Category Archives: Cakes

Mar 23, 2016

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Easter in Charleston is such a lovely time of year, and popular for weddings… This one we loved because it wasn’t your typical pastel palette.  Thank you to Liz Banfield for the pretty photos.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield Tara Guerard Soiree by LIz Banfield

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The wedding ceremony was held in the garden of the Confederate Home and College downtown.  Immediately following the ceremony, the youngest guests and flower girls were treated to an egg hunt, also in the garden.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Guests enjoyed a stroll down cobblestone streets to Hibernian Hall for the reception.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Wedding welcome baskets were a grown up take on a traditional Easter basket; once they arrived at Hibernian speciality cocktails in the wedding colors were served; elegantly appointed dining tables filled the upper hall; young guests received fully stocked baskets at the reception offering a little distraction.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Only Jim Smeal can make green icing look as beautiful as this.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Seating cards were hung from our suspended candle chandelier and favors were displayed for guests; guests could enjoy the perfect weather from the seating on the piazza

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

After a sparkler send off, the bride and groom rode off into the night by way of a Charleston rickshaw.

3.23.16   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal, Cakes, Charleston, Event Design, Food and Drink, Reception | Comments >>
Mar 14, 2016

Tara Guerard Soiree by Corbin Gurkin

photo by Corbin Gurkin; cake by Jim Smeal

It’s been said that weddings cakes are seeing a drop in popularity, but I don’t agree. I still have the majority of brides wanting wedding cakes of some kind and we always like to make their display a showcase for the cake, which is also often a work of art.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

photo by Liz Banfield; cakes by Jim Smeal

Serving a variety of different flavors and individual cakes for each guest can be challenging to serve. So, we set up a tiered display and had different flower toppers for each flavor so guests could choose their own.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

photo by Liz Banfield; cake by Cakes by Cathy

Reed cake table

photo by Liz Banfield; cakes by Jim Smeal

This bride had a love for elephants, so we luckily found these elephant “side tables” that fit a tier just perfectly…

Tara Guerard Soiree by Gayle Brooker

photo by Gayle Brooker; cakes by Peninsula Grill 

This bride wanted a mix matched look, and the famous Peninsula Grill coconut cakes. Since those are made as individual tiers, we made our own stacked display with different sized rounds. It was also displayed on a wooden farm table with vintage lace that the bride’s mother had saved from her wedding and we set all of this up inside of a vintage garden conservatory.

Tara Guerard Soiree by LIz Banfield

photo by Liz Banfield; cake by Jay Qualls Frosted Affair 

For this girlie bride we had a luxe flowered ruffled linen custom made.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

photo by Liz Banfield; cake by Sylvia Weinstock

This cake was a centerpiece in the reception tent- covered in handmade boxwoods- we used an acrylic table with potted live boxwoods below to look as if it was being held up by the  pots and plants.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

photo by Liz Banfield; cake by Jim Smeal

This shadowbox cake table was full of sand and shells for a seaside wedding.

3.14.16   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Cakes, Event Design, Food and Drink, Reception, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>
Mar 02, 2016

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

We are so excited to be sharing more from this special wedding today on Wedding Wednesday. Candice was gracious enough to share her advice for staying cool under the pressure of planning with us yesterday, so we thought sharing more of the beautiful photos from Liz Banfield was fitting!  The nuptials took place over looking the banks of the Ashley River at Runnymeade Plantation. The Oak trees on property provided much of the inspiration as you’ll see in many of the details throughout.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The printed materials were a huge importance for this couple, so Lettered Olive letterpressed wood grain paper, incorporated etched bronze elements, and created a custom pattern used for many decor elements. The couple’s two Australian Shepards are an important part of their lives, so we really wanted to have them in the wedding somehow.  They were the perfect backdrop for the couple’s “Save the Dates”, and for favor boxes of take home wedding cake we fashioned into “Doggie Bags”.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Wild and lush was the feel of the flowers for this celebration with an unexpected color scheme- teal, peach, cream, bronze, natural wood.  The bouquets still felt refined and composed with garden roses, hellebores, berries, sweet peas, ranunculus, lily of the valley, and various greens.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Cocktail hour took place on the riverbanks and incorporated al fresco lounge seating and custom designed umbrellas by Boutique Tents. Fabric was printed and sourced to be fashioned into pillows bringing in all of the patterns and colors used throughout for a layered look.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The couple are oenophiles so to give them something cherished for their collection, we had a select magnum displayed during cocktail hour for guests to sign…

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Multiple cakes by Jim Smeal were displayed on a galax leaf covered table. Cakes included hand molded flowers and blades of marsh grass.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Guests dined in a tented carpeted in seagrass as woven greenery garlands created the effect of dining under branches. Ostrich leather topped tables were topped with lamps, and glass vases of different bundles of flowers. Velvet menu books in shades of greens were marked with bronze name plates as seating cards.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

After the sun set and dinner was finished, guests moved into the lounge tent which was a luxe with soft peach carpet, beige velvet sofas, chandeliers, and an al fresco porch for those wanting a break from all of the dancing.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Late night treats included a cigar roller, a hot dog cart and hamburgers from their favorite spot, and passed milkshakes which were a cool treat for those into the dancing!

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The couple departed by sparklers in a vintage Chevy pick up truck with hay bale seats!

3.02.16   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Cakes, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, Food and Drink, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Weddings | Comments >>