Soiree by Tara Guerard is so excited to announce our new blog: Tara Guerard’s BonBon Blog. We’ll be posting photos from our events, what’s going on in the industry, Charleston and beyond, and life in general weekly, so please check back with us regularly.

For all Nashville Brides…

Tara will be a guest speaker this weekend at the 2nd annual Nashville Lifestyles Weddings Bridal Show. Join Tara for a Mimosa Luncheon on Saturday March 28th from 11:00am-2:00pm at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. Tickets are $40.

Real Wedding- Michelle and Jeb: 09.13.08

Flowers by Soirée

When I think back on this wedding I think FUN! We had a different color combo than we had worked with before – bright orange, grass green, and vibrant purple, fun personal touches from the couple, and unique details…Even the bridesmaids’ shoes were cute and colorful- each bridesmaid had a different pattern.

Save the Date by The Lettered Olive, Shoes by JCrew

We have been at this location (The William Aiken House) many times before, so it’s always a “fun” challenge to come up with new ideas for set up and design here- so putting some swings in an existing pergola and playing on the atmosphere of a reflecting pond on site definitely kept the mood of the evening light.

Desserts by Jim Smeal

One of our fave elements from this weekend was our dessert display… our bride, Michelle, knew that she was not a “wedding cake” girl, so we compiled all of the family’s favorite desserts and made miniature versions of them. Then designed an entire display where guests could indulge and pick and choose their favorites!

With the state of the economy now, budget saving tips are important! So, one idea that worked for us here was to combine the menu cards and place cards… they were all hand calligraphied, but only one design had to be printed- and they added a different dimension to the place setting other than having the typical flat cards. I love all of the personal touches that reflected the family- the food was a perfect mix of Northern and Southern dishes from Clam Chowder shots and Lobster Rolls at cocktail hour to an amuse bouche of Hushpuppies at dinner, to the bagpiper escorting the couple out of the church which represented the brides’ family heritage to the getaway car…

Menu Cards by The Lettered Olive

The groom’s favorite dessert, however, are Krispy Kreme donuts. That was his ONLY request for the wedding, so of course, we take it and make it personal.

Donut Boxes by The Lettered Olive

The couple departed in a vintage Cadillac convertible owned by the groom- we even had to make sure the cans on the car were painted to match!

All of the photos from this wedding are courtesy of one of our favorite photographers- Squire Fox, who shoots for lots of national magazines, books, and fashion spreads. He’s so talented and his personality on a wedding day makes him a blast to work with.

You can see other shots from this wedding, which is currently being featured in the Charleston Weddings Magazine, Summer 2009 issue– Thank you Melissa Bigner and the Chas Mag team for the great feature!

We are also very excited here about the new addition to the Guerard family, Myers Rast Guerard. Myers was born on Tuesday, March 3rd, 8 lbs 6oz., 21″ long… Mom and baby are healthy and happy!

See you in Marion Square…

On a side note- Charleston is all a buzz with the second annual Charleston Fashion Week starting on Tuesday, March 24th. That night will feature the collections from the “Emerging Designers” discovered from a contest for local/regional designers to win a chance to debut their collections. The rest of the week features local designers and boutiques showing their favorite pieces from national/international designers and their spring collections. There is a even a bridal couture show on Saturday morning, featuring the newest gowns from the fabulous boutiques here in Charleston. If you live here, don’t miss it!