The Biltmore to The Dunlin: An Epic wedding story!

We will forever remember Rebekah & Ben’s wedding dearly. From day one, we knew it would be a notable weekend of celebration.  We often have repeat clients and familiar faces in attendance at our weddings, but it is not every day that we have upwards of three past couples and a few future clients as well.  This crowd has become like family, and stepping into the role of event planner doesn’t feel like work at all. 

This planning began with a hip, wintertime engagement party at The Wooley on Broome Street. Classy, festive and totally relaxed, the couple’s two worlds got to party with one another for the first time. Rebekah from Nebraska and Ben from Manhattan. 

Photography by Jenny Fu

Later in the Summer we also had the pleasure of planning a casual, summertime, backyard couple’s shower at Greene’s residence in New Jersey. By the time, the wedding month came around everyone know everyone and, oh, so fun that we got to spend time with multiple past clients and catch up! 

Life threw us all a curve ball when it decided to send Hurricane Helene to Asheville, NC, just weeks before their wedding.  I knew within a day or two that there was no way we could host at the historic Biltmore Estate.  Their classy, black-tie, Gatsby-esque wedding would have to move to another location.  I also knew this couple wanted to move forward with their lives rather than postpone. Prior experience has taught me that time is of the essence, especially when looking to move a wedding over a popular date. We secretly began planning a new weekend of celebration, in a new city, while they waited with baited breath, reluctant to give up hope that the water would recede in Asheville. .

We gave R+B many domestic and international choices, aiming to capture that historic feel.  None did the job. I know what they needed was a resort and less busy weekend than was originally planned. To arrive, check in, chill and then celebrate. I also insisted on a great team to execute since we would be meeting them literally 19 days prior to the wedding. 

About 3 weeks after Hurricane Helen Ashley had a list of venues but knew who the winner would be. For one, the couple already frequented Charleston, they are foodies, and many guests were coming from NYC and Charleston is one of the easiest and quickest domestic locations to travel to from here.

When you hire a wedding planner as clued in as Ashley Douglass Events, you get the added security of knowing having a hard pivot is not our first Rodeo. Additionally, because of our place in the industry we knew that the brand new Auberge Resort in South Carolina just opened, maybe all of one week before Hurricane Helen hit in North Carolina. 

With a wave of a wand, and a ton of working into the late-late night, as you can see, everything came together beautifully! Rebekah, Ben and their families and friends enjoyed a perfect weekend wedding at the brand-new Auberge Resort, The Dunlin, on John’s Island in Charleston, SC. 

We fit the previous design to suit The Dunlin’s event barns.  We had to change some of the decor but overall the aesthetics were similar minus that historical feel.  Perhaps the biggest lift was both helping some of the guests with the change in their own plans and attempting to keep the design almost the same in a busy climate with many rentals having been destroyed on one hand or already contracted out on the other.  

Sending love and hope that all necessary aid is given to Asheville as their rebuilding will be a long haul. This city was so kind to us and their people so approachable. We look forward to planning at the Historical Biltmore Estate again. 

Shout out to our new besties in the business – Social Spool and Technical Event.  They worked tirelessly. Thank you to Curated Events, Event Works, Emerson James, BBJ, and Nuage Designs for your time and patience.  Without these rental companies going above and beyond and pulling rentals from multiple regions, cutting new fabrics, and dealing with a less-than-perfect revised production schedule, none of this would have been possible.  

Shout out and thank you to the Lowland in downtown CHS which hosted our large welcome party in their cool restaurant/ townhouse, and brick courtyard. One of the many tasks needed to be accomplished to change the city let alone the venue, was to find a restaurant willing to close down on a Friday evening. We emailed, called and stopped in on foot, if not harassed, upwards of 30 restaurants unless we found the perfect location that was willing to shutdown for us to enjoy cocktails and many heartfelt speeches. 

Lastly, the hugest, heartfelt thanks to the truly caring and passionate Dunlin Team.  You have quickly become a new venue that is like family. We cannot wait to be back next year. 

Part of my heart will always be with Asheville and we intend to visit again soon. The vendors and staff at the various venues we had on the schedule for that weekend, including but not limited to hiking excursions in the Blue Ridge Mountains, will stay in memory. The kindness, the vulnerability, the strength. We are all in this together. 

Mazel Tov Rebekah & Ben

All photography by Jenny Fu