Festive Boho Wedding at Folly Beach, South Carolina

After a decade together, Miranda Steffler (28 and an environmental scientist) and Michael Murray (28 and an insurance specialist) knew exactly what they wanted for their wedding day and decided to do it themselves. “We didn’t want a formal wedding,” Miranda says. “We chose Folly Beach because of the fun location for out-of-town guests and to support our local parks.” From there, Miranda picked a color palette with splashes of mustard yellow, chose the bold, cheerful design scheme and printed the paper goods right at home. Miranda’s favorite project of all was putting together the flowers with the help of her wedding party. “My bridesmaids and I made all of the bouquets, centerpieces and my flower crown,” Miranda says. “We all got to bond over flowers, wine and ’90s music before the wedding.” For his part, Michael made his wedding band for the ceremony, baked the wedding cake and not only erected the wedding arch, but sold it afterward. To invest in future DIY projects, guests gave Michael his very favorite registry item: a set of tools.
Miranda and Michael kept their seaside ceremony minimal, save for an arch, which Michael built and stained.
Miranda and Michael swayed to A.A. Bondy’s acoustic “Lovers’ Waltz” before guests took the floor and a DJ transitioned into upbeat tunes. Miranda and Michael teamed up to create the custom floral wall that decorated the bar. “Michael built the frame, I attached the faux boxwood and a bridesmaid’s father made the Murray sign,” Miranda says. Another DIY effort, Miranda and Michael made their Earl Grey tea cake with lavender cream cheese frosting from scratch and topped their creation with dried orange slices, colorful flowers and a pair of flamingos.
Guests waved Miranda and Michael goodbye with sparklers before the newlyweds rode off in the Folly Trolley, an open-air, wagon-style taxi for beachgoers. Miranda and Michael enlisted the help of a friend’s dad and her maid of honor to attach each guest’s name to a hand-painted oyster shell. “People took their shells home to use as a decoration or an ornament,” Miranda says. Miranda paired her lace gown with bright yellow suede shoes and a colorful beaded clutch.