Category Archives: Fashion

Nov 12, 2019

I am thrilled to share this Fall Fenwick Plantation wedding with you, now that it is officially fall in the south. This is the 3rd daughter from a family that we have done all three weddings for, which I love because they were all so different and fun to design. This one is full of soft and feminine touches but using lots for rustic and natural elements. Thank you to Corbin Gurkin for all of the photos. Lettered Olive created a landscape scene reminiscent of the grounds at Fenwick Plantation (currently on the market if anyone is interested!), which was printed as the envelope liner on the classic letterpress invitations. Canvas “baskets” were printed with a handdrawn map of Charleston, with all of the weekend festivity locations noted. A custom printed puzzle also gave guests more information about the weekend events. Local snacks and treats filled the basket, including the groom’s favorite fortune cookies, but more on that later…

The bride wore a lace mermaid style gown by Eddy K with a keyhole back and a veil from BHLDN.

Bridesmaids wore gowns from BHLD, and the groom’s suit is from H Stockton in Atlanta.

Letterpress programs were fashioned into fans for the outdoor ceremony, luckily we had a warm beautiful day! After walking down a petal lined aisle with oversized magnolia pieces, the couple married under a magnolia and floral arch.

Cocktail immediately followed in the garden, where guests were greeted with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails named by the couple. Going with the garden theme, a “planted” escort card display was designed. Galvanized metal tags were calligraphied with guests names and planed in a moss covered box. Dinner under the clear top tent featured a lovely head table with the palest pink linen, and curated tabletop of flowers, differing candles, and elements like antlers and other curios.

Afterwards in the lounge tent, both the wedding cake and a grooms cake were cut. The bride chose a chocolate covered confection by Jim Smeal displayed with a custom monogramed linen… Due the groom’s love of Chinese food, Jim also created a to go box cake with gum paste fortune cookies on top.

The after dinner lounge featured several different seating arrangements for guests to gather… In addition to our traditional bar setup, we built a beer tap wall for the guys… Loved this new addition and it was a big hit with guests… Featuring 4 of the couple’s favorite selections.

After a night of dancing and mingling with friends, the couple departed to a sparkler send off, in a vintage British convertible. Congrats Mary and Reid!

11.12.19 | TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Cakes, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Fashion, Flowers, Food and Drink, Press, Reception, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

Nov 05, 2019

Choosing Fall Colors

A Bryan Photo

We are definitely seeing a shift in the palettes for our fall weddings as we are diving into the design proposals, but we are loving the inspiration we are getting from new hues. For a recent wedding, the girls wore shades of ochre. And, with the bouquets of greenery instead of blooms, I love this fresh fall look and how it makes total sense with out the long standing feel of traditional fall.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

A new take on fall brights with a broad palette, these shades are balanced but unexpected. Our bride, designer of Dee Hutton created custom gowns for her ladies and it couldn’t have been more perfect for this glamorous affair. Think a trip to Mexico or Cuba as color inspiration here.

photos by Corbin Gurkin and Liz Banfield

Blue, so much blue… Blue has so many shades and can truly be used in all seasons. Navy is a particularly popular for Fall, along with a smokier shade. But blue truly is timeless and versatile, always a good choice!

photo by Corbin Gurkin

Grey doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, in fact we’re seeing more shades of it. Here, a charcoal is balanced with sunset shades. The green grey gowns in center are balanced with fluffy dusty miller, and blooms in dessert shades. Grey suits are still a main alternatives to tuxedos. A pale grey suit works darker greys, navy, and the paler shades of lilac. Darker greys are a surprising neutral that are working with all tones.

photos by Corbin Gurkin

I’m loving the moment that jewel tones are still having, but if you are looking for ways to brighten them, try offering a brighter balance of blush tones.

photos by Liz Banfield and Corbin Gurkin

Lilac is still definitely having a moment. We’re seeing it done in ombre shades, everywhere from pastels, to the deeper jewel shades. The flowers acting as a counterpart- the lighter shades are complimented with deeper blooms, and the darker shades work well blended with greens, pales, and pops of plum.

11.05.19 | TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Event Design, Event Planning, Fashion, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

Oct 22, 2019

Southern Soiree

I had the best time planning this wedding… I mean, I love Denia, and miss working with her! A fashion designer and co founder of Dee Hutton based in New York, Denia and Craig knew that coming to Charleston to get married was the perfect plan. With many personal touches – the upscale “party animal” theme, and the gowns (both bridal and bridemsaids) designed by the bride, this was a magazine worthy collaboration. It was a also a feature on Brides magazine. Photos by Corbin Gurkin.

The bride’s bouquet looked just gathered from the garden, with simple long stemmed roses and greenery, hand tied with silk ribbon. A whimsical ring bearer “pillow” makes for a sweet detail, and tailored white roses served on a brass tray made even the groomsmen feel special!

The bride designed her own dress with a wow factor in mind, the train was reminisce of a royal wedding! The train was over 7 feet long and when spread 13 feet wide… breathtaking.

Not wanting your typical bridal party look, custom individual dresses were designed for each member of the wedding party by the bride herself, totally pulling off an uber glam look.

One of the things that drew the bride to the Fenwick Hall location was the brick facade and the grounds giving the feel of grand homes from a bygone era.

A bridged aisle was created over the reflecting pond with a lush floral arch full of magnolia greenery and lilies at the ceremony site.

The mother of the bride surprised the couple with a gospel choir singing “You Are the Best Thing” for the couple’s recessional.

The reception kicked off with a cocktail hour under the spanish moss. The guests got the first nod to the animals with the escort card display, being watched over by good luck elephants.

The party continued with dinner under the stars. Long family style tables filled the glowing gold and white tent. As a surprise to the bride, golden pears held the place cards at each guests’ place setting. The table numbers were caligraphied carafes of wine…

Oh this gold giraffe, it now lives in our office, but it definitely lived up to it’s party animal reputation that night… At one point in the evening the bride was actually riding it!

Guests lounged under the stars, enjoyed dancing, and cakes well into the night.

Dessert for the evening- cake and ice cream. A Cake bar with different varieties along with Graeter’s ice cream allowed guests a smorgasboard of options.

A TapSnap photo booth allowed guests cute take home photos and also provided the guests sign in book… guests could leave a copy of their photos along with personal notes to the couple.

A beautiful end to an amazing evening….. Luckily this bride was in our life again as we planned her best friend and business partner’s wedding. Stay tuned for the details on that one coming soon!

10.22.19 | TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Fashion, Flowers, Photographers, Reception, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>