Blanche Kronzer and Ian Marr can’t quite say when they first met. “It’s hard to pin down; we have known each other forever!” Blanche says. “I believe we met in middle school. We were friends until we started dating during our sophomore year of high school.”
They dated throughout high school and college—long distance while they attended universities in Alabama and Tennessee—and finally got engaged on a trip to visit Blanche’s family in Charleston. “We had dinner reservations—or so I thought—and Ian wanted to go to the beach for a drink beforehand. We ended up taking a long walk on the beach, which I thought was to watch the sunset, but really it was to get to a quiet spot.” The proposal was perfect, and the ring made it even more special. Centering the three-stone design was Blanche’s great-grandmother’s diamond, an heirloom that’s come to be known as the “Blanche Stone” in her family. “After my great-grandmother wore it for 20 years, my grandmother wore it for 20 years, and then my mother wore it for 30 years,” Blanche says. “All of us have Blanche in our name, so it is very special that I will be the fourth Blanche to carry the legacy.”
Her and Ian’s wedding would be an equal homage to family. “Even before Ian proposed, we knew we wanted to get married at my family’s property on Wadmalaw Island,” the bride says. “It is a very special place to both of us, as we have spent many holidays and weekends there together over the years.” In 2018, Blanche’s grandparents built an open-air chapel on the property in honor of her late Aunt Leigh. “Leigh’s Chapel has been a special place in our family,” she says. “There have been memorials and christenings in the chapel, but Ian and I were the first to get married there.” They embraced the Lowcountry for their wedding aesthetic. “We wanted to plan around the beauty of the land, so we focused on greens, yellows, and pops of pink, my favorite color!”
The couple gave their 300 guests a taste of Charleston with a downtown rehearsal dinner and welcome party the night before the wedding. “I wore an Emilia Wickstead dress and Manolo Blahnik shoes—besides my wedding dress, it is one of my favorite dresses I have ever worn,” Blanche says.
For the wedding day, she customized a classic Anne Barge dress. “One of my favorite parts of my dress was the soutache band at the bottom, so I had them create a wrap with the same fabric to go over the top of my bodice for the ceremony,” Blanche says. “For jewelry, I borrowed my late Aunt Leigh’s diamond tennis necklace. It was so special to have a piece of her with me that day.” The finishing touch was her mother’s veil. “The veil was one of my favorite parts of my whole look! It was still intact after 30 years, and I had always pictured myself wearing it. I feel like it added the perfect touch to my whole look.” Dannon K. Collard gave the bride a bright, fresh beauty look.
On March 23, 2024, the couple’s family filled the Leigh’s Chapel while friends gathered around its walls. Gathering Events bedecked the entry arch with lush greenery and florals. “The ceremony felt very intimate, even with almost 300 guests there,” Blanche remembers. “I was nervous and calm at the same time. We were so giddy that by the time our officiant finished saying, ‘You may now kiss the bride,’ we were already halfway to each other. Exiting the chapel and seeing all of our friends outside waiting for us with a petal toss was surreal.”
Cocktail hour included a martini bar and string musicians playing pop music, then guests headed into the reception tent. The venue was built from the ground up: a clear-topped tent draped to the nines by Underneath the Veil, hung with rattan lanterns and adorned with poppy pink florals and sage green touches.
Following the father of the bride’s memorable welcome toast, guests sat down to a Lowcountry meal by Cru Catering, while the bride and groom snuck away. “Ian and I had a moment to eat alone on the porch of the tent,” Blanche says. “We were tucked away in the corner, and the sun had set, so no one could really see us, but we could watch everyone mix and mingle. It was so fun seeing the positive energy and excitement of our friends and family from this view.”
The newlyweds danced to “Still the One” by Orleans. “The band was a big priority for us—we love a good party! “ Blanche says. “We chose I Love This Band, and they did not disappoint.” They got everyone on the wrapped dance floor and played until the very last moment. “After the reception, the band members led guests out with horn instruments, and we did a sparkler exit to our getaway car, a vintage 1975 Bentley,” Blanche says. Shortly after, they jetted to France for a honeymoon in Paris, Provence, and Cannes.
