All the Trimmings

When Kimberly “Kimi” Hugli and Kevin “KJ” O’Leary met on Christmas Eve in 2015—the same year she got her beloved Holland Lop bunny, Loki—neither could have imagined they would be saying “I do” a decade later, with Loki among the guests. They dated long-distance for about 18 months but lost contact in the years after that. “It wasn’t our time yet,” says Kimi. When they reconnected in 2023, though, their time had arrived. “We picked up right where we left off,” she says. “Everything felt easy, comfortable, familiar, and just right.” KJ’s Christmas Eve proposal during a beach walk at Kiawah brought their relationship full circle. Given the significance of the time and place, it was a no-brainer when and where they would marry: around the Christmas holiday at Kiawah’s Cassique clubhouse.

When planning a wedding with all the bells and whistles, choosing the dress is usually top of the priority list, but Kimi didn’t even have to shop for hers. She knew exactly what she wanted: a showstopping floral embroidered tulle gown by designer Ysa Makino. She’d seen the intricate piece on Instagram and bookmarked it several years before she and KJ got back together. “I saved it simply because I loved it,” says Kimi. She dug up the image and tracked down the designer, then her mom found a boutique in Washington, D.C., where she could try it on. The colorful dress became the visual inspiration for the entire wedding design, executed by planner Francesca DiSalvo-Follmer of Vetri Events. The floral motif was reflected in the stationery suite, the cake, a custom dance floor, many small details, and, of course, the flowers themselves.

Kimi envisioned a “fairy-tale winter garden” wedding, with lots of rich red florals and a holiday feeling that didn’t get too Christmasy. Set against formal black and gold furnishings and low lighting, layers of red and green florals—orchids, berries, poppies, peonies, amaranths, fragrant pine, and tons of red roses—filled the clear-top ceremony and reception tents. “It was a very rainy weekend, but you would never have known, because there was such a vibe under the tents,” says DiSalvo-Follmer. The weather simply added to the romantic mood.

Beyond the decor, the wedding was full of personal touches. Kimi, an actress, surprised KJ by singing Kina Grannis’s version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” during the processional as well as three songs at the reception. Loki turned up as a paper design element. A tea and coffee cart, Asian and Italian food stations, and roaming cannoli servers honored the couple’s family heritages and shared their favorite foods. They even found a way to tactfully incorporate a Christmas tree, hanging escort cards from its branches like ornaments. The day was intimate, enchanting, and magical—a fairy-tale ending at the start of a new chapter.