Tag Archives: corbin gurkin

We have been waiting to share this oh so pretty Winter wedding at Montage Palmetto Bluff with you for a while, and since it’s was just featured on Martha Stewart Weddings, we finally can! Filled with so many custom details, the tailored crispness of the color palette and seaside location created a perfect “winter” wedding in the Lowcountry. Photos by Corbin Gurkin. Lettered Olive did an amazing job of creating a fresh and young take on a traditional wedding invitation suite… While the rectangle shape, paper, and black calligraphied ink fall along the modest vein, an embroidered emerald green velvet belly band, gold edging and a whimsical monogram add a modern vibe..

With the wedding take place at a full service resort, simple wedding welcome gifts fit the bill… Take home dopp kits, and Christmas plaid koozies were tokens of appreciation complimenting the snacks and bottled waters.

The bride wore a gown by Oscar de la Renta, and shoes by Jimmy Choo.  The lace long sleeves were stunning!  The couple opted for a first sight moment before the ceremony in the Chapel.

We wanted to set the tone for the English garden feel early on, so the exterior doors of the chapel were adorned with boxwood greenery, and a floral archway.The architectural lines of the grand windows in the chapel essentially created a “trellis” for us, so filling it with flowers seemed the natural thing to do.  Adding a bridal white aisle runner helped absorb the sunlight on the wooden floors and soften the grand space.

Green and white flowers are my all time favorite palette to work with… And, with the Emerald green bridesmaids dresses, it couldn’t have been more perfect. Dainty Lily of the valley for the bride and groom, and lush and wild mixtures of hearty and dainty for the girls. The old Plantation ruins served as the backdrop for the cocktail hour… Guests were able to enjoy a lovely lowcountry day and sunset before heading into the dinner and lounge tent into the wee hours. You  know I love to make sure the exterior of our tents are just as pretty as the inside… it’s’ the first thing your guests see, wow them before they even walk in the doors… And, for this tent, we wanted to bring the outside in, so along with the greenery garlands draped from the ceiling, and garland covered lanterns, a greenery trellis wall served as the background focal point for the large tent.Small greenery wreaths with embroidered banners served as the table numbers.  Velvet menu books emblazoned with gold name plates were big wow getters on the tabletops. Simple touches like tailored linens with contrasting piping really finish the look. Mixing the flower and candle heights and holders give a layered look that’s not messy…

Again to break up and soften the extra large tent space, carpeting was laid, and a raw wood “shiplap” wall was built… Shelving to hold the glassware has the tent looking more like a custom built home than a wedding tent!
A patterned dance floor in the wedding colors became the focal point of the lounge and worked so well with the velvet upholstered sofas and benches… A textured white cake layered with Jim Smeal’s artistic gum paste flowers provided a stunning centerpiece…

And for those who prefer to take their cake home with them, waxed bags printed with the couple’s custom monogram were passed out late night sweet treats. The band performed behind a silhouetted wall, keeping in line with the super finished aesthetic.

After a sparkler send off, the couple drove off into the night in a greenery draped golf cart… the true goodbyes came after the couple hosted their guests for a brunch the following day.

12.10.19   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal, Cakes, Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, Press, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, 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 >>

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We love revisiting some of our past weddings… Today, pretty pastels and pattern play were the name of the design game here, with photos so pretty from Corbin Gurkin.  Bridesmaids dresses in the lovliest shade of not quite lavender and not quite violet from Jenny Yoo at Bella Bridesmaid.

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The bride wore a Monique Lhullier gown and elegant flats from Dolce and Gabbana.

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Our beautiful bride carried a cascade of phalenopsis orchids, roses, and fern fronds. We were overjoyed when we found the perfect blue and white bird themed fabric at fabric.com, we used it as a photo wall back drop, to make pillows, and cover the bar.

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The blue and white papers designed by Lettered Olive made a statement with colored stock, pattern, die cut shapes, and letterpressed motifs.  Our wedding welcome bags were filled with local cheese biscuits, handmade chocolate, and wine all in a custom Charleston map tote featuring all of the weekend locations noted.

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The ceremony was held at one of my truly favorite local churches, the French Huguenot Church.

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After the ceremony, guests tossed rose petals on the couple exiting the church, all to the tune of a local gospel choir.

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Playing off of the cascading orchid bridal bouquet, the bridesmaids carried a fluffy and colorful mix of roses, orchids, and lilacs.

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I always advise my clients when developing our timelines, to allow themselves to steal away some private time with the photographer, in order to capture images like these.

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Long tables were dressed in custom linens with patterned toppers, while the smaller squares were dressed in all blue and white. I love that our bride let us play with all of these patterns and colors!

dinner-table

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The flowering cake by Jim Smeal, resting atop a bed of greens made for a drop dead centerpiece in the after dinner lounge.

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The after dinner lounge had a glamorous and feminine feel, and lots of thoughtful touches- one of my favorites was the phone charging station designed with the wedding hashtag signage. Oh, and the sliders on pretzel rolls by PPHG, were a HUGE hit!

sparkler-send-off going-away-car

After a quick change and pretty sparkler send off, the couple departed by a vintage Rolls Royce ready to “Skip Down the Aisle” Together…

You can see more of this wedding on  Charleston Weddings

3.12.19   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Cakes, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, Food and Drink, Photographers, Press, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>