Charleston, South Carolina
Oh, charming Charleston. in mid-July, I headed to South Carolina for my friend Tiffany’s bachelorette party. Our time there was not too debaucherous but pretty adorable. So many cute historic houses and palmetto trees; a candlemaking class; a horse-drawn carriage; and lots of good drinks and great food. See a glimpse below.
Love our bride tribe swag. Thanks Tiffany! Embracing the theme with pineapples symbolizing southern hospitality and our Cheers Y’all shirts.
Our candlemaking class at Candlefish! Such an impeccably designed shop, with their library of 100 fragrances.
These folks are behind many of the brands carried by Anthropologie and West Elm!
Here is our chandler (candlemaker) leading us through our workshop.
Mimosa in hand! Trying to select our favorite scent for our own candles.
After picking our scent (I chose #34), we poured out a small amount of the essential oil into our small beaker, and then we each went up to collect the right amount of pre-melted soy wax into our large pitcher (upper right). On the bottom is my chart of all the scents I did and did not like. I’m one for the fruity (but not too candy-like) and floral scents.
We mixed our oil and wax together and let them sit to cool just in the pitcher for about 15 minutes. Then we used these rulers to show us how high to pour the candles into our vessels.
A handwritten book of all the fragrance notes in the different scents. They number but don’t name any of the 100 options, so this book is what will tell you what “62” will smell like.
Here are my candles, all poured! And in the second photo, all solidified when we came back to pick them up 24 hours later. So fun!
Anyone who knows me knows this was a bachelorette activity right up my alley. Arts and crafts time! Thanks for the fun idea, Alison + Tiffany!
More wandering around in the 95 degree, 95% humidity heat. So lovely to look at though!
Cheers Y’all!
Horse-drawn carriage time! All of the carriages are regulated by a little government-run stand that registers the tour and uses a little bingo machine to spit out which of the 8 tours we’ll be going on. We got 1A which meant Rainbow Row and the antebellum section!
We learned about Charleston’s past as one of the original colonial cities founded as Charles Town and their role in the Revolutionary War.
Of course it’s probably better known for its role in the Civil War, as it’s where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. Slavery was definitely a big part of Charleston life back in the 1800s, when slaves outnumbered slave owners in the city.
A big reason why Charleston is so cute today is just because it was so poor and neglected for a long time, no one bothered to tear out the old buildings to redevelop things. But now of course all the exteriors are protected.
After our carriage ride, an air conditioning break back at the hotel. And an outfit change!
Dinner at Fig. So good.
The free market by night.
And rooftop bar.
Finally, the last day of wandering Charleston! Brunch at Husk.
I finally had my shrimp and grits moment.
And then some of us went to tour the Calhoun Mansion while others (me) went shopping!
So many cute stores! But my only purchase was an adorable book about Charleston filled with watercolor illustrations and fun facts.
Thank you to the lovely group of ladies for such a wonderful weekend in Charleston. And congrats, Tiffany! Can’t wait for the wedding!
Bachelorette Swag:
Pineapple Hair Ties: Azurea Studio
Water Bottles: Preppy Pineapple Shop
Shirts: Cinta Events
Sunglasses: ModParty
Pineapple Hats: ArieBDesigns
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco but often traveling and working around the world. She creates beautiful, soft, and timeless imagery while capturing the most fleeting of moments. View her work at annawu.com, follow her daily adventures on instagram, or contact her to book your own session today.
