This city’s beauty was our beginning.
The Cistern, live oaks swaying with chandeliers,
candlelight and the blur of Spanish moss,
resurrection fern unfurling up the branches.
We met beside a fountain, wandered cobblestone
alleys ripe with tea olive, laid in the sun on
ancient rooftops. We came back to each other
as we come back to this place and find it unchanged –
still the lanterns are lit in these mansions by the sea.
When we walk by them at night they glow from deep
within, their secret gardens black-green and dripping,
studded with fireflies. Still the two rivers join here,
on their way to sea, already tidal, already salt.
All these years. We come again to this point –
neither river nor sea. Anchor of our beginning.
Behind us the steepled air, the bells about to ring.
The Importance of Place
I went to College of Charleston and love writing about the city and surrounding area! Although I live in Charlotte now, I try to get down to Charleston every chance I get. If you’re getting married in Charleston, or you’re a Charleston wedding vendor, I love to work with clients on incorporating specific places from the area into a unique wedding poem. See some other examples of my work here.
A problem I see with a lot of wedding poems is that they’re very vague and could be about anyone. A custom wedding poem is tailored to your unique story; I have a detailed questionnaire designed to capture the important details needed to craft an authentic, original wedding poem.
The result of anchoring a poem in a specific location is that the poem is more accessible and understandable to your guests, and is distinctly recognizable as your wedding poem.
You’ll notice that in the questionnaire I ask a lot of questions about places. The reason I do this is because I love to anchor a poem in a specific place that is important to you as a couple. This could be the place you grew up, where you met, where you love to vacation, or even your wedding venue. The result of anchoring a poem in a specific location is that the poem is more accessible and understandable to your guests, and is distinctly recognizable as your wedding poem.
I have a lot of experience writing about places – my poems have been published in many of the top literary journals, and my first book was based on my experiences on a specific island. I see writing about places as my specialty.
Custom Wedding Poems & Wedding Films
A custom wedding poem is also perfect to use for voiceover in a wedding film (or a save-the-date or proposal film)! The fact that I incorporate places and landscapes into wedding poems lends itself really well to being read over images of your wedding and venue. Just imagine the poem above being read over images of an elopement at White Point Gardens in Charleston. If you know you want to incorporate a wedding poem into your wedding film, please let me know when you fill out your questionnaire.
If you have any other questions, please contact me!
Behind us the steepled air, the bells about to ring.
Something True Wedding Poems