Category Archives: Event Design

Oct 08, 2018

photo by Nicki Stone

If you are reading this post, we hope you share the same love for cheese at parties as we do.. We love serving cheese in many different ways, displaying it creatively, or just having it as a snack!  It’s the perfect party food from black tie wedding to after school play date, and we are going to share with you the versatility that we have found with it. One of our favorites, above, was for a Bastille Day dinner party we did at a client’s home. We moved a side board under utilized inside, outside, and set up a bountiful self serve display.  Appetizer sized plates were offered in case someone wanted to make a plate, but we love the idea of refashioning an already existing piece into a new purpose.

photo by Corbin Gurki

We loved the idea of old fashioned cheese service so much that we built custom cheese carts- complete with marble tops and skirting that we can sew custom for each event. Having servers push these during cocktail hour or in the after dinner reception (here with a gorgeously aged Port Wine) is such an unexpected and elegant touch. Of course  elements like custom designed flags add decor elements. Flags by Lettered Olive.

photo by Tec Petaja

Here, our cheese carts were stationed near a bar in the reception tent, and guests were served by request. Little accompaniments like dried fruits,  and jams and vinegars made this another food station essentially.

photo by Adrienne Page

For this cocktail hour display, punched up cheese items added to a lovely antipasta display… By Cru Catering

photo by Adrienne Page

Finally for this wedding, composed cheese plates were served at the table, family style, for guests to enjoy along with dessert.  Fresh local berries were added to round out this sweet treat.  Let us know if you have any favorite varietals or ways of serving cheese at your parties.

10.08.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Charleston, Entertaining, Event Design, Event Planning, Food and Drink, Parties, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>
Oct 03, 2018

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Thank you for joining us on this wedding Wednesday! This was such a yummy cozy special wedding, so we hope you enjoy. This couple were some of the easiest, sweetest, and most fun we’ve had so we loved creating this event for them. Gayle Brooker photographed today’s feature.

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This was a true family affair.. the only wedding party were the family’s children. The bride’s ceremony dress was Vera Wang, and her dance dress was by Tadashi Shoji

gaylebrooker_04The groom, has an affinity for classic cars, which he also collects, so one of his favorites was brought down for the couple to use on their wedding day. After a ceremony at the French Huguenot Church, the reception was held at Runnymede Plantation. Cocktail hour took place overlooking the river banks.
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The couple also avid oenophiles, brought a bit of their wine collection for guests to enjoy. We designed a custom wine bar with gold tags on decanters for guests to know what they were drinking. A speciality bourbon bar was also built for partakers.  The octagon metallic tags were a huge part of the design throughout the event. Custom pillows were printed with the metallic design to use throughout the lounge spaces.

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Dinner tables were set with cozy and handsome suede linens, gold rimmed glassware, and centerpieces full of texture and soft fall pastels.  Menus used metallic ink and were emblazoned with the custom monogram Lettered Olive designed for the couple.  Escort cards were calligraphied gold tags displayed on a table full of glowing candles and moveable peony vases.

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A series of cakes by Jim Smeal were a dinner tent centerpiece. The large cake was covered in oak tree branches dripping with spanish moss in the wedding colors… the side flanking cakes mimicked a design used in the printed materials.

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Before the couple enjoyed a late night DJ after party with guests, they enjoyed dinner and dancing under glowing oak trees.

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Guest favors were bags of Southern Biscuit mix and home made SC peach preserves from the bride’s hometown packaged with the perfect little wooden spoons!

10.03.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Cakes, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

Bride and groom ceremony

Many years ago, we had the pleasure of working with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and his fiance, Rebecca on their wedding here in Charleston. They both wanted to honor his heritage and family, and celebrate with a traditional Hindu ceremony. If you haven’t witnessed an Indian wedding, there are so many special details and touches that make them truly beautiful.

Ceremony

The ceremony usually takes place (and can take several hours) under a mandap, so for everyone to have a prime view, a ceremony in the round was the best set up.

Groom Collage

The Baraat is a key part of the ceremony, where the groom arrives by white horse (or elephant) with his family playing drums and dancing while escorting him.

henna Collage

Brides traditionally wear red in Hindu ceremonies as it’s tied to the sun and means prosperity and fertility. Henna is typically applied by family members the evening before and the intricate designs symbolize joy, beauty, spiritual awakening and offering.

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Details Collage

Gold adorned papers decorated the ceremony programs and wrapped the wedding favors; Ganesh idols are necessary symbols at a Hindu ceremony.

Wedding cake

Jim Smeal mimicked the Henna designs in gold leafing for the couples’ wedding cake.

tent Night Collage

The reception took place on at the campus of Ashley Hall school; Guests enjoyed traditional homemade Indian fare like muttar paneer, tikka masala, and naan. Velvet linens, colorful draping, and centerpieces of red roses and delphinium were some of the main design elements.

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To incorporate some of the local flair- the bride and groom departed by a Charleston Rickshaw.

Thank you to Liz Banfield for the imagery.

10.01.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Charleston, Event Design, Fashion, Flowers, Food and Drink, Reception, Weddings | 1 Comment