A Wedding Waltz

Caroline Schwalbe and Christopher DeMarco met through a mutual friend at church and quickly discovered they could talk for hours without noticing the time—he once stayed up talking to her until 5 a.m. while in London. Nine months later, Chris planned a proposal with a bit of misdirection built in, telling Caroline they had dinner reservations by the water. Instead, he led her onto a dock, where a friend had arranged candles and photographs just ahead of an incoming storm, and popped the question.

With his family based in the Lowcountry, the local couple easily set their sights on a Charleston wedding. When construction ruled out a ceremony at their home church in Mount Pleasant, Caroline and Chris instead embraced an outdoor vow exchange at the Creek Club at I’On. A ceremony overlooking the water formed the first note of what became a dreamy winter wedding ball marked by bold florals. A palette of emerald green and lavender, softened with brown, light blue, and pink and finished in gold, carried through every detail of the day. The romantic celebration also gave tasteful nods to The Nutcracker, a ballet that Caroline danced in as a young girl and one the couple now sees every holiday season. A threepiece string band played selections from the score throughout the ceremony; their officiant wore a pair of whimsical nutcracker socks; and guests raised glasses of Champagne in purple goblets the color of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Dessert told a personal story, too, as Ashley Bakery topped the vanilla cake with fondant butterflies in honor of Caroline’s late grandfathers.

The couple also ensured that when guests gathered for the celebration, dancing would take center stage. The newlyweds opened with a choreographed first dance to “Singin’ in the Rain” that blended waltz with swing, a style passed down to the bride by her grandparents. Later in the evening, the bride and her father enjoyed an unrehearsed dance to “September” by Earth, Wind, & Fire, a band the two have seen many times in concert. And an hour-long wedding mash-up created by Chris kept the dance floor hoppin’ until the very end.