Category Archives: Event Planning

Jan 09, 2019

Bennett invitation suite

For this Wedding Wednesday, we are heading out to Aspen, Colorado for the celebration of Mollie and Sam. Corbin Gurkin captured all of the lovely images. I loved the mixed color palette on this one of blues, purples, natural wooden hues, gray, etc. This letterpress invitation suite from Lettered Olive incorporated the Colorado scenery.

Bridal Collage

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The bride wore a custom dress from Nardos Imam; a monogrammed Mrs. Box is a perfect way to keep a reminder of the day; the brides’ bouquet was wrapped in vintage ribbon sourced in New York. The littlest ring bearer in his bow tie couldn’t be left out on the big day.

Bridal Collage

How cute is this? The bride being a big fan of the movie, Father of the Bride, wore lace tied sneakers under her gown much like the daughter in the movie!

Guest bag Collage

A canvas and leather tote was filled with his and hers S’well bottles, snacks, sweets, and a weekend guide book amongst other take home goodies.

Bennett bridesmaids

Bridesmaids wore different complimenting shades and styles from Lula Kate.

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Bennett ceremony

The scenery could not have been more gorgeous, so to compliment and anchor the ceremony against the mountain backdrop, we added pops of vivid purples against the greenery arch.  A custom monogrammed aisle runner laid over wooden planks added some soft but rustic glamour to the space.

Scenery Collage

COcktail hour Collage

The reception took place at the Roaring Fork Club. Guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the portico, dancing inside with sweeping views through open doors and windows, and then dancing and dessert in a tent on the lawn.

seating cards Collage

Flower die cut escort cards by Lettered Olive, in the wedding colors were hung from a chandelier in the foyer heading into the dining room.

dining table Collage

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Long tables were minimal and tailored; Menus were housed in leather bound booklets “branded” with each guests’ name; wooden cut outs were used for the table numbers.

Lounge

Guests moved into the reception tent after dinner. The “club” we created had hardwood floors landscaped with cowhide rugs, open air mountain views, and low lighting perfect for cozy conversation.

The delicate floral cake by The Caribou Club was the perfect feminine touch against the rustic terrain.

dancing

The couple shares their first dance as husband and wife on a custom designed dance floor surrounded by their closest friends and family. Their first dance song: “All of Me” by John Legend.

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1.09.19   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal, Bridal Style, Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, Photographers, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Weddings | 3 Comments
Dec 19, 2018

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

With Christmas right around the corner, for this Wedding Wednesday, we’re going back to this stunning celebration from 2013 in Oklahoma City. 525 people joined our couple for a sparkling metallic palette, glamorous, personalized over the top New Year’s party. There are so many details I want to share from this wedding it was hard to chose our favorites. Liz Banfield was there with us to capture all of the twinkling tidbits.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The bridesmaids sparkled in two piece silver sequined tops and ballgown skirt ensembles from Synderela. Our friend, Julie Sabatino with The Stylish Bride, worked with the bride and designer to develop the custom creations.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The Brides’ childhood church was the perfect ceremony backdrop. We added our own special touches to their already lovely Christmas decorations, which included lush eucalyptus garlands, spruce wreaths, and glowing candle cylinders covered in custom laser cut metallic paper.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

One of the most stunning ceremonies I’ve seen, after the processional, the lights were dimmed and the rest of the ceremony was held by candlelight. Truly magical and you could feel the love in the room!

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Wow, did Lettered Olive get to have fun and create some spectacular design for the wedding papers.  Gold metallic foil printing, laser cut papers, velvet finishes, and a pop up skyline were just a few of the details.  We love the way the bride wrote her name along with the grooms, so we used her signature as a detail throughout too just to personalize it even more.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

 These guest welcome bags truly showered the guest who traveledfrom afar and celebrated with them over the holiday weekend. A custom candle with printed matches, custom letterpress coasters and Veuve Clicquot splits, waters, favorite snacks and candies from the couple, and an “emergency” kit left the guests with everything they could need for a comfy stay.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Guests were greeted with a glowing welcome to the reception, where the exterior of the private club was covered in the wintry candle cylinders.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The finest details were not spared for this event. White gloved servers donning aprons in the couples’ custom monogram (and custom bowties) received guests with an array of offerings including Manhattans (where the couple reside) and Champagne.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The cocktail lounge was a sight to behold. Suede covered loungers with orchid “chandeliers” offered guests a place to gather, and the escort cards were mini versions of the paper covered cylinders with the names caligraphied on them, and displayed together on shelves for a statement wall!

