Category Archives: Event Planning

Apr 17, 2018

We always get a lot of feedback and have come somewhat to be known for our lounge designs. Back when I started getting into weddings, you mostly saw your traditional tables set around a dance floor and people would get up to dance in between courses. I don’t know if it was a bit of that Southern sensibility that made me start to think- we like to get comfortable, stay awhile, smush together and enjoy conversation, and so I started designing reception lounges for our guests.

photos by Corbin Gurkin

There are definitely some key ingredients to a fabulous lounge… After a nice dinner, get your guests up out of their seats, and get them into party mode… We love a big dance floor, great ambient lighting (so people will actually dance), little vignettes perfect for retreating for rest and conversation. Of course, you need little details there- we like to use an element seen the wedding design for things like custom printed pillows to adorn the seating.

photos by Corbin Gurkin

We like for it to feel like someone’s living room, they are hosting you and want you to be comfortable. But, also thoughtful, with floral and design touches.- like maybe a lifesize golden giraffe! And of course, a big bar with lots of bartenders so guests never have to wait in line. Sometimes we print custom fabric to cover the front of the bars. photos by Corbin Gurkin

Of course not all lounges are indoors… We love building porches or finding the perfect lawn for setting up a lovely al fresco seating area. Custom umbrellas can help guard guests from too much sun. When you can open the inside up to the outside, it’s ideal! photos by Corbin Gurkin

Here in a very large scale tent a clear top and greenery swags help give the inside an outdoor feel. We built tall installations to house oversized greenery pieces to compensate for the height. And with all of the white carpeting, a patterned dance floor in the wedding palette helped give a fantastic focal point. With this being a winter wedding, sofas in luxurious fabrics like suede and velvet gave guests not only a glam space to sit, but cozy as well. photos by Liz Banfield

For another tented affair, we wanted to give the lounge space some definition… Individual cabana tents housing small little seating spaces and covered in the custom printed wedding fabric offered an unexpected wow factor.

photos by Liz Banfieldphotos by Liz Banfield

I still love this riverside outdoor lounge we created a bit off of the path from the tent, complete with lamplight…I know there were a few couples that sat out here all evening!

photos by Corbin Gurkin and Liz Banfield

One last detail we always consider is how the stage and dance floor will look for photos… We’re seeing large scale background walls and installations like we have been doing becoming popular now, but I can’t stand seeing the front of those ugly stages and all of that band equipment in bride’s first dance photos! So, we have what we call our stage partitions, which are covered in a printed fabric, or fresh plants, or florals in order to hide all of those chords etc. Much prettier in photos, don’t you think?

4.17.18 | TARA GUÉRARD
Charleston, Entertaining, Event Design, Event Planning, Reception, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

Apr 11, 2018

Glamorous Georgia Garden Wedding

Today’s wedding Wednesday post celebrates one of my favorite types of wedding to design and plan- a wedding in the client’s home. There is nothing more special for a bride to get married at the home where grew up, or where the parents have created a home. And, how fantastic for a bride to get ready for the day in a place where she is comfortable! We look forward to heading back to our client’s home in October, when we will be doing another wedding at their home for this bride’s younger sister! Liz Banfield provides this lovely imagery.

This bride wanted a formal and classic feel for the day. Guys wore white dinner jackets, which was the perfect compliment for the blue and white color palette accented with green. All white flowers were still lush and full of texture.

The aisle began at the front door making for a grand entrance for all of the wedding party attendants.

Flooring was laid over the front yard and covered with seagrass making for a natural extension of the surroundings. Wrought iron chandeliers full of greenery and flowers blanketed the ceremony “alter”.

I always encourage clients who are hosting the wedding at their home, to open it up. Invite the party in! Use your silver and serving pieces, there is no more perfect occasion to do so!

Since, this wedding had hundreds of guests in attendance, we needed to be strategic in the layout and serving of food. With an overall garden theme, cocktail shrimp served in a garden fountain just seemed like the perfect fit!

