Melissa Corbin Williams '96 Endowed Scholarship

Melissa Corbin Williams graduated from the College of Charleston in 1996 with a degree in Business Administration and quickly found her love of event planning. She founded the locally renowned wedding planning firm, A Charleston Bride, in 2001 and was one of the first full-service planners in the area, a true trailblazer in the industry. What started as a fun side-hustle in her twenties, planning events for friends and family on the weekends, soon grew into a full-blown passion with her strong entrepreneurial spirit. The established company you see today all began with her love of bringing others together to celebrate their most monumental life moments. Her ability to create strong relationships with everyone she crossed paths with is the backbone of her business legacy. From clients and vendors that turned into lifelong friends, to team members past and present that attribute their successes from her impact, she left a lasting imprint on everyone around her. She was a pioneer in design and logistics, creating original and authentic designs backed with flawless execution for each of her clients. Over her 21-year career, she was recognized with multiple, coveted planning awards and had countless featured publications both online and in print. She devoted herself to her business and single handedly helped hundreds of families over the years plan their most monumental life moments.

Numerous event professionals credit Melissa and A Charleston Bride for giving them their first opportunity in the industry. With an abundance of amazing event talent in the Charleston wedding sector, it certainly speaks volumes to Melissa’s success and approach that so many others would often lean on her for advice- both professionally and personally.

As an alumna of the College of Charleston, Melissa felt very passionately about her community involvement with the school and their curriculum. She was a guest speaker on numerous occasions to the students in the hospitality program and aspiring event planners. To further her support and share her knowledge, each year she partnered with the college to offer both a Spring and a Fall internship opportunity with A Charleston Bride. She helped dozens of interns over the years gain more event experience and gave many students the ability to get their foot in the door of the industry with permanent job opportunities. In her honor, A Charleston Bride will continue to host interns from the College of Charleston each year and additionally, in partnership with her beloved friends and family, establish this scholarship to celebrate her legacy.