A year after Savannah Borders and Kyle Smith first crossed paths in law school at the University of Virginia, the two reconnected at a friend’s birthday party in her hometown of Atlanta. “The next day, school emailed saying not to come back from spring break because of Covid!” Savannah exclaims. “I ended up in Atlanta for the next nine months, which is when we started dating.”
Two years later, on the weekend of Savannah’s birthday, Kyle proposed. She had planned a celebratory dinner for Saturday night and on the evening-of, Kyle suggested they stop for a drink in the West Village. He led her into the garden at the Church of St. Luke in the Fields and dropped to one knee. “I cried so many tears,” Savannah recalls. “I was so surprised.”
The bride-to-be always knew she’d be married at Sea Island. “It is our second home and holds so much meaning to me and Kyle as a couple,” she shares. “During the early days of the pandemic, the beach was our escape. It is where we first decided to be a couple and exchanged our first ‘I love yous.’” Savannah imagined a ceremony in the Cloister garden underneath the oak trees followed by a sunset reception overlooking the ocean at The Lodge.
“We wanted the reception to feel classic but enriched with details that reflected our story and our taste,” she explains. Over The Moon-favorite planner Augusta Cole brought her vision to life exquisitely, while Eric Kelley photographed every detail.
As for her wedding wardrobe, the bride turned to Anny Choi of Over The Moon Styling for her September nuptials. “Anny and I collaborated to style several looks throughout the weekend,” Savannah shares. “I wanted each of my looks to represent the theme or vibe of the event.”
On her wedding day, Savannah wore an off-the-shoulder Monique Lhuillier. “Anny patiently stuck with me through more bridal appointments than I care to admit, but once I tried on my dress, I knew it was the one,” she says. “My bridal icon was always Grace Kelly, so I was thrilled to work with Anny and the Monvieve team, who helped create a custom veil with lace and organza that was woven from the same loom as her veil.”
Savannah and Kyle welcomed guests to Georgia with a Sea Island classic—Southern Soul Barbecue. “Many of our guests were first-timers at Sea Island, and I would never let them go without the Southern Soul experience!” she notes.
Friday morning, Kyle met a few guests for a golf scramble at The Lodge, while Savannah—in lieu of a bridal luncheon—lounged by the pool, a “last splash” under the sun. That evening, everyone met at Ocean Forest Club for the rehearsal dinner. To this, the bride-to-be wore custom Markarian. As the groom’s parents hail from Charleston, they opted for subtle Southern details—a bluegrass band added to the ambiance of it all while a roving oyster shucker delighted guests. “Les Indiennes printed tablecloths and rattan details completed the coastal-inspired tablescape,” Savannah shares. “At the end of the night, our parents surprised us with fireworks over the ocean.”
On September 30, 2023, the bride dressed in her Monique Lhuillier dress, while Meg McMillion, Gracie Bass, and Patrick Navarro created her bridal beauty look. It was all topped off seamlessly by the same diamond earrings Savannah’s mother wore on her wedding day as well as a lily of the valley bouquet, fastened with satin ribbon—also one of her mother’s wedding details.
Bridesmaids were styled by the bride’s sister, Maggie Borders, who chose a blush Emilia Wickstead dress for herself. The wedding party followed suit with coordinated looks in a balanced color palette.
Then, as a string quartet played, Savannah walked with her father toward Kyle at the head of an altar adorned with Vine Garden Market florals. “I felt overwhelmed with emotion—I thought a lot about all of the people waiting for us outside who helped to get us to this day, about the significance of what we were about to do,” she reflects. “At the same time, I felt a wave of nostalgia for my childhood, as I held my dad’s hand.” Once the couple exchanged vows and sealed it all with a kiss, they exited the ceremony as newlyweds surrounded by the cheers of loved ones.
Afterward, as Savannah and Kyle drove underneath the shade of the sprawling Spanish oak trees on Canary Drive in a vintage Rolls Royce courtesy of WhipDash, everyone met on the lawn of The Lodge for an oceanside cocktail hour. Inside the reception tent, tables were set with smoke-colored glasses, Bernardaud china, and a menu illustrated by Li Ward.
The newlyweds danced to Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny,” and everyone sat for char-grilled grouper and beef tenderloin over squash linguini. After sentimental toasts by the father of the bride and the groom, Sol Fusion had everyone up on their feet. “The highlight was an impromptu performance of ‘Purple Rain’ by one of our treasured and talented guests, which absolutely brought the house down,” Savannah smiles.
During the band’s final set, guests received an envelope containing a key and an invitation to the after-party. Espresso martinis in hand, everyone made their way down to the men’s locker room where DJ Pirate Stereo was waiting. “Our after-party turned on the idea that the men’s locker room at Sea Island is usually private and reserved only for gentlemen, and we wanted to take everyone inside for a night of fun and debauchery,” Savannah explains. “Guests took to the dance floor, mingled at the martini bar, stole away to the cigar room and didn’t stop until the final song!”
