Sep 12, 2018

Today we are sharing a recent wedding we did at the historic Union Station in Dallas, TX…This bride was far from traditional and didn’t want to have many of the elements you think of when you think of weddings, no cake, not a lot of fanfare, and just wanted to celebrate with her fiance, family, and friends. So we designed a modern inspired party, we hope you enjoy. All photos by Sarah Kate Photography Lettered Olive created a designs that included an illustrated skyline, watercolor ombre palette, and marbleized modern details. The custom drawn Dallas skyline doted the save the “weekend” cards, while a simply stunning invitation featured modern fonts lightened up with a watercolor marble designed. Hatch Cove design hand lettered the outer envelops in the ombre palette. The ceremony programs were 2 sided cards, with the evenings timeline, seating chart, and highlights printed on the back side.

Printed canvas shopping totes were filled with goodies and snacks, a custom designed “Emergency” kit, and watercolor illustrated weekend information card…

Lettered Olive left many details throughout the wedding. Printed tray liners added decor for the passed items… Custom cocktail napkins featured whimsical designs, and the letterpressed coasters allowed guests to dance without loosing their drinks.

Shades of grey and blue set the tone for the winter affair, white and grey flowers accented with greenery and berries completed the architectural look of the bouquets. Lots of softening was needed to turn the century old train station into a dreamy ceremony space. Carpeting was laid and fabric panels were draped to create a cozy space… We printed fabric with the marble design from the wedding invitations and created panels to set a backdrop.  Of course, lots of lighting and candles added to the ambience.

We did something a little different for this wedding… The bride wanted everyone to have a seat but not have a served dinner. So we set up enough tables for everyone to have a seat (which was assigned), but guests enjoyed a “progressive” dinner throughout many different food stations.

Because of the sprawling space with high ceilings, tables alternated in shape and size between family style rectangles and smaller squares.  The longer tables got lamp light and floral pieces, while the smaller tables got a mixture of glass cylinders and natural greenery.

Keeping in the realm of a modern watercolor look, ombre tiles of acrylic in the color palette were fashioned into signage for the stations, giving a more formal feel to the seated/station setup. We love doing bar signage – always a better idea than displaying all of the bottles and offerings on the front of the bar.
Along with a lounge around the dance floor, guests could lounge outside on the balcony complete with heaters and cozy blankets…

One of our favorite bands, Simply Irresistible, had guests dancing all night…

The Grand Staircase was filled with greenery and candlelight as guests saw the couple off to a late night after party….

9.12.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Event Design, Event Planning, Food and Drink, Parties, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

photo by Lauren Bailey

Crazy Rich Asians is breaking box office records worldwide (if you haven’t seen it, it’s fantastic), and with it’s fabulously over the top wedding scenes, it got me thinking about all of the ways we have used an Asian flair in our designs. It can be a very strong theme in printing. For one our recent weddings, the rehearsal dinner was taking place in a meditation garden, so watercolor bamboo made for pretty envelope liners.

photo by Liz Banfield

We don’t back away from our chance to use orchids (of any variety) in our flower works.  A colorful mix of Phalenopsis orchids made a vibrant centerpiece for an escort card table. We also use the dendrobium orchid variety as a garnish in champagne glasses… photos 1&2 by Liz Banfield

Of course, food is an obvious place where couples can incorporate their favorite Asian dishes.  To put a more formal twist on a sushi station, Sushi chefs prepared fresh rolls for guests, and plated them with chopsticks making it easier for guests to enjoy. And for a couple of weddings with Asian stations, pre setting the dish in take out containers with chopsticks made it super easy for guests to grab and go (cutting down on lines) and adding a decor moment. photos by Corbin Gurkin

We also had a recent groom who loved loved loved Chinese food, so his groom’s cake was a larger than life to go container with fortune cookies and sweet fortunes on top… Cake by Jim Smeal

photos by Liz Banfield

We have had many a wedding where saturated hues and asian flair was blended into the decor… Red has long long standing roots of meaning good luck and fortune in Chinese lore. Whether from lanterns, to red florals, to interior design elements like furniture and textiles we have woven the feel into these weddings yet without it feeling too “themey”.

photo by Liz Banfield

And of course, sending guests off with something “to go” is a fun last thought and easy detail if you don’t want to go overboard.

9.11.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Cakes, Entertaining, Event Design, Event Planning, Food and Drink, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>
Sep 10, 2018

Come by our new office on Queen Street for a pop up shop from Lela Rose’s Pearl line… Our friends from New York are coming down to debut their line in Charleston… We hear there will even be a match your margarita to your dress bar!  Come shop with us next week.  And, we are sharing details from the last time Lela Rose was in Charleston for a book signing brunch we hosted at my Charleston home.
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We loved having Lela Rose in town for Charleston Wedding Week. I’m a big fan of her designs, and she’s a fellow Southerner! In order to celebrate the release of her new book- Pret-A-Party we decided to throw a Biscuits, Bloodys, and Book Signing party in her honor. Love having Friday a.m. parties now, going to make it my new thing!

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Perfect for a ladies’ brunch, little Callie’s Biscuits in a variety of flavors- ham, jam, and cinnamon.

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We set up a Do-It-Yourself Bloody Mary bar with every addition you could think of- peppers, pickled okra, shrimp skewers, even bacon slices. For those needing to go back to work we had a juice bar with fruit and veg garnishes as well. Just putting in simple containers with nice signage makes for a lovely focal point.

Lela Collage

 

9.10.18   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Announcements, Books, Charleston, Entertaining, Event Planning, Events, Fashion, Flowers, Food and Drink, Gifts, New York, Parties, Shopping | 1 Comment