he Penn Center Inc., which consists of fifty beautiful and historically distinct acres in the heart of St. Helena Island, was the site of the unique outdoor wedding of Cherington Shucker and Darin Gehrke on April 9, 2005. Bridging Beaufort’s genteel historic district and bustling Lady’s Island to the string of fast developing Sea Islands, St. Helena still stretches serenely, offering glimpses of golden marsh on either side, enormous live oaks hiding in thick forests, and very few commercial establishments. Now on the a National Historic Landmark Register, this is the location of one of the first school for freed slaves in the United States, which was started by Pennsylvanians, Laura Towne and Ellen Murray, in the 1860’s before the Emancipation Proclamation. Classes were first held in The Brick Church adjacent to what became The Penn Center. The York W. Baily Museum educates visitors about the Sea Islands and South Carolina Low Country African American culture, often referred to as “Gullah.” This unique culture and language arose as a blend of African and Sea Island heritage. Although the large grounds and several buildings host many conventions and frequent Elderhostels, only one other wedding has used the facilities of the Penn Center, and it was indoors. The bride and groom selected this location for their beautiful spring wedding for many fascinating reasons.
Cherington and her mother are natives of South Carolina,
and both Darin and the bride’s father are Pennsylvanians, hence the Penn Center located in South Carolina had a
special connection for them. To further entice the couple to select this location the Brick Church, where the Penn Center
school started, is on the land which was given by William Fripp, one of the prominent land owners and Sea Island cotton
planters of the area in the 1800’s, who was the bride’s great, great, great, great grandfather. He was born
on St. Helena Island in 1788 to Captain John Fripp and Martha Scott Fripp. This land had been part of William’s
inheritance from his father, and the church was built as a place of worship for their family and their slaves’ families.
The Fripps believed that everyone should have the right to be educated, and so William offered the church to the teachers
from Pennsylvania to hold classes. As any April week-end threatens showers, the wedding would have taken place inside
the Brick Church in the event of rain.
Because of the infamous “no-see-ums” and mosquitoes, (the uninvited low-country guests that frequently crash a party,) invited wedding guests were given programs printed on old-fashioned fans to wave away any pesky little intruders. Each guest also received a beautiful pastel rose or carnation made, by the groom and his mother, incorporating Bounce dryer sheets, the fragrance of which deters insects. These were cleverly labeled to indicate the meaning of love represented by their color. Jim Burgess, uncle of the bride, had made the wedding bell, which hung from the old brick well house and was tolled five times to begin the five o’clock ceremony. The bridal party emerged from Benezet House and walked down the grassy pathway created with borders of Spanish moss.
The bride wore her mother’s A-line shift-styled wedding dress of candlelight peau du soire overlaid with silk organza, with wide borders at top and hem of re-embroidered Alencon lace highlighted with seed pearls and crystal beads. Just below her bateau neckline she wore a shell and gold wedding brooch hand-carved with doves and flowers, which has been worn by nine generations of brides in the Fripp family and descendents, originating with Sarah Harriet Reynolds Fripp, wife of William of Beaufort and the Sea Islands. Each of the five bridesmaids and a junior bridesmaid wore organza over taffeta tea-length dresses of different muted shades of moss green, yellow, peach, coffee, purple, and flower girls wore baby blue. The father of the bride and the groom and his attendants wore three-button black suits.
The Reverend Dr. Donald Flowers of Charleston, who had been the bride’s Youth Minister when she was a teen in Greenville, officiated standing in front of the majestic and historic oak tree, which held its long branches over the 200 seated guests from all over the United States, as well as friends from Korea. The nuptial message emphasized how important family roots are to the bride and groom and to the solid foundation of any marriage. Family and guests were made aware that the mighty roots and branches of these giant oaks beneath and above them, also had nurtured many former generations of islanders, including the bride’s forebears. To repeat their vows the bride and groom faced a huge wreath of brilliant spring flowers which hung on the giant trunk and served as the altar.
