Here Comes the Bride... and the Book

Mary Alice Monroe, a beloved NY Times Bestselling author, has done it again. In her new book A Lowcountry Wedding, which hits the bookstores on May 3, she draws our hearts back to Sullivan’s Island (SC) and to the three sisters who Mary Alice fans have come to love in her Summer Series, which launched in 2013, producing an entry each year since.

There is always excitement when a new book is released, especially one that continues the journeys of characters readers have grown to love. And Mary Alice is the master at creating very real, problematic characters, which readers can attach themselves to and identify with. At the beginning of A Lowcountry Wedding, readers are presented with two wedding invitations to two of the sister’s weddings, in the same weekend.

With Charleston being the No. 1 destination for weddings, the sisters follow suit in what women are looking to create for their dream day—one is a beach wedding, the other is a more traditional Southern plantation style wedding. While the girls deal with tumult, family dynamics, and emotions, the true lessons come from the matriarch of the family, their grandmother Mamaw.

“I love what Mamaw has to say in this book. It’s about a grandmother’s love for her grandchildren. Mamaw guides them, helps them become strong women, helps them find their voices and reminds them of the importance of home,” Mary Alice said.

In addition, Mary Alice continues her theme of Bottlenose dolphin conservation in the book through the returning endearing dolphin, Delphine. “It is scary when 49 percent of our bottlenose dolphin population are ill,” said Mary Alice. She is a concerned conservationist and always includes environmental issues in her books. “I believe in the power of story to influence. Like parables. You can make people aware and actually care without pounding them over the head with the problem,” she said.

BOOK SYNOPSIS:

Nothing could be more enchanting than a summer wedding—or two!—in storied Sullivan’s Island. A centuries-old plantation, an avenue of ancient oaks dripping moss, a sand dune at sunset… it’s all picture perfect, and half-sisters Dora, Carson, and Harper, and their grandmother Marietta “Mamaw” Muir couldn’t be more excited. Venues are booked, favors selected, and delectable cakes tasted. What could possibly go wrong?

The answer, the Muir clan is soon to find out, is everything. Carson can’t wait to be Blake’s bride, until she realizes it means giving up her freedom ... Harper makes a discovery that will change the course of her and Taylor’s lives, not to mention their impending wedding ... and a newly unfettered Dora has no plans to walk down the aisle at all—but she just might, if Devlin has anything to say about it.

Just when it seems things couldn’t get more complicated for the Muir sisters, a stranger arrives bearing a long-held family secret that has the potential to upend even the most carefully laid-out plans. With the weddings mere weeks away and the sisters in flux, it’s up to Mamaw to come to the rescue and see her Summer Girls through to their very own happily-ever-afters.

A Little Secret: Look for Mary Alice’s conservation theme move to shore birds, specifically Pelicans, in her upcoming books.

Upcoming Events:

April 28: The official book launch party: Isle of Palms
YOU’RE INVITED to A Lowcountry Wedding Oceanfront Reception
Thursday, April 28th, 6:00 P.M. at The Grand Pavilion, Wild Dunes Resort. Please RSVP:  843.886.2283 Tickets are $40, which includes a signed copy of A Lowcountry Wedding. Enjoy live music, southern cuisine, signature cocktails by Firefly, and even wedding cake at this luxe seaside wedding venue! Every guest will be entered for a chance to win a romantic weekend getaway at the world-class Wild Dunes Resort.

May 1: Timrod Library in Summerville is hosting Mary Alice for a presentation at Bethany Methodist Church at 3:00 P.M. A Reception and book signing will be held afterward at the library at 217 Central Ave. More information is available by calling 843-871-4600 or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
May 3: Kiawah Reads is sponsoring a Lowcountry Wedding Reception to celebrate A Lowcountry Wedding at 3:00 P.M. at Sandcastle Community Center, Kiawah Island. More information is available by calling 843-768-3875.

May 22: Beaufort County Open Land Trust and Nemours Wildlife Foundation are co-hosting a fundraiser and booksigning at a Lowcountry Barbecue featuring author Mary Alice Monroe as the guest speaker on the majestic grounds of Nemours Plantation. The event starts at 11:30 A.M. Ticket information is available by calling Beaufort County Open Land Trust at 843-521-2175.

Mary Alice is a longtime Charleston area resident who has garnered a legion of fans for her novels rooted in the Lowcountry. A new book launch is always exciting, but the launch of
A Lowcountry Wedding is nothing short of fabulous.

To celebrate the new novel, Monroe, along with a host of some of the finest wedding
purveyors in Charleston, are going over-the-top and giving away an
all-inclusive Southern dream wedding to one lucky couple.

The winning couple will work with Ashley Rhodes Event Designs to plan their perfect day.
The wedding will take place at the Legare Waring house and gardens,
a historic antebellum plantation home located on the grounds of Charles Town Landing.

This opportunity will truly be a dream come true and Mary Alice and all the vendors involved
couldn’t be happier. “This was an idea that came together with ease.
From the first person we approached, everyone has been so excited about this collaboration.
This is such a wonderful community,” said Mary Alice!

Ready to win? Go to MaryAliceMonroe.com to learn more about the contest,
check out all the fabulous vendors involved, and of course, enter to win.
The deadline for entry is May 31, 2016 and the winners will be announced in June