Whitney & Nick

This past weekend I went to the wedding of my friend Whitney Bragg. (now Whitney McCormac) Just going as a guest was such a nice change from planning a wedding or being in one. The ceremony and reception were at 701 Whaley near downtown Columbia SC. I discovered that 701 Whaley is a great indoor venue! I had never been there before so this was a great chance to check it out and I wasn't disappointed. The ceremony was upstairs in what they call the Olympia Room. It is 2000 square feet with original hardwood floors and 17 foot ceilings. Three lofty windows let natural light stream in with distinctive original walls lending character to the room.
  
(This picture is from their website. I was enjoying the ceremony too much to think about taking pictures)

The reception was downstairs in the Grand Hall. (I love weddings that have the ceremony and reception at the same location. So much easier for everyone.) The Grand Hall has an impressive glass storefront that shows off a striking view of the church steeple across the street and the clock tower of the historic renovated mill. Beautiful late afternoon light streamed through the floor to ceiling windows. And, again, the original walls help create a very unique almost rustic feel to the room. And the 'Grand Staircase' gives a great entrance for the bridal party.

  

(You can tell I am a real fan of these walls.) 

And I really liked the staircase as an option for the wedding party's entrance. It's off to the side. Everyone has a good view without having to be in the front. And the photographer has some great opportunities for really nice pictures.









Now, Whitney is a very crafty person. (and I mean that in the best possible way) She knits, scrapbooks, makes handmade decoration....you name it! So, I expected some special details that were all Whitney and I wasn't disappointed :) 

The Whitney and Nick sign was made from an old table sawed in half, some yarn, and nails. I know the Jamie Williams was a great help with this project and also with the felt flowers that placed within the real floral arrangements. And Whitney's bouquet was made of all felt flowers! Not an easy task but the end result was fantastic! Both these projects were inspired by similar crafts on Pinterest. (Yay Pinterest... lol)

Also something I've seen on Pinterest (although I am not certain that's where Whitney got the idea) were the centerpieces for the tables.

She chose a variety of different flowers with the same color palette but put them in different bottles, jars, or cups. I personally love this idea. It brings dimension, depth, and a sense of uniqueness to each table. Besides the "head table" (picture to the right) all the tables had about the same number of flowers on each. The bottles were actually supplied by the florist which kinda surprised me. I haven't come across a florist that catered to those kind of centerpieces before. So they definitely earned a spot on my Vendor List.  (click on the tab from the home page)

The food was also really good. For starters there was a bruschetta bar and waffle and chicken skewers. They also had a great buffet with broccoli salad, peach chicken, vegetables, shrimp, and BBQ sliders. But what was my favorite you ask?........The waffle and chicken skewers were, hands down, my favorite thing on their menu. I was not expecting them but they were fantastic!





At the end of the day the best part was seeing all my friends together to celebrate the start of a new chapter of Whitney & Nick's life. I wish them the best as they both look forward to a shared future of love, friendship, and the wonderful closeness that is marriage.