Lowcountry wedding the centerpiece of a perfect weekend

What a fabulous weekend we just had.

After a week of rainy days and cloudy nights, the sun came out as we found ourselves tooling up U.S. 17 to Laurel Springs Plantation. The fun began Friday as close family members gathered at the plantation to celebrate the marriage of our niece, Maria Ghys, to Charlie Drawdy at the Drawdy family’s country house. The present day house on the property was built in 1934 by then-owner E.F. Hutton after fire destroyed the original.

The house is an absolutely charming and welcoming place, a sprawling compound decorated in such an elegant, understated fashion, much like an English cottage. In fact, it would be a wonderful setting for Miss Marple and one of her mysterious whodunits. The house is set among towering live oaks draped in Spanish moss and faces old rice fields with spectacular views.

On Friday, everyone gathered on the front porch to enjoy a delicious shrimp boil and scrumptious desserts prepared by the ladies of Hampton County.

On Saturday, after a wonderful night’s sleep, guests gathered for a big breakfast to decide what all were going to do at their leisure until 6 o’clock, when drinks and hors d’oeuvres were served before the 7 p.m. ceremony.

Charlie’s mother, Lil, is a charming bundle of energy and had every mealtime and menu planned down to the last crumb. The two fabulous helpers in the kitchen have been with the family for 30 years or so, and what troopers they are.

We all gathered on the front lawn for the short ceremony just as the sun was setting and as the new Mr. and Mrs. Charles Henry Drawdy shared a short kiss among clapping and cheers. After a lovely dinner, we once again gathered on the front lawn to release Chinese lanterns into the moonlit sky. We watched the beautiful lanterns float up and away as we, too, drifted off to our rooms and the land of Nod.

On Sunday morning, we all shared a divine breakfast casserole that several of Lil’s friends had made for us and chatted about how wonderful the weekend had been. After changing into our Sunday best, it was off to the beautiful Jacksonboro Baptist Church down U.S.17, for a very uplifting service.

Then it was back to the plantation for lunch before the guests departed for home.

The whole affair was very special and relaxing, and the divine Miss Lil was still as cool as a cucumber as she bade us all adieu. I wish all weddings could be as lovely as this one.

Thirsty? Give this beer a try

Have any of you ever tried Saison beer?

Saison beer began life in the southern part of Belgium as a farmhouse ale. The ale was brewed at the end of winter to be stored for the farmhands to drink in the summer as they harvested the crops. This beer had to be light, not too strong, so farm workers would not get too wobbly and could keep working. There were many different types of Saisons depending on who made the ale.

So ask for a Saison beer — “say-sawn” — and see what you think.

A seat fit for a king or queen

I can’t wait to see the newest “throne” now installed at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

This throne is a sculpture by the very famous Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and is a fully functional, solid 18-karat-gold copy of a Kohler toilet.

Mr. Cattelan does not see this toilet sculpture as a joke. The cost has not been revealed, and he’s named it “America.”

The piece will remain in place indefinitely, so on your next trip to the Big Apple, this is waiting for your visit to its humble little room.

A new place for history

The National Museum of African American History has just opened on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall.

The museum has been in the works since the early 1900s.

The filigreed bronzed building was designed by architect David Adjaye and contains nearly 40,000 pieces of memorabilia. It is a must-see for history buffs.

Fill an empty bowl for charity

The annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser, hosted by Jacob Preston and his fabulous troupe of potters, is from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 16 at Preston Studio, 10 Church St. in Old Town.

This is a very popular event, and the bowls you purchase will be filled with delicious soup. The proceeds benefit local charities.

Get there early and pick your favorite bowl. They don’t last long.

Indigo makes a fashionable comeback

Eliza Lucas Pinckney, for whom Pinckney Island was named, introduced indigo to South Carolina in the 1700s.

Indigo was once one of South Carolina’s foremost cash crops, second to rice in the years before the Revolutionary War.

Charleston designer Leigh Magar, for 20 years a wonderful designer of hats (my daughter Tat has several), has now branched out into making apparel dyed with indigo and other natural seeds and plants.

The designer makes clothes and other textiles in small batches using nature as her inspiration.

Her collection is called “Madame Magar” and is sold in Charleston boutiques and in New York.

This story was originally published September 21, 2016 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Lowcountry wedding the centerpiece of a perfect weekend."