Meet Jennifer and Chad - Clemson alums and lovers of all things Clemson. Jennifer, originally from Vidalia, GA, graduated from Clemson in 2007 with a degree in Graphic Communications. While at Clemson, she was an active member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Even though she grew up a Georgia Bulldog fan, she is now a Clemson Tiger for life (which she says is due mainly in part to Chad).
Chad, originally from Westminster, SC, graduated from Clemson in 2006 with a degree in Environmental Geology. He loves going to Clemson football games.
Jennifer and Chad met in late April of 2004 at Los Bravos through a mutual friend. They started out as friends, but three weeks later they couldn't deny their feelings and Chad asked Jennifer to be his girlfriend. Jennifer says, "We have been best friends on a roller-coaster ride ever since."
The Proposal
Chad was determined to surprise Jennifer with the ring of her dreams, but first...like the perfect southern gentleman he is...he got the blessing of Jennifer's parents. After buying the ring, Chad could not wait to pop the question. He jumped in his car and drove 8 hours to Greenville to surprise Jennifer.
It was 10:40pm when Jennifer got a knock on the door - she looked through the peep hole but didn't see anyone so she didn't answer. Another knock soon followed. She slowly opened the door....and to her surprise, Chad was on one knee in front of her. Jennifer told us that he said, "Jennifer Lynn Cherry, I love you so much. Will you spend the rest of your life with me?" She of course said YES!
The Wedding
Jennifer and Chad decided to get married at The Madren Center's Owen Pavilion in Clemson. I asked Jennifer why they chose Clemson for their wedding. She said, "Because that is where our story began and where we fell in love with one another."
In true Clemson spirit, the couple chose purple and orange for their wedding colors. Jennifer admits that purple has always been her favorite color and Chad always says, "A true Clemson fan wears orange."
Jennifer's dress was from David's Bridal and it was an Oleg Classani in ivory. Her bridesmaids also wore dresses from David's Bridal in a deep purple and carried orange roses. The groomsmen wore black tuxes with orange ties and vests.
"For good luck, I made sure I had something on me that reminded me of three important women in my life," Jennifer told us. "I had my great-grandmother's handkerchief embroidered with my new monogram and wrapped it around my bouquet. I wore a diamond and sapphire ring on my right hand that was given to me as a graduation present from my grandmother. The diamonds were originally hers. I put my mother's six pence in my right shoe. I had them with me every step of the way. As my touch of Clemson, I wore a Clemson garter."
The couple choose to have their ceremony outdoors with the archway facing the signature hole (#17) at Walker Golf Course. "The weather was perfect on our day," Jennifer said. And it's very apparent in the amazing photos with Lake Hartwell and the gorgeous sunset in the background.
"The Madren Center was awesome!" according to Jennifer. They made sure everything was setup the way she wanted it and of course had the orange napkins and purple table cloths there at no extra charge. Jennifer also wanted to give a special shout out to her event planner from the Madren Center, Dory Kidd, who made sure all of the details were taken care of so the couple could enjoy their big day.The flowers and decorations were from Tiger Lily. "Ms. Margaret knows what Clemson purple and Clemson orange means as far as the color scheme you are looking for and she has decorated probably about every venue in the Clemson area," Jennifer said.
Other Clemson touches...The cake was from Cakes by Shirley in Seneca, SC. It was a beautiful 4 tiered cake with purple ribbon wrapping each tier with a white swirl pattern and topped off with fresh flowers. The parents and bridal party were announced at the reception as Eye of the Tiger played in the background. And of course, the couple was announced while Tiger Rag was playing.
Some of Jennifer's favorite memories from her big day included the fact that her brother was her 'Man of Honor'. "He made me laugh through all of our pictures," says Jennifer. She'll also never forget "holding Chad's hands at the alter and our eyes locked on each other. It was like no one else was there. Just the two of us."
She also fondly remembers taking pictures in the stadium. The Orange and White game was the same weekend, so anything to do with Clemson football was off limits. "I bugged the Asst. Athletic Director, so much that he finally caved and let us in the stadium while they were cleaning it. I will always cherish those pictures. We are football season ticket holders, so it was so incredible."
Advice from the BrideAnd finally, while not Clemson related, Jennifer has some great advice for those of you planning your own special day....especially if you're venue is miles and miles away (Jennifer and Chad planned their wedding from Orlando, FL).
1). Pick your venue and a season or month you would like to get married. Call your venue ASAP to set your date. Places book up at least a year or two in advance.
2). Ask your venue if they have a preferred vendor list then start calling the vendors you picked to ask about their availability. Setup appointments to meet with them and put down deposits to save your date. I met with all five of my vendors in one weekend. Preferred vendors are key because they know the venue.
3). Do your research!! Look online and in wedding books to get ideas. Develop a color scheme and theme to your wedding. It makes it so much easier to make decisions. There are too many choices out there to be indecisive. Your venue and what time of day you're get married will help to determine whether your wedding is formal or casual.
4). Make a budget and always keep it in mind.
5). Get your groom involved. He might have some opinions of his own. I know mine did.
6). WARNING!! Do not make this wedding your whole life, because your groom will get tired of hearing about it, and it could cause a few arguments...which is not what you want.
7). Last but not least: DO NOT TRY TO GET MARRIED DURING FOOTBALL SEASON!
Thank you Jennifer and Chad for sharing your special day with us! I love that Clemson and Clemson colors were an important theme throughout the wedding. And how amazing are the Lake Hartwell shots? Gorgeous venue. Which photo is your favorite?
And again...a very, very big thanks to Kismet Photography for sharing their photos with us today. Please take time to visit their Web site and their blog - while you're browsing the lovely blog posts on their blog (you know you are going to), comment and say a quick thanks for sharing with all of us today!
Do you have a Clemson wedding or Clemson wedding touches/ideas/etc. you would like to share with the readers of our blog on an upcoming Wedding Wednesday? Please email us!!
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