What can I say? I love my lowcountry weddings and the marriage of Babs and Brian, gave me entrée to a new area venue, the bucolic Seven Oaks in historic Bluffton. This formerly rundown antebellum house at the end of Calhoun Street has recently been transformed to its once-stately status by developer Thomas Viljac who bought the property about two years ago.
Seven Oaks, built in 1850, was originally a family residence and later, a boarding house for tired travelers looking for a meal and a night’s rest. It was one of the few structures not burned by Union troops in 1863 in a fire that destroyed two-thirds of Bluffton during the Civil War.
The beautiful 2-story house, named for the seven giant oak trees that stand sentinel on the now lush and immaculate grounds provides a magnificent view of the May River from the back of the house.
The fabulous food was catered by Downtown Catering in Bluffton. Leah McCarthy and her team do an incredible job and have the most mouth-watering Southern delicacies this side of the Mississippi. They cater in many venues around the Hilton Head area and Leah is a whiz in wedding planning as well. Definitely give her a call for planning weddings in the Bluffton/Hilton Head area.
Babs and Brian opted to wed on the front porch of this grand estate with guests seated in in folding white chairs on either side of the walk leading to the porch. For the reception, guests dined and danced under an expansive white tent on the back lawn, perfectly situated amidst the towering oaks. Giant fans kept the guests comfortable until the temperature cooled and they could stroll around the ample grounds and walk overlooking the gently flowing May River.
As for Babs and Brian, they make a darling couple, and their friends were so much fun! They were all very kind, making sure I had water throughout the evening and even keeping me cool with a portable battery-powered fan. One of their more extraverted friends took center-stage and sang a couple of ballads for the happy couple, much to the delight of their hooting and hollering friends.
