Category Archives: The Lettered Olive

Sep 27, 2017

I thought this would be a perfect wedding to share with you today as we are slowly transitioning from Summer weddings into fall ones. This wedding had the feel of a glorious spring time affair with pretty pastels and neutrals, but we made it feel more like fall with textures like suede, metallic accents, tons of candlelight, and floral elements like berries and leaves. Gayle Brooker captured the day for us… The bride’s gown is by Vera Wang.

The wedding ceremony took place at the French Huguenot church which we softened with a white carpet aisle runner and dressed up the gates with flowers and greenery. The groom is a classic car collector, so he had one of his favorite ones sent down for them to use on their wedding day.. I love that they drove themselves from the ceremony to the reception to have that time alone together.

Once guests were received at Runnymede Plantation, a cocktail hour overlooking the riverbanks was in full swing. The couple and their friends enjoy drinking great wine together, so we brought in a few bottles they had been hanging onto, decanted them and set up a wine bar… Same with bourbon. Passed hors d’oeuvres allowed guests to stroll the grounds.

One of my favorite parts of this wedding was that at the end of cocktail hour, our bride changed her dress and look for the reception, and the couple did their first dance on a smaller dance floor before dinner. Guests loved this surprise element and getting to see their dance before, which also allowed the party to get started immediately after dinner.

Lettered Olive created wedding printing using lots of good design elements we could compliment throughout the wedding decor… Metallic papers and inks, a custom monogram, and a mix and match of patterns.

As guests made their way into the dinner tent, they grabbed their escort cards which were attached to varying individual vases of florals.

I loved how her dinner tables turned out… Simple florals, but with champagne suede linens, gold accented china and glassware and candlelight gave a simple but thoughtful feel.

After dinner, the couple cut the cakes, designed by Jim Smeal.

The main house at Runnymede no longer stands (only a few ruins remain), but we found an old photograph which we had screen printed to serve as the background to the band stage.

Because of the remarkable weather, we built an outdoor porch off of the main reception tent for guests to enjoy drinks, cigars, and late night treats if they needed a dance break.

With the couple living outside of Chicago, but the bride a Southern girl, favors were bags of local biscuit mix perfectly packaged with mini wooden spoons. And, because of their affinity for wine we got a bottle that would be a perfect addition to their collection and guests signed it.

Welcome bags for the hotel guests came with the perfect tag for the end of the night- Do Not Disturb…we had too much fun. Congrats to Katie and Paul!

9.27.17 | TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal Style, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, Food and Drink, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

Sep 25, 2017

Delightful Displays

photo by Corbin Gurkin

We love to get creative with our escort cards and their displays. Cocktail hour can often be an area that is hard to do a lot of decor, so this is a great way to add something of interest. Maybe some of ours will inspire yours! Above, for our Newport, RI wedding full of Francophilia, a French market stand display was set up- we filled printed paper cones with lavender and caligraphied guests names and table numbers on them. A sweet touch for guests to take with them to their table. Lettered Olive does all of our printing.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

For a garden inspired wedding, metal plant tags were handwritten with names and table numbers and planted in moss covered garden boxes.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

Sometimes there is an empty space or something you’d like to cover up… For a late summer wedding in Aspen, CO bringing in some softer colors to the darker masculine space was needed. A large chandelier was covered with natural greenery, and die cut floral cards were hung at eye level creating a gorge “floral” centerpiece.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

At a nautical themed rehearsal dinner, flags were pinned to a watercolored painted board just for fun!

photo by Adrienne Page

We had a lot of fun designing details for a wedding we recently featured for a golf loving couple… their escort cards were embroidered golf towels .. guests were blown away by this detail.

photo by Liz Banfield

Sometimes something more simple or traditional is more fitting. Thoughtful details can go far in making a lasting impression. For a Georgia wedding, the traditional escort cards were displayed using granite rocks (native to the state). Think about local resources or surroundings that you can bring into the design. A gorgeous floral arrangement and linen finishes the look.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

For a wedding using varying shades of blue, we found a pretty patterned fabric that we used throughout the wedding decor, and then had our calligrapher using complimentary shades of blue ink for a layered look. Oh, and we used white subway tiles instead of paper just for something fun and unexpected.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

We needed to incorporate animals into the decor for a “party animal” wedding… Animal busts are having a moment so finding affordable ones to use wasn’t too hard- lay out perfectly simple cards on a moss covered shelf and you have a keen little vignette.

9.25.17 | TARA GUÉRARD
Entertaining, Event Design, Event Planning, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

Sep 13, 2017

Vintage Wedding Wednesday

I’m thrilled to share this vintage Charleston wedding we did several years ago, because the bride was personal to me. Not only did I babysit her years and years ago, but we’d also done her big sister’s wedding in the early days of Soiree. The wedding was a simple and lovely garden party with lots of personal details. The bride wore her great great grandmothers dress which remained nearly intact from her wedding day! Photographs are by Gayle Brooker…

Food stations were scattered and seating vignettes created throughout the garden to keep the guests moving and offer a change of scenery.

September and October while still very popular and seasonably warm in Charleston, are the months when a slight chill can creep in at night. We draped soft blankets over the lounge sofas to keep guests cozy as the air chilled after the sun went down.

Lanterns and string lights are lovely during the day and give a glowing ambience into the evening. Behind the bars, calligraphied mirrors listed the cocktail offerings.

A bountiful and textured mix of flowers created the ladies’ bouquets. The bridesmaids’ gowns took a note from the one shoulder design of the bridal gown.

One of my favorite items by Lettered Olive are our champagne collars. The bride and groom’s silhouettes were used throughout many of the printed items. Custom wine labels were printed and used to create a pretty bar display.

Each food station offered lovely and composed dishes to allow for easy guest movement and conversation like this Lowcountry seafood trio…

Smaller tiers of the bride’s favorite coconut cake from Peninsula Grill was built onto custom stands. Guests received crafted rose petal bags for the send off at the end of the evening.

A party in the garden can still be lovely even in the evening with great lighting… String cafe lights and glowing candle lanterns gave the perfect night time ambience.

The bride and groom departed in a fabulous vintage Jaguar convertible…We always like to do something a little fun with our Just Married signs so using the couple’s silhouettes we had used throughout the rest of the wedding printing seemed like the perfect vintage touch for this wedding.

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