Jessica + Jeremy's Wedding Weekend on Lake Keowee

Jessica + Jeremy had the wedding weekend that dreams are made of! Friends and family gathered The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards on Lake Keowee for a celebration that included three parts - Welcome Party, Lake Day, and Wedding Day! Like many couples planning 2020 weddings, they made the decision to postpone the festivities. However, Jessica shares that the postponement presented new possibilities that they would have never considered otherwise. So many things fell into place that would not have been possible if we had our wedding in 2020. It is funny to look back and be thankful for the pandemic and the weird blessings it provided for our weekend. I would have never planned it this way, but I wouldn't change anything that happened! Planning is about rolling with the punches, have a quick cry and move on!

The unique boxed invitation featured a square letterpress invitation with elegant monogram and thin foil border. Nestled under the invitation and enclosures was a photo flipbook communicating beautifully to guests what the weekend had in store. Kortnee Kate Photography captured the gorgeous summer celebration.

wedding invitation for destination wedding

How did you and Jeremy meet?

Jeremy's older brother, Kyle, is married to my older sister, Rachael. Brothers & Sisters twice! Poeme did their wedding invitations 10 years ago!

Tell us about the proposal.

Jeremy was on a trip with my family to Switzerland. He had been carrying the ring in his pocket for the perfect moment. We were on the majestic ferry (literally that is what they called it) to get to our lunch reservations, with a picture perfect backdrop of the Alps he got down on one knee!

How would you describe your wedding style and colors?

Luxe neutral! I wanted the beautiful Lake Keowee to be the inspiration so we choose very natural, light & bright palette. I wanted guests to feel casual and comfortable by the lake, but also upscale!

Tell us about your wedding stationery vision and how it came together.

Due to the pandemic Jeremy and I made the hard decision to postpone our wedding from July 18, 2020 to May 22, 2021. Jeremy and I had a small private ceremony with our parents May 22, 2020 and made the wedding our 1 Year marriage celebration party!

When it came to the invite, we wanted people to feel excited for this weekend we had planned for 2 years!

We really wanted our friends and family to participate in the entire weekend rather than just the wedding day. We wanted the entire weekend to be the "event" for the invitation, but still wanted the wedding to be the actual main event!

We dreamed of a boxed invitation and Poeme really brought our dream to life! We had three days of "events" we invited guests to attend. Welcome Party, Lake Day and Wedding Day. The boxed invitation really allowed guests to have a "sneak peak" into the weekend as it built up to the main event (wedding day!). Kristen made the wedding day invitation significant while still incorporating the other events. The booklet she created incorporated not only visuals of the venues, but Jeremy and I on the day we got married. It summed up the entire weekend before it even happened!

Boxed Invitations

*A unique way to invite guests to your weekend wedding celebration.*
*We created a booklet of photographs of the various venues and settings guests would see over the weekend.*
*The square format main invitation and enclosure cards were letterpressed and the linen box was finished with a monogram wax seal and vellum wrap.*

What was the inspiration behind your day?

Jeremy sent me a couple’s wedding video in 2018 and it was the entire inspiration for the wedding weekend!

Tell us about your wedding day - take us back through it!

I love reliving this day! Guys golfed in the morning and the girls got ready! We had built a stage over a parking lot for the ceremony overlooking the water. We renewed our vows before family and friends! It was so special to have our favorite people in our favorite place! As our guests enjoyed cocktail hour we had our first dance, father-daughter dance and son-mother dance. As guests moved to the reception space for dinner Jeremy and I arrived via vintage boat. This was a great time for Jeremy and I to have a few moments alone to take in the day!

After dinner we danced the night away! One problem we faced during planning was a noise ordinance at 10:00pm. I didn't postpone my wedding to stop the party at 10pm?! We surprised guests with a firework show and when they thought the night was over we had a silent disco. Jeremy and I had an outfit change and we danced, laughed and sang in silence! It was more fun that I ever could have imagined!

What did you learn over the course of planning your wedding?

Wedding planning can be stressful and not everything will go perfectly, but everything happens for a reason! Obviously the unimaginable happened (a GLOBAL PANDEMIC?!) and I had to postpone my wedding... What the heck ha! I still laugh!

But honestly the weekend was worth the wait. So many things fell into place that would not have been possible if we had our wedding in 2020. It is funny to look back and be thankful for the pandemic and the weird blessings it provided for our weekend. I would have never planned it this way, but I wouldn't change anything that happened! Planning is about rolling with the punches, have a quick cry and move on!

What advice would you offer couples planning a wedding?

If I had to give any advice to someone planning a wedding I recommend adding an event to your wedding! The Welcome Party and Lake Day really allowed Jeremy and I to spend time with family and friends and appreciate the love & support they have shown Jeremy and I in our first year of marriage. I think it allowed us to really enjoy our wedding day and dance the night away!