Large food stations with individual composed dishes were arranged throughout the grounds. For me, seated dinners provide such a template for design and decor that you sometimes can’t achieve as well with stations or buffet style parties. So, we really work to dress up and design our stations and bars. Umbrellas were filled with greenery, flowers, and candle lanterns. Custom fabric and toppers finish off the tailored feel we were going for…

The mother of the bride is an avid and accomplished gardner in her own right. A couple of weeks after the wedding, the local Garden Tour was set to make it’s final stop at her property… so, we already had surroundings that most people would only hope to have.

We decided to house the cake in it’s own “greenhouse”. The home had a Cistern type building on the grounds that made a beyond elegant backdrop for the cake. We designed a flower installation to accent the amazing detail of the cake florals made by Jim Smeal.

To keep guests sustained and entertained well into the evening, late night food stations with mini donuts and hot pretzels were set up and servers passed root beer floats around the dance floor (which also provided a refreshing treat on the dance floor).

Sparklers and fireworks provided a photo worthy send off of the couple…

4.11.18 | TARA GUÉRARD
Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, Food and Drink, Reception, Weddings | Comments >>

Apr 04, 2018

Lavender Love

This pretty, feminine, and chic beach wedding is the perfect share for this Wedding Wednesday. The bride, having grown up in SC and going to the beach at Kiawah Island, thought it to be the perfect destination for all of her Manhattan friends. With a really lovely pastel palette of lavender, pale blue, pale, pinks, and hints of grey, that was something about this wedding that just set my heart aglow. Photos are by Velvet Raptor.

Lettered Olive created a letterpress invite set using a lavender ink and guipure lace belly band cutout mimicking the pattern from the bride’s dress.

The bride wore a corset style dress from Monique Lhuillier and killer jeweled heels by Miu Miu. The frilly bridal bouquet of sweet pea, peonies, and ranunculus was hand tied with an embroidered monogram satin ribbon and finished with a vintage family broach.

The bride awaits her walk down the aisle behind the scenes with her father. Love these two and this photo.

Sprigs of blooming lavender hand tied with satin ribbon made chic boutonierres.

The mother of the bride acquired these plaster sheep and has them on the lawn at their beach house, so we had them brought over to greet guests upon arrival. Of course, they had to have floral wreaths!

For a prime view of the ocean, guests sat on linen ottomans with a lush floral arch to define the alter.

I just love this aisle being so fabulous and floral but beachside. Along the aisle were planter boxes full of lush white flowers.

For the bride, who worked for a well known jewelry atelier, we found lavender velvet jewel boxes, which we put table numbers inside of and name tags on top as the escort cards. Lettered Olive designed a custom monogram that was used throughout the wedding decor.

After the beachside ceremony, guests enjoyed an al fresco happy hour on the porches and lawn over looking the ocean.

Inside for dinner, tailored linens and lush white florals and candles dressed the tables. The bride and groom’s chairs were adorned with floral wreaths. Embroidered napkins were cleaned and given to the couple to have in their new home.. Mini menu books at each place give details of the food, and schedule of the evening, along with anecdotes about the couple…

The mother of the bride is a quintessential hostess and known for her cold cucumber soup. Best served- COLD. So, we had our ice sculptor design individual ice bowls for each guest’s soup serving.

We love any touches that represent the couple or family that can be brought into the wedding day. Here, the mother of the bride had been collecting vintage cake toppers for years and then restoring them. She made a special one for the wedding cake, and then gifted one to each of the bridesmaids as well.

Well into the late hours of dancing, a nasty storm started to roll in. We had a very special car for the getaway that couldn’t get wet, so we had the band play their “last call” , and got guests out front for the send off- just in the nick of time…

Beating the weather, the couple departed in a vintage convertible (the driver is adorable in plaid knickers, and cap) and guests waved purple glow sticks (avoiding a mess and still giving great photos)…

4.04.18 | TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Event Design, Event Planning, Food and Drink, Reception, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>