A backdrop of the Charleston low-country coupled with a May garden party reception set the scene for Dogwood Hill bride Molly Wickham Willis’ 2025 wedding. We love when we get a behind-the-scene look at our bride’s special days, but this one feels even more momentous since Molly is one of Dogwood Hill’s very own designers! Molly is our Wedding Team Leader and works tirelessly assisting brides with choosing and customizing their wedding paper every day! We know you will enjoy the beautiful images from her special day as well as reading her wedding story.
How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story.
Spencer and I met in 2017 in Charleston, South Carolina. I had just moved into a new house downtown on Race Street, and Spencer lived right next door. After a few months of being neighbors, Spencer finally asked if I wanted to grab a drink down the street at Little Jack’s Tavern. After that night, we didn’t see or talk to each other for another month or two, but finally we reconnected and somehow started hanging out more and more until one day in May 2018, Spencer introduced me to a coworker as his girlfriend.
How did he propose?
We are big mountain town people. We love taking a weekend drive somewhere in the high country to go hiking, antiquing, or just exploring a new town. Spencer had planned on taking me to a bluegrass festival in Highlands, North Carolina, at the end of June. It wasn’t anything uncommon, because that was one town we hadn’t really explored. The week before we left, I learned that the festival was a “ticketed seated dinner,” so we were still going to go just to explore. Again, not uncommon for our plans to change. On Saturday, we checked into the Sky Line Lodge. Right before dinner on-site, Spencer wanted to show me around the grounds since I was too scared to walk around earlier in the day because a bear was spotted. We were walking towards an area overlooking the mountains when I made eye contact with the only person around, who just happened to be holding a camera. Spencer always joked and fake proposed in the most hilarious places, but this time I knew it was real! The rest seems like a blur, but of course I said yes!
What was the feel that you wanted to accomplish for your wedding and how did your Dogwood Hill paper coordinate with that?
I loved the idea of florals that felt like I went into a garden and picked them, so that’s how all the greenery along the tent, the bouquets, and table arrangements came about- just very wild and whimsical! Which is how I felt about Arabella June’s Fruiter wedding suite. I work on Dogwood Hill wedding paper daily, but as soon as I saw the Fruitier suite with all the colorful florals and green script- it was like my wedding vision but on paper. I also loved that I could mix and match all the products; nothing had to look exactly the same across items. I loved being able to mix floral prints with stripes and different patterns with our paper items, but also linens!
What made you select your particular ceremony and reception venues?
We knew we wanted to get married in Charleston since it’s where we met. I wanted somewhere that looked and felt like Charleston, too- a downtown garden, a venue by the water, or a historical building. After an exhaustive search for the perfect location, we finally landed on The Pavilion, a tent just off the Charleston Harbor! Luckily, there was a weekend in May that was available since we knew doing outdoors in July or August would be HOT! We know what to expect humidity-wise, but our guests wouldn’t! Also available on the same weekend was a historical building/garden in downtown that we had been looking at, but it was just a little too small for some of the “big” things we wanted. We also booked our rehearsal dinner and welcome party at 62 Broad, which fulfilled all of my garden party dreams.
Did you and your husband do a “first look” or did you wait for the first look to take place during your ceremony? And what led you to that decision?
We did do a first look before our ceremony. We thought we’d get all the emotions out before walking down the aisle (joke was on us), but it took place at The Faber House, where the girls all got ready. It ended up being really special because our wedding party was able to stand on the house’s balcony and watch us below in the garden. So everyone in the wedding party was included, but from a distance.
What about your wedding was unique?
Since we met as neighbors on Race Street, it felt like we needed to revisit the houses for an impromptu photoshoot. No one even knew where we were going until the bus took a “wrong turn” and we ended up in front of 23 + 25 Race Street. We took shots with our little yellow and blue houses behind us, and they are the most amazing and memorable photos from the day. There are so many beautiful streets and spots to take photos in Charleston that anyone can get but photos on Race Street seemed like the most Spencer and Molly thing to do!
What is your favorite element or detail from your wedding day?
One thing about Spencer- he’s an ultimate PEZ collector. And after seven years together, I have also happily become a bit of a collector myself. So naturally, we chose bride and groom PEZ dispensers as our cake topper. They were such a fun, nostalgic touch and ended up being a huge hit with our friends and family!
What traditions did you incorporate into your wedding?
For a little wedding-day luck, three of our groomsmen’s parents gifted us a bottle of bourbon to follow the classic Charleston tradition – burying it before the big day to keep the rain away. And in Charleston, where the weather can turn from sunshine to a midday shower in an instant, we figured it was worth a try! Our venue happened to be on a golf course, so digging wasn’t exactly encouraged. Instead, we found a small walking trail just off the property that led to a beautiful overlook of the Charleston Harbor. It felt a little risky; someone could’ve spotted us, we might forget the spot, or even worse, high tide could’ve carried it away, but we went for it anyway. After the ceremony during the cocktail hour, we gathered a few friends and made our way back down the path to the spot we had marked with a simple “W.” To our delight, the bottle was still there… and the skies stayed perfectly clear all day. So, I’d say that old wives’ tale might just be true!
What was your favorite paper detail from your wedding?
I don’t know that I had one specific favorite paper detail- I truly loved our entire suite. But one detail I especially enjoyed was incorporating the suite’s artwork (Arabella’s Fruitier) into notepads for the girls in the wedding party. For the guys, I kept it classic with a monogram of their last name in the same green from our suite. They were simple, thoughtful gifts that felt cohesive and useful.
Can you tell us about finding your wedding dress?
Way back when, I had pinned a photo of a bridal party on Pinterest. After getting engaged, I went back to it determined to track down the dress, only to discover it was from a 2019 collection and no longer available. After a little Google image searching, I found an almost identical dress at a boutique in Augusta, Georgia. I messaged the shop on Instagram to see if they still had it, booked an appointment, and made the two and a half hour drive to try it on.
Of course, I tried a few other dresses while I was there, but in the end, I just knew that one was my dress. It felt so perfectly me: 3D florals along the bodice, a soft cap sleeve, and a belted waist. It was the only dress I could truly picture myself wearing.
Vendors:
Photography: @samanthajeanbecker
Planning: @pinnacle_weddings
Venue: @pavilionatpatriotspoint
Florals: @saltstem_chs
Stationery: Dogwood Hill
Linens: @bbjlatavola
Rentals: @ibaeventrentals_ + @eventworksrentals
Lighting: @charlestonglowco
Catering + Bar: @duvalleventschs
Cake: @publix
Band: @eastcoastentertainment + The Business
Ceremony Music: @n8leach
Hair: @hair.by.mdweeter
Makeup: @silhouetteonsite
Bridal Suite: @faberhousesuites
Bridal Dress: @elegantbridals
Alterations: Professional Touch by Tira