Category Archives: Event Design

Mar 26, 2019

We are loving a new trend we have been noticing recently at some of our events- petite cakes. Don’t worry, we definitely still have our clients that want the big traditional statement piece, but it’s nice to see something sweet making a little mark. Cake by Peche Petite Boutique Bakery.

photos by Aaron and Jillian

Don’t worry, tiny cakes still give an opportunity for design and impact, but just don’t leave a lot of uneaten cake mess lying around…

Cake by Jessica Grossman with Patrick Properties Hospitality Group.

photo by Liz Banfield

Cake by family friend…

photo by Corbin Gurkin

For this wedding, a petite cake was complimented by an array of other desserts and pies. Wedding cake by Publix, smaller cakes by Caroline’s Cakes, and pies from Kudzu Bakery.

photos by A Bryan Photo

Cake by Pastry Art.

3.26.19 | TARA GUÉRARD
Cakes, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Food and Drink, Reception, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

Mar 19, 2019

Spring Flower Guide

photo by Corbin Gurkin

Spring is finally blooming! Of course, one of the biggest things brides consider (or should consider) when choosing when they would like to marry, and what they would like to carry is the season. Many popular blooms can be available almost year round from various international farms, but some flowers are specific to the season in which they grow. Of course one of the most coveted Spring blooms is the lily of the valley. Carried on their own or as an accent, I can’t think of a Spring flower that says “bridal” more.

photos by Corbin Gurkin and Gayle Brooker

Depending on the weather here in Charleston, we can source some really beautiful gardenias early and hydrangeas in late Spring. Both can be a bit tricky to use in wedding flowers though since they love water. But, if it’s not too hot of a day and you ask your florist to have backups on standby, using them as boutonierres or in bouquets can be a beautiful addition. Be careful with touching the gardenias too much because that can brown them quickly.

photos by Corbin Gurkin

The idea of seeing colors and textures of the season mixed together make for a really lovely design palette. I think of color blends like pale greens, blues, and purples; or pastels with pops of brights. Lilacs, sweet peas, and tulips come together for a colorful and fragrant but not overpowering mix.

photo by Adrienne Page

For a bride wanting to stay all white in the spring- this blend of peonies, sweet peas, and ranunculus is so picture perfect.

photos by Liz Banfield

Bright color blends are totally perfect making their debut at spring weddings. Corals, pinks, peaches, blend for a bright but sophisticated look. Then, there are the branches, of course. Cherry blossom branches, pear blossom branches, azaleas, dogwoods, etc are all glorious blooms that we use whenever we can get! The statement pieces used throughout this wedding included oversized pots full of pink hydrangea and sprouting branches.

photo from Pinterest

I found this chart years ago on Pinterest as to the meaning of specific flowers and even broken down by color in some cases- it’s a great reference tool if you want to compile a bouquet with meaning or to display a certain sentiment.

3.19.19 | TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal, Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, J'adore!, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

Mar 12, 2019

A Blue and White Beauty

We love revisiting some of our past weddings… Today, pretty pastels and pattern play were the name of the design game here, with photos so pretty from Corbin Gurkin. Bridesmaids dresses in the lovliest shade of not quite lavender and not quite violet from Jenny Yoo at Bella Bridesmaid.

The bride wore a Monique Lhullier gown and elegant flats from Dolce and Gabbana.

Our beautiful bride carried a cascade of phalenopsis orchids, roses, and fern fronds. We were overjoyed when we found the perfect blue and white bird themed fabric at fabric.com, we used it as a photo wall back drop, to make pillows, and cover the bar.

The blue and white papers designed by Lettered Olive made a statement with colored stock, pattern, die cut shapes, and letterpressed motifs. Our wedding welcome bags were filled with local cheese biscuits, handmade chocolate, and wine all in a custom Charleston map tote featuring all of the weekend locations noted.

The ceremony was held at one of my truly favorite local churches, the French Huguenot Church.

After the ceremony, guests tossed rose petals on the couple exiting the church, all to the tune of a local gospel choir.

Playing off of the cascading orchid bridal bouquet, the bridesmaids carried a fluffy and colorful mix of roses, orchids, and lilacs.

I always advise my clients when developing our timelines, to allow themselves to steal away some private time with the photographer, in order to capture images like these.

Long tables were dressed in custom linens with patterned toppers, while the smaller squares were dressed in all blue and white. I love that our bride let us play with all of these patterns and colors!

The flowering cake by Jim Smeal, resting atop a bed of greens made for a drop dead centerpiece in the after dinner lounge.

The after dinner lounge had a glamorous and feminine feel, and lots of thoughtful touches- one of my favorites was the phone charging station designed with the wedding hashtag signage. Oh, and the sliders on pretzel rolls by PPHG, were a HUGE hit!

After a quick change and pretty sparkler send off, the couple departed by a vintage Rolls Royce ready to “Skip Down the Aisle” Together…

You can see more of this wedding on Charleston Weddings

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