Island Vows

WRITER CREDIT:

Laura Folkerth

PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT:

King Street Studios

Island Vows | Elizabeth West & Rob Duffey; October 2008, Edisto Beach

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Island Vows

Because her engagement ring was a family heirloom, Elizabeth and Rob chose to make their wedding band tied to the city in which they met—New York. Her wedding band was handmade at a store in their neighborhood, and Rob’s band was purchased nearby, too.

Natural embellishments accentuated traditional wedding elements, like these cards, which, once signed by guests, were included in a guestbook. The palm tree on the cards corresponded with the wedding stationery.

Sandals were provided for guests so they wouldn’t ruin their formal shoes on the beach.

oices of Deliverance sang traditional hymns such as “This is the Day.”

Pashminas took the chill out of the autumn evening and dressed up the reception location, too.

“A Poinsettia is champagne mixed with cranberry juice,” says Elizabeth, “and we named the drink after my mom, Lynn, just to honor her.”

Edisto-based At Your Service Events served a Lowcountry boil, pulled pork, and shrimp and grits, as well as appetizers like these crab-stuffed mushrooms.

Small cakes like Elizabeth’s white velvet cake with lemon, made by Cecilia Villaveces Cakes of Athens, Georgia, suited the wedding’s laid-back beach style.

“I never say that I ate or drank too much,” Elizabeth says. “Instead,  I always say, ‘I was over-served!’” Thus the bride made these Do Not Disturb signs (they say “I was overserved at the West-Duffey Wedding”) as a little gag gift for guests.

August 2009

Elizabeth West & Rob Duffey; October 2008, Edisto Beach

Photographs by:

King Street Studios

Island Vows

Elizabeth West and Rob Duffey’s October 2008 wedding on Edisto Island centered on relaxation. “We wanted it to feel like a weekend beach getaway,” she says. “So we kept everything simple so that our guests would be comfortable.” That meant a rented beach cottage location, a pre-ceremony cocktail party, waterfront vows, and a collection of informal cakes, among other things. As for the beach, Georgia native Elizabeth had spent childhood summers vacationing on Edisto Island, and although she met Rob in New York, where they both live, they agreed that the rural Lowcountry island was the perfect spot for their three-day celebration. An event planner with Manhattan’s Cap and Gown Weddings, Elizabeth knows the key to creating a spectacular outdoor event is not competing with nature’s beauty. Thus she dressed the tables in subtle, autumnal chocolate brown linens and chose purple orchids (with a hint of orange in the petals) for her flower arrangements. She set the ceremony time so the sunset would serve as a stunning backdrop and hired a gospel choir to enhance the Southern ambiance. In the end, it was just right. “I wanted everyone to be relaxed and to just have fun,” says Elizabeth. “And they did.”

Planning: Cap and Gown Weddings, New York, New York, Printed materials: design by bride & printing by Paper Duvet , Flowers: Growers Box (wholesale florist), Catering: At Your Service Events, Cake: Cecilia Villaveces Cakes, Atlanta, & The Grit, Atlanta, Ceremony & reception location: Edisto Beach, Private beachfront house (find a similar house by contacting an area realty company, like Edisto Realty), Music: Voices of Deliverance, Archer Music Service, Photographer: King Street Studios