Garden Party

Heather Hipp isn’t one of those girls who’s always had her dream wedding in mind. Rather, she’s always known more what she didn’t want—a lot of fuss. So when boyfriend Blake Byrnes asked her to take a stroll in their home city of Atlanta—where he works as business consultant and she’s working her way through Emory University School of Medicine—she thought it was nothing more than a break from her studies. But Blake took her to Piedmont Park’s gazebo where he proposed. Heather responded with an enthusiastic “Yes!” but was so engrossed in her studies, she didn’t even tell her friends until after exams. Since Heather had vacationed on Pawleys Island from babyhood and had recently visited Brookgreen Gardens, marrying the two nearby spots seemed like an enticing and decidedly “not stuffy” location to join their families. So she hired Tara Guérard of Soireé and outlined her goal: “To have a fun wedding where our friends and family would be comfortable and happy.” That laid-back edict determined the cool beach colors and simple, elegant flowers. And given the attitude that reigned, even afternoon showers didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. “The clouds cleared long enough for us to run down the aisle and say the vows,” Heather says. Another cherished natural touch? At a quiet point during the ceremony, Brookgreen’s raucous bullfrogs started croaking. “Everyone laughed, which was just great,” says Heather. “It made the mood happy and light.”