Category Archives: Dresses

Jan 07, 2020

photo by Corbin Gurkin

We have some of the most gorgeous brides, don’t we? We love doing this recap post every year and thanking our brides for an amazing year… Ready to hit the ground running in 2020 with two weddings already in January! Keyton got married in her summer vacation destination of Watercolor, Florida… She wore a strapless ballgown by Monique Lhuillier.

photo by Ryan Ray

Lauren was our fun loving, have a great time, and dance all night long bride. Married here in Charleston, she is a SC girl and we loved creating a spring time formal fete for her at Runnymede. Lauren’s mermaid sheath is by Oscar de la Renta.

photo by Sylvie Gil

Hannah and Tyler were married over the summer at “the end of the world”- Montauk, New York. Our bride elevated the typical beach wedding look with a lace covered off the shoulder gown by Anna Maier.

photo by Jose Villa

Caroline and her fiancé chose an urbane getaway upstate NY getaway- Troutbeck  for their wedding weekend. For the most part, the guests all stayed on site and were able to spend the entire weekend enjoying the amenities and events. Her simple but chic sheath is by Carolina Herrera.

 photo by Corbin Gurkin

Kimbrell married at her family home in upstate, SC… we were lucky enough to initially get to know her while planning her older sister’s wedding several years ago. Although, we had an unexpected tropical storm blow through that day, the rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits and everyone partied like it was a lovely day. Kimbrell chose a gorgeous lace Mira Zwellinger gown that couldn’t have been more perfect on her.

photo by Anne Rhett Photography

To marry her love overlooking the sea where she spent so much time with her family growing up (and having lost her beloved father) was of the utmost importance to our bride, which is why she chose Round Hill in Jamaica.  She chose a Cucculelli Shaheen gown with a cape that was beyond fabulous…

1.07.20   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal, Bridal Style, Dresses, Event Planning, Fashion, Flowers, Photographers, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

photo by Tec Petaja

If you follow weddings like we do, you are probably seeing that anything goes these days for bridesmaids’ attire… The NY Times even published a story about a maid of honor showing up in a TRex costume after being given the note to wear ANYthing she wanted! But, our clients are sticking a with a more traditional sense of bridesmaids clothing, even if with a bit of a twist here and there.  Colors are running the gamut, and the standard appears to be different versions of the same dress fabric and colors, as in the above.

photo by Ryan Ray

This bride wanted a glam and formal event which called for formal gowns. Full length versions of these black dresses were perfectly appropriate and definitely ensures these ladies would be able to wear them again. Even though this was a spring wedding, florals in muted tones made them work for the season.

photo by Sylvie Gil

Shades of blue remain the most common color scheme our clients are wearing. For this seaside Hamptons wedding, watercolor tones created an ombre palette. While, the maid of honor wore a patterned frock, for a special designation.

photos 1 &2 Corbin Gurkin; photo by Jose Villa 

Long blue gowns for an at home fall wedding in Georgia; a winter Beach wedding in Watercolor, Florida; and a summer evening in Upstate New York.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

For a bride who is one part of the fashion house, Dee Hutton, custom made couture gowns in a varying but complimentary color scheme proved amazing in photos.

9.24.19   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Beauty, Bridal Style, Dresses, Event Design, Fashion, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>
Jul 30, 2019

Since it’s finally live on Coastal Living, we are thrilled to finally be able to bring you this gorgeous beach wedding we did at a private home on Sea Island, GA…Our couple, Ryan and Allie married at a historic chapel before celebrating with friends and family at a family member’s beachfront estate.  All photos by Corbin Gurkin.

Our bride chose a an airy Amsale confectionary gown, and paired it with feather adorned Jimmy Choo heels.

We designed our bride’s bouquet in the punchy palette with coral charm peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, and delicate greens as airy accents. I was able to find the perfect vintage ribbon from my collection to hand tie the blooms.

I am loving this somewhat newer tradition of brides saving their full look from their girls for a big reveal. Kind of like a “first look”.For the bright and sunny ceremony, coral wreaths welcomed  guests at the doors and matched the abundant alter arrangements.  Lettered Olive designed modern ceremony programs with metallic gold edging featuring a custom monogram used on their wedding printing.


The bridesmaids wore custom poppy colored high low gowns by Patti Flowers out of Dallas, Texas (where our bride lives).

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. Cru Catering traveled to Sea Island with us because getting to use our trusted vendors off site is so important. Of course we had to have servers as part of the decor in custom embroidered aprons and silk bowties. The rose looked so pretty served on poppy paper lined trays. A garden fountain hosted fresh shrimp cocktail, and mini foods were passed perfection.

The mother of the bride had the fun idea of using different sayings throughout the decor- like here on the cocktail napkins and also on the lounge pillows. Sayings like “Champagne is Always the Answer” and “Nobody puts baby in a corner” were a big party hit with the guests. 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.
Seating was a mixture of al fresco tables and lounge seating vignettes were guests could converse while enjoying a plate and drink.

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.

In order to preserve space and the cake (by keeping it cool in the AC), we created a “picture window”. We utilized a big bay window overlooking the tented space by setting up the cake cutting there. The bottom of the window featured a huge floral installation to give the look of the cake placed in the middle of an indoor garden.

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.

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