Category Archives: Bridal Style

Jun 06, 2018

Scenery Collage

Today, we are celebrating Wedding Wednesday down at Palmetto Bluff Resort. This is one of our favorite wedding venues and luckily we find ourselves here a few times per year. As you can tell from the scenery alone, it’s a pretty special place.  One of the many draws are the accommodation options for guests to all stay on property where the events take place(individual adorable cottages, and now a full service inn)… so it truly feels like a destination wedding. All photos are courtesy of Perry Vaile.

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On the wedding day, guests woke up to a homemade breakfast delivery of biscuits, jam, yogurt, and granola, with custom tags and packaging to match the rest of the wedding printing by Lettered Olive.

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Our gorgeous bride, Caroline-blogger of Stay the Bomb, wore an intricate applique gown by Kate McDonald. For the ceremony and photos she wore an added skirt for more glamour, which was then removed for dinner and dancing.

Bridal Collage

Invitation Collage

Lettered Olive created a watercolor image of the chapel at Palmetto Bluff where the couple would marry to use on the save the dates. We found the most amazing marble paper that the bride fell in love with, so we were able to use it in many place throughout the wedding design.  The first of which being as the backing on the invitations. A die cut lace belly band (mimicking the bride’s dress design) completed the invite suite.

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After the bride dressed in her cottage with her mother and maid of honor, she met her groom in one of the many green spaces for their “first look”.

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The bride’s non plus yet refined bouquet was hand tied with vintage ribbon that we sourced on one of our office trips to New York. The ribbon’s colors actually changed in different lights!

Wedding party Collage

Kate McDonald also did a hand painted gown for the mother of the bride, and lavender grey silk dresses for the bridesmaids.

Ceremony Collage

Shades of pinks, purples, and creams adorned the wedding chapel. We added a floral arch to mimic the existing architectural landscape of the chapel window. A watercolor image of the arch was also included in the miniature ceremony programs by Lettered Olive.

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A stunning moment in the ceremony was when a member of the gospel choir sang The Lord’s Prayer a capella.

Cocktail hour Collage

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a lounge on the lawn overlooking the river. Fluffy lemon leaf was a simple but statement piece for the front of the cocktail bar. The Plantation Singers gospel choir sang a joyful playlist – love this concept for cocktail hour music.

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Caligraphied escort tags with the marbelized paper backing were displayed on decorative cork boards.

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The sailcloth dinner tent was simply decorated with wrought iron cage lights woven with greenery, and a mix of long dinner tables with rounds.

Table Collage

I loved, loved. loved the clipboard menus we made for dinner. The marble paper served as the backing to caligraphy printed vellum menus and name tags.  We wrapped glass candle vases in the marble paper with gold painted table numbers.

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We like to do nice little adornments for the bride and groom chairs, and the greenery and rose garland was just perfect for this decor scheme.

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After dinner, guests moved into the ballroom for an after dinner dancing lounge. Greenery garlands hung from the ceiling helped bring the natural elements the bride loved so much into the otherwise basic space.

Cake Collage

The wedding cake was displayed under a cascade of flowers, and for the music loving groom a rock and roll cake was showcased in front of the decorative mantle.

Getaway Collage

After a quick change into a romper that this bride could perfectly pull off, guests sent them off to sparklers by way of tandem bicycle.

This wedding was also featured on the Southern Weddings blog, seen here…

6.06.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal, Bridal Style, Dresses, Event Design, Event Planning, Fashion, Flowers, Photographers, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>
May 30, 2018

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As you’ve heard me say plenty before, weddings at home are truly some of my favorite. So, in honor of our couple’s upcoming anniversary, we are taking you South of Broad here in Charleston for a wedding at the Bride’s childhood church, and then reception for over 400 at the bride’s family home. Corbin Gurkin captured the details of the day for us, and you can see more of this wedding in Charleston Weddings Magazine.

Venue Collage

The classic home in black and white laid the perfect color play for our pink and white palette. Wanting to be respectful of their surroundings, neighbors received care packages of chamomile tea, ear plugs, and handwritten notes thanking everyone for their understanding.

