Taylor Morgan Lewis and LJ Bowling’s romance is truly a tale of modern love. The couple met on the dating app Hinge while they were both living in Washington D.C. in May 2018. One Sunday afternoon, the two had their first date, which felt like something out of a movie and included an evening stroll by the Lincoln Memorial. Following their first date, they were inseparable, and, after surviving 8 months of long-distance, they moved in together in Alexandria, Virginia with their sweet dog Jett. One year later, while on another stroll near the same Memorial, LJ pulled Taylor in close, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him!
After postponing their wedding for a second time due to the pandemic, Taylor and LJ decided to have a Christmas elopement, since it is the most special time of the year and pushed their larger celebration to an even later date. This decision left them with two weeks to plan the whole affair. The result was an intimate, spontaneous elopement with the couple being the only attendees. Their special day took place in the pink French Huguenot Church in Charleston, South Carolina where their original wedding was supposed to take place. This time, however, the church was stripped of all the outside noise, making the romantic day solely about the love between them.
On the day of the elopement, Taylor wore an A-line white midi dress with a small white bouquet, strass studded Louboutin heels, and a white bow tied in her half-up, half-down hair, while the groom was in a gray jacket. The bride accessorized further with sparkling diamond and pearl earrings she received from her grandmother for the special occasion. The couple matched beautifully with the little pink church and the dreamy streets of Charleston. Instead of having a traditional wedding reception after the ceremony, Taylor and LJ went out to dinner at the Peninsula Grill, followed by a mini staycation at the charming Hotel Bennett in downtown Charleston.
Although they were unable to attend the elopement, Taylor and LJ’s friends and family made the couple feel special with many sweet surprises throughout the day. Taylor’s family surprised the couple with ordered flowers to dress the altar in the church. Her Uncle Drew went to great lengths to find someone in Charleston that had a key to the church to set up the flowers in order to surprise the pair when they walked in, which meant the world to the bride. Both Taylor and LJ’s parents and friends ordered wine and champagne to their hotel room with sweet cards congratulating the couple. These kind gestures left them feeling loved, supported, and celebrated by all their family and friends on their special day.
This past fall, the couple moved from D.C. to their dream house in Charleston. Taylor runs her own Interior Design Company and Blog, HomeTaylored.com, and LJ works remotely as an Engineer for a tech company. If there’s anything they learned in 2020, it’s not to put off life’s special moments and opportunities because you never know when you’ll get the chance to do them again. Taylor and LJ ended the year on a high note with their Christmas elopement, reminding themselves that simply changing their perspective could change their lives for the better. They’re both looking forward to their big wedding day with friends and family present in June 2021, and they cannot wait to show their loved ones a good time in the Holy City!
photographer: Philip Casey | ceremony venue: French Protestant (Huguenot) Church of Charleston, South Carolina | dress: Black Halo Carolina Dress from Shopbop | shoes: Christian Louboutin | hair bow: Anthropologie Presents BHLDN | wedding bands: Croghan’s Jewel Box | celebration dinner: Peninsula Grill | mini-moon: Hotel Bennett
I love this story!! This is such a good thing to hear. Well written too!
It’s such a sweet story! We especially loved hearing about Taylor’s family coming together to celebrate the couple from afar.