Marie Stitt & Edward Crouse’s Farm Wedding & Bottega Reception
Her unique upbringing in the culinary world led Marie Stitt to cross paths with a handsome epicure. Theirs is a story of food, wine, laughter and love. Read on!
The magic of food and wine and its transformative power to bring people together is at the heart of Marie Stitt and Edward Crouseβs love story.
Marie, a sales manager for Grassroots Wine in Charleston, SC, comes by her passion for food and wine honestly. Her experience in the culinary world runs much deeper than your average epicure. Her father is Chef Frank Stitt, whose Birmingham, AL, restaurant Highlands Bar & Grill won this yearβs James Beard Award for Most Outstanding Restaurant in America, the culinary equivalent of the Oscar for Best Picture. So, Marieβs childhood was filled with behind-the-scenes culinary excitement and pure epicurean wonderment. βWhat I remember about growing up in the restaurants is the fun moments like chasing the cooks around the kitchen with live soft-shell crabs, convincing Wayne βThe Painβ at the bar to sneak me some olives, raiding the walk-in (and now wine cellar) on the weekends with my dad and the prandial magic of watching the thrill of service happening all around you,β says Marie. βGrowing up in the restaurants and with parents who had such reverence for food, farmers and communing at the table is certainly what set me on my career path in wine.β
It was while studying for her masterβs in Food Culture and Communication in Northern Italy that Marie first ran into Sarasota, FL, native Edward β literally. βWe had a pretty funny run-in when we were both biking to class one day and remained friends while our time in Italy overlapped,β says Marie. But it wasnβt until a year later in the states that the two reconnected β again through a mutual love of food and dining. Edward, who owns a small wild truffle distribution company, was passing through Charleston and looked on Facebook to see if he knew anyone in town with whom he could grab a bite. Marie popped up.
βHe reached out to me, and we ended up having a blast dining around town and talking nonstop the whole night,β says Marie. βA week later when he was going to be driving through Charleston again, he reached out and I told him I wasnβt in Charleston, but for him to come to Pawleys Island where I was that weekend β not explicitly mentioning that it was my annual family reunion. So he came and immediately charmed my whole family. By the end of the night he was drinking whiskey with my uncle and dancing with my grandmother, Big Amy.β
The two started dating long distance, and a year and a half later, Edward moved to Charleston.
In the summer of 2016, while on vacation in Colorado and surrounded by breathtaking mountains, Edward proposed. βIt was perfect. I was completely surprised, and the proposal was followed by a stunning hike and then several more days of vacation,β says Marie, adding, βWe were over the moon!β
When it came to planning the wedding, this wine aficionada and bride-to-beβs first order of business was pre-ordering two NebuchadnezzarΒ (15-liter bottles) of grower champagne. The second priority for this fun-loving couple was to book the band. βMy family loves to dance, and we knew a knock-out band with a horn section would be such a blast for them,β says Marie, who knew her ideal venues since girlhood. βIβve pretty much always known if I ever got married, I wanted it to be in Alabama and for the party to be at Bottega, a restaurant my dad and stepmother Pardis have owned and operated in Birmingham since 1988,β she says. βMy young mind was dazzled after seeing both Dad and Pardisβ and Pardisβ sister Roxannaβs reception there years ago. The building is so grand and romantic, but also I grew up having pizza parties there as a child, and so it felt glamorous but also like home.β
The couple chose another very meaningful spot for the ceremony. βDad and Pardisβ farm just outside of Birmingham is one of the most peaceful, calming places I know. The sound of the wind through the trees there always centers me. We thought this quiet place was the perfect spot for our friends and family to gather around us as we were married.β
The floral design was central to the ceremony and reception decor. Marie turned to Holly Carlisle, the artistic genius behind Rosegolden. βWe wanted the look to be organic and a little wild with flowering branches and hints of blush and gold, which were subtle colors in my dress,β says Marie. For the βaisleβ at the farm, they cut a path through the tall grass, and Holly lined the aisle with tall branches adorned with ribbons. βEvery breeze gently lifted the ribbons, and it created this magical, fairytale atmosphere,β says Marie.
