I am so excited to share Gracie and Andrew‘s rehearsal dinner and welcome party at the Beaufort Hotel, unfolding the evening before their wedding day! A full weekend of celebrations and time together with their families and friends was especially important to Gracie and Andrew, and for good reason! These two love their people well, and they are very, very loved and celebrated in return! The Beaufort Hotel, situated right on the waterfront in beautiful Beaufort, NC, was the perfect setting for their rehearsal dinner and welcome party. I can’t sing the venue’s praises enough, along with each and every vendor who came together for Gracie and Andrew’s rehearsal dinner (which were the same for the wedding, too!). It was an utterly marvelous evening that kicked off their wedding weekend with such joy, celebration, and excitement!

I designed these events in conjunction with one another so that the festivities flowed seamlessly, and I wanted the two Friday evening events to feel distinct from their wedding design of blues & whites yet still cohesive and true to the bride and groom. For the rehearsal dinner and welcome party, a subtle tropical theme was brought to life in vivid kelly green & white with juicy pops of salmon, coral, and rattan & woven textures. With a magnificent waterfront view (and view of the wild horses on the island across the water!), live beach music, vibrant florals, statement bars, gorgeous green & white leafy linens, beautiful paper details, market lights overhead, and all the custom wedding branded goodies (koozies, sugar cookies, frosted cups, cocktail napkins, and fun adornments for aperol spritzes!), their rehearsal dinner & welcome party were such a fun, fresh, personalized, and joyful celebration of Gracie and Andrew that kicked off their wedding weekend! They celebrated with 120 family members and close friends at their rehearsal dinner and then welcomed 290 guests to their welcome party, and goodness was it a fun night!

Rehearsal dinner and welcome party ready! Gracie and Andrew’s pure joy and sheer excitement was so palpable the evening before their wedding, and I’m so, so glad the wonderfully talented and vibrant Perry Vaile was there to capture these moments during their wedding weekend! I love when my couples bring their photographer on board for the entirety of the wedding weekend & all the festivities… and just how special it is to have these once-in-a-lifetime moments and memories captured on film forever. And you just can’t beat the waterfront views, golden hour glow, and those happy, giddy smiles from Gracie and Andrew! Goodness I love these two!!

Aperol spritzes by the waterfront?! Yes, please! These frosted custom crest cups – topped with striped pink straws & palm cocktail umbrellas to match the welcome party design – were just so cute!

Colorful, punchy rehearsal dinner bar details for this soiree! To contrast the wedding design the next day, I wanted to pull in vibrant greens, coral, salmon, and white with a very understated tropical feel for the aesthetic and design elements. We all fell in love with these white and kelly green leafy linens and centered so much of the design on these focal linens. All of these gorgeous and bold bar and floral details really shine and set the stage for the festivities and celebrations to come!

The guest fashion at Gracie & Andrew’s summertime welcome party was seriously stunning and so chic! When you give guests a clear vision of the attire for your wedding, you get vibrant & stylish fashion that reflects the vibe, the design, and the setting of your wedding weekend. So dapper! So fashionable! And so fun!

The rehearsal dinner itself was filled with a plethora of heartwarming, touching, emotional toasts from so many siblings, parents, and best friends. Gracie and Andrew set aside a long window of time for toasts at their rehearsal dinner, and it was so incredibly touching to hear from so many who know and love these two so well. I can’t imagine something more moving or touching! We had a little surprise in store for the bride and groom, as Gracie’s very talented bridesmaid wrote & sang a song (that guests joined in on!) as her toast – it was so fun and so amazing.

I had many surprises up my sleeves for Gracie and Andrew’s wedding weekend, and one of the first surprises was for the groom. We brought in this fun and memorable beverage boat (so fitting for a waterfront welcome party!), adorned it with lush florals, set it outside overlooking the waterfront, and surprised Andrew with his very favorite beer, brought in from Winston-Salem by the best man. It was a very special and delicious touch that was thoroughly enjoyed!

You can also read Gracie & Andrew’s wedding story and some of my favorite moments and details from their wedding day on this blog post to see gorgeous images, stories, and details from their wedding day that unfolded the following day.

Gracie & Andrew’s wedding day was featured on Style Me Pretty, so be sure to head to Style Me Pretty to see the publication, too!