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After a romantic surprise proposal in Lake Como, Italy, Elizabeth Pishal and John Wilke planned to tie the knot in Charleston, South Carolina. The city is a special place to the couple: Before moving to San Francisco, where they currently reside, Elizabeth and John lived in Atlanta and would often take weekend road trips to Charleston. "We loved to escape the city and take things slow in the lowcountry," Elizabeth says.
After Covid forced them to postpone their initial wedding plans, the couple navigated the ever-changing national and local health restrictions, all the while wedding-planning from across the country. At long last, on November 28, 2020, the couple hosted their 95 wedding guests at Charleston's Dewberry Hotel, complete with a chic "black-tie boho" theme, wine flown in from Sonoma, and light-up face shields so guests could dance the night away safely. Here, Elizabeth shares their wedding story.
John and I met on a blind date in Atlanta. And on November 10, 2019, John proposed in Bellagio on Lake Como during a trip to Italy. I was so shocked that I didn't say "Yes!" for several minutes (see photos from the surprise marriage proposal here).
Charleston was one of our favorite spots to roadtrip to when we lived in Atlanta. After staying at the The Dewberry hotel in 2016, we were blown away at the high level of service, gorgeous decor, amazing amenities, and overall vibe. It’s elegant without being stuffy. When we got engaged in 2019, there was no question that The Dewberry would be our wedding venue.
Our wedding aesthetic was a blend of our southern roots and boho vibe of our new home on the California coast—we referred to it as "black-tie boho." John and I wanted our wedding to resemble a typical date night we would go on together: We’d start the night off with rooftop cocktails, followed by dinner at a trendy new spot, and cap off the night with a live show. Oh, and we’d get married somewhere in between. So we served oysters on the half shell as a nod to Charleston, flew in our favorite wine from Sonoma for guests to sip on, and hung a funky neon sign to add to our boho party vibe. All of our guests looked like they were ready for the Oscars in their sparkly gowns and sharp tuxedos, and I made a couple of outfit changes throughout the evening to match the mood.
We were inspired by the neutral color palette of Scribe, one of our favorite wineries in Sonoma (and where our wedding wine came from). We loved having a few pops of blush and greens amongst the creams and neutrals in our decor and attire.
One of the biggest challenges was trying to keep our party fun and safe at the same time. We got married pre-vaccines, so we had to get creative with our plans. Luckily, The Dewberry has a lot of amazing outdoor spaces, like their walled garden and the rooftop, so our guests didn’t have to stay inside for too long. And when we were in the ballroom, guests could wear custom light-up face shields and dance the night away with our amazing band.
We also had to reduce our guest list slightly and were bummed that many of our older relatives could not make the trip. Our videographer set up a Facebook Livestream of our ceremony for those who were not able to attend in person.
Our best advice is to take things day by day. Information is ever-changing, so going with the flow and remembering that you get to marry the love of your life will keep things in perspective.
RSVP Card: Crescendo Designed by Lynn
We used Minted for all of our wedding paper goods: save the dates, invitations, menus, ceremony programs, rehearsal dinner invitations, place cards, and my bridal shower invitations. We used an amazing calligraphy artist to handwrite our invitation addresses on the envelopes.
Our ceremony was held outdoors in the walled garden at The Dewberry. We exchanged traditional wedding vows and my aunt Olga officiated.
John and I decided to do our "first look" before the ceremony and it was so emotional—we both burst into tears when we saw each other. The moment was a mix of excitement, nervousness, and relief. We couldn’t believe after all we’d been through in 2020 that we were finally getting married!
Following the ceremony, the festivities moved to the hotel's rooftop for cocktail hour. On the menu: oysters on the half shell, crab cakes, artichoke and tomato bruschetta, and shaved country ham with pickled vegetables. We also shipped in our favorite chardonnay from Scribe Winery in Sonoma.
The seated, four-course dinner was served al fresco in the walled garden of The Dewberry. Twinkly lights, fire pits, and gorgeous candlelight helped keep guests cozy all night long. Our wedding planner chose the coolest boho-inspired place settings with rattan chargers, tapered candles, and palm fronds. Instead of table numbers, each table was named after one of our favorite wineries in Napa and Sonoma.
Our first dance song was "L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole. We were happy to even be swaying together after John had an unexpected knee surgery shortly before the wedding.
One of our favorite memories of the night was dancing the night away with our friends and family while wearing light-up face shields!
Save the dates
“It's a Date” by That Girl Press
Wedding invitation
“Crescendo” by Griffinbell Paper Co.
Rehearsal dinner invites
“Timeless” by Leah Bisch
Bridal shower invites
“Grecian Floral” by Olivia Kanaley Inman
Ceremony programs
“Juniper” by Mere Paper
Menus
“Juniper” by Mere Paper
Place cards
“Juniper” by Mere Paper
Wedding venue: The Dewberry, Charleston, SC
Photographer: Brian D Smith Photography
Wedding planner and event design: Ooh! Events
Florist: Out of the Garden/Ooh! Events
Hair and makeup: Beauty Asylum
Videographer: Rêver Weddings
Band: Silver Bullets
Calligraphy: Pictura and Poesis
Stationery: Minted
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