photo by Jose Villa
Remember when there was a big wedding trend of instead of cakes, there were dessert bars, or pie stations, or smaller cake displays, etc? Well, tradition must be on the upswing, because we are seeing a lot of cakes making an appearance again, and the design is mostly simple, delicate, and sometimes even subtle. Here are some of our recent faves. Above, for summer in upstate New York, this ladylike floral confection from Nine Cakes deserved a custom made statement linen.
photo by Ryan Ray
Our springtime in Charleston wedding had both garden and modern design elements, with a strong marbleizing game. Jim Smeal nailed it as always with this sleek stunner.
photo by Corbin Gurkin
White on white is majorly back. But to keep this one interesting and different, square tiers were selected instead of round, and handmade hydrangea blooms used throughout the wedding flowers were represented here… Cake by Jim Smeal
photo by Liz Banfield
For another white on white cake, Jim Smeal added detailed architectural patterns noted each layer, giving it a glam Art Deco look… the hand made icing blooms softened it up for a that wedding touch. Keeping it clean around the bottom with a simple wooden board on a marble top table kept it inline with the sleep and simple chic look we were going for.
photo by Tec Petaja
Our minimalist natural bride opted for a simple white cake with textured “waves”, and just a hint of natural greens giving it an organic and earthy feel. Jim Smeal cake.
photo by Corbin Gurkin
Of course, we do still see some color and bolder styles.. Instead of adding any live blooms to this confection, Jim Smeal created and icing vine and floral pattern that really turned this cake into its own design focal point.
photo by Corbin Gurkin
This Jim Smeal cake, so perfect for a glam fall fete, was a chocolate lovers dream. The white icing flowers definitely pop and add a wedding-y touch and sitting atop a custom embroidered linen pull it all together into a picture perfect detail.
The men went with a modern take on the traditional suit opting for bowties instead of the long ties typically worn with suits (from Joseph A Banks). 
One of the biggest parts of my job when designing a wedding environment is thinking about the areas not to see in addition to creating what you do see. We wanted to hide an unsightly area on the side of the tent, and since we weren’t using any fabric draping our fabric walls would have looked out of place. So along with Snyder (our rental company) we built a wooden barn style wall. 
After a lovely sparkler send off, the couple departed in a nostalgic VW Beetle van for a perfect finishing touch! Thank you again to Charleston Weddings Mag for the constant support.
We love a home wedding, and encourage our clients to use all of their home when hosting. Guests entered through the front door (with the wedding monogram in orchid blooms), and proceeded outside for the festivities overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. 
Since this wasn’t a seated dinner, we wanted to make sure to not fall short in the decor department. Stations running the length of the tent held multiple food components, and an oversized bar ensuring there are no lines. So, we covered the fronts of the marble topped stations with fresh greens and ombre rose panels.
The dance floor was the focal point of the main tent, so it needed to make a statement. During the planning process our bride showed me a photo of a ribbon installation over a dining table. So, we decided to do it in the ombre pinks over the dance floor. The ocean breeze had it fluttering all night. The dance floor also added to the vibrant design with a custom monogram decal.
A pool house and pool on property was converted into an after party space… by adding a DJ booth and custom made light installation featuring the couples wedding hashtag. Of course, we had to curtain all of this off as a surprise for the guests and the bride and groom. 
A mobile bar was set up on the beach for guests to get their feet in the sand…
For the sake of tradition, the bride and groom departed by sparklers and golf cart, but did a quick change and returned to the after party… The couple’s friends DJ’d and guests ate sliders while dancing.
