Pretty as a Picture

Sculptural blooms, original works, and an artful affair curated by a couple of creatives put this Gibbes Museum wedding over the top

An architect and interior designer walk into a bar…. It could be the set up for a great punch line, but for Hannah Chait and Nick Bilgri, it was the start of a lifelong romance. The couple matched on a dating app while he was in Charleston visiting family and hit it off immediately. Though he had to return to Pittsburgh for 10 months to finish his master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University, the long-distance relationship worked. “We would travel nearly every month to see each other, going on dates to museums and galleries, concerts, and architecture tours,” says Hannah. Following Nick’s graduation, they moved in together in Charleston, adopted a pup (named “Frankie” for their favorite architect of Fallingwater fame), and got engaged on Christmas Eve.

With both of their families living in the Lowcountry and a mutual love for the arts, the couple found the Gibbes Museum to be the perfect venue for their 150-person wedding. Hannah leaned into her interior design skills to create a mood board with plenty of textures, fabrics, materials, imagery, and color—focusing on soft blues and greens with bright springtime pops—before relinquishing the reins to Anna Kate Sherrill of Parte Events & Design to bring her vision to life.

Both creatives, Hannah and Nick knew they wanted art and florals front and center, so they enlisted Floral Studies to create their myriad arrangements (each a one-of-a-kind sculptural work) and commissioned several designers to create original art pieces. Paige Spearin’s whimsical illustration of the couple with Frankie appeared on their save the dates. Elisabeth Stuckey designed the stationery, which included a custom watercolor chinoiserie mural inspired by de Gournay wallpaper. The mural appeared on the envelopes and was printed on wallpaper to adorn the escort wall and reception bar. For napkins and other signage, Meghan Trotter of J. Lily Design painted watercolors of pup Frankie and Lloyd, the beloved reptile resident of the pond at Hannah’s parents’ Kiawah Island house. “Lloyd was a total hit,” says Hannah. Painted up in a dinner jacket and holding a silver tray with a “please find your seat” sign, the alligator also appeared as a five-foot cutout for the escort wall.

Each element of the wedding truly represented a unique expression of Hannah and Nick. From the way sunlight bathed the ceremony to the sailcloth reception tent aglow with candlelight, everything about the day turned out to be an original work of art.

Planning & Design: Parte Events & Design

Venue: Gibbes Museum of Art

Photography: Haley Foster

Florals: Floral Studies

Catering & Bar Service: Cru Catering

Cake: Charleston Sugar Studio

Stationery: Paige Spearin, Elisabeth Stuckey Design, J. Lily Design

Linens: BBJ La Tavola

Rentals: Snyder, EventWorks, Adorn

Lighting: Bunn DJ Company

Entertainment: Charleston Entertainment (ceremony), Emerald Empire Band (reception)

Bride’s Attire: Anne Barge (designer), White on Daniel Island (boutique)