Sunday, July 27, 2008

lowcountry wedding

saturday, matty and i headed down to charleston for the wedding of a friend/work associate. time and financial constraints dictated that this be a day trip for us, so true daytrippers we were! jack got to spend the day with granne and grampie, and matty and i got to spend the day together. for better or for worse.

charleston is a three hour drive from southport, so we decided we would wear "traveling clothes," then find a place to change once we got there. we had our favorite traveling snack (Funyons) [ i NEVER eat Funyons unless i'm on a road trip.] the drive was uneventful, and we rolled into town with about an hour to spare. time to get out of those "traveling clothes!"

and, i kid you not, we really changed our clothes in the Burger King restrooms!! we couldn't resist capturing a few of our *quick change artist* moments. here is matty learning an unfortunate lesson about self-portraits (i glanced over at him after he took this shot, and he was gently rubbing his neck. as in, "do i really have that many chins?!?"




the wedding itself took place in the Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church, which was built in 1835, i believe (?) it's a beautiful church, with narrow aisles and rows and rows of plantation shutters. Charleston is very "old money" and i was glad that i remembered to bring my good pearls! (i was thrilled to be able to wear my Marshall's dress to another wedding - the BEST $19.99 i've spend in a long time!)

the programs were fastened to charming fans made out of sweetgrass. (items made of sweetgrass have historically been a mainstay of the Gullah population in the lowcountry.) is anyone surprised that my first thought when seeing these programs was, "oooh, the bloggers will *love* this"?!?

after the ceremony, there was some confusion as to whether or not the bride and groom would be making a grand exit from the church. we didn't know another soul at the wedding, so this was the first of many moments throughout the afternoon when we had to entertain ourselves. here we are, perfecting the dual self-portrait (notice the neck stretching going on here?) don't you just love the spanish moss??


at the reception, there was a huge lowcountry boil. a lowcountry boil is similar to a cajun sefood boil, but a little less spicy. it features shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob, onions, celery, and sausage, and is traditionally served with cornbread and coleslaw. the seasoning is very similar to Old Bay, and hot sauce is served on the side for those who like to kick it up.


spices at the ready. true foodies will understand that there IS a difference between Tabasco and Texas Pete!


gorgeous food.

after we ate, there was dancing and socializing... all of which can be challenging when you don't know a soul there. many, MANY photos were taken by us, mostly of the cool architecture and our lovely selves!!















here are those lovely buffets i featured in my take out photo challenge. do you think it's odd that we were taking pictures of our feet? matty felt a little self-conscious about it (especially after i made him take three separate photos) [ it was a bit like goldilocks... *this one* is too far away; *this one* is too close-up, *this one* is juuust riiight.]

we got ready to leave, and got very bold about changing back into our "traveling clothes." you thought Burger King was risque?!? i tell you, this time, we managed to change in. the. parking. lot. i don't know what was funnier - us changing in the parking lot, or all of the teenagers lurking about. (just what were they doing out there that they didn't want their parents to know?!?)

we entertained each other on the drive home by playing our favorite travel game - name that tune. we always play while listening to XM Big Tracks. and matty always wins - even though he lets me get the easy ones like pat benetar or the lame ones like firehouse.

ironically enough, the night before our trip featured one doozy of a *a-hem* argument. the highlight of the trip, what's not photographed here, was sitting in that church on a lazy summer afternoon, and being reminded of the "promises" of marriage. it was sighing together and talking about how sometimes "tough days" turn into "tough months," and even "tough years." it was chuckling together as the preacher said "y'all" seven times.

it was going all the way to charleston to be reminded that we are exactly where we are supposed to be.

19 comments:

Neighbor Jane Payne said...

Oh man, I loved this post, Lelly. It started with the opening paragraph, "matty and i got to spend the day together. for better or for worse" all the way to the end about being reminded of your wedding promises.

