From the Wedding Date and Baby's Breath Bouquet to Chinoiserie Accents, One Couple Made Sure to Honor the Bride's Late Mother Throughout Their Charleston Wedding

Ashley Ferira and Ian Crosby met following a Sunday service at St. Philip's Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, in December of 2022. A few days later, they shared their first date at the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s holiday concert. "Two ‘old souls’, we simply clicked in every way," Ashley says. Just nine months later, Ian proposed inside the church where they met, where he brought Ashley under the guise of a private architectural tour. She accepted his proposal in the same place where they'd eventually become husband and wife.

On May 11, 2024—what would have been Ashley’s mother’s 69th birthday—the couple exchanged vows in the Sanctuary at St. Philip's Church with 125 of their closest loved ones in attendance. The reception followed in the church’s historic garden courtyard, a place that has been special to the bride since childhood. “I always envisioned the sacred reverence of a church wedding combined with refined southern sophistication and historic beauty specific to my gorgeous hometown of Charleston,” Ashley says.

Inspired by the bride’s colorful wedding dress, the couple blended blues, ivory, and green as their color palette and incorporated chinoiserie elements—from vases to side tables—throughout their celebration. With less than a year to plan the entire celebration, the couple decided to bring in the professionals: The tapped the team at Summer Newman Events to bring their aesthetic to life in a celebration that honored Ashley’s late mother, who passed just six months before the wedding, in a number of thoughtful ways. "Since I am so much like my mother, it was actually very natural and comforting for her essence to be an inspirational facet of our wedding," the bride says.

Read on to see how photographer Sarah Bradshaw captured every detail of Ashley and Ian’s wedding day, from the spiritual ceremony to the garden reception.

Before the big day, the couple and their guests gathered at the church for a formal rehearsal. Ashley wore a column dress by Antonio Melani and Born on Fifth with long sleeves, jacquard fabrication, an open back, and a bow detail. She styled her look with an acrylic pearl clutch by Rae of Light, a pearl headband by Bel Aire Bridal, vintage inspired floral cluster earrings by Nicole Bathie, and lace-up stiletto heels in a Robins egg blue by Sam Edelman. She held a sweetgrass bouquet made to look like miniature roses by local artist Corey Alston finished with a blue silk ribbon.

Ian wore a Jos. A. Bank navy pinstripe suit with a vintage Italian Dmitry silk tie in a blue floral pattern. He completed his look with a rose shaped sweetgrass boutonnière, also from Corey Alston. The couple and their wedding party hopped in a vintage Jasper—a 1950s supercoach—to ride from the church to the rehearsal dinner.

Guests gathered at One Broad, which was once a historic bank, to enjoy a French menu created by Brasserie La Banque. The couple embraced the historic vibe of the venue’s vintage chandeliers and mahogany chairs, then added a Southern twist with vintage floral linens and Ashley’s favorite florals: hydrangeas, ranunculus, delphinium, and baby's breath. 

On the morning of the wedding, Ashley worked with Latia Curtis to create a feminine beauty look with a vintage vibe. “Latia was absolutely phenomenal and achieved the look we collaborated on together during the makeup trial session!” she says.

In keeping with that vintage beauty look, the bride envisioned a hairstyle reminiscent of the 1960s. “I wanted my hair up and away from my face and neck to accentuate the beautiful neckline and décolletage accent of the off-the-shoulder French blue twisted band of my wedding gown,” Ashley explains. She worked with her friend and hairstylist, Nicole Snyder, to create a middle part updo with a subtle bouffant bump for added volume.

To honor her beloved late mother during the wedding, Ashley wore her vintage gold hoop earrings and 1920s platinum filigree diamond ring.

Although Ashley’s mom, Marsha, was too ill to join her for any in-person wedding dress-shopping trips, the two spent hours researching gowns online. “One morning my mom confidently said, ‘I found your wedding gown. It’s made for you, Ashley,’” the bride recalls. When she was able to try on the Sareh Nouri "Hydrangea" wedding dress in person, she knew her mom was right. Still, she took plenty of photos and videos to show her mom when she got home, just to be sure the gown had her seal of approval. Of course, it did.

“While the dress style is called the 'Hydrangea,' we also both immediately saw in it a blue chinoiserie-like pattern and aesthetic, a style of china that my mom and I both love...and something which is also part of the fabric of historic Charleston from hundreds of years ago,” the bride explains. From there, the dress served as inspiration for the entire celebration's design.

The bride carried a simple, oversized bouquet baby’s breath, letting the intricate design work on her gown shine.

Though Ashley tragically lost her mother in the months leading up to the wedding, the bride made sure Marsha was there in spirit while getting ready.

