Renewing vows and the Brits are charming on the Hammock Coast

Renewing vows and the Brits are charming on the Hammock Coast

When Liz Warnock, my husband Neil Rose’s daughter from a former marriage, started looking into options for renewing vows and about where she and her husband Grant would celebrate their 20th anniversary, I suggested they research South Carolina’s Hammock Coast as their destination. As we talked through the idea of our family hosting the ceremony at our home in Pawleys Island, plans began to take shape. 

Traveling from the small medieval village outside of Brighton, England where they live, Liz and Grant, accompanied by their children, Amber, 17 and Roscoe, 16, made the journey to Charleston, where Neil picked them up at the airport and drove them 90 minutes north to Georgetown County and the Hammock Coast. After the excitement of arriving at our house and settling in for the night, we enjoyed a pot of chili and a chilled bottle of Picpoul.

“Pawleys Island, where pines meet the ocean,” Grant noted, “is a panoramic landscape that offers a moment to reflect on nature.”

Renewing vows was still a few days away, so showcasing the Hammock Coast was a priority for our visitors.

To combat the onset of jet lag, we decided to take it easy their first day by showing them the lay of the land. Our first stop was Hagley Landing, where we stopped to admire the Waccamaw River, old oak trees swaying with Spanish moss and the marsh views. Then we took them to the beach across the South Causeway. The day was unusually grey and blustery, sending the wind whipping through our hair. Bundling up, we walked along the sandy shore, searching for unusual shells and feathers. 

When the cold wind finally drove us back to the house, we played games, drank wine and made a hearty chicken and vegetable curry for dinner. 

The next day, a Monday, our 14-year-old daughter, Sophie, had to go to school and was sad to miss out on our activities.

That morning started with a stroll through the Hammock Shops Village, the iconic collection of quaint shops on the mainland of Pawleys that’s been inviting visitors and locals inside nearly two dozen shops and restaurants since 1938, followed by lunch on the patio at Bistro 217, where Roscoe discovered a love for sweet tea. He and Liz ordered Reubens, Grant enjoyed fried green tomatoes and a chicken parm sandwich, Amber had fish tacos, Neil had the green goddess salad with grilled chicken and I tried the lamb gyro, which was amazing.

Then we strolled around the Downtown Pawleys shops, lingering in Sea Gypsy and Marsh Girl, two of my local favorites. Shopping is always a good idea – even when the focus of the trip is renewing vows and a special anniversary.

That evening, a crisp hint of winter called for a firepit, built and stoked by the expert, Liz. Sitting around the flames against the backdrop of a black velvet sky, we listened to Celtic music, deciding which songs they would add to the playlist for their renewal-of-the-vows ceremony. When the fire began to dwindle, we came inside and Neil served burgers he’d been grilling on the back deck. 

On Tuesday, the Warnocks set out for Hopsewee Plantation where in the historical house and museum just south of the historic city of Georgetown, they learned about Georgetown County’s soulful past here on the Hammock Coast and its importance in the Revolutionary War.

“The moving stories of the Hopsewee Plantation were brought to life by a wonderful guide, Yancy McLeod, “ Amber recalled later, adding, “Perhaps the greatest surprise was lunch in the tea room, which, being prepared with love and a deep knowledge of Lowcountry cooking, was possibly the best food we ate on our trip. The chef there is incredible.”

While the Warnocks were out exploring all that Hopsewee had to offer, Neil and I stayed home to prepare (an albeit-early) Thanksgiving dinner so the Warnocks, who aside from Liz, had never experienced the tradition, could partake. When they returned home, they were in for a treat. Renewing vows wasn’t the only special celebration for the family, after all.

The turkey, cooked to a golden brown, was accompanied by stuffing, gravy, macaroni and cheese, roasted potatoes with rosemary, Hawaiian rolls, green peas and cranberry relish to be followed with pumpkin pie. Sharing this expression of gratitude with the Warnocks was one of the most special memories we created together while they were here.