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Keeping in line with the traditional feel of the home wedding, simple and elegant black and white letterpressed save the dates, followed by engraved invitations set the tone for the wedding weekend.

Bridal Collage

The bride wore an Amsale mermaid gown which had sheer sleeves added and metallic Jimmy Choo wedges.  Mother and bride carried embroidered handkerchiefs.

Bridesmaids Collage

Bridesmaids wore LulaKate pink ball skirts over little white dresses (which they donned after the ceremony) and Ivanka Trump floral heels.  Bridesmaids received crystal necklaces and Plum Pretty Sugar robes as a gift from the bride.

Getting ready Collage

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After getting ready at home, the bride headed to her first sight moment in a classic white Rolls Royce.

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The bride carried a hand tied bouquet of pink garden roses and white calla lilies.

Photos Collage

House Collage

When hosting a wedding at home, we really encourage the family to open their home to guests and use it. We created seating vignettes inside so guests could enjoy a cocktail, and we brought in a classical piano player as a special touch.

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The formal dining room also made for a lovely backdrop for the all white wedding cake by Jim Smeal.

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Garden Collage

A full scale garden party was set on the grounds. Guests enjoyed a bourbon bar, passed rose champagne, local seafood served on ice, and hors d’eouvres by Cru Catering served on the family silver.  Custom matches were placed at the bars for guests to grab and takeaway.

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Before they danced their first dance as husband and wife, the couple stole away to a special sweetheart table stashed on the second floor porch. They got to spend moments together discussing the emotions of the day and had a birds eye view of the party as it was happening.

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After covering the pool with the dance floor, the only thing left to do was hope for amazing weather which we were blessed with!

Going away Collage

After a quick change into a classic Armani getaway suit and birdseed toss, the bride and groom departed by Golf Cart – which is how they also first met.

5.30.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Cakes, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Food and Drink, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>
May 23, 2018

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Can you tell how ready we are for summer and beach season over here? Today we are sharing this Sea Island wedding full of seagrass and shell details.  Surprisingly, while we are located in Charleston, SC we are rarely able to do any beachside weddings as they aren’t allowed here.  So, when we are working with a client hosting a beach wedding we do like to make use of the surroundings.

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The ceremony itself took place at a local chapel before guests made their way to the Ocean Forrest Club at Sea Island.  I love that this guest really got in the spirit with her woven and seashell motif Nantucket handbag.

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Hearty flowers are a must for outdoor weddings. These bouquets included summer blooms such as tulips, roses, ranunculus, and cymbidium orchids.

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Being held at a private beachside club afforded photographer, Liz Banfield, the chance to get some amazing shots of the wedding party on the beach. That light was so incredible!

And, I love the coastal groomsmen ensemble- white gabardine pants, navy blazer, crisp blue oxfords, and Vineyard Vines tie that coordinated with the girls’ dresses.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

As a nod to the brides’ family’s Scottish heritage, a bagpiper greeted guests as they entered into the cocktail tent.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Woven seagrass beach bags with local food treats, and maagzine, waters, and emergency hangover kit, and koozies for guests to use on weekend boating and beach adventures.

Food and drink Collage

Using the local bounty available, we created a seafood ice bar with the catering team at Sea Island. Southsides (a favorite of the couple) were served beachside, head here for a recipe.

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Each guest was seated at tables named after actual seashells and a coordinating shell was affixed to their card, giving guests a nice little take home memento.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

This was easily one of the most difficult tent drapes we have ever done, but one of the most rewarding. The tent ceiling is made from woven sheets of seagrass, normally a hearty material, but in the blustery conditions of a tent about 100 feet off of the beach, it was beyond challenging. Guests couldn’t believe it when they saw it though (and it had an amazing natural scent).

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

In order for guests to have the best view of the ocean during dinner, we had the tent flooring raised up several feet, giving guests a literal beachside lounge.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

One of the main design showcases of the evening were shadowboxes containing sand and shell displays.  And, those are icing sand dollars and shells on the cake by Jim Smeal.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The bride and groom departed by a vintage car adorned with ribbon streamers and orchid blooms.  Happy Wedding Wednesday!

5.23.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Cakes, Event Design, Flowers, Food and Drink, Photographers, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Weddings | Comments >>