Hayden Keith Hendrix and William Huffman Hendrix, Jr. have a classic love story: They’ve known each other since they were kids. “Will and I grew up together in Charlotte, North Carolina; we have been great friends since we were 14 years old and went to rival high schools,” Hayden shares. After college, they both moved to New York and, finally, a romance sparked. The duo dated for five years, while firmly establishing themselves in careers. Will is the CEO of an insurance brokerage firm, and Hayden is the co-founder and designer of Byrdie Golf Social Wear.
When Hayden’s Byrdie Co-Founder and fellow OTM Bride Rachelle Wates got married in Surrey, England, last year, Hayden and Will used the destination wedding as an excuse to extend an international trip for themselves. “We traveled around Paris and London after Rachelle’s wedding,” Hayden shares. “Will planned the most amazing night in London. He took me to Queen Mary’s rose garden, where he proposed. I’m obsessed with roses, so it was quite magical!”
Hayden always dreamed of getting married on Hilton Head Island. “The island is home to many memories of golf rounds, pickleball tournaments, family parties, and much more,” she says. “We knew the 18th hole at Harbor Town Golf Links would be the perfect spot to tie the knot and welcome our friends. I wanted a whimsical, coastal-yet-elegant Lowcountry wedding with lots and lots of friends and family.”
The setting perfectly fit her aesthetic vision, a vision that also defines her brand, Byrdie Golf. “At the time we started wedding planning, we had just launched our ‘coastal collection’ at Byrdie, so you see many shells, lobsters, and fun elements that reflect that collection.” Indeed the theme—#UnderParAndOverSpritzed—combined many of the couple’s favorite things and was refined into something classically chic by planner Dina Berg Blazek. (“My mom booked her six months before we even got engaged!” Hayden says.) Virgil Bunao photographed.
Fashion was paramount throughout the entire weekend of events, which began with a “Welcome to The Island” party. “I wore an amazing white gown from Alexis, a disco ball bag from Poolside and bright coral lipstick,” Hayden describes. For her bridal brunch, she opted for a V. Chapman midi from OTM that she plans to wear again and again to weddings in the future.
Her next two looks, though, Hayden designed herself. The first, a printed frock with a detachable cape train that she wore to the rehearsal dinner, set the tone for much of the wedding aesthetic: Hayden designed her own print for the dress, then sent it off to her stationer, Arzberger, to incorporate into the wedding paper suite and items like napkins and tablecloths. And. . .great news, it’s now available on Over The Moon!
But it was Hayden’s wedding gown that ultimately stole the show. “I spent a year designing and creating my wedding gown,” the bride says. “It had a corset covered in French lace that I sourced from the same company that did Kate Middleton’s gown. We attached three tiered layers of ivory tulle, a very long tulle train, and a pair of custom lace gloves.” She wore yellow diamond studs and her mother-in-law’s sapphire ring; Jami Svay gave her a vintage Hollywood hairstyle and pinned in a chic birdcage veil.
And Hayden wasn’t the only one in white: Will wore a white tuxedo, a printed handkerchief in the custom print his bride devised, and a pair of black velvet driving shoes sourced from OTM. And, in fact, “I wanted the entire bridal party to be a vision in white,” Hayden says. “The girls wore white Staud gowns with aquamarine studs, and the men wore white tuxedos.”
A bagpiper belted out “Highland Cathedral”—a nod to the PGA Heritage tournament, which takes place in the very spot each year—as Hayden walked down the 18th hole aisle on November 4, 2023. She met Will beneath a thick floral archway of greenery and white designed by Jay Lugibihl of In Bloom; green and white florals were also arranged on the ground at the ceremony entrance in the artful shape of the couple’s monogram.
“The ceremony was magical,” Hayden remembers. “It was 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. I was so surprised by how calm and peaceful I felt; I thought I was going to be a bit nervous!” After “I do,” the bagpiper led guests to the clubhouse lawn for cocktail hour. “I just remember all the boats tooting their horns as everyone walked by!”
Cocktail hour was an event in itself, and Hayden’s favorite part of the day. “It was Aperol Spritz-themed, and we put on a putting contest for all the guests; it was the cutest sight to see,” she says. Servers passed sashimi tacos and mini crab cakes.
At the reception, the bride’s father quoted Heartland’s “I Loved Her First” in a tearjerking speech—“safe to say I cried the entire speech!” Hayden says—and the couple danced to Made in LA’s “Closer,” a song they fell in love to. After a seated dinner and a cake designed by the bride’s mother, “we served espresso martini shots to really get the party started!” EastCoast Entertainment and The After Party Experience (T.A.P.E.) entertained.
“The after-party was one of my favorite parts of the weekend,” Hayden says. “We had a disco party, and two of our best friends, who happen to be professional DJs, threw quite the party!” Of course, fashion was key here, too, albeit of a different kind. “We sent out fun invitations for this party months in advance, so our guests came prepared with incredible disco outfits, jewelry, and unreal wigs.” The bride and groom, too, opted for sparkly second-look attire, both adding a special accessory: custom gold “H” initial necklaces to honor their new shared name.
