Welcome Drinks!

Esabel's Bridal Shower

The Night Before -  Rehearsal Dinner

Our Wedding Day

After-Party

Formal Invitations are in the mail (again)! Unfortunately, we discovered USPS misplaced a large number of our wedding invitations. Our reprints are in the mail as of Friday, April 19th. Oh, the joys of wedding planning! RSVPs are now closed. We can't wait to celebrate with you!&nbsp;

For attire examples, view the "Want To Know" tab above.

with love, 

Our Wedding

A NOTE FROM THE GROOM: Please avoid wearing anything that may be mistaken as white so my bride can have her special moment. Thank you!

With love, 

Need to Know

Here are some fun questions we've been asked during our engagement season!

Welcome Drinks - Dressy Relaxed - Sundresses, Rompers, JeansHenry's on the Market is a favorite for long-time natives and weekend guests alike. The Bride and Groom will likely be in a short dress and khakis and button-down pairing. Please join us in whatever you are comfortable in!

Esabel's Bridal Shower - Brunch Attire - Any Length Dresses and RompersLadies, this is your excuse to buy that item you've had your eye on! The Bride will likely be in a midi dress and heels. If you enjoy matching a theme, the colors for the affair are blue, lavender, and pink.

Wedding Day - Formal Attire - Tuxes/Dark Suits and Midi/Long DressesCome dressed to impress! We'd love to see our guests in an array of lively colors, patterns, and materials. We encourage you to refrain from thin heels as our celebration is on grass.

WITH LOVE,

Want to Know

Esabel - to know her is to love her. Clever, witty, and loyal, she is always eager to make a new friend or lend a helping hand. She loves to cook, has a keen eye for thrifting antiques, and her guilty pleasure is anything spooky. Esabel is the most resourceful and creative person I've ever met and our wedding has been her passion project (seriously, she's hand-designed everything). If she's ever MIA, you can likely find her adoring the nearest animal. Love, James

The Bride told by the groom

James is a fan favorite to all who meet him. Goofy, dedicated, and charismatic, he enjoys trying new things and always faces problems head-on. He loves all forms of fitness, all types of food, and traveling anywhere and everywhere. James has the best track record for dreaming big of anyone I've ever met, and once he sets his mind to something, there is little you can do to dissuade him from his goals (West Point Graduate, Top-Gun in his flight class, ran a marathon with only 3 weeks of prep, placed 4th in a regional CrossFit competition out of 450 applicants.. you get it). If he's ever MIA, you just have to figure out what his hobby of the week is - he's likely lost in it. I love you all of my days -Esabel

the groom told by the bride

Our Story

Esabel (living in Tallahassee, Florida for work) and James (living in Enterprise, Alabama for flight school) were connected by mutual friends in late February 2021. After learning that Esabel's birthday was the next week, James offered to travel in with buddies to spend the weekend celebrating with her and her 3 friends. Esabel said "Sounds good!" and forgot about the open-ended offer until he sent an Airbnb confirmation. The two met in person for the first time on the eve of her 23rd birthday, and the two friend groups spent the weekend together until everyone had to return home.

After several weeks of failed attempts to spend more time together, Esabel decided to cut the cord on their courtship. During this time, James took a family trip to Seaside, Florida where he spent Easter morning thinking about their situation in the Seaside Chapel. He credits that time of self-reflection to realizing that Esabel was The One, and decided there that he needed to fix things between them.

The next month, while out celebrating a friend's birthday at Esabel's favorite local bar, James showed up unprompted to apologize for how he left things and explain his realization. Though shocked, Esabel missed him and confided in close friends who encouraged her to bring him to Louisiana the following weekend to be put through the wringer. The real test: a 12-hour round-trip car ride to meet her spirited high-school friends. Now unsurprisingly, he passed their tests with flying colors and Esabel decided to give him another chance.

In May of 2021, James invited Esabel to spend a beach day at Seaside with his West Point and flight school friends. During a break from the sun, they found a watercolor portrait of the Seaside Chapel, and though Esabel had never been, James bought it for her. Later that day he asked her to be his girlfriend with flowers in hand. Several months of long-distance later, James asked Esabel to move to Savannah, Georgia with him. They moved into their first place together in November 2021.

After celebrating their first anniversary together, the couple traveled back to Seaside, Florida for Memorial Day Weekend 2022. Unbeknownst to Esabel, James had already bought her dream ring, asked his blessings, and planned to propose at the chapel. "On the way" to their dinner reservations they stopped by the Seaside Chapel and James dropped to his knee saying, "I know you've never been here before but little do you know, this is where it all began.." Posed like the watercolor painting that had hung in their home for the last year, she said yes.

Esabel and James chose to host their garden party wedding near the coast on Memorial Day Weekend as a nod to their happy beginnings. Thank you for reading, and for supporting us always. We are so lucky.

The Bride & Groom

Get to know the people who make our world go 'round!

Bright. Ambitious. Loyal.
Though there are 8 years between the two, friends and family swear the Bride is a copy and paste of her older sister. The Bride wears this badge proudly.
Sister of the Bride.

