Charleston, SC Spring Wedding at Francis Marion Hotel

On May 5, 2018 Leon Lucas and his bride to be Marche’ Trez Alston became one at Francis Marion Hotel in the beautiful downtown Charleston, SC.  The Bride wanted a simply but elegant to share with family and friends.  The bride and groom chose to use flowers that were in season in the month of May, beautiful hues of blue and corals brighten the ceremony and reception.  Check out this beautiful Charleston, SC Spring Wedding at Francis Marion Hotel today and get plenty of lowcountry wedding inspiration.

Charleston, SC Spring Wedding at Francis Marion Hotel

 Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? I gained inspiration from magazines, Google, Pinterest and Instagram.  I did not have a specific theme.  I wanted something nice and elegant.  To complete my look, my colors came from the in season flowers for the month of May.  I didn’t incorporate any cultural or religious traditions on my special day.

 Let’s talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
My ceremony was located in the Gold Room at the Francis Marion.  The essence of this room alone spoke in high volume in that, it’s very own nature.  It did not need a whole lot of décor.  This room was naturally perfect allowing the elegancy of colors to fulfill and complete the whole setting of the room and the purpose.  The aisle were decorated with tall gold stands holding the beautiful vases half filled with water displaying the floating candles.  The flowers were beautiful.   None of the décor were DYI besides my florist with her beautiful flower arrangements.

 What were the florals like in your wedding? I chose to use flowers that were in season.  In which introduced me to some flowers that I had never seen before.  My floral arrangements were beautiful and elegant.  All of the flowers were real throughout the ceremony and reception.  I wanted to make sure I had some type of roses with in my bouquet and my florist made it happened.  She also included the roses in the bridesmaid bouquet as well.  I did not have a ceremony backdrop because of the fireplace, mirror and mantel.   There was a beautiful centerpiece on the mantel that included different flowers and I also used this for my head table.  I repurpose my flowers for my big day.

Did you personalize the day in any way? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding? I had a duet (drummer and trombone) for my guests during the cocktail hour.   I personalize my day by having them play for my bridal party as we walked to Marion Square from the Francis Marion Hotel.  It was an Awwww moment, because everyone stopped what they were doing to cheer us on and honk their horns.  The beauty of that gave a magical feeling.  This was one of my favorite parts of the wedding.  The energy on that day was magnificent.   There was so much positive vibes throughout the day.  I enjoyed everything about that day.

Let’s talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Well, technically the groom did not have any say so when I chose the wedding colors.  I went to 2 different bridal shops to see if I could find the one.   I made sure I had 2-3 people with me at all times to give me their opinions.  I found 3 dresses that I loved.  I narrowed down my choice and picked out 2 dresses from David’s Bridal.  I wanted to look elegant and sexy.  After, I chose my dresses I made sure my bridesmaid dresses were to completely compliment.  I wanted a coral look, but the closes to that color was Sunset by Vera Wang.  Once I had the bridesmaids and my dress picked out I wanted to find a tux that will bring my colors together.  After, looking at the color swatches I decided to go with a navy tux.  The colors told a story of its own.  I let the groom choose the ties, bowties and vest.  Everyone looked amazing.

How did you meet? We met at Applebee’s one Friday night.  I remembered that night like it was yesterday.  When Leon came over I was very nervous.  In my mind I knew I was gong to blow this and never see him again.   He sat at my table and we had a nice conversation.  We exchanged numbers and the rest is history.  We became good friends and enjoyed hanging out together.  The proposal.  I really don’t like  surprises, but he really out did himself.  We decided to take a Carnival Cruise February 2016.  It was Captain’s Night and everything seemed to be normal at the time.  My mom, aunt and close friends that were attending knew Leon was going to propose.  I knew something was strange because of the whispering.  Leon seem to be nervous.  He kept getting up from the table.  I was not feeling 100% that night.  I kept asking him for the room key because I needed to lay down.  He called my name and got down on one knee.  There was a beautiful speech that he said before he asked for my hand in marriage.  I was speechless and surprise.  I can’t believe what was going on that night.  I didn’t expect this at all.  It was simply beautiful.

What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
I would have to say the whole day.  There were a lot of things going on and I enjoyed each moment, but if I had to choose I would say our first dance.  We danced to LTD – “Love Ballad”.

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day? If you are planning a wedding make sure you give yourself enough time.  This will give you time to explore your venues, coordinators and etc.  You need to start early so you don’t have to be stressed out on your day.I would like to tell each and every couple to enjoy their special day.  The time will go by so fast when you are enjoying each other and your guests.   But, take the time to take it all in.  Everything is not going to be perfect on that day.   There will be something on your list that didn’t go according to your plan, but just make the best out of it.  Please pray, communicate and listen to your significant other.  I know it’s not easy to say, but treat your marriage like how you would like to be treated.

VENDORS:

Event Venue: The Francis Marion Hotel
Bakery: Sweet Southern Bella’s Bakery
Floral Designer: My Darling Flower
Event Designer: Firefly Weddings & Events
Photographer: Kim Craven Photography

FULL GALLERY

Charleston, SC Spring Wedding at Francis Marion Hotel

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