MAISON MUELLER

Some weddings are designed.
Others are lived in.

Maria + Will’s celebration at Hotel Domestique felt like stepping into a place that had always existed — warm light, thoughtful details, and a table set for lingering.

Welcome to Maison Mueller.

Class, Naturally

The goal for Maison Mueller was simple: curate an experience that everyone could truly feel, tapping into the beauty of romance, travel and adventure. A wedding imagined as a tucked-away restaurant along the South of France, where Maria + Will’s weekend unfolded with ease, comfort, and an unmistakable sense of belonging.

But to understand the design, you have to understand them.

Maria + Will are the kind of people who make elegance feel natural. Brilliant and deeply thoughtful, yet entirely unassuming. The kind of class that never needs to announce itself. Smart, warm, quick to laugh, and completely at ease in their own rhythm.

They met at a mutual friends’ wedding in Virginia. She had just graduated medical school. He had just moved across the country. They danced, talked until sunrise, and although he was meant to fly to California the next morning, he changed his flight and showed up in Charlotte with flowers for their first date.

That gesture says everything.

Their wedding followed the same energy. Refined without trying. Romantic without theatrics. Trend-agnostic in the best way.

Layered tablescapes of glowing lamps + candles, mixed florals + lace textures, and thoughtfully designed vignettes created a dining experience that felt collected over time rather than styled in a single day.

The result was relaxed yet elevated. Effortlessly chic. Warmly intimate. A Riviera-style soirée with a heartbeat.

The Setting

Hotel Domestique | Travelers Rest, SC

A full buyout of the hotel’s thirteen rooms transformed the weekend into something far more intimate than a traditional venue rental. For three days, it wasn’t simply a location. It was theirs.

Guests checked in and stayed close. Mornings unfolded slowly. Evenings lingered.

The ceremony took place just in front of the hotel, framed by fresh mountain air and the quiet romance of the European-inspired architecture. Cocktail hour moved indoors, where guests gathered, enjoying conversations in cozy nooks, before transitioning outside once more.

Dinner was set in the courtyard overlooking the mountains and the soft trickle of the fountain pool, each course arriving as the sky slowly slipped into dusk.

Hotel Domestique carries a distinctly European sensibility, and for the weekend it felt less like South Carolina and more like a countryside retreat abroad. Intimate. Transportive. Effortlessly refined.

What Mattered Most

The Intention
At the heart of the day was one simple priority:
having all of their closest friends and family in one place.

No overproduction. No distractions. Just presence.

Their personal vows became the most monumental moment of the evening. The sweetheart table offered a quiet pause beneath the stars. Even the hours spent getting ready alongside lifelong friends carried the same weight as the ceremony itself.

Florals
Trust defined the design process. Maria allowed space for artistry, and the bouquet revealed layers she hadn’t even known to articulate. Romantic and textural, fall-forward without veering into the expected. Precisely balanced.

Signage + Installation
Bistro-inspired fabric installations with lace accents, and personal photographs intertwined throughout the space. Paper menus with custom branding fit to their vision. It felt curated rather than constructed, a story woven gently into the setting.

Food + Beverage
A plated dinner and open bar designed to feel like a refined restaurant experience rather than a traditional wedding reception.

Cake
A simple sweet potato cake with cream icing from Brick Street Cafe. Thoughtful, understated, perfect.

Fashion + Beauty
Maria looked radiant, but more importantly, entirely at ease. Confident. Comfortable. Fully present.

Music
A dance floor that stayed full. Always the mark of a good night.

Advice From The Couple

Their Best Investment: “Our Planners”
Maria shared that without guidance, vision, and full trust in the process, the day would not have felt as seamless or elevated. The goal was never excess. It was refinement. And refinement requires intention.

Advice from the Newlyweds
Be authentic.
If it doesn’t excite you, let it go.

They skipped traditional parties, cut a private cake just for themselves, and turned their reception entrance into a drinking game with friends. The result? A celebration that felt entirely their own.