The Island House

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Cocktail Hour

Reception

Send-Off

Our Wedding

It all started late 2017 in Charleston, SC. Ironically, the same place where we will gather our closest friends and family to turn the pages and begin the next chapter about six short years later. We became friends before anything else, that's how the best love stories start right? At least I would like to think so. Nuclear Field A School, at this time felt like an extension of high school. Most of the people you're surrounded by are still young and trying to figure out who they want to be. I know for a fact I was. I met Chris through some other friends at first. We seemed to get along right from the start. We would hang out with our friends together as a big group and there always seemed to be something drawing me towards him. His stellar good looks perhaps? Maybe it was that to me there was always a sense of comfort near him. We were never more then friends during this time. In 2018, the Navy sent us separate ways. Chris moved to New York to continue training and I remained in South Carolina. Did I visit him in New York? Indirectly, yes. I went to the area when I was home in Vermont for the holidays and we were able to see each other. In 2019, Chris was sent to USS Carl Vinson stationed in Washington state and I was sent to USS Theodore Roosevelt a little bit later on stationed in California. Again, indirectly I visited him in Washington as I made my way down to California. I went on a couple deployments, served my time and carried on with life while periodically staying in contact with Chris and catching up on life every now and then. He was always there. Well, his ship moved to San Diego and our time there overlapped by a month or two. Did I visit him? Yes, and this time there's no "indirectly" involved. I would later find out that during this visit he was secretly thinking of talking to me about dating! Before you ask though, no he didn't ACTUALLY mention anything to me. Go figure. My ship then moved to Washington for our overhaul period and Chris would go on some work up cycles and deployment. Again, we got in contact every now and then to catch up. It wasn't until he wasn't going to be going on a deployment again did we talk about dating and it went something like this: Me: "Hey, I know we have kinda talked about dating in the past but ummm what do you think if we actually did it?"Him: "I think that would be pretty cool."Me: "Yeah, I think so to." A few weeks later Chris was on a plane flying to Washington to see me for a quick four day weekend and a couple months after that I was on my way to San Diego with the ship to finally be stationed in the same area after about five years of periodic visits and being friends. Our schedules only ever overlapped by about four to seven days at a time that we could see each other and we both cherished all of that time. Fast forward to July of 2023, Chris has detached from the ship and we moved our two dogs and our stuff into our new house in Summerville, SC. I returned to San Diego for a short two months until I could detach from my ship and meet him in SC to FINALLY settle down and not have to be apart again! Due to being active duty, our relationship has been dynamic and we have had to learn to ride the waves and go with the flow of life. There are highs and lows, as with every relationship ever, but at the end of the day, we have each other and that is something we can both count on. We are both strong independently, but together, we are unstoppable.

How It All Started

Our Story

Photos

Genysis Berube-Carlsen

Christian Carlsen

Mandie Crum

Siena Hoaglund

Madyson Hutchinson

Mason Page

Evan Rose

Abigail Carlsen

Spencer Cornelius

Ricardo Rodriguez

Wedding Party

Q + A

Some amenities include: pool, pet friendly, breakfast. Rooms range from standard king rooms to those with double queens.

Sleep Inn Charleston - West Ashley

Some amenities include: pool, pet friendly, gym, laundry, breakfast. Rooms range from standard rooms with king beds to those with double queens as well as suites and studio rooms.

Home2 Suites Charleston West Ashley

Some amenities include: pool, breakfast, restaurant, bar, gym, laundry. Rooms range from standard rooms with king beds to those with double queens as well as suites.

Town & Country Inn and Suites

﻿There are many hotels and inns to choose from located on Savannah Hwy that are no more than a 20 minute drive from the venue. Prices, amenities, and rooms all very depending on location. Understanding that everyone looks for different things in lodging we did not want to reserve a hotel block and limit choices! We have included a very options here for quick picking but do not feel limited to these locations!

Lodging

Angel Oak Tree

Low Tide Brewing

Captain Jack's Kiawah Sailing and Dolphin Watching

St. Johns Kayaks & Boat Tours

Charleston City Market

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens

Things to Do

Registry

Cocktail Hour Appetizer Stations

Gourmet Cheese Tray with Assorted CrackersHot Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Assorted CrackersChicken and Waffle Bites

Dinner Buffet

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Fruit ChutneySauteed Shrimp in Traditional Bell Pepper or Tasso Ham Gravy over Creamy Stone-Ground Yellow GritsMashed Potato Bar with Bacon, Sour Cream, Shredded Cheddar, and Green OnionsBalsamic Glazed AsparagusGarden Salad (Iceberg or Spring Mix) with Balsamic Vinaigrette &amp; Buttermilk RanchDinner Rolls with Whipped Butter

Alcohol

Beer: Yuengling, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Michelob UltraFolonari Pinot Grigio OR Canyon Oaks ChardonnayCanyon Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon OR Woodbridge Pinot NoirHouse Liquor: Vodka, Gin, Rum, BourbonMixers: Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, Ginger Ale, Sour Mix, Club Soda, Tonic Water

Non-Alcoholic

Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite Self-Serve Beverage Station:Sweet teaLemonadeBottled Water

Genysis & Christian

Genysis & Christian

G&C

Wedding Day

4:00 PM–4:30 PM

Ceremony

4:30 PM–5:30 PM

Cocktail Hour

5:30 PM–8:45 PM

Reception

8:45 PM–9:00 PM

Send-Off