Category Archives: Event Planning

Mar 12, 2019

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 >>

Feb 26, 2019

The Personal Touch

photo by Liz Banfield

There are many ebbs and flows in weddings as years go by, we find ourselves being asked by clients to design different elements all the time, but one thing stays constant and that is making each one personal. Here are just some of the ways we have personalized our events for our clients (aside from the obvious in the printing areas i.e. invitations), so hopefully this will trigger some thoughts or ideas for you. Above, a jazz band led our couple out to their send off, a nod to the “second line” tradition in New Orleans, where they met. photos by Tec Petaja

This was one of my favorite touches at this wedding… The father of the bride had an impressive wine collection that he had been working on over many years. So, we built a display as one of the centerpieces of the dining room. The bottles were served up in labeled decanters and guests were encouraged to help themselves during dinner service.

photo by Christian Oth Studios

One of the easiest places to add personal touches is in the wedding welcome gifts. For our couple, marrying in Palm Beach, but from Texas, lots of custom elements filled this goodie bag. A filled beach bag for guests to enjoy while in Florida, perhaps not having packed one seemed like the perfect choice- along with turkish towels in the wedding colors. Texas shaped corn chips and Texas salsa were just some of the snacks included along with Florida salt water taffy… all of these little thoughtful details go a long way to personalize your weekend for your guests. photos by Corbin Gurkin

For this Southern beach wedding at home, lots of playful touches were woven throughout. The mother of the bride and bride herself gave us their favorite quotes from movies, books, etc. and we used them to jazz up pillows on the lounge seating, cocktail napkins, and coasters. Guests loved seeing and seeking out all of the different ones throughout the party. top photos by Tec Petaja; bottom photos by Liz Banfield

Many of our clients love seeing details featuring their dogs incorporated into their wedding.. Water bottles featuring our couple’s Frenchie on the label were included in the wedding welcome bags and served up again at the reception. Another couple’s two Australian Shepherds made their first appearance on the save the dates, and then again in custom take home cake boxes we called “doggie bags”…

photos by Corbin Gurkin

Of course, one of the easiest and most traditional ways to personalize your day is with a monogram. Here, the first initials of our bride and groom were design elements all throughout the design. First on a floral version greeting guests at the front door, then on aprons worn by the cocktail servers, and mixed in on pillows throughout the lounge seating.

There are so many other ways and details that can be personalized, so share with us any that you have done or are planning to do!

2.26.19 | TARA GUÉRARD
Entertaining, Event Design, Event Planning, Food and Drink, Gifts, Parties, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

Feb 11, 2019

You Need to Know Bespoke

photos by Gayle Brooker

I’m so thrilled to introduce three of my favorite “bespoke” companies or makers with you today. Especially if you have an upcoming wedding, these are definitely new and interesting pieces you could have for your big day. First up is Mariee Lace Veils. Fellow Southerners, they import hand crafted lace veils directly from Belgium. They are known for their handcrafted “Princess” lace, a tradition that started with the Royal family using in their clothing and accessories and became collectible heirlooms after being handed down for many generations. The owner of Mariee has been the fourth bride in modern times to wear their family’s veils. I love this heirloom idea! And society brides like Alexis Brinkley have made these veils a part of their wedding day.

They also import handmade hankies of the same lace. This lily of the valley is so amazing.. How fabulous would it be to carry while carrying a bouquet of lily of the valley. This is also something I could see being amazing shower hostess gifts, or also bridesmaids gifts. So perfect especially if not all of the girls are married yet and they are getting something they will be able to incorporate into their future wedding day.

And, they have now started selling prints of the owner’s botanical water color paintings (and look for her new book on these due out in this fall) based on her travels and love for gardening. How perfect it would be to have one to match the wedding day bouquet and have guests sign a matted version (in lieu of a guest book) to then hang at home. Next, I’d like to introduce Hallie Seibels Portraiture Consultant. Hallie works with you to find one of her many artists that fits your style and personality. And, she manages the process for you from start to finish. All of the costs, deadlines, and communications. I have used her for the portraits of all three of my children, but she also represents many bridal portrait artists. I just absolutely love the idea of a hand painted portrait of a bride.. such a southern tradition, and something that you can look back on to remember that day.

Finally, artist Chloe Strickland . We have had Chloe at a couple of our recent weddings painting scenes like the most recent, first dance, and also the bride and groom at dinner. While I know this isn’t a new thing, but I’m loving the trend of weddings being more personal and meaningful, and this would be a great way to create something unforgettable from your wedding day. I’d rather splurge here and have a lovely piece of artwork for my home for later than on two dresses, or an after party!

2.11.19 | TARA GUÉRARD
Accessories, Art, Bridal, Bridal Style, Event Planning, Fashion, Gifts, J'adore!, Shopping, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>