Madelyn Pearce & Alex Bourland
Romantic Fall Wedding
Married
Nov 5, 2022
Isle of Palms ,
South Carolina
Photo Credit
Katie Dewald
Style Guide
Color Palette
Style
Whimsical
Season
Fall
The Proposal
On August 16th, 2021 Madelyn and Alex were on a plane to Crested Butte, Colorado. Crested Butte was the favored destination for Madelyn’s family ski trips from the time she was four years old, and a regular location for Alex’s family bike and camping trips in the summer. Disguised as a birthday trip for Madelyn, Alex had something else planned.
At 5pm, they left the Purple Mountain Inn, where Alex anxiously but nonchalantly hurried Madelyn to get ready for their much anticipated dinner at Soupçon in downtown Crested Butte. They needed enough time to go for a short, but scenic walk through the Woods Walk trail on the outskirts of town. Mounting their tandem “townie” bike, the couple took off through town. Upon arrival at the trailhead, Madelyn was already wary of the terrain in her dinner outfit, but Alex assured her that she would not want to miss the views.
After about the third comment from Madelyn about the prospect of turning around, Alex knew that he needed to do something soon. Luckily, he spotted two “unassuming hikers” up ahead on the trail at just that moment. The hikers were Lydia and Terren of Mountain Magic Media, hired by Alex weeks earlier to capture the engagement. Alex told Madelyn to walk a few steps and pose for a photo, then he dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him against the background of the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
In Preparation
The couple knew they wanted to use their family’s lot on the water on Isle of Palms in South Carolina as a venue and hired wedding planner Davinia Selfridge to help their vision come to life. It took a great deal of planning to get the lights, landscaping, chairs, tents, catering and music setup on the lot and she handled all of that extremely well. Flowers were another necessity, and they were handled perfectly by Eothen, owned by Katie Chirgotis, Alex’s cousin.
The Big Day
On Saturday November 5th, on Isle of Palms in South Carolina, Madelyn Pearce married Alex Bourland on a beautiful waterfront lot owned by the groom’s parents. The wedding invitations had a watercolor of the dock created by the groom’s mother. The bridal party got ready in two houses, and the girls had a quick yoga session. A home cooked breakfast was prepared by the bride’s father.
Bridesmaid’s gifts were black silk pajamas and a gold bracelet. Hair and makeup teams came to the house and the pictures started there, including the preparation pictures and emotional first looks with Madelyn’s dad and then with her bridesmaids. Meanwhile, the groomsmen had a morning workout at a local gym and then got ready at their house. The tuxes were tailored by PearceBespoke, a company owned by the brother of the bride. The girls arrived at the wedding venue for pictures and then waited in the church across the street. The boys arrived by boat to the dock on the property.
The venue looked magical with the lighting, chairs, and flowers transforming the property into a spectacular wonderland. The wedding party came down the dock to the edge of the lot by the water. The groom walked the mother of the bride down first, who was also the minister, followed by the wedding party. The bride and her father came from the back, down the petal covered aisle, and there were not many dry eyes during the ceremony. After the ceremony, pictures were taken, dinner was served, and the cake was cut. The “send off” under sparklers to the boat led into the guests enjoying a silent disco where they danced the night away.
The Retreat
Alex and Madelyn left for their honeymoon two days after the wedding. For the first five nights, they stayed at Hotel Christopher on St. Barths. They spent the second half of the honeymoon on Saint Martin. The newlyweds explored the beaches by day and experienced the incredible culinary scene by night.
Contributing Vendors
PHOTOGRAPHER
EVENT PLANNER
BRIDAL SHOES
BRIDESMAID DRESSES
CATERER
WEDDING CAKE
ENTERTAINMENT
FLORALS
WEDDING GOWN & VEIL
GROOM’S TUX
Nathan Pearce at Pearce Bespoke
HAIR STYLIST AND MAKEUP ARTIST
Lani Santiago at Strawberry Blonde
ENGAGEMENT RING
HIS WEDDING BAND
Blue Nile
INVITATIONS
Artwork by Allison Bourland
RENTALS
RENTALS
VIDEOGRAPHER
Craig Harris at Branches Wedding Company
