William and Chelsea

Bride & Groom

Chelsea hate’s to admit it but our first kiss was over Labor day weekend on the dance floor of a bar in Avalon, NJ. We went on our first date earlier that week and unbeknownst to her, as we sat across from each other drinking pumpkin beers at Moriarty’s, I knew I was never going to let her go. Four days later, unplanned, we ran into each other at the Princeton. Surrounded by one of the craziest crowded bar atmospheres of a holiday weekend it was as if time stood still, as the world sped past us a mile a minute, I would have stayed there all night staring into her amazing eyes and heart melting adorable smile. But we were eventually forced to leave as we were the only one’s left on the dance floor as the crew was cleaning up around us.

The thing is, I never expected to meet someone when I met Bill, but what a lovely surprise he was. I walked into the back bar of of the Princeton, met a boy in a Led Zeppelin t-shirt, holding a loaded corona, doing some deep lunge dance moves and never looked back. There are a million reasons I cannot wait to spend my life with him, he is intelligent & kind & generous beyond reason, but above all else he has always let me be unapologetically myself. He has loved every ounce of my slightly neurotic, trail mix dropping, sorry-we-missed-dinner-cause-I-had-to-clean-the-baseboards mess of a self since we first met. Although I am certain on a daily basis that loving me goes against every crumb-hating bone in his body, I am so very lucky that he does.

Our Engagement

Like most things in my life, I had an overly intricate and detailed plan on how I was going to propose to Chelsea that I had planned over the course of two months, with countless emails and conversations with family and friends on what was going to happen. Well not exactly countless, but 64 pages worth of emails, I know because my sister printed them out. And like mostly everything in my life, it didn’t even go remotely as planned. It snowed on April 9th in Philadelphia…I was planning on proposing to Chelsea on a run, since that is one of our favorite things to do together. My back up plan was lacking in comparison. At the last minute I rerouted all our family to meet us outside one of our favorite coffee shops in Washington Square. I did my best to lead Chelsea towards the park after a morning work out, we were the only ones out in the city, the weather was horrible. I walked her as far as I could into the park before she refused to go any further out of the way, at which point I knew I had to seize my opportunity. Amidst the confusion, I struggled to get down on one knee and ask her, my best friend, to be with me forever.

Join Us

We are so excited for everyone to join us on our special day of celebration and we are very excited for our family and friends to enjoy the city of Charleston with us. Charleston is one of our favorite places to visit. It is a charming southern city full of hospitality and charm with many great things to do and see and take advantage of.

Wedding Party

Sean Kraus

Sean and I have been best friend’s for over 25 years. We’ve been through school, soccer, college, jobs, homes and now marriages together. Sean has always been there for me and I could not be more honored to have him standing next to me on Chelsea and I’s biggest day.

Justin Deni

Justin and I have been great friends since middle school. He was my last roommate in Philadelphia before meeting Chelsea, he was there at the beginning of our relationship and I couldn’t be happier having him apart of Chelsea and I’s next step together.

Matt Lavinia

I’ve known Matt for over 20 years. We grew up together practically spending every weekend at each other’s houses. Matt’s been there for me through pretty much everything in life and I am extremely grateful that he will be there for Chelsea and I when we get married.

Chris Beans

Although Chris and I grew up in the same home town, we didn’t become great friends until later in life. The cornerstone of our friendship is Chris’s personal rivalry with Virginia Tech and Penn State. I’m ecstatic that Chris is going to be apart of Chelsea and I’s next big step.

Brian Pokropski

Like Chris, Pok and I grew up in the same home town but didn’t become great friends until later in life. Pok’s always there when there’s a need for doing something simple fun yet weird, which is what Chelsea and I love about him. We couldn’t be happier to have him apart of our wedding.

Ashley Griffis

Ashley is Matron of Honor & older sister, of which I will remind her for the rest of her life :). She is fiercely loyal, and although slightly neurotic with a swiffer at home, you can count on Ash to be the last one on the dance floor once the wine gets flowin’.

Laura DeProphetis

Laura is my best friend & maid of honor. Laura and I lived together in college, and met when she told me she knew the way home from a party & we followed her to a McDonalds in North Philly. She once tried to claw at a 7ft tall lady for cutting in front of me in a bathroom line, end of story.

Megan Brown

Meg is my best friend, who married my best friend. Meg & I can usually be found driving the wrong direction on highways, watching hours of puppy videos on youtube, or figuring out ways to hide our mall purchases from our significant (thrifty) others 😉

Kate Laufenberg

Kate is my soon to be sister-in-law. As Bill’s oldest sister, she’s had a huge impact on molding him into the person he has become today and the reason why I love him so much. Kate has been so considerate and thoughtful in making me feel apart of the Leeper family!

Becky Atkinson

Becky is my other soon to be sister-in-law. Not only has she been instrumental in our lives, she’s also been hugely instrumental in helping us with our wedding plans. Living in Charleston, she’s been crucial helping us plan and orchestrate the wedding of our dreams.

Venue & Directions

The Governor Thomas Bennett House

The Governor Thomas Bennett House, circa 1825, is one of the grandest and most beautiful houses in Charleston, South Carolina.

69 Barre St, Charleston, SC 29401

Ceremony: October 28th 2017 @5PM.

Please join us for the Reception immediately following the Ceremony

Please communicate with your hotel to have taxis available to take you to the ceremony or you can use Uber. If you decide to rent a car and drive to the venue, there is a parking lot available where you can leave your car overnight, however it needs to be picked up by 10am the following morning.

Charleston

Getting around

Charleston is an extremely manageable city with many ways of getting around. Uber and Lyft are prevalent options for transportation along with several cab companies, Green Taxi, Yellow Cab, Charleston Cab Company. Uber rides from the airport to down town only cost about $18. Most of the down town peninsula is walkable but there are also pedi cabs available for a fun quick way around. Guests can certainly rent a car, but we definitely don’t think it’s necessary.

Things to do

Charleston is rich in history, arts, bars and food! There is plenty to keep you occupied yet the city is laid back enough that if you just want to sit and relax you can. We strongly encourage our friends and family to explore while visiting.

In general here is our quick unofficial mini guide to the city:

King street between Calhoun Street and about Queen Street is one of the main drags. It’s mostly comprised of shopping, bars and restaurants. At night it will get very busy. It is very close to the College of Charleston so it will have the energy of a younger crowd around it.

Market Street is one of the famous historical sections of downtown. There is a long stretch of open air markets and again, lots of bars and restaurants. One of Chelsea and I’s favorite spots is the roof top bar the corner of Market and East Bay Street at the Pavillion Hotel.

East Bay Street between Market Street and Broad Street, is another stretch of bars and restaurants.

For history you can go down to the tip of the peninsula along the Battery and see where the first shots of the civil war were fired out at Fort Sumter. You can also take a boat tour out to the fort. You can also just wander the streets of the southern tip of the city and take in the sights gorgeous souther homes.

Then of course there are beaches. Folly beach is the low key surfers type beach to the south of the city, about a 20 minute car ride. Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms is north of the city, more, a little more upscale. Again about a 20 minute car ride.

Accommodations

We have reserved room blocks at several hotels in the Charleston area. We are suggesting that guests look into the following three options but we have others which we can give out upon request. All three options are less than a mile away from the venue and offer shuttle services to various location in and around the city. Taxis and Uber rides are readily available as well.

We are also strongly encouraging guests to look into Airbnb and VRBO, which are great and most times cheaper alternatives to hotels.