Open-Air Elegance

Caroline McMahon & Edward Taylor

May 11, 2013, Spring Island Tabby Ruins

Caroline McMahon was born in Winnetka, Illinois, but she seems meant to be a Southern belle. Case in point: the first time the Southern Methodist University grad met Clemson student Edward Taylor, she told him she was from Beaufort. “No, you’re not,” said the native of the sleepy fishing village, “I know every girl in town.” Caroline’s wishful thinking wasn’t pure fiction; she’d grown up visiting nearby Spring Island, and her parents have lived there for years. Add in SMU, and she says she was just trying on her Southern persona. It was a great fit with Edward, and the two were pretty much inseparable after their first encounter. Two weeks later, he picked her up by boat to meet his family, and a year after that, he proposed on his parent’s dock. Spring Island had been Caroline’s dream wedding spot since girlhood, and “that Edward was born and raised in the area sealed the deal,” she says. Aiming for an outdoor wedding in view of the 1850s plantation house tabby ruins there, the couple recruited Katie Huebel of WED to build a tented dining hall and dance club in the otherwise bare fields. “Though it involved a lot of logistics and the anxiety of an entirely outdoor ceremony and reception,” says Caroline, “Katie and WED did a phenomenal job of relieving us and our families of any ounce of stress.” The final verdict on the day vows were exchanged? “It was beautiful,” says Caroline.

Island: Spring Island
Distance from Charleston: 90 miles south
Personality: Barrier island golf resort
Best Bet to Wed There: Resort membership or sponsorship by a member
Info: SpringIsland.com; (843) 987-2200
Like Spring Island? You’ll Also Dig: Kiawah Island Golf Resort (800/654-2924; www.KiawahResort.com); Runnymede Plantation (843/737-6117; www.EventsatRunnymede.com)

Vendor List:

Bride’s Gown: Romona Keveza from Maddison Row, www.maddisonrow.com

Bride’s Shoes: Tory Burch, www.toryburch.com

Bridesmaid’s Attire: Amsale from Bella Bridesmaids, www.bellabridesmaids.com

Cake: Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal, www.weddingcakesbyjimsmeal.com

Catering and Pie Baker: Spring Island, www.springisland.com

Ceremony Music: Ian Grimshaw

Ceremony and Reception Location: Spring Island Tabby Ruins, www.springisland.com

Flower Girl’s Attire: Janie and Jack, www.janieandjack.com

Florist: HB Stems

Groom’s Attire: Berlin’s for Men, www.berlinsclothing.com

Hair: Aqua Medspa and Salon, www.aquamedspaandsalon.com