Award winning wedding planner and event designer in Charleston and New York City specializing in destination weddings, wedding and event planning.

Oct 22, 2019

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 >>

Oct 15, 2019

Decorating with Greenery

photo by Corbin Gurkin

If you are looking for wedding inspiration, there is no question that decorating with greenery right now is hot, almost unavoidable, therefore clients are asking for it. We are huge fans of decorating with greenery due to it’s heartiness allowing some decorating in advance and the ability to go far on impact and less on cost. Here are some of the many ways we have incorporated it into some of our designs.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

This chuppa fashioned from magnolia leaves is balanced with a sweet floral swag, and could easily be replicated on a smaller scale by gathering greenery available in your neighbor’s or your yard.

photos by Tec Petaja

Greenery on large scale can be quite impactful… Full, lush, and oversized centerpieces were perfect on this stark modern rehearsal dinner table. And, as part of a lighting installation fill in a clear top tent and soften the space in this wedding dinner tent.

photos by Liz Banfield and Tec Petaja

Place settings are a fantastic area for using greenery… We used a stem with waxy leaves as a place card that tucked nicely into the napkin as an embellishment. For a rehearsal dinner, a leaf was hand painted and wrapped around the menu cards. Finally, as a modern day “doily” a fatsia looks chic on a charger for a party with a tropical vibe.

photo by A Bryan Photo

Greenery for sure adds depth and dimension to floral bouquets, but i LOVED the ones we did that were all greens… Something different and unexpected and still super stylish.

Tara Guerard Soiree by Liz Banfield photo by Liz Banfield

This labor of love took the rustic cakes to the next level. The linen was covered in galax leaves hand glued over a couple of days, but it was well worth it!

photos by Liz Banfield

So simple and easy, yet looks so thoughtful once it’s executed. Using many different types of leaves (aspidistra, fern, monstera) for decorating passed hors d’eouvres and cocktails is a favorite of mine. I love the idea of using leaves instead of doilies to hold food items into place. Also makes for unique presentation.

photos by Corbin Gurkin, Liz Banfield, Corbin Gurkin

A favorite spot of our is on chair backs. Just a simple swag on the back of the bride and groom chairs (or a monogram made from greenery), against wooden chairs adds a thoughtful touch. For a Christmas wedding, greenery wreaths and embroidered ribbons dictated the table numbers for dinner.

10.15.19 | TARA GUÉRARD
Charleston, Entertaining, Event Design, Event Planning, Reception, Weddings | Comments >>

Oct 08, 2019

Our Team

It’s a been awhile since we checked in just to introduce ourselves and give you an update on who we are! Thank you to Liz Banfield, since the last time she was here we were able to have her update our headshot, shot in our new office. (speaking of, stay tuned for a fresh new website coming soon!).

This is me, Tara, and I’ve been doing weddings now for over 20 years, and I still love my job! It makes me beyond happy to create an amazing day for our clients totally based on their personalities. It allows me to really tap into that Psychology degree I received from the College of Charleston. When I’m not working (which isn’t very often!), I love spending time with my family. I have three children who are growing up fast, and a new puppy that gets into everything!

Erica Missel is our Executive Director. Erica works directly with all of our clients and vendors to deliver the best of the best to our brides. Erica is a Southern girl from the upstate of South Carolina, but has stayed in Charleston after graduating from the College. She was recently put all of those planning skills to the test on her own wedding to her husband, Charleston. We very recently welcome, Bri Hughes, back to Charleston from Maine as our new Logistics Manager and Assistant. She will be keeping this train on the track, and we are thrilled to have her. Make sure you introduce yourself to her! Kate Little, our former coordinator, is back with Soiree managing our social media and blog.

Karen Simon, our Director of Sales, and Becca Smith, Creative Director create everything that is Lettered Olive, our sister stationer. Karen comes to us by way of NOLA, and when not working, she and her boyfriend like to travel, or just hang out with their pups. Becca, who resides in North Carolina is an accomplished graphic designer previously in the corporate fashion and textile market. After doing the printed materials for her own wedding, she knew she needed to make the move.

Susan Irvine, a NC native with a background in Studio Art, comes to Soiree as our Production Manager. Overseeing the set up of all of the signature Soiree details helps ensure our Brides have their perfect day. William Johnson, our construction manager is why I can sleep at night on the weekends of events. The safety of our staff and all of our clients is ensured having a former firefighter on scene, and his son who also works for us and an EMT! Heather Santucci (who is also my nanny), is the longest running Soirette yet! When I started doing my own flowers, she was my buyer at the local wholesale florist. Now, she is my head floral designer.

So thankful for this team of mine… Soirettes rock!

10.08.19 | TARA GUÉRARD
Charleston, Event Planning, Spotted!, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

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