Category Archives: Weddings

Apr 23, 2018
May Flowers

photo by Corbin Gurkin

Everyone has heard the old adage, April showers bring May flowers (although I’m sure no bride is hoping for those april showers on her big day), so for today’s prettiness, we’re sharing some of our favorite Spring themed floral arrangements. For us, texture is everything and of course we love to design everything based on our client’s personalities, so here is how we do it! photos by Corbin Gurkin

For our bride with a pastel color palette and French influenced design, so many varieties and shades were combined for that picked out of the garden feel- especially with the French lavender. The centerpieces were an extension of the bridal bouquets, and varied from table to table… And of course, atop pale green toile linens.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

Of course, spring is also the time of year when some of the sweetest blooms come in different shades- so the option of pastel or punchy is often available.  Fresh fronds from maidenhair and umbrella ferns are delicate fillers (that don’t really seem like fillers).

photo by Corbin Gurkin

If you are using a year round hearty flower like orchids or roses, pair them with seasonal blooms like lilacs and in fresh colors for a springtime update. 

photos by Corbin Gurkin 

photo by Gayle Brooker

Of course, sometimes the wedding colors themselves take centerstage, and white flowers are what are needed most.  The way white peonies and tulips open up in our spring time temperatures make them stars even in white. And, pairing them with lush greens brighten them up and offer definition… Happy Spring!

4.23.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal, Bridal Style, Event Design, Fashion, Flowers, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>
Apr 18, 2018
Sweet Home Alabama

Today, we are digging back into the archives for springtime wedding with the pops of color we need right now. There are so many details from this wedding atop Gorham’s Bluff in Alabama, it’s hard to narrow them down. This sweet shindig has all the trademarks of a perfect Southern affair- seersucker, nods to favorite college football teams, cocktails (many many cocktails), bows, outfit changes (the bride had 3 dresses!) and lots and lots of flowers, all done in the chicest way of course.  Liz Banfield shot this wedding weekend for us and Lettered Olive is responsible for all of the printed items.

The printed materials all featured a sweet floral pattern countered by a seersucker pattern that we wanted included because of it’s prominence in the upcoming wedding design.  The guests were welcomed with individual picnic baskets full of custom packaged goodies.

A palette of ombre punchy colors were balanced with varigated flowers were wrapped with seersucker fabric.  The bride carried a bouquet with a bit more of a bridal feel, creams and whites with faint hints of pink.

The wedding ceremony was held in the property’s outdoor amphitheater overlooking the lake and valley.

Immediately following the ceremony, guests enjoyed an al fresco cocktail hour on the grand lawn overlooking the valley… We passed “Tigertinis” a nod to the couple’s Auburn University alma mater, along with other noshes.

Guests enjoyed dinner in a grand tent swathed in fabric and lush carpeting. Giant lampshades were fashioned from seersucker fabric, as were table linens. The place settings featured die cut floral letterpressed menu cards with grey leaves hand lettered as place cards.

An 8 tired cake with a hand painted floral design by Jay Qualls  was a centerpiece of the tent. We made a custom linen perfect for this bride featuring ruffled flowers made out of taffeta.  After dinner, guests enjoyed dancing in the late hours in a glowing lounge tent. One of my favorite elements of this tent started as a problem we encountered during set up. A tent was growing in the footprint of the tenting, and obviously we couldn’t tear it down! So, we cut the flooring and it appeared as if a tree was just growing right in the tent. Hang some lanterns from it, and it’s a pretty design element we didn’t even plan for!

The bride and groom are avid college football fans, so we had guests wave pompoms at the send off.  The bride departed wearing her mother’s wedding gown- a cotton eyelet dress with bell sleeves- so fab!

4.18.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>
Apr 17, 2018
Lounging the Night Away

photo by Liz Banfield

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 >>