Mr. and Mrs. | Tara Guérard Soirée

I’m so thrilled to have this wedding to share from the archives… it’s been 10 years since this sweet sweet couple came to Charleston to get married, so a little post on them is long overdue. Thank you to Liz Banfield for sharing the images, and enjoy this truly Southern wedding.

The wedding palette was traditional black and white with pops of spring green. Lady slipper orchids other than being stunningly special, were also the PERFECT color and accent for us to use throughout. This bouquet was and still is one of the best we’ve ever done. I mean, lily of the valley sprigs with lush peonies and lady slippers, it was to die for!

The bride did want a bit of modern brought into the tradition, so a mid century modern font and mr & mrs theme took shape. Black jute totes (we tied green ribbon handles on) were filled with custom printed water bottles and koozies, and matching cookies, and weekend information booklet by Lettered Olive.

The wedding ceremony took place at First Scots Presbyterian Church in downtown Charleston. The wrought iron gates were transformed into a lush floral arch.

Afterwards at the reception at a local Yacht Club, guests were greated by a Dixieland Jazz Band playing in the lobby (a nod to NOLA, where the couple was living at the time)… we created a “curtain” of orchids hung by ribbons from the 2nd floor balcony to hide an unsightly entrance to the private bar portion of the venue.. it ended up being one of my favorite design elements!

A lounge was set up on the second floor porch overlooking the Charleston Harbor.

Jim Smeal created the beautiful cake inspired by the bead work on the bride’s gown. I agree with Liz Banfield, who says this is still one of her favorite cakes and shots of all time. So timeless and simple but stunning!

Guests enjoyed large food stations like a custom ice display for seafood featuring carved bowls for shrimp, and glass holders for oyster shooters. Sushi was preplated with chopsticks making it so easy for guests to navigate with a cocktail in hand.

One of the major design features we built for this wedding, was the floral chandelier hanging over the dancefloor… we did cover the old school drop tile ceiling in fabric which made them seem lower than I would like, so create an illusion of height and distraction, 10′ square covered in fragrant and dramatic blooms was the centerpiece of the room.