Dec 26, 2024
A Wedding in Black and White

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

I love pulling this wedding out of the archives. Our clients wanted a traditional Southern wedding reception, but wanted a mod flair added to it, it was such a fun combination to work with. The pop of the kelly green with the black and white softened it and we went with a very simple script and design which rounded out the modern feel. The bride’s bouquet is still one of my all time favorites that I’ve ever done! Thank you to Liz Banfiled for these photos.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

“Mr. and Mrs” became the tag line, and was used on the cookies in the welcome bag, on the cocktail napkins, and on printed materials throughout. In the guest welcome bags, we packaged a note along with different vintage Charleston  pre stamped postcards and asked that guests write a little something while they were in Charleston for the wedding, and mail them back to the couple. What a great surprise for the bride and groom to have to relive the weekend when they returned home!

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The reception took place in a beautiful Charleston building overlooking the water, but we really wanted to make the inside special. As guests entered the foyer, they were greeted by a Dixieland Jazz Band (the couple lived in New Orleans at the time) playing in front of a wall that consisted of hundreds of cymbidium orchid heads hanging from satin ribbon. Stunning!

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The wreaths with custom acrylic and caligraphied Mr. and Mrs. signs were brought over from the church gates to adorn the plan exterior doors at the reception venue.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

To soften the room and create dimension, little seating vignettes filled the corners so guests could have drinks and conversation away from the dance floor.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Mini plates of sushi rolls made for a much more elegant display than a buffet type bar that needed to be constantly replaced. We had a sushi roller on site rolling several varities and plating them for the guests.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

I always try to discourage my clients from going old school on ice sculptures, so we like to come up with something innovative yet functional. So, for the crab salad cocktail, we had holes made in the ice that fit little clear votives. It kept the seafood cold, and was easy for guests, not to mention nice looking!

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

We created “pin boards” for guests to write sweet notes for the bride and groom in lieu of a sign in book. We saved the boards for the couple until after their honeymoon and then sent them to their home… Great for a kitchen, office, mudroom, etc!

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

For a drop tile ceiling, luckily we were able to cover it with pleated fabric… We also lined the top of bookshelves holding glassware at the bars with flowers and candles, so guests had something lovely to look at while waiting for a cocktail.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Again, in the empty but expansive open room, we wanted to have some ambient lighting over the dance floor (it’s so important to have lights that are NOT too bright, or people won’t dance!), and give something pretty for photos.  So, an old chandelier we built from wood was repainted and repurposed into a floral chandelier.  And they lived happily ever after….

This entry was posted in Bridal, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, Food and Drink, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, Uncategorized, Weddings and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

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