Our welcome columns had not double but triple use: part of our welcome party, at the entrance into our ceremony, and then they were later moved to the reception area as another photo opportunity.

Favorite Moments

There are so many! Our very last dance we danced to one of our favorite Journey songs, which was highlighted in our vows, our personal letters to each other, and our dance floor decal. In that moment, the rain clouds opened up on us, with all our friends and family surrounding us, popping their streamer cannons, and the love was absolutely tangible at that moment. It was magic.

I actually ended up choosing my reception dress before I found my ceremony dress. I had seen it previously when I was helping a friend shop for wedding dresses and knew I had to return to that boutique, The Dressing Room South. I put it on and my smile spread from ear to ear. The Abella gown was head to toe sparkle and just lit up the room. I knew I HAD to have that dress, but it wasn’t what I would walk down the aisle in. When I changed into my reception dress, I also substituted my Jimmy Choo’s for a comfy pair of Alexander McQueen sneakers that allowed me to dance the night away. 

(Cake) Neither of us are big cake lovers, but the one type of cake we both can agree on in the Sweet Potato Cake from Brick Street Café. A local favorite in Greenville, our out of town guests had never had anything like it and our local guests were excited to share a piece of their city with each other. My phenomenal planners took extra pastry boxes from our welcome party and packed up the extras as late night snacks for our guests as they left the reception. I knew the cakes were very simple and so I chose to have a variety of sizes stacked on different columns for a modern artistic twist. My vision came to life just as I imagined it, with flowers all around the base of the columns. 

Our Advice

Make wedding planning tasks into dates! So much of planning can feel like a chore, even with amazing planners. Go pick up some breakfast to fuel drawing out the seating chart, get the dance lessons, and make plans for dinner after. Use your dates to talk about things you want out of your wedding day, how you think you might feel, do you want to be on the dance floor all night versus talking to guests, do you want to stay together all night or do you not mind being apart? I think this really optimized our wedding day because we knew what we wanted and what to expect to an extent, and were able to truly be in the moment and soak it all up. 

Another piece of advice, go to pre-marital counseling! Many people use their pastor or church but you can also use a local counseling center. We both really appreciated the opportunity to talk about the hard topics and set ourselves up for success. It also served as an opportunity to reflect on tiny wedding planning tiffs and learn more about ourselves and our relationship. We knew that marriage doesn’t just start the day you get married, and wanted to start the work and be prepared for what’s to come. 

Street Cred

Rehearsal Dinner + Welcome Party

Planning/Designing: The Olive Branch by Honey + Thyme Events/ Venue/Food/Bev: Passerelle Bistro / Photographer: Jennifer Austin Photography / Videography: Recollective Films / Florist: Seeded Events + Design / Fabrications: Unspoken Designs / Transportation: Sunway Charters / Entertainment: Deans Duets

Wedding

Planning/Designing: The Olive Branch by Honey + Thyme Events/ Venue+Food+Bev: Hotel Domestique / Photographer: Jennifer Austin Photography / Videography: Recollective Films / Florist: Seeded Events + Design / Fabrications: Unspoken Designs / Beauty: Belfiore Beauty / Transportation: Sunway Charters / Entertainment: Deans Duets / Reception Entertainment: Barkz Beats / Stationery: Tied & Two Weddings / Cakes: Brick Street Cafe / Rentals: Professional Party Rentals / Napkins: Nuage Design / Photo Booth: The Fun Box Photo Booth / Cold Sparklers: Uptown Entertainment

(Continued Vendor Credits)

• Rings – Pace Jewelers @pacejewelers
• Jewelry Rentals – Verstolo @verstolo
• Bridesmaid Gifts -Aubare Jewelry @aubare.jewelry
• Dance lessons – Palmer Dance Studio @palmerdancestudio
• Photobooth –  The Fun Box Photobooth @thefunboxphotobooth
• String Quartet – Deans Duets @deansduets 
• Custom T-shirts – Tigertown Graphics @tigertowngraphics 
• Lunch – Sidewall Pizza Company @sidewallpizza 
• Welcome Party Hair – Elizabeth McClain @elizabethmcclain_bridal at Collective Beauty @collectivebeautyhmu 
• Nails – Amber @enhanced.byber at Nails on the River @nailsontheriver
• Brows – Azaria Leann Beauty @azarialeann.beauty
• Facials –  Alchemy West @alchemywest
• Spray Tans – BeautyBFF @beautyBFF_gvl