Kelly and Matt held their destination wedding on Hilton Head Island – a place near and dear to their hearts. We asked Kelly how they landed on the location. “My family has vacationed in Hilton Head for years and for our first vacation as a couple, I took Matt there. He immediately fell in love with the area, as I already had been in love with it for years. When he proposed, we knew that we wanted to get married in Hilton Head in a venue that captured that lowcountry beach feel that we love so much. The Westin Hilton Head’s oceanfront deck, as well as a covered reception space that was set amongst the dunes, was the perfect place for what we envisioned. With all of our friends and family coming from out of town, the Westin’s newly renovated resort not only gave us the views we wanted, but also a great place for our guests to relax and enjoy our favorite city.”
“Once we had decided upon the Westin Hilton Head as our venue, Matt and I immediately agreed upon an “upscale beach chic” feel for our wedding and driftwood came to mind. Playing off the pale gray tones of dried driftwood with a buttercup yellow gave us an airy color combination that worked with the outdoor beach setting, and while the color combination was very on-trend, it also still conveyed that upscale feel we were going for. We also wanted to tie in local and natural elements to the wedding and reception, from the food to the flowers, and our florist from A Floral Affair helped us incorporate local sea grasses and manzania branches (both neutral, tan tones) that would complement the existing yellow and gray color scheme. “
“Make sure you are comfortable with your photographer in advance. Our fabulous photographers from Scott Hopkins Photography included an engagement shoot with our wedding package and it did wonders to not only help us relax in front of the cameras before we were walking down the aisle, but also to see a preview of the type of amazing photos we could expect from our wedding.”
We often ask the couple of their favorite moments from the day. For Kelly? Moments of laughter! “If I had to narrow it down, I’d say that there are two moments from our wedding day that stand out in my mind as favorites. Mid-way through the ceremony, the wonderful Reverend Joe Wadas took my hands and placed them on top of Matt’s, turned to him, and said “now Matt, notice where I have placed your hands and take this as a symbol of who always has the upper hand in your relationship”. We both still start laughing when we talk about that part of the ceremony. My other favorite moment was when one of my two maids of honor, my sister Katie, gave a speech about how growing up in our family of four girls, we were always called by one name “Kelly-Katie-Maggie-Molly” and we were interchangeable and viewed as the same person to any outside observer. She welcomed Matt as her new brother and told him that from now on, it was going to be “Kelly-Katie-Maggie-Molly-Matt” as that unit of one.”
“Something that Matt and I really enjoyed doing at the time and appreciate even more now a few months down the road – Reverend Joe had us write letters to each other about a month before the wedding and then mail them, unread, to him. He gave them back to us after incorporating portions of our letters into our ceremony. He suggested we hold on to them as something to look back at as life goes on, to see how our relationship grows and changes, but to also see how much love was conveyed to each other at the time of our wedding. We read them in full to each other the day after our wedding and more than a few tears were shed (on my part of course….Matt would never admit to tears!)”
“We could not have gotten our dream wedding without the fantastic Jennifer Leiti and her company, Embellished Events. Anyone planning a destination wedding should strongly consider “splurging” for a wedding planner – someone who not only knows the area, but can suggest fabulous and trustworthy vendors within your budget that will help make your vision a reality. Every single vendor that Jen suggested gave 110% to make our wedding day everything we wanted it to be. In the end, this expense wasn’t a splurge at all when considering the time and cost savings she provided. From day one, we felt confident that our wedding would turn out to be wonderful which significantly helped minimize the stress of living so far away.”
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Scott Hopkins Photography
Wedding Vendors: Location: Westin Hilton Head Spa and Resort, Wedding Planner: Embellished Events, Invitation Designer: Allison Barnhill Designs, Floral Designer: A Floral Affair, Cake Designer: Sheri’s Edible Designs, Band: Momentum Party Band, Makeup Artist: Skinzin
