Tag Archives: runnymede plantation

bride and girls

This pretty bride and her pretty plantation party make for a perfect Wedding Wednesday post. She and her groom celebrated with a ceremony downtown at First Baptist Church, and dinner and dancing afterwards at Runnymede Plantation outside of Charleston. The navy and white set a formal yet fun tone and Corbin Gurkin was on hand to capture all of the beautiful images. Here, I do love that the bride and her girls had such a lovely backdrop for the day while getting ready. It does make for photos that help set the tone for the day…

Bride and groom Collage

A bride in all white and a groom in a classic tuxedo is pure perfection.

wedding party Collage

Flowing navy dresses were accented with cream and peach garden rose bouquets. The bride worked in fashion at Ralph Lauren, so the groomsmen all sported custom loafers with their tuxes.

Bridesmaids on bus

The bride and her ladies ride a Classic Charleston trolley to the church, luckily Corbin is right behind to capture this sweet moment

Ceremony Collage

Simple ceremony decor like floral wreathes and a custom aisle runner give a sweet touch without overshadowing the meaning of why everyone is there.

ceremony programs

A custom monogram designed by Lettered Olive is used throughout the wedding papers and design.

guest box Collage

Guest welcome boxes contain a mixture of the couple’s favorite treats and local goodies. Custom printed cups are perfect for the morning bloody mary’s using Charleston’s Fat and Juicy mix.

Cocktail hour Collage

Once at Runnymede, guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the lawn… We customized the wedding everywhere we could, down to the blue and white striped bow ties, and printed papers lining the trays serving the food.

Escort cards

Caligraphied escort tags on papers printed in the different colors and patterns were pinned to a board for guests to find during cocktail hour.

Dinner tent Collage

I’ve been really into designing the outside of a tent as much as the inside lately. I mean, really you see that first and foremost, so why wouldn’t it be lovely as well, instead of some big white rigid structure. To enter the carpeted and greenery draped dinner tent, guests walked down a boxwood lined pathway and under a custom fabric awning.

tent garland

The head table’s centerpiece was a garland adorned with flowers running the length of the table and spilling over onto the floor.

Table Collage

Graced with perfect weather that day, the tent opened up onto the plantation grounds overlooking the river and the ruins of the old plantation house.  A crisp blue and white palette allowed the soft pastels in the flowers to pop.

Cake Collage

Jim Smeal’s pastel and metallic gold cake with simple florals was a centerpiece of the dinner tent. We like finding a way to have a captive audience for the cake cutting without having to interrupt the flow of the party. So, if you can cut it and have the servers pass out as the dessert course without delaying the dancing, that’s a good way we have found to do it.

lounge tent

Guests retreated after dinner into a lounge full of conversation nooks and dim lighting, draped with glowing golden fabric.

Late night Collage

A late night food bar of sweet treats even included Charleston’s cult favorite donut truck, Diggity Doughnuts.

Getaway Collage

The bride and groom said farewell to guests with sparklers,  and drove off into the night in a classic convertible car as fireworks made for a grand finale.

8.03.16   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Cakes, Charleston, Event Design, Event Planning, Flowers, Food and Drink, Reception, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, The Lettered Olive, Weddings | Comments >>
May 16, 2016

Lowndes Grove Collage

photos by Liz Banfield

This Monday calls for a roundup of some of our favorite wedding venues in Charleston, SC.  We’re highlighting a few of our favorite ceremony (outside of the churches) and reception venues that we are lucky to work with here in the Lowcountry. Our first is Lowndes Grove Plantation located actually in downtown Charleston. We love working with each client to determine the best layout for their event, and play around with the different spots at the Plantation. Ceremonies can overlook the river, or have the house as the backdrop. Dinner and dancing in the tented courtyard is always a favorite, but we also love that the interiors and grounds provide such lovely scenes for photos.

Ocean Course Collage

photos by Liz Banfield

The Ocean Course at Kiawah is a stunning site. I like the way a party can progress through different stages at this venue. From a ceremony on the golf lawn overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, to cocktails on the upper lawn and porches, to dinner in a ballroom, and then dancing under a tent overlooking the property, you are able to offer your guests so much variety!

HIbernian 1 Collage Hibernian 2 Collage

Photos by Corbin Gurkin

The Hibernian Society in the heart of the Charleston Historic District has long been the scene of many Charleston parties… I like that it’s large enough to hold a sizeable party but it’s broken up as such that if you have a smaller group it won’t feel too huge. It’s got a great porch for creating seating areas that overlook Meeting Street, and the historic architecture lends it some unique value.

Drayton Hall Collage

photo by Liz Banfield

Drayton Hall Plantation is probably hands down my most favorite venue in the Lowcountry. However, they have cut back on their wedding business due to the effort they place on historic preservation.  The old oaks and riverbanks along with the Federalist style home offer spectacular scenery.

WAH Collage

photos by Corbin Gurkin and Gayle Brooker

The William Aiken House’s prime location on busy King Street make it perfect for the crown who wants to keep everything easy for their guests while offer something special or unique to those coming to Charleston for a different type of wedding. The historic home has large porches for partying and antique ballrooms where you are able to host your guests for dinner.

Runnymede Collage

photos by Corbin Gurkin

A recent favorite of many of our brides and us here at Soiree, is Runnymede Plantation. The home no longer stands, other than a few crumbling ruins, but the land and location along the Ashley River allow us to have fun and do whatever we want with decor, and we love that!

Boone Hall Plantation

photo by Liz Banfield

Finally, we’ve done quite a few weddings at Boone Hall Plantation in our many years, but this image from one we did  for over 1200 people really stands out!

5.16.16   |   TARA GUÉRARD
Charleston, Entertaining, Event Design, Event Planning, Photographers, Reception, Travel, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>