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The dining room shone in silver and gold. Lamplight and candlelight came together to create the most perfect ambient dinner experience, and while there were over 500 guests, it still managed to feel somewhat intimate!

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Tables alternated complimenting pewter sequined linens topped with oversized clear crystal candelsticks and ones topped with soft silver suede and crystal lamps. All of the menus were backed in a gold laser cut velvet and place cards were gold name plates affixed to the letterpressed menus.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

Two of my favorite little dinner details were the bride and groom chairs- embroidered with the handwritten names; and the first course soup served in these stunning gold bowls- fabulous!

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

A spectacular 8 tier cake with handmade flowers by Fancy Cakes by Lauren out of Dallas, Texas.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The couple share their first dance as husband and wife on a dance floor covered with their custom “fireworks” design.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

This uber glam reception lounge provided the perfect pad for ringing in the New Year. The marble topped bar we built on site, and I always find the glassware to be an awful site, but we built a display for it, and it became a lovely backdrop.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

The going away favors were a lovely packaged snack mix that included roasted dried black eyed peas- a traditional food said to bring luck to those who eat it on New Year’s day.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz BanfieldTara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield

If there was ever a perfect time for a sparkler send off and fireworks at a wedding, it’s on New Year’s. The couple drove off into the night as coordinated “sparklers” popped as they drove by in their vintage convertible. Happy New Year to all!

12.19.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Event Design, Event Planning, Food and Drink, Reception, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

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photo by Nickie Stone

With the holidays quickly creeping up on us, we’re sharing a few tips and modifications on designs we do for our clients that you can easily do at home for your holiday tabletops. Feel free to leave any questions or comments you may have if not covered here.

For this first takeaway, I love the idea of a roll or bread piece served on the plate with a name “flag” in it- something so simple and easy that is just a nice little touch for guests sitting down.

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photo by Corbin Gurkin

This I love as a sweet touch for all of the upcoming holidays, a fresh sprig of rosemary laid out on napkins, you could also tie together a small bundle of fresh thyme with butchers twine in lieu of rosemary.

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photos by Adrienne Page

We used this concept to display escort cards for a wedding dinner, but for a smaller gathering or dinner party, taking corks that you have around the house or from what you will be serving and placing handwritten name cards at each seat would be just so.

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photo by Liz Banfield

Now, this is a really easy one – one even the kids could get involved with… finding a leaf or piece of greenery from the yard and writing names with metallic markers on them is truly a simply elegant design.

photo by Liz Banfield

I’ve been seeing different variations on this our and around a bit, but for the glam hostess, finding agate slices is fairly easy these days. Painting or writing with white or metallic on them for menus or place cards also makes a sweet take home surcie for the guests.

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photo by Adrienne Page

Lots of ways you can do this at home… Finding different vessels from around the house and filling them with small bouquets of flowers, or greenery makes for a pretty addition to to a formal table, and it also means you can do less in the center. You could also use thing ribbon or twine to tie name cards around the vases.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

This idea would be a nice detail for a buffet type setting where it’s hard to find a lot of decor opportunities. Pre wrapping the silverware in cloth napkins will make it easy for guests to carry along with a full plate. Wrapping them with pretty paper, scraps of special wrapping or wallpaper will give it a finished touch.

photo by Gayle Brooker

For a simple, lovely, inexpensive, and easy centerpiece idea- purchase phalenopsis orchid plants at your local store (Trader Joe’s has great ones!), and put them in pots covered in moss. This is such a small task but really gives a formal and elegant touch… You could even spray paint the pot to match the color scheme.

photo by Liz Banfield

For a client whose rehearsal dinner fell on New Year’s Eve- we took silver strands from decorations we purchased online and decomposed them… tied to each each seat with name cards gives a festive feel!

12.17.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Entertaining, Event Design, Event Planning, Parties, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>