LOVE BOAT

A SEAFARING PAIR SWAPS VOWS ON DRY LAND

BY ERICA JACKSON CURRAN | PLANNING AND DESIGN BY TARA GUÉRARD SOIRÉE

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ANNE HOOPER AND THOM BOWEN
OCTOBER 27, 2012
LOWNDES GROVE PLANTATION

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If it weren’t for a very fortuitous case of mistaken identity, Anne Hooper and Thom Bowen might never have met. Luckily, Thom played along the night that Anne mistook him for an old friend from South Carolina, and she forgave him when she finally realized her mistake. After a few weeks, the couple went on their first date—and that was pretty unusual, too.

“Our first date was not the normal dinner and movie date, as it lasted a full 12 days,” Anne remembers. “It all began on February 5, 2010, with a simple phone call during Snowmageddon. Our date started with casual drinks, hanging out with friends and playing in the new fallen snow around Annapolis. Several days later, after shoveling the boat out of the snow, we found ourselves traveling south together to escape the cold and sail at the St. Petersburg NOOD regatta on Stacked Deck.”

Sailing became a major part of the couple’s bond, in fact Thom proposed to his bride-tobe on their boat a year later.

Though based in Annapolis, Maryland, the couple chose to wed in Charleston where they’d stopped on many sailing adventures. With its historic waterfront location, Lowndes Grove Plantation turned out to be the perfect venue. “The grounds served as a picturesque backdrop along the Ashley River, with lush, moss-filled oak trees and the plantation house was the grandiose focal point that I had envisioned welcoming wedding guests to since childhood,” Anne says.

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The couple worked closely with Tara Guerard to plan the event from beginning to end. Despite the challenges of bad weather from Hurricane Sandy, the wedding went off without any problems. “Tara designed every detail to be an expression of Thom and I, our love for each other and our love of entertaining friends and family,” Anne says. “There wasn’t a detail that was left untouched or overlooked by Tara and her team. Our wedding was truly the fairytale that I dreamed of since I was a little girl.”

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Event coordination, design and flowers by Tara Guerard Soiree. Photographs by Adrienne Page. Invitations and printed materials by Lettered Olive. Catering and bar service by Patrick Properties. Cake by Jim Smeal. Reception music by Plane Jane through East Coast Entertainment. Ceremony and cocktail hour music by Debut, Inc. Transportation by Absolutely Charleston and Marquee Limo. Hair by Kim Williams. Makeup by Moore Makeup. Event tents and rentals by Snyder Event Rentals. Sound and lighting by Production Design Associates. Wedding dress by Amsale. Reception dress by Milly New York. Groom and groomsmen attire by M. Dumas & Sons.

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