When Draper James Accidentally Picked My Wedding Venue
How a saved Instagram post led to the mid-century Georgia dreamscape I didn’t know I needed.
See You in St. Simons
I was planning on eloping.
Not a Pinterest board, not a dress fitting, not a guest list — just me, Daniel, an officiant, and a whimsical little corner of England. We had our eyes on Canterbury. Tickets were the biggest expense. Everything else? Simple, quiet, intentional.
But then came the questions.
“Will the kids come?”
“Will your parents get to be there?”
“Will anyone get to witness it?”
And then came the global pandemic. Suddenly, not eloping became the better option.
So I did what any other slightly-stalled bride does when wedding plans stall: I opened Instagram.
Hours were lost to hashtags, story archives, and grid scrolls. I saved dozens of ideas I knew I’d never go back to.
Until I did.
Let's Say I Swiped Right
It was a Saturday. I was aimlessly thumbing through the explore page when a colorful Draper James post caught my eye — their grid full of sunshine, gingham, and that signature Southern sparkle.
I clicked. Then clicked again.
And there it was.
A poolside photo. Neon. Mid-century lines. Breezeblocks. Parasol umbrellas. My thumb froze. My heart did that thing where it skips and then catches up in a panic.
I tapped the location tag.
The Park, St. Simons Island.
That was it. The place. The vibe. The venue. Found because I got distracted scrolling through Reese Witherspoon’s clothing brand.
A Petite Palm Springs with a Mid-Century Mood
"Park it here" — The Park literally wears those words in glowing pink neon.
Think:
- Black-and-white striped umbrellas
- Retro patio chairs
- Lounge-worthy sofas beside the pool
- Velvet furniture and champagne buckets in pastel-colored suites
- Spanish moss cascading over banana leaf-lined paths
It’s Palm Springs energy, dropped like a vintage pin in South Georgia.
It was like someone had already styled the entire venue around my mood board — before I ever made one.
Spaces that Swoon
Each of The Park’s five suites feels like a character from a mid-century novel: colorful, layered, distinct. There are velvet couches. There are blush-tinted walls. There are banana leaves and breeze block walls that might make you cry if you love architecture the way I do.
Even the flora was curated: native greenery layered with purposeful placement that made every corner feel like a photograph waiting to happen.
I didn’t tour it in person before I booked it. I didn’t have to.
The vibe? Understood.
The tone? Already matched.
The detail? Already done.
This Must Be the Place
Planning a wedding in a pandemic made me rethink a lot: what mattered, what didn’t, and what might matter more than I realized.
I didn’t need a ballroom or a seating chart.
I just needed a place that felt like us. And that’s what I got.
Thanks to one casual scroll, a splash of Draper James, and a little magic, The Park became more than a venue. It became the setting for one of the best days of our lives.
So yes, it’s true:
Draper James accidentally picked my wedding venue.
And honestly?
I wouldn’t change a thing.
Photos by Kaley Sullivan of Owltown Creative