But for all the stunning visual beauty of the wedding, Marie notes that, after working with pastor Gates Shaw, her focus shifted to the unseen beauty of the special day. βHaving our loved ones there with us for our vows, the readings and the marriage ceremony was really what mattered most.β
RELATED:Β A Relaxed, Elegant Wedding in the Stunning Carolina Foothills
On the afternoon of the ceremony, 200 of Marie and Edwardβs dearest friends and family members gathered on the gorgeous Alabama family farm, warm breezes blowing through the grass, soft ribbons and wild petals aflutter. Before the ceremony began, the couple had guests pass around their rings, bestowing actual touches of love upon the rings before they exchanged them. βThere were so many magical moments, but what left me breathless and makes me teary was our ceremony,β says Marie. Pastor Gates Shaw thoughtfully wove in elements of the couples favorite poetry; sweet tears accompanied heartfelt vows; rings were exchanged; and the loving couple walked back up the grassy aisle, aglow in smiles, as husband and wife.
After the ceremony, the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour on the farm, then as dusk settled over Birmingham, everyone headed to Bottega, where they were regaled with fabulous live music and even more exquisite food and drinks. Marie, her father and Edward β a trifecta of culinary masterminds β worked together on the menu, creating an unforgettable evening of epicurean delights, including a seafood bar and caviar station as well as a huge table on the patio filled with incredible food and lovingly dubbed βBig Mama.β
βWe had sort of a high-low theme with oysters and caviar, but also fried chicken from Dyronβs,β says Marie. βWe had a raw bar with oysters. There was a fish paillard, asparagus, roast pork, charcuterie β¦ And at 10 p.m., we fired up the wood-burning oven and passed around pizzas.β
RELATED: Holly Carlisle of Rosegolden: FACES of Birmingham
To finish off the lovely coupleβs menu, their unconventional βwedding cakeβ was Marieβs favorite dessert, tiramisu, made by none other than James Beard Award-winning Pastry Chef Dolester Miles, also of Highlandβs Bar & Grill. Dolester has known Marie since she was born, watching the once little girl chase the chefs around the kitchen with live soft-shell crabs. Marieβs uniquely beautiful upbringing β woven through the culinary magic of farm fields, chefsβ kitchens, wine cellars and unparalleled family meals β nurtured a passion that led her to discover a new love in Edward.
Thank you for sharing your love story, Marie & Edward; May your delicious culinary adventures be rivaled only by your love-filled life journey together!
RESOURCES:
Photography: Rylee Hitchner
Event and floral design: Holly Carlisle of Rosegolden
Event coordinator: Christopher Confero of Confero Custom Event Design
Ceremony venue: Stitt Family farm
Reception venue: Bottega Restaurant
Brideβs gown: Jenny PackhamΒ gown from White on Daniel Island
Hair: Mark at Forecast Salon
Makeup: Bride did her own makeup
Groomβs formalwear: Tux and custom vest from Sid Mashburn in Atlanta
Invitations, programs, menu cards & other signage: Studio R in Charleston
Gift boxes & other signage: Amberly SheltonΒ Paperie
Cocktail party catering: Shindigs Catering with radishes from the Stitt Family farm and breadsticks from Savageβs Bakery & Deli
Reception catering: Bottega with fried chicken from Dyronβs Low Country,Β vermouth spritz cocktails on tap by The Ordinary & βwedding tiramisuβ by James Beard Award-winning Pastry Chef Dolester Miles of Highlandβs Bar & Grill
Music: Evolution Party Band
Morning Yoga in Railroad Park for wedding guests: Christine Caiola
Welcome party hosts: The Crouses
Welcome party venue: Jones Valley Teaching Farm
Welcome party catering: El Barrio Restaurante y Bar
Videographer: Paul Wages of Wages Films
**********
For more gorgeous wedding inspiration, clickΒ here.
Lauren Helmer
Lauren Helmer is a writer, editor, and artist with a passion for food, the arts, interiors, and the people who create them.