Category Archives: Reception

Aug 20, 2019

photo by Jose Villa

Remember when there was a big wedding trend of instead of cakes, there were dessert bars, or pie stations, or smaller cake displays, etc? Well, tradition must be on the upswing, because we are seeing a lot of cakes making an appearance again, and the design is mostly simple, delicate, and sometimes even subtle. Here are some of our recent faves. Above, for summer in upstate New York, this ladylike floral confection from Nine Cakes deserved a custom made statement linen.

photo by Ryan Ray

Our springtime in Charleston wedding had both garden and modern design elements, with a strong marbleizing game.  Jim Smeal nailed it as always with this sleek stunner.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

White on white is majorly back. But to keep this one interesting and different, square tiers were selected instead of round, and handmade hydrangea blooms used throughout the wedding flowers were represented here… Cake by Jim Smeal 

photo by Liz Banfield

For another white on white cake, Jim Smeal added detailed architectural patterns noted each layer, giving it a glam Art Deco look… the hand made icing blooms softened it up for a that wedding touch. Keeping it clean around the bottom with a simple wooden board on a marble top table kept it inline with the sleep and simple chic look we were going for.

photo by Tec Petaja

Our minimalist natural bride opted for a simple white cake with textured “waves”, and just a hint of natural greens giving it an organic and earthy feel. Jim Smeal cake.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

Of course, we do still see some color and bolder styles.. Instead of adding any live blooms to this confection, Jim Smeal created and icing vine and floral pattern that really turned this cake into its own design focal point.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

This Jim Smeal cake, so perfect for a glam fall fete, was a chocolate lovers dream. The white icing flowers definitely pop and add a wedding-y touch and sitting atop a custom embroidered linen pull it all together into a picture perfect detail.

8.20.19   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Cakes, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Photographers, Reception, Weddings | Comments >>

We have been waiting until we could share more of this wedding with you, since it’s currently out in the new Charleston Weddings Magazine. So many things contributed to such a pretty day for these clients- perfect weather (and a perfect sunset to match), the florals we got from our growers were stunning, Lettered Olive did some gorgeous work, and of course a stunning location and couple!  Corbin Gurkin’s work of course, goes with out saying as well… 

Lettered Olive designed the most lovely paper suite for this wedding weekend.  The save the dates were a two sided card featuring an engagement photo of the couple and introducing the custom monogram that would be featured again throughout the wedding decor. The invitations featured a custom floral designed envelope liner in a green envelope with copper ink. 

Our bride’s Anne Barge gown was the perfect look for the formality of Lowndes Grove Plantation.  We were so in love with the floral variety we received for this weekend, like the most perfect cabbage roses…

Bridesmaids wore a neutral palette with dresses from Nouvelle Amsale, except for the matron of honor’s floral dress to accent the floral paper design. Lush, full, but airy florals fit the “rustic with an elegant polish” feel our bride was going for…

The men went with a modern take on the traditional suit opting for bowties instead of the long ties typically worn with suits (from Joseph A Banks).

A traditional ceremony was held at the French Huguenot Church downtown… 

Afterwards the couple welcomed guests at Lowndes Grove Plantation. I love that the couple opted for a “first site” before their ceremony, so that way Corbin was able to steal them away for some photos featuring the spectacular views the venue has to offer; without missing much of their cocktail hour with guests. 

A variety of seating was featured throughout the house, utilizing the sweeping porches and interior drawing rooms as guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres before dinner under a tented oyster tabby. 

A simple fabric and floral board featured guests’ seating assignments with lovely calligraphy by Hatch Cove Designs

The dinner tent featured glass walls to utilize the gorgeous view of the river and sunset. Wooden barn tables were softened with layers of of airy florals and candlelight… One of our favorite design elements from this were the napkins that were printed with the handwritten dinner menus of the evening, tied off with fresh rosemary sprigs.