Wednesday morning, the Warnocks set out again on their own and spent a good part of the day at Brookgreen Gardens, the world-famous sculpture garden that’s been part of the Hammock Coast in Murrells Inlet since 1931.

Our group admired the collection of sculptures while wandering the pathways beneath the oaks. At Brookgreens’s Lowcounty Zoo, they learned about our indigenous species and even made friends with a goat.

“During the off-season, Brookgreen Gardens can be enjoyed in complete tranquility,” Roscoe observed. “You can take your time to enjoy the beautiful sculptures and the fascinating stories to be found there.”

From early in the morning on Thursday, the big day for renewing vows and its much-anticipated ceremony followed by a meet-and-greet party to introduce our local friends to the Warnocks, the house was a flurry of activity. Liz was busy creating magazine-worthy floral arrangements with blooms she’d bought from Lowes, blended with fall fauna she’d found around our property.

Then she formed a pinecone-lined pathway leading from the back steps to an altar she decorated with shells, feathers, candles and the flowers. Grant made cold-cut sandwiches for lunch, helped peel shrimp to serve at the party and ran out for last minute provisions. While Neil made sliders, sliced beef and mini potatoes roasted with rosemary, I set the tablescape, arranging dips, crackers, cheeses, olives and foie gras alongside the classic deviled eggs I’d prepared earlier in the day. 

In the late afternoon, after Sophie arrived home from school, we all dressed up in our garden finery. The Celtic music we’d selected while sitting around the fire a few nights before played softly in the background as we proceeded down the path beneath the oak trees to a cool shady spot where Liz had created the ceremonial space. I was honored that she had asked me to officiate her thoughtful and well-planned commemoration.

After each family member spoke on Liz and Grant’s behalf, the two renewed vows. We took photographs, and friends began to arrive for the party. A good time was had by all, as they say here in the South.

As a trip to the Hammock Coast would be incomplete without a visit to the charming port city of Georgetown, we set off on Friday, their last day here, for a drive through the historic residential district and a stroll along Front Street. 

“In the off-season, Georgetown seems like the sleepy Main Street from every American movie from my childhood,” Liz commented. “The highlights for us were the cafés and beautiful boutique shopping opportunities, such as at The Rice Museum gift shop. I also loved sipping a glass of bubbles around the waterfront firepit at The Eliza bar behind The George Hotel while watching the boats on the river.” 

By Saturday, it seemed as though the week had flown by in a blur. After some last-minute packing and hugs all around, the Warnocks piled into the SUV and Neil drove them back to the airport in Charleston. Sophie and I stood on the front porch steps, waving goodbye until the car turned the corner and vanished from sight. 

From the first conversation I’d had with Liz about for their renewing vows celebration and bringing the Warnock family to the Hammock Coast, rather than anywhere else in the world they could have chosen for their vow-renewal ceremony, I knew exactly what experiences we wanted to share with them to make the journey worth their time, investment and energy –our history, although vastly different and much younger than that of England, is of equal fascination.

Our landscape, from the forests to the sea, is rugged yet soulful, capturing the essence of bygone eras. Our cuisine, unique to the Lowcountry, tells its very own story. Most of all, though, it’s the people who make this stretch of the Carolina coast the warm and welcoming community that we are proud and grateful to be a part of and show off to our family who journeyed here from afar. 

With so little time and much more to experience and explore, such as the Front Street museums, plantation and boat tours, a fishing trip, a round of golf, the MarshWalk at Murrells Inlet and day trips to Georgetown-area locations such as Hobcaw Barony, North Island and the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, we hope to host the Warnocks here again soon. Because whether the occasion is renewing vows, visiting family or seeking adventure in a unique place, the Hammock Coast offers something special for anyone from anywhere in the world.

— By Sarah Rose, contributor for South Carolina’s Hammock Coast