I loved the details (yes, you were so right about those fans)of the food (who knew the difference between lowcountry boil and cajun boil?), decor (plantation shutters) and all the little insights (Matty having to get used to extra chins in SPT's). I'm so glad you included them. This was such a fun read, thanks!

Alisa said...

I too loved this-
I loved that you got to have a day together, and that you were able to have the time after the argument from the day before- and that you were able to feel so close!
Beautiful day- I am glad to have read about it.

Janiece said...

What a wonderful "day trip"!
I really need to go to the South and try some real southern food. I have never been East of the Rockies!
Thanks for sharing the awesome trip and pictures with us.
By the way...you were right the sweet grass fans..what a cute idea!

Chris said...

Love the day trip post. You described it all so well. I felt like I was relaxing on the trip. Glad you had fun!

Natasha said...

I do LOVE the fans and the last line of your post is true, so true!!

Amy said...

I loved every bit of this, Lelly. And mostly that you & your love got to spend some time remembering together.

Kelly said...

This post made me giggly, hungry and teary all at the same time. Lovely!

sista # 2 said...

I just think that is so nice of you
to make a 4 hour road trip to the
wedding!I love love ;)I love going
to wedding receptions. My hubs on the other hand is not that social:)
We get to go to another in 2 weeks.
A girl, all grown up, who I taught
in church for 2 years when she was
16-17 years young!It's so great to
see them "turn out":)Janae

Cecilia said...

You're such a good writer! I loved all the details, the food, the changing in the car, the self-portraits and the best of all the last paragraph said it all!
Great post!

Lene said...

Oh Lelly. Thank you for letting us come along with you on this wonderful day trip. Those fans are lovely. And who doesn't like a good ol' boil - whether low-country or cajun. Yummy! Charleston is on my list of places I must visit. It always sounds so genteel. I am so glad that you and Matty both enjoyed your day together - for better or worse.

patsy said...

beautiful post!!
I love the last photo- gorgeous :)

A charleston wedding- wow- since there is almost no chance I will ever experience one--- thank you so much for sharing all the lovely details! dreamy

Barb said...

The lighting in these photos is extraordinary, was it overcast or sunny? You have been to a couple of terrific weddings this summer.

Becky said...

this is one of my favorite posts ever Lelly...what a nice treat for you and Matty to be together--that day and forever :) Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Wow. I needed to read this post today. I could write a whole post about why I needed to read this post today!

I love road trips and can't count the number of odd places we have changed clothes. I am loving all these pictures and that you two got that time together. Great post!

Sarah said...

How true that bad days can turn into bad years. I remember watching a talk show probably over 10 years ago where a lady was saying she had had a really bad few years, and I remember thinking how horrible to have years that were bad. Now I can better understand where she was coming from. What a great post.

Holly said...

Okay, y'all (I can't help it) are too, too much fun. And you took yourselves on a bonafide road trip complete with fast food restroom quick changes. Makes me teary. From laughing.

This was a great post!

Jill said...

You've got a lot of amusing things in this post. The Burger King dressing rooms, funyons, Matti's unfortunate self-portrait lesson, and so on. But I especially love that you two spent the day together and were reminded of the promises of marriage...it's just plain hard sometimes.

carlo said...

so much goodness in this post

first, you look FAB. girl seriously, you look great!

second, the cool weddings you get invited to amaze me. we are currently in the "baby phase" of our friends. most are settled and having babies. few few weddings at this time.

one or two divorces though. and that is always a kind of "wow/wake up call" for me. so sad.

bringing me to three-- weddings ALWAYS make me think of our own day. our journey so far. the good days and the not so good days.

sigh...

and finally, BK bathrooms and SP lessons. toof funny!

michelle said...

I love it, I love it. How appropriate that you had an argument the day before and then had an opportunity to spend time together, laugh together, and be reminded of your wedding vows? Marriage is just plain hard, and we all need those kind of reminders from time to time.