One of the biggest parts of my job when designing a wedding environment is thinking about the areas not to see in addition to creating what you do see.  We wanted to hide an unsightly area on the side of the tent, and since we weren’t using any fabric draping our fabric walls would have looked out of place. So along with Snyder (our rental company) we built a wooden barn style wall.   Jim Smeal did his magic once again with a design featuring the florals from the printed materials.

The couple did their first dance just as sunset light was coming thru the glass walls which was perfect timing for the dancing to kick off… After a lovely sparkler send off, the couple departed in a nostalgic VW Beetle van for a perfect finishing touch!  Thank you again to Charleston Weddings Mag for the constant support.

 

8.13.19   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Cakes, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, Photographers, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>
Jul 30, 2019

Since it’s finally live on Coastal Living, we are thrilled to finally be able to bring you this gorgeous beach wedding we did at a private home on Sea Island, GA…Our couple, Ryan and Allie married at a historic chapel before celebrating with friends and family at a family member’s beachfront estate.  All photos by Corbin Gurkin.

Our bride chose a an airy Amsale confectionary gown, and paired it with feather adorned Jimmy Choo heels.

We designed our bride’s bouquet in the punchy palette with coral charm peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, and delicate greens as airy accents. I was able to find the perfect vintage ribbon from my collection to hand tie the blooms.

I am loving this somewhat newer tradition of brides saving their full look from their girls for a big reveal. Kind of like a “first look”.For the bright and sunny ceremony, coral wreaths welcomed  guests at the doors and matched the abundant alter arrangements.  Lettered Olive designed modern ceremony programs with metallic gold edging featuring a custom monogram used on their wedding printing.


The bridesmaids wore custom poppy colored high low gowns by Patti Flowers out of Dallas, Texas (where our bride lives).

We love a home wedding, and encourage our clients to use all of their home when hosting. Guests entered through the front door (with the wedding monogram in orchid blooms), and proceeded outside for the festivities overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Cru Catering traveled to Sea Island with us because getting to use our trusted vendors off site is so important. Of course we had to have servers as part of the decor in custom embroidered aprons and silk bowties. The rose looked so pretty served on poppy paper lined trays. A garden fountain hosted fresh shrimp cocktail, and mini foods were passed perfection.

The mother of the bride had the fun idea of using different sayings throughout the decor- like here on the cocktail napkins and also on the lounge pillows. Sayings like “Champagne is Always the Answer” and “Nobody puts baby in a corner” were a big party hit with the guests. Since this wasn’t a seated dinner, we wanted to make sure to not fall short in the decor department.  Stations running the length of the tent held multiple food components, and an oversized bar ensuring there are no lines. So, we covered the fronts of the marble topped stations with fresh greens and ombre rose panels.
Seating was a mixture of al fresco tables and lounge seating vignettes were guests could converse while enjoying a plate and drink.

The dance floor was the focal point of the main tent, so it needed to make a statement. During the planning process our bride showed me a photo of a ribbon installation over a dining table. So, we decided to do it in the ombre pinks over the dance floor. The ocean breeze had it fluttering all night.  The dance floor also added to the vibrant design with a custom monogram decal.

In order to preserve space and the cake (by keeping it cool in the AC), we created a “picture window”. We utilized a big bay window overlooking the tented space by setting up the cake cutting there. The bottom of the window featured a huge floral installation to give the look of the cake placed in the middle of an indoor garden.

A pool house and pool on property was converted into an after party space… by adding a DJ booth and custom made light installation featuring the couples wedding hashtag. Of course, we had to curtain all of this off as a surprise for the guests and the bride and groom.   A mobile bar was set up on the beach for guests to get their feet in the sand…

For the sake of tradition, the bride and groom departed by sparklers and golf cart, but did a quick change and returned to the after party… The couple’s friends DJ’d and guests ate sliders while dancing.

7.30.19   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Cakes, Dresses, Event Design, Flowers, Food and Drink, Photographers, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>