Katie + Josh: Trop Storm Nicole At Charleston Harbor Resort

25 December 2022

When planning a wedding in the late summer or fall in Charleston, modern brides and grooms need to have it in the back of their mind that their most special day could be threatened by a tropical storm or hurricane. While the chances of having to reschedule because of weather are generally fairly low, the past 8-9 years in Charleston have seen an increase in sleepless nights come September. In 2016, we had Matthew. In 2017, we had Irma. In 2018, we had Florence and Michael. In 2019, we had Dorian. Thankfully, as COVID raged during 2020 and 2021, we weren't threatened at all. You can say that 2022 was the year that brides and grooms didn't have COVID on their mind, which was a welcome relief from the previous two years. Josh's mother, Abby found me back in February of 2022. Since Katie + Josh have demanding jobs up in Washington DC, I didn't get to speak with Josh until April. Josh set up a call with me at that time and asked me a lot of the questions that brides and grooms should be asking their prospective wedding DJs. I'll attach a link to some of those important questions at the end of this post, but thankfully I passed the test and was hired to be Katie + Josh's wedding DJ for their Veteran's Day wedding on 11-11-22.

Setting up a quick call with future clients is one thing but when you have a situation where 90% of your clients don't live here, you make an attempt to catch them on a weekend wedding planning trip down to Charleston. Just prior to the 4th of July weekend, Josh reached out to me and told me that him and Katie would be in town over the weekend. So, that Saturday, I met Katie + Josh, along with Katie's mom at my very favorite place to meet clients; Butcher & Bee. Why do I pick this place? Well, for one, it's central to the peninsula, where a lot of my clients stay, plus there is plenty of parking. Why do I meet my clients like this? Well, for one, it has felt like the right thing to do, and it's something that a lot of my competition does not do. Secondly, my couple's have entrusted me to entertain them and their guests, which is what people remember the most about weddings. This whole meeting is really designed to be light-hearted and just a brief introduction to say. "Hey, I'm your DJ, you hired me, and I will be here for you should you have any questions".

The Hurricane Season Started Late

You know what was crazy about the hurricane season in 2022? It was practically non-existent until September. Isn't it interesting how when your schedule looks pretty full in the fall that things start to pick up in the tropics? Even though the season ends at the end of November, we usually don't see any activity past the middle of October. That is, until this year. Charleston had dodged a bullet with Hurricane Ian at the end of September, but would we be threatened again? Tropical Storm Nicole had spun up about a week before Katie + Josh's wedding. The original location for Katie + Josh's wedding ceremony was going to be out behind the pool behind one of the hotels at the resort. See Dan + Rachel's post for the location <---CLICK HERE. Generally speaking, when I am tasked to do wedding ceremony music, I start to watch the weather at least 7-10 days in advance. On Monday morning (the week of) , I sent an email over to our wedding coordinator, Char Whatley, expressing concern about the weather. While I did not think the storm was powerful enough to warrant a cancellation of the wedding, I did believe that a 80-100% of rain was going to cause us to change the location of the ceremony. What was really strange about the tropical storm is the worst of it seemed to hit the Charleston area on Thursday. However, as the storm was pulling away, it left behind us a lot of gusty winds, and right at the beginning of the ceremony, more rain. So, Katie + Josh's wedding ceremony was moved under the pavillion.

Katie + Josh's Wedding Ceremony Selections

As guests were being seated, I played some piano instrumentals that consisted some of the following:
WEDDING CEREMONY PRELUDE SELECTIONS
1. "Just The Way You Are" | Bruno Marrs (Piano Guys Version)
2. "The One" | Elton John (Piano Guys)
3. "A Thousand Years" | Christina Perri (Piano Guys)
4. "All You Need Is Love" | The Beatles (Piano Guys)
5. "La Vie en Rose" | Minnz Piano
6. "More Than Words" | Extreme (Piano version)
7. "Make You Feel My Love" | Adele (Piano Guys)

WEDDING CEREMONY SELECTIONS
1. Bridal Party Processional: "As It Was" - Harry Styles - Debussy (Cello & Piano)
2. Bride Processional: "Wildest Dreams" (Taylor Swift cover) - Duomo
3. Recessional Song: "Holy" - Justin Bieber (acoustic)

Even though Katie & Josh's wedding ceremony was moved under the pavillion at the Charleston Harbor Resort, we weren't exactly sheltered from the winds. Some of the last squalls from the tropical storm decided to hit the area right as the ceremony began. After the ceremony was over, all the guests moved back over to the Fish House for cocktail hour, while Katie + Josh remained at the pavillion with their families and bridal party for photos. In the photo up above, you can definitely tell the wind was blowing Katie's hair!

Cocktail Hour / Dinner Music Selections For Katie + Josh

Father / Daughter Dance Song: "Tough Little Boys" | Gary Allan

Mother / Son Dance Song: "Humble & Kind" | Tim McGraw

Before I go into some of Katie + Josh's dance music selections, I must say that the Charleston Harbor Resort has always been good to me over the years. What do I mean by that? I mean that resort has produced some of the most raging wedding receptions I've been a part of. Prior to heading out there for Katie + Josh, I was still thinking about an amazing reception in 2021 out there for Dan & Rachel. The link to their wedding post is up above. As is the case with all of my destination wedding couples, both them and their guests come to the Holy City ready to party. As you'll see with some of the photos, Katie + Josh had an amazing time.

LAST SONG For Katie + Josh: "Steady Love" | Ben Rector

Even though the weather played a bit of a role in Katie + Josh's amazing day, once the ceremony was over and everyone was back at the Fish House, we were safe from the elements. It could have rained all night long but nothing would have mattered as long as Katie + Josh and their guests were having the time of their lives on the dance floor, which of course they did. Having been a part of hundreds of weddings, each and every one of them is always different. Different brides and grooms with different musical tastes, as well as a different group of guests make being a professional wedding DJ one of the most rewarding things I've been a part of in my life. I won't soon forget Katie + Josh and the magical evening that we all had at the Charleston Harbor Resort. Special thanks to Char Whatley of Whatley Wedding Design and her assistant for making sure everything went smoothly through all of the elements, and a huge thanks to the staff at Charleston Harbor Resort for being so hospitable through out the entire day. And last, but not least, Katie from Tripp Photo and her assistant for driving down to Charleston from Charlotte and documenting this amazing day. All the images you see inside this post were shot by her and her team. If you are seeking an outstanding photographer for your wedding, be sure to click the link down below. Also, for an outstanding archived post on What Questions You Need To Be Asking Your Wedding DJ <--Click HERE. For information on how to secure your wedding date with DJ Mike Bills <----Click HERE

VENDOR LOVE

Planning / Coordination: Whatley Design
Photography: Tripp Photo
Venue: Charleston Harbor Resort