Historic 701 Whaley Wedding

by South Carolina Wedding Photographer Alexis Schwallier

Leah & Coleman

701 Whaley in Columbia, SC was the perfect backdrop for this spring wedding. With rose gold accents, personal touches, succulents, and greenery,  Leah and Coleman had a beautiful, elegant while simple, colorful wedding.

The dress is by Justin Alexander and is an oyster and ivory V-neckline tulle tea length gown.

My favorite part of the day, the first look.

701 Whaley was previously a community center for the local mill workers. Both of Leah and Coleman’s families worked at the mills many years ago, which made the venue even more special to the couple. If you have not seen 701 Whaley, I strongly suggest visiting.

The grand hall is breathtaking. The venue has so much beauty on its loads of decorations were not needed. For the ceremony, the couple used an old door for the backdrop that was already at the venue.

For the reception, the decorations were simple since the room itself was already beautiful enough. Leah and Coleman added some pieces to accent the grand hall.

Cafe lights hang above the dance floor in the middle of the room. Three metal orbs with candles and greenery hang above the bar, and they were by far one of my favorite decorations.

Advice from the bride, “I am a planner and love to organize things, but I knew that I was going to need extra help with the more fine details, and hired a wedding planner. Hands down, best investment. I still oversaw everything, but it was great having that additional help with planning, communicating with vendors, and setting up/breaking down everything. I would strongly suggest hiring a planner to help with things if your budget allows.

Also, the wedding is all well and good, but remember what you are planning for, a marriage. Marriage is a beautiful, sometimes crazy thing that should be cherished. So keep that in perspective throughout all the chaos of planning and on the day of the wedding.”

 

701 Whaley is in the Olympia neighborhood in Columbia, SC. Taking a short walk, we found a unique backdrop for couples portraits. Leah loves succulents and decorated her wedding with them, making the cactus a unique touch.

There was a photo booth area and Leah bought this beautiful little loveseat from Homegoods that was placed near the grand staircase. Greenery was used for a backdrop for the photos and had a garland of greenery down the banister.

“Coleman and I are music lovers and he is a major supporter of local musicians and we wanted to figure out a way to show that. We asked a few local musicians who are also friends to play at the wedding. It was a hit. One of the musicians played the music for our first dance that was one his original works.”

Hunter Park from She Returns from War performs during the reception.

Vendors

Venue: 701 Whaley 

Wedding Planner: Amazing Moments Weddings 

Musicians: Pedro,Vilai Harrington, and Hunter Park of She Returns from War

DJ: Sound Quest DJ’s

Dress: Justin Alexander

Catering: Hudson’s Classic Catering

Assistant Photographer: Jessica Hunt Photography

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