Ashley and Ian’s wedding party included their family and closest friends, along with 11 "children of honor" as a nod to their May 11 wedding date. Ashley’s matrons of honor and bridesmaids wore navy blue Eliza J sheath dresses with mesh quarter length sleeves with flower appliqués. “My mother and I actually searched online and found my bridesmaids’ Eliza J dress before mom passed away,” Ashley remembers. “I joked with my bridal party that this dress was like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants jeans, because it fit every lady so beautifully.” They accessorized with Alex Marie pumps, floral clutch purses by Antonio Melani, and J. Crew layered pearl hoop earrings.

The junior bridesmaids wore empire waist satin A-line dresses with bow details. Some of the flower girls wore Strasburg white silk dresses with a silk sash and bow, while the youngest girls wore Strasburg white silk dresses with a hand-smocked bodice and Peter Pan collar.

They all accessorized with a pearl bracelet featuring their first initial (a gift from the bride) and a baby’s breath hair crown by The Bearded Florist.

Ian wore a custom Jos. A. Bank slim fit tuxedo with a custom single-breasted shawl lapel jacket lined with blue polka dot fabric and embroidered with “Mr. Crosby” inside. He accessorized with black suspenders and Johnston & Murphy patent leather slip ons, along with a topsail bow tie, pocket square, and cufflinks set from Brackish featuring goose and pheasant feathers.

Ian’s best man and five groomsmen wore Jos. A. Bank slim fit tuxes with single-breasted shawl lapel jackets and black bowties. “Ian wanted his men to echo and jive with his custom tuxedo,” Ashley says.

Ashley curated the music for the wedding ceremony and hired professional musicians from the Charleston Symphony Orchestra to perform during the hour-long prelude as guests filed into the church and the celebration itself.

The wedding party walked down the aisle to “Ode to Joy” to honor Ashley’s mother, who walked down the aisle on her own wedding day to the song. The couple’s children of honor made their way down the aisle to “Morning Has Broken,” which was arranged and performed by one of their junior bridesmaids, Jenna.

Ashley walked down the aisle by herself, but says she felt her mother was there in spirit. She chose “Highland Cathedral,” featuring bagpipe, organ, and trumpet players, as her entrance song.

The couple opted against having a first look, so they saw each other for the first time that day as Ashley walked through the historic wooden and glass doors of their church. “Our eyes were locked on each other during my entire procession,” the bride remembers. “Overwhelmed with emotion, Ian lost it and had tears streaming down his face.” 

The couple’s ceremony included several special readings, including Ashley’s mother’s favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:4-9. “Our vows followed the beautiful Anglican liturgy from hundreds of years ago,” Ashley says. 

After their ceremony, the newlyweds took to the streets of Charleston with their photographer, Sarah Bradshaw, for portraits.

Guests moved to the reception space, where they were greeted with flutes of Champagne. There, they were able to spend time at the memorial table the couple's wedding planning team created in honor of Ashley's mother. The table had a floral patterned linen and various white floral arrangements displayed in pieces of Ashley’s personal chinoiserie collection, as well as a photo of Marsha on her wedding day.

The couple chose to prominently feature baby’s breath throughout their wedding celebration as a nod to the flower featured in Marsha’s wedding in the 1970s.

At the couple’s outdoor reception, tables were topped in ivory pearled leanings from Stradley Davidson Linen Collective. Each centerpiece was unique from the rest and displayed in a unique chinoiserie vessels; some of the vases were from Ashley’s own collection, some were borrowed from the bride’s friend, and others were brought in by the couple’s florist. The florals primarily included hydrangeas and baby’s breath accented with ranunculus, garden roses, delphinium, foxglove, thistle, and greenery.

Guests were given miniature chinoiserie patterned ginger jars filled with custom chocolates as a favor to take home.

Ashley grew up dancing ballet, so she choreographed the couple’s first dance, incorporating some ballet waltz moves throughout. The couple took a few private ballroom dance classes leading up to the day to help perfect their moves, which were set to Peter Gabriel’s “The Book of Love." "Twirling in my princess ballgown and waltzing around the dance floor in the strong and loving arms of my husband is a memory imprinted in my mind forever," Ashley says.

Ian shared a dance with his mom to James Taylor’s “How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You."

Ashley and Ian shared special bride and groom speeches at the reception. The bride made sure to mention her mom and the significance of the date of their wedding day. They shared highlights of their love story and Ashley quoted some romantic excerpts from a poem she wrote for Ian on their first Valentine’s Day together.

The couple served a three-tiered white wedding cake with a cascading French blue bow and ribbon design to mimic Ashley’s wedding gown. They cut their wedding cake to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love."

The couple and their guests enjoyed Charleston-inspired cuisine and a coffee bar at dinner. They played all types of music, from soul to modern pop for dancing. At the end of the evening, Ashley and Ian’s guests gathered for a sparkler sendoff.

To couples planning their own wedding, Ashley and Ian recommend partnering with vendors they trust to understand you as a couple and your vision. “A wedding is a wonderful, intimate, and expensive thing, so you want people who are invested in you as a couple,” Ashley says.