An idyllic wedding week getaway on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

It can be hard to slow down in the business of balancing your careers, social lives, family lives & planning a wedding. Your wedding date rolls through & on past you if you aren’t careful.

While I may be biased as a former destination bride myself, it’s the long wedding week getaway that I can advocate for any couple who wants to relish in this once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

Doctors & parents, Liz & Gautham, have a lot going on in their daily lives. And aside from leaning heavily on their fantastic planner at Amanda Rose Weddings, the couple chose to truly slow down for their wedding celebration, beckoning an intimate group of family & friends for a week in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

The week was idyllic & dreamy in every way: dinners on the beach, pods of dolphins passing by their ceremony, hours lounging by the pool & throughout the three homes rented for all their treasured guests. This is South Carolina’s Low Country slow living at its finest.

Our Love Story

We are both physicians and we met working at the hospital. Gautham was actually attending while I was in training. Unfortunately, our relationship was not as exciting or scandalous as those on Grey’s Anatomy. We became close friends and then we waited until I finished residency to actually start dating.

We took a trip to Bali. I had a feeling a proposal was coming and I begged Gautham to do it at the beginning of the trip so I would not be nervous the whole vacation. Our first night he planned a private dinner on the beach. It was so beautiful. We enjoyed the rest of our trip as a newly engaged couple before telling any of our family or friends.

The Destination

Originally I wanted to get married at a courthouse – less work! But Gautham wanted something a little more romantic and wanted our friends and family to be there. Since we both have very busy jobs, our priority was to have a wedding where we could have extra time with the people we love. I grew up going to Hilton Head Island every year and it has always had a special place in my heart. So we rented three beach houses on Hilton Head Island and filled them with our closest friends and family.

The Planning

I relied heavily on our planner Aimee Fennessy of Amanda Rose Weddings. She made everything from the decor to the food seamless and BEAUTIFUL. For our rehearsal dinner, we wanted a long farm table with all thirty of our guests, and she made it happen in the back yard of one of the houses, with beautiful string lighting and amazing food!

The Dress

My mom and I went to New York City to go wedding dress shopping. We went to several different bridal salons without much luck. Finally, we stopped at Macy’s on a whim and found my dress. When I put it on I cried tears of joy (mostly that the shopping was over!)

The Photography

Our photographer, David (Ritual Photography) was also pretty important. I met him when he shot my friend Sonia’s wedding. Her photos were gorgeous, but more importantly he makes a point to blend in with the vibe of the wedding, and always made us feel comfortable. We didn’t want too many staged photos, we wanted real moments captured and he and his partner Beth did just that. He actually stayed at one of the houses and hung out with us all week, taking photos all along the way!

Favorite Moments

The evening of our rehearsal dinner a storm rolled in and painted the sky pink. It is one of the most beautiful skies I have seen to this day and was an awesome backdrop to my dad’s moving toast.

On the morning of the wedding, we took our kids Rohan and Isha on a Commander Zodiac trip to go dolphin watching. I remember praying for dolphins to come for the kids, but disappointingly we didn’t see too many. Later that day, as I walked with my dad down the aisle, a pod of dolphins swam by and stayed the whole ceremony. Everyone was looking at me as I came down the aisle and I was pointing and yelling “You guys, look! Dolphins!” It was pretty special.

Our friend Tom was our officiant. He is someone Gautham has known and trusted for a long time. He has a beautiful marriage with his high school sweetheart Mary. He was the perfect person to marry us, it is still one of our favorite parts of the wedding.

That night Gautham’s close friend Ken (and also technically several of the guest’s boss) and his wife kicked our butts in a round of flip cup. That was unexpected and very fun!

Family Heirlooms & Traditions

My stepdad Tony died a few years ago. He was a very important part of my life. My mom bought a special locket with his picture that she presented to me the day before my wedding. We attached the locket to my flowers so he could walk down the aisle with me. That is something I will treasure forever.

In the Indian tradition, the groom places a necklace called a mangalsutra on the bride which identifies her as a married woman. Gautham’s parents presented me with a mangalsutra the night of our rehearsal dinner, and my husband placed it on me. Our close friend Jay explained the significance to our guests.

DIY Details

Since we are both doctors, my mom made prescription pads for our wedding. Everyone was to write their prescription for a happy marriage. She also made our place settings for our rehearsal dinner and put up photos of Gautham and me around the beach houses to give it a personal touch. She also made me a handkerchief with the words “Keep your shit together,” which provided much needed comic relief as my husband and I were both balling like babies trying to say our vows.

Advice to Other Couples

Just to remember what is important and not to get too caught up in the details. I was so grateful to my planner Aimee for taking care of the details for me so I could just enjoy my family, friends and now husband.