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Indulge in This Elegant South Carolina Country Club Wedding

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There is so much gorgeousness in today's real wedding shot by the talented Christa Rene Photography! From the flowy gray bridesmaid dresses to the bride's beautiful Nicole Miller gown we are obsessed with the soft elegant designs. Our bride, Megan, shares the importance of having supportive family and friends around during potentially stressful moments. She also highlights how important it is to accept help from people when they offer!

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What were the top priorities for you when planning your wedding?
For my husband, Creed, and I, our top three priorities were first, to celebrate our love, as well as to have a great time with our close family and friends and have things done in an elegant way. This was the filter through which we made our decisions. The “wedding terms” for this would be making it personal/ a reflection of our relationship, guest list, and atmosphere/ambiance.

Did you have a wedding theme in mind before you started planning?
The big buzzwords for us were elegant, classic, and simple. We thought muted grays and lavender/lilac were complimentary colors. I poured through lots of wedding magazines to help narrow-in on a style.

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When shopping for your wedding dress, how did you know you found “the one”? What was it like?
For all the hype about wedding dress shopping, this was one of the most fun and least stressful parts of wedding planning! I took only my mother and sister and we had a great time. I tried on several dresses at two different stores, but ultimately chose the third dress I tried on. There were no tears and no drama. We all just loved the dress.

Did you have a bridal shower or bachelorette party?
I had three different showers and a super fun bachelorette! The bridal showers are so amazing in that you’re able to take a step back from wedding planning mode and just relax with family and friends. Our bachelorette weekend in Charleston was also just the best way to completely unwind before the big day. My girls and I had lots of laughs and good times. My sister and the bridesmaids planned everything (I just showed up) and so it was a total worry-free weekend! Some of the girls didn’t know each other that well (or at all!) so it made the wedding day more enjoyable for everyone that they’d shared a weekend together!

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Throughout your wedding planning did anything surprise, irritate, or bum you out?
I can be a bit indecisive and also critical so no decision was super easy. Almost every decision required tons of effort and contemplation. There was a lot of compromise to be made. In the end, everything came together beautifully. I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed our premarital counseling and how helpful it was. We’d been dating for over eight years, so I initially thought counseling was unnecessary. I could not have been more wrong. It can be easy to get caught up in the wedding details and forget to prepare for marriage. We gained so much from our sessions with our officiant and his wife.

Did you have a wedding planner? If so, what was your experience with them?
I had a wedding coordinator. I was pretty particular about the details of the wedding and wanted to provide input on everything, but the wedding coordinator was a great sounding board on our wedding etiquette questions and she was absolutely essential day-of. She and her husband kept everything running smoothly while I sat back and got pampered! I didn’t have to do a thing day-of. At the rehearsal, she explained exactly how the day would look, so that when the time came, the wedding went seamlessly! I would always recommend a coordinator.

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Did you do a first look? Would you recommend it to future brides?
Though our photographer suggested it, we did not do a first look. Creed and my mother both were adamantly against a first look. It was an amazing feeling to have the doors of the sanctuary open and see him for the first time that day. I had tunnel vision on only him the whole way down the aisle. I guess it really just depends on how the bride and groom want their day to flow.

Throughout your wedding day, did you have anything go wrong or a “Bummed Bride” moment? If so, how did you handle it?
The day-of was unreal in how thoughtful and intuitive our family, friends, and even vendors (like coordinator, florist, photographer, and catering director) were. If a small bump arose, people jumped to fix it. My best piece of advice – get yourself some awesome family and friends! We had small things like one friend I wanted to have a bouquet didn’t (this was due to a mistake on my part when giving numbers), or we bought special champagne flutes that we forgot to give to the reception location. You just have to go with the flow. Honestly, I think it would be extremely tough to find time to be bummed when you’re being showered with so much love.

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What was your favorite moment from your wedding day?
Is it appropriate to say Creed’s dad dancing?! Maybe being introduced at the reception as Mr. and Mrs. Campbell and walking out for our first dance. Having Creed by my side and looking around and seeing all of our family and friends cheering was an amazing feeling. Some of the nerves from the ceremony had subsided so I was able to just totally be in the moment.

What is your best advice for brides planning their wedding?
People want to help, just ask! At first, I wanted to make every decision. When I finally started asking for help, I was much less burdened and everything instantly became less stressful. It can be tough to let go and have others provide input, but was definitely worth it.

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Photographer:  Christa Rene Photography//Bridesmaid Dresses: BHLDN // Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Brooks Brothers // Event Venue: Green Valley Country Club //

Submitted via Two Bright Lights