After the ceremony, the bride and groom signed the Wedding Certificate on the porch of Benezet House, while wedding guests proceeded to have refreshments and view wedding photographs of several generations of the bride and groom’s families. Guests also wrote best wishes and signed a painting which Darin created of a giant oak stretching over a Sea Island Nautical map, the guests’ signatures creating the Spanish moss drooping from its branches. Later the picture will be framed for Darin and Cherington’s home. Guests were invited to have hors d’oeuvres of “Southern Caviar” (boiled peanuts) and Pennsylvania Dutch Treats (Splitz pretzels). For drinks they could choose wine or “Juliana Mint Julep” (sweet mint tea named in honor of the tea-totaling Juliana Fripp, daughter of William Fripp and who was great, great, great grandmother of the bride.) Beer also carried out the Northern - Southern theme with choices of Yuengling beer from the oldest (1829) brewery in America, which is located in Pennsylvania near the groom’s home of Robesonia, or Palmetto Beer, brewed in South Carolina.
Next the guests were ushered into the Penn Center
Dining Hall, which had been transformed by Joel Kirby and Jay Burriss of Curly Willow Designs in Greenville, who worked
with the bride’s ideas to create an elegant setting for the wedding dinner. Long tables with white cloths were draped
with shimmering metallic and orange fabric overlays, centered with large green and ochre ceramic square containers of
bright spring green lemon grass and vibrant colored Gerber daisies. Hanging overhead were large, white, Chinese paper
lanterns, reminiscent of the past year which Cherington and Darin spent as University professors in Guangzhou, China.
Guests found, tucked into their napkins, little bags of Southern Signature sachet, Carolina jasmine-scented Spanish moss
which the bride, her mother Pam, and grandmother Nelle Burgess of Greenville had made. The seated dinner was an unusually
delicious meal prepared by the Penn Center dining staff and consisted of prime rib, (a Yankee favorite,) and Shrimp Creole,
(a Southern favorite,) along with green beans, salad, and corn bread.
The bride’s cake was iced in pastel green and featured a green “C” and “D” on top, with green spirals, noted as the most basic artistic symbol used by the Creator in nature, and the couple’s chosen symbol of ever-deepening love. Beside the cake was a pair of 18-inch porcelain dolls created and dressed by the bride’s aunt, Bonnie Neely, to look like a miniature of Darin and Cherington. The groom’s cake was fashioned as a light green wall, since the Great Wall of China held fond memories for the newly-weds, and featured a whimsical ceramic figurine of a bride catching a groom who was running away. As the minister pointed out, this creative couple continues to break the expected norm! Following dinner, guests enjoyed dancing on the tennis court, which was made softly romantic with little lights and a Crystal Ball.
The bride, who had been an event planner for The Urban League of Greenville, planned each detail of the three-day wedding week-end to ensure the guests were well- entertained in the style of genuine Southern hospitality while becoming familiar with and blending traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch and the Low-Country South Carolina. For the Bridesmaids’ brunch at Harbor Island Beach Club the typical fare of shrimp and grits, biscuits, and crab cakes was the delicious rendition of Rowland Washington of We Island Gumbo, who also catered the Rehearsal Dinner at the Beach Club, hosted that evening by the groom’s parents, Ray and Jean Gehrke. The menu included “Crick Stew” prepared on an outdoor fire by Mr. Washington, and Pennsylvania Dutch “Shoo-Fly Molasses Pie” flown in for the event. Favors were small wooden boxes of shell-shaped chocolates exquisitely made by the groom’s mother, and the wooden lids featured shells embedded in sand, created by the groom, who is a professional artist and teacher. The couple received from the groom’s parents two beautiful keepsakes made in cross-stitch by the groom’s mother: a framed sampler with their names and wedding date and a matching Guest Registry book.
Before guests left the Low Country on Sunday, the bride’s parents hosted a family breakfast of fruit, coffee,
juice, and Sweet Potato Bread, a South Carolina treat, and cranberry bread, a Pennsylvania favorite, both of which Pam
Shucker, the bride’s mother, had made. Cherington and Darin plan to begin their married life in Greenville.
