The Tamesis
Wedding photographer Anne Jervey Rhett and golf pro Matthew Appleby both grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and actually attended the same high school. “She was this cool senior when I was a sophomore, so I would say she didn’t know me, but I definitely knew her,” Matthew recalled. “Later, our paths crossed again when my sister got married and Anne was the wedding photographer. She was extremely professional and deflected my advances and flirtations in that moment, much to my dismay. When Anne posted these photos, I used it as an excuse to ask her out.”
Two years after they started dating, they got engaged on the beach at Harbor Island. Annie is filming a wedding in the Bahamas and invites Matthew to join her. “I had the ring for a few months and was trying to find a special and unique way to propose to her,” he recalled. “The opportunity to propose on the pink sand came up naturally and I accepted the proposal on Harbor Island.”
Luckily, some of Anne’s best friends happened to be vacationing on the island that same week and helped Matthew coordinate the proposal. “I’ve never been more nervous in my life,” he admits. “I had this scenario mapped out in my head, and in my head, I would so Smooth! However, when the moment came, I was visibly nervous and some might say looked a little uncomfortable. Still, my nervousness didn’t spoil the surprise and she said ‘Yes!’ ‘”
“I’ve worked in the wedding industry most of my adult life,” says Anne. “So being on the other side as a bride feels a little strange, but also familiar, and — I can’t lie — it feels great at times.”
A year after the proposal, the couple married at Sunny Point Farm outside Charleston. “We’re in the mossy, marshy, magical vastness of Wadmalaw Island,” says Anne. “This beautiful corner of the earth has always been part of Matthew’s mother’s family, and his parents and maternal grandparents were all married at this location, so it has a lot of sentimental value.” Because of Anne’s job, she was exposed to many far-flung wedding destinations—she did briefly dream of elopement somewhere internationally—but ultimately, since the couple were both Charleston natives, they decided to stick to their roots. “We thought, why ignore the beauty of your fingertips?” adds Anne. “We ultimately came to the conclusion that there really was no place like home for us.”
Anne and Matthew worked with Gathering Events to plan their wedding weekend. “I knew they could create an elegant yet relaxed environment,” explains Anne. “The mood board I brought them was a mashup of images that had come to me over the years – lots of shell patterns, pillars, fringed huts and striped awnings.” The team brought it all to life and came up with Anne and Matthew’s idea for a beautifully winding garden-style aisle decorated with cascading flowers.
