Five years after Bumble first brought bridal and demi-couture designer Alexandra Pijut—who made her fashion debut on Over The Moon—and investment banker Adam Schroeder together, he proposed in a garden in Charleston, S.C., with the first love letter he’d ever written to her in hand. Once engaged, the couple got straight to planning, deciding to get married at the bride’s family friend’s home in Thomasville, Georgia. “Adam and I are both happiest in the country and we fell in love with the stunning natural setting and beautiful property,” she shares. “It also felt right getting married so close to my childhood home which is about 20 minutes away.”
Aesthetically, Alexandra and her planner, Nan McCollum Myers, developed a starting color palette of greens, terracotta, lavender, burgundy, and plum to guide them. “We wanted the feeling to be whimsical, but have deep colors to give everything a grounded, moody feeling as well,” the bride notes. Shawn Connell was brought on to lens the design details and every special moment of the weekend. Alexandra’s own design studio, Thistle and Briar, set the tone with a whimsical invitation suite.
As a bridal designer, Alexandra’s wedding fashion journey was always going to differ from most, and she took on the daunting task of designing looks for herself, the bridesmaids, her mother, and her grandmother. For the ceremony, Alexandra wanted a traditional silhouette with meaningful details. “[It] was a classic ballgown with long sleeves and a jewel neckline that featured a delicate bow belt and bow closures down the back of the bodice,” she shares. “The embroidery was drawn and executed by hand to look like highly-textured, cotton lace and featured motifs that hold special meaning and memories: Abstract horses—I grew up on a horse farm—lilies—the main flower from my parents wedding—Florida palms—to represent my childhood home and wedding venue—and pearls—my mom’s wedding dress had pearl embellishments and being from Florida; I wanted something to represent growing up so close to the ocean.” Lindan Ivey and Amanda Blass gave Alexandra an elevated beauty look.
The bridal party’s dresses have since been turned into a special, made-to-order capsule collection called “Le Cygne” (“the swan” in French), now available on Over The Moon. “My bridesmaids each selected their favorite sketch and fabric from about 35 design options that I gave them,” Alexandra explains. “It was so special to see them pick out their favorite dresses and choose what they would feel best in.”
On April 5, 2025, Alexandra and her father walked down the aisle, as “The Swan” by Camille Saint-Saëns played. Adam awaited the bride in an ivory shawl collar Todd Snyder tuxedo and Manolo Blahniks. “At first I was a little overwhelmed and emotional, but then Adam and I just enjoyed ourselves,” the bride says of the ceremony. “He’s my best friend so the nerves just melted away once I was up there with him. We both laughed and cried a little bit, but overall we just felt excitement to start a new chapter of our lives together.”
The newlyweds recessed to “At Last” and met their guests for the cocktail hour. A tented reception followed. “Somehow my wedding planner and florist pulled off transforming the tent supports from poles to palm trees, which was one of my favorite details,” Alexandra shares. “The tables were adorned with flowers, overflowing from antique silver, velvet and floral tablecloths, and personal touches, like our John Derian guest book.”
After a first dance to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” guests enjoyed Southern fare from JB Crumbs and cake by Jessica Cameron. One of Alexandra’s favorite parts of the night was surprising Adam with a candy cart. “He has the biggest sweet tooth ever and was thrilled when he saw that we had created a candy station for him with his favorite sweets,” she remembers.
The DJ, who also happens to be the couple’s good friend Hunter, kept the party going into the early hours of the morning, while Whataburger and espresso martinis fueled the fun.
The post-wedding revelry continues into early next year when the newlyweds are set to go on their honeymoon. In the meantime, the new Alexandra Pijut demi-couture and bridal collections have just launched on Over The Moon and are another reason to celebrate.
