Natural Beauty

For some, home is where the heart is. For others, like Hayes Kronzer and Alysa “Aly” Sexton, it’s a physical place, with deep familial roots, history, natural beauty, and memories. The couple met and began dating at the University of Alabama. Over the next six years, work and life carried them to Dallas and, eventually, Charleston, where Hayes’s family owns a stunning private estate on Wadmalaw Island dubbed “Coleraine.” The scenic Lowcountry property has been used as a retreat for the family since the 1990s, and the landscape there is both serene and scenic, with sprawling live oaks draped in Spanish moss, coastal grasses, and salt marsh. Hayes’s grandfather had even built a small open-air chapel on the property that became the staging ground for a proposal and the wedding ceremony to follow.

“The private residence definitely made the event the most special,” says Aly. “Being able to share that space with family and friends felt like a once-in-a-lifetime moment.” And share it, they did, with 275 guests coming from near and far. Despite the logistics behind the sizable gathering, getting married at the family home in such a tranquil setting “made the whole day feel so relaxed and homey,” she says.

The property played an important role in the wedding design as well. The couple’s main goal was for the design and vibe to complement the setting. “We wanted the florals and colors to blend in,” says Aly, “as if they were already there before.” To execute the vision, they enlisted Haley Kelly of Haley Kelly Events, who had planned Hayes’s sister’s wedding there the year before. The planning team, along with Blossom Bay florist Ally Favory, adopted a neutral palette of greens, tans, browns, and dusty rose, pulling marsh grasses and pinecones into the mix with soft tan roses and chocolate cosmos. Aged copper elements, including the bar, passed trays, planters, lanterns, and Moscow mule mugs, added a luxurious warmth to the overall design.

Aside from the decor, the Kronzers wowed their guests with a true taste of the Lowcountry. Cocktail hour included an oyster roast (a regular occurrence at Coleraine), while food stations at the reception served a spread of local fare, including passed barbecue sliders à la the couple’s favorite Charleston restaurant: Home Team BBQ.

Aly and Hayes also love music, so they hired three bands to play throughout the weekend, from the rehearsal and welcome festivities to the cocktail hour and reception. “I told Hayes before the wedding that my biggest fear was that no one would dance, to which he replied, ‘Do you know our friends?’” recalls Aly. And he was right—the celebration not only brought friends and relatives together on the checkerboard dance floor, but it served as a foundation for new memories and connections at a beloved family home.