Ashley Crawford and Josh Hughes met through work—he’s a real-estate developer, and she’s an investor—in Washington, D.C. and dated for five years before getting engaged. During that time, they moved from D.C. to New York and from New York to Charleston together, finally settling into life in the Lowcountry.
One Saturday morning in early June, they headed to Sullivan’s Island Beach, a favorite spot where they often let their dog run around. “Josh was uncharacteristically rushing me to get ready, so I threw on a t-shirt, jeans, and a sweater, and we headed to the beach,” Ashley remembers. “We normally park in the same spot, but this morning, Josh decided to park a few streets down, a little closer to the lighthouse. While watching our dog run around, I turned around and Josh was on one knee! I was so stunned I didn’t even say anything, and Josh had to remind me that he had asked a question!” They celebrated with brunch and, later that day, met friends for drinks on the rooftop of The Dewberry before a surprise engagement party.
It wasn’t planned that they celebrated their engagement at the same place they’d say “I do,” but, after touring a number of venues, Ashley and Josh just kept coming back to The Dewberry. “We knew that we wanted to get married in Charleston, and The Dewberry felt the most like us,” Ashley says. “We loved the mid-century design and the thoughtful consideration of all of the event spaces, from the lush walled garden to the rooftop where cocktail hour was held to the European-inspired ballroom.” They wanted to play up the garden, especially. “One of the things we love most about Charleston is its many historic gardens. Our favorites among them tend to have a ‘hidden’ feel, so we gravitated toward this idea of a secret garden imbued with touches of modern elegance. This aesthetic, combined with a black-tie dress code, really matched what we envisioned.” They tapped Mandalynn Schwartz and Camila Craft of Spellbound Events to bring the vision to life, and Rebecca Sigety to photograph it.
Ashley was less sure of her vision for the dress, so she began by gathering inspiration. “I pulled some of my favorite fashion references, including Givenchy’s creations for Audrey Hepburn, and Bianca Jagger’s Halston dress at the 1981 Met Gala,” she says. “I brought my mom and best friend from home to go dress shopping, and found my Ines Di Santo wedding dress within the first five dresses I tried on that day. I loved the modern silhouette and delicate nature of the lace, and loved that when you looked closely, the lace had wisps of very light pink throughout, almost like watercolor brushstrokes.”
She accessorized with diamond and pearl earrings from Ring Concierge, white satin Aquazurra heels, and a “something borrowed” pearl bracelet from her mother-in-law. “As my ‘something blue,’ I wrapped my late grandmother’s embroidered handkerchief around my bouquet,” Ashley explains. Shadows & Shears gave her a half-up hairstyle and soft glam.
On June 8, 2024, Ashley and Josh exchanged vows in the walled garden. “It really is a true secret garden within the context of the entire venue, as many people don’t know that it’s there,” the bride says. “We decided on a grounded floral arrangement that draped down the altar, which complemented the garden’s various trees and cypress hedges. A string quartet was stationed in the corner playing some of our favorite songs by Elton John, Taylor Swift, and The Beatles.”
The bride’s nerves melted away as she walked down the aisle with her dad. “When I finally got up to the altar with Josh, I think we both just really tried to take it all in,” she recalls. “I made a point to look out in the crowd at the beginning of the ceremony,” the groom adds. “It was such a special moment to see our family and friends together in the same place.”
Following cocktail hour, guests entered the reception where Festoon Charleston adorned the space to continue the garden theme. “Josh and I love to entertain, so our goal was to make our reception feel like a chic garden party,” Ashley says. “We chose a linear table configuration with textured linens, candy-colored florals, and traditional menu stationery and calligraphy that lent a bit of old world elegance.” They made their grand entrance to Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day,” then “we continued our jazz theme for the remainder of dinner with a jazz trio stationed under the trees,” Ashley says. “It was a real ‘Jazz in the Garden’ moment.”
After dinner, guests moved to the ballroom, where Velvet Bay Groove Co. performed a mix of oldies and pop, and Ashley changed into an embellished A.L.C. minidress. “Desserts were passed, including our almond and vanilla wedding cake and an assortment of mini tarts and trifles,” the bride says. “At the end of the night, the band played ‘Closing Time,’ which, other than it being the last song, was one of our favorite parts of the night.”
The after-party at a nearby bar went late into the night, and the newlyweds took their honeymoon right after the magical weekend. “We decided on Paris and the South of France, and it ended up being the perfect mix of city, seaside, and wine country,” Ashley says. “The best kind of trip to unwind after a whirlwind wedding week!”
