It’s Wedding Wednesday, our favorite day of the week! Today, we’re going back to a couple celebrating their anniversary this September. This beachfront beauty took place at the amazing Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, SC. Liz Banfield was the photographer for this big day.
The bride had studied art history and worked in galleries, and the main inspiration for the wedding design came from the bride’s favorite Van Gogh painting. Lettered Olive incorporated the design into all of the printed materials along with developing complimentary patterns, which were great for designs elsewhere.
We try to have Cacky of Cacky’s Bride Aid on hand for dressing all of our brides- if you can afford this on your day, it’s more than worth it! The bride’s strappy Chanel sandals worked all night from bridal gown to getaway dress. The bouquet was a textured mix of roses, berries, leaves, and astilbe.
Bridesmaids wore a mix of colors and styles from JCrew, and Amsale through Bella Bridesmaids. The bride gifted the groom his Hermes tie for the big day.
The groom is an avid golfer, so having his ceremony on the famed Ocean Course overlooking the greens and the water made for a very happy day.
Guests were graciously greeted on the porch after the ceremony for cocktail hour, the ocean breeze made it a perfect and comfortable place to sip and snack.
Cocktail hour was also full of fun details like servers in custom elephant printed ties and white glove service. Elephants are the brides favorite animal and signify good luck! And, signature cocktail was a replication of the bride’s favorite drink at the country club her family belongs to…
The escort card display was a new take on a traditional display. Gold caligraphied cards affixed with a mongramed wax seal were nestled in boxes of ruffled blooms.
Lots of yummy details made for beautiful and luxurious dinner tables. The bride and groom sat at chairs with embroidered toppers that made the logo used on their invitations.
Jim Smeal is the mastermind behind the cakes mimicking the favorite painting, and we SCORED when we found these elephant cocktail tables perfect as cake stands!
As the sunset during dinner, the after party tent and porch lounge was a glow and ready for the revelers.
In the dance and lounge tent, an extra long printed fabric bar was a super glamorous backdrop . Bar stools anchored either end, so guests wanting to take a cocktail break could still look in on all of the dance floor action. I loved the seafoam carpet we found, I really like the polished look it gave the tent.
Favors were locally made Rewind candles, and custom printed matches with the couple’s favorite photo from their engagement session.
Guests signed a book complied from engagement photos… a perfect coffee table book for their new home.
After a change into a Christian Dior dress the bride found while in France with her family before the wedding, the couple departed by a rose petal toss. Cones of printed paper holding petals were passed out to guests on the way out…
photo by Corbin Gurkin
Today I’m sharing tips on ways you can be prepared and how to avoid some of the unexpected disasters that we’ve experienced in the past. For one wedding, during the pre ceremony family photos a bride was holding an infant who had a bit of a diaper disaster, leaving quite the mess on her dress!
photo by Corbin Gurkin
Katherine McDonald dress maven of LulaKate and Kate McDonald Bridal tells us that (appropriately) baby wipes are the BEST kept secret to getting stains out of dresses and they have them on hand at all times in the studio. Dusting baby powder or going over the water stain with white chalk and a small bristle brush helps distract from the removal of the original stain. Luckily we keep a bridal preparedness kit on hand at all times and being a mom of 3 I’ve learned the wonder of baby wipes, so we dabbed out the stain and had her photo ready walking down the aisle!
photo by Corbin Gurkin
You are on weather.com everyday for two weeks leading up to your wedding. Planning, plotting, and praying for that sunshine and no rain report! Well, here in Charleston and the Lowcountry outdoor weddings are one of the main reasons people chose to get married here. But in our humid climate frequent showers are inevitable. We’ve had to hold a ceremony off for 45 mins, keeping guests under shelter and on buses until the rain stopped and we could dry off the seats. Here large golf umbrellas helped shelter the guests and couple after a shower popped up at the end of the ceremony.
photo by Adrienne Page
We keep a fleet of solid white umbrellas on our trucks for all of our outdoor affairs just in case…
photo by Elizabeth Messina
Here in Charleston, many couples elect to use vintage cars for their getaway. They obviously make for lovely photos, but can often be unreliable and finicky. We have had several situations where they simply didn’t start or had some complications and often we don’t know this until it’s time for the driver to arrive at the wedding to pick up the bride and groom!
photo by Gayle Brooker
Several tips to avoid being stranded at the end of the evening are schedule your car for at least an hour minimum prior to your wanting to leave. That way if there is a problem your coordinator or whoever has been your point person can have plenty of time to problem solve (hopefully without you being the wiser!). Another option is to make sure to have a back up- several of our taxi companies here have different or unique vehicles, and since it’s a taxi are readily available and often can be cancelled with little or no penalty. Or, does a friend or family member who will be attending the wedding have a cool car that they would be willing to let you drive around the block in just for the send off photo opp? Then, you can hop in another vehicle out of sight from the guests!
Recognized as one of the nation’s leading tastemakers, Tara Guérard has earned a widespread reputation for her ability to create spectacular settings celebrating life’s most anticipated occasions. As the visionary and founder of Tara Guérard Soirée, she is best known for her distinct style that honors the storied traditions of Southern hospitality paired with a modern aesthetic and flair for the unexpected.
