A Timeless, Southern Wedding at Bonnie Doone Plantation in Walterboro, South Carolina

Kelsey Dew (24 and a teacher) and Clark Stepp (26 and a commercial loan officer) met in college, where she played volleyball and he played basketball. "Clark begged and begged her to go out with him, and Kelsey, the quintessential Southern belle, continually played hard to get," says their photographer, Amanda May. "Finally, she gave in and let him take her out. From there it was history." A few years later, when the hunt for a wedding venue began, Bonnie Doone Plantation in Walterboro, South Carolina, was first on Kelsey and Clark's list. With Bonnie Doone's moss-covered trees and stunning grounds, Kelsey knew it was perfect. In order not to distract from the plantation's natural beauty, Kelsey and Clark were determined to stick to a neutral, organic palette. "I tried to use as many whites and natural colors as I could," Kelsey says. With their setting locked down, finding her perfect dress proved a bit more difficult. "I tried on over 75 dresses and was starting to look into having someone design me a dress when I found the one," she says. Kelsey knew her strapless, mermaid-style Martina Liana was the ideal fit for their glam Southern wedding, and with a few alterations—like adding the oversize bow to the back and the sweetheart neckline—she had her dream dress. —Meghan Overdeep