Leda Kelly

Spunky. Generous. Trustworthy. The Bride credits their decade-long friendship to gym class injuries, March birthdays, and Drake. High School Best Friend of the Bride.

Madalyn Gallo

Poised. Brave. Gracious. Often mistaked as sisters, their 6-year run of sharing the same last name ended in December.
Sorority Little of the Bride.

Katherine Burns

Chic. Determined. Compassionate. With a meet-cute in Delta Gamma's chapter room, this friendship has only gotten closer and sweeter with time. Sorority Big of the Bride.

Brittany Blackwell 

Goofy. Driven. Creative. Having lived 10 steps away from one another for 2 years, this duo is almost always up to no good when reunited. College Best Friend of the Bride. 

Taylor Desormeaux

Patient. Devoted. Courageous. The Bride warmly refers to Emma as "A Powerhouse" -  effortlessly wearing many hats and constantly being the most patient person in any room. Sister of the Groom.

Emma Smith

Like a true Big Brother, Wes always looks out for and wants the best for The Groom. Some of Wes' accolades include MSU Alum, Chinook Pilot, and next in line for the Korn Ferry Tour. Brother-in-Law of the Groom. 

Wes Smith Jr.

Often found discussing sports, current events, or scheming their next trip, these two enjoy their quality time best paired with a new cigar and whiskey. Brother-in-Law of the Bride. 

J. Alex Kelly

Goofy, scholarly, and personal friends with Smokey The Bear - Palmer does it all. This duo began at West Point and still looks forward to cross-country meet-ups involving everything from great coffeehouses to the great outdoors. 

Palmer Fields

Girl Dad and devoted Husband, Chase is the epitome of cool, calm, and collected. Bonded by the barracks at West Point, lots of reminiscing and fun is had when this pair gets together.. but not as much fun as seeing Chase take over the dancefloor. 

Chase Moseley

Having been a college teammate and flight school roommate, Andy has always been there to lend an ear or give sage advice to The Groom. Time with this duo often included learning to cook, building bonfires, or heading to the beach.

Andy Laflam

Brought together through their wives-to-be, these two were quick friends. If you want to strike up a conversation with Noah, try these topics: LSU baseball, cheese, his animals - Toby, Kiki, and Buddy -  or the fish in this photo.  

Noah Burns

Caring. Honest. Silly. The Bride credits Quinn with giving her the little push needed to begin her relationship with The Groom. The couple agreed no one else was better suited to craft and lead their Big Day. Oldest Childhood friend of the Bride.

Quinn Heinold

The Bride and Groom's hilarious oldest nephews are talented musicians and love anything vintage, honky-tonk, or rock 'n roll. If you ask nicely, they may even tell you about their band "The Hip Huggers".

Ethan and Logan Schroeder

The Bride and Groom's adorable youngest nephew may not be present in Charleston as he could have very important Big Brother duties starting that same weekend! 

Wes Smith III

Bridal Party

We chose to host the wedding in Charleston because it has something for everyone. Here are our personal recommendations!

If you love The Notebook..

Fun fact: our venue is the house Noah restores for Allie in The Notebook! The majority of the movie was filmed in Charleston. If you'd like to tour the movie locations, plan to see: The American Theater (the first date scene), Boone Hall Plantation (The Nelson's summer home), William Aiken House (the wedding dress scene), Cypress Gardens (you can actually row where the duck scene was filmed!), and of course our venue (Allie and Noah's house, and the nursing home)!

If you're a beach bum..

We recommend Folly Beach for quaint beach scenery, Isle of Palms or Sullivan's Island for bigger and better, or Kiawah Island for golfing and privacy.

If you're a history buff..

Founded in the 1600s, Charleston is filled with deep, rich history as one of the oldest cities in America. We recommend seeing The Charleston Museum, Fort Sumter, Boone Hall Plantation, Magnolia Gardens and Plantations, and The Citadel. If you enjoy tours, there are plenty of ghost, heritage, plantation, and food tours offered throughout the city.

If you're a foodie..

You're in the right place - so are we! Our favorite places are 167 Raw, The Darling, 32 Spring Coffee &amp; Kitchen Bar, 82 Queen, and Hotel Bennett (for a nightcap). We highly recommend making reservations ahead of time anywhere you plan to go in the city. The OpenTable app is wonderful for this!

with love,

E&J Recommend

Registry

Want To Know

Our engagement photos were captured by the incredible Abbey Rice Photography. Though certainly beautiful, these portraits are extra special to us as they were taken in Seaside, Florida - a beach community we hold near &amp; dear to our hearts. James claims he knew Esabel was The One while sitting in the Seaside Chapel. A few months later they began their relationship after a day spent with friends at Seaside beach. A year after that James selected the Seaside Chapel as the location for his proposal, beginning the big moment by saying "I know you've never been here before but little do you know, this is where it all began.." We hope you enjoy these photos as much as we do.

Esabel & James

Esabel & James

E&J Recommend

If you love The Notebook..

If you're a beach bum..

If you're a history buff..

If you're a foodie..

with love,