I’m so excited to finally share the details from our beautiful rehearsal dinner at Merchants Hall! This was such a special night for us and everything about it was just so perfect, down to the very last detail.
Your wedding day is obviously something most couples dream about, but we were also so excited about the rehearsal dinner for a few reasons: 1. Other than our Best Man, Maid of Honor, and Father of the Bride speeches, the rest of the speeches were done at the rehearsal dinner, 2. The venue we chose is STUNNING! 3. It was the first time during the whole wedding weekend where we got to see all of our out of town family and friends all in one room, and we actually had a chance to talk to them (where at the wedding we were a little more busy with so many more guests!).
My amazing new Mother-in-law threw the rehearsal dinner for us and we were absolutely blown away by how gorgeous everything was. She chose all the decor, did the seating arrangements, and picked out the menu (along with all the other tasks that make a party complete). I loved the beautiful blue and white vases, most of all!
The venue is called Merchant’s Hall, which is located in a circa 1856 building overlooking the Charleston City Market. They restored the venue keeping many of the original features that make it so beautiful (like the brick walls) but adding stunning modern touches like the beautiful chandeliers hanging throughout the room. We wanted our out of town guests especially to feel welcomed with the southern charm of a historic venue.
To see the venue in the daylight, check out my blog post here with my rehearsal dinner look ideas!
We wanted some easy but delicious food for this night, with a Southern flare of course. I actually was so busy talking I barely got to enjoy the food, which I regret a little after seeing these photos haha! We started with passed trays of fried green tomatoes, pulled BBQ sliders, and chicken tacos (for our Texas folks). Then for the dinner we had a flatbread pizza station, a braised short rib station with mashed potatoes (my mom’s favorite), and a Southern fried chicken station (me and Brent’s favorite) with green beans and macaroni and cheese.
Then for dessert, we had mini pecan pies, mini key lime pies (my dad’s favorite!), mini banana pudding shooters, mini bourbon pralines, and mini cookies and cream brownie bites. YUM!
Of course, I was really excited about my outfit for the evening, but so was Brent! His suit was custom made by BP Skinner Clothiers, the company who also designed the suits for the actual wedding. He and Brent are friends who know each other through their connections with South Carolina Football, and he is known for designing suits for a lot of the USC players as well as many NFL players! Brent loved picking out all the custom details for his jacket (you should have seen all the pages of options for his jacket print!) and some really nice dress shoes.
I also got to create a custom dress for the evening. My obsession with blue runs deep and I just couldn’t find anything that fit exactly what I wanted, so I reached out to Lunss Couture because they had created a stunning red dress for me for one of our engagement photoshoots and had done an absolutely beautiful job. I knew I would be in good hands with them for a dress for this important evening, and they really exceeded my expectations! I showed them pictures of the bodice of a dress I liked and the skirt of another dress and requested that they put the two together to create a completely unique look for me, and it turned out just perfectly. I was blown away!
I chose some equally exciting heels to compliment the dress, really not caring if I was being too extra at this point (it’s my wedding after all! When else can you be this extra?). I chose some Chelsea and Violet rhinestone heels with a pointy toe and just enough of a heel to be elegant while still being comfortable.
The speeches were so sweet. We definitely left that night before our wedding feeling very loved by so many people! Brent’s Pa said our prayer before the meal, my four closest friends that I met in college at UT did speeches for me, and Brent’s two older brothers did speeches for him. And of course, Brent’s mom and Brent said a little something welcoming everyone and thanking them for coming.
We are so grateful for all the amazing family in our lives, and I just had to include all these group shots. These are the people who shaped us to be who we are today. We love them all so very much.
Photography by: Cameron Wilder