Archive for the ‘garden’ Category

Kate and Ben

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Oh, my… this wedding. One of our FAVORITES for many reasons…

Does everyone remember “Hurricane Hanna”- the alleged hurricane that was coming through the lowcountry in September 2008 threatening to destroy all of our carefully planned events?

This bride and groom would have none of that. Kate, a boutique owner (see her adorable shop here) and her groom Ben, a Navy SEAL, were scheduled to go overseas the very next week. So the show had to go on!

Thankfully the winds gave away to an absolutely STUNNING wedding full of thoughtful details and charm. And did we mention how fun it was? From the bride and groom’s first dance to “Super Freak” (a surprise to all the guests) to the Polaroid photo set up complete with dress up props galore, we were all kept entertained.

Photos by Marni Pictures

Flowers by Dahlia Designs

Rentals by Snyder

Lighting by Todd St. Onge

Wedding Cake by The Cake Stand

SEAL cake by Jim Smeal

Dress by Maddison Row

Wallis and Nick, via Leigh!

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

So y’all know the drill… I post what photos I have, then as soon as Leigh Webber gets her gorgeous photos up I snatch them up to post, too!

But please check out her great blog, which (when she’s not sick with the flu!) she updates regularly. Her photos are always inspiring and her comments a fun take on the day, as she is truly in the middle of everything at all times…

The Manolos… gently tread here before the ceremony, but by the end of the night completely worn down from all the dancing!

Oh, this ring… All we can say is, “Well done, Nick!”

Beautiful ladies!

Sara Grimshaw of Dahlia Designs somehow tracked down these tree peonies at the end of October. Whoohoo!

Ummm… sweet tea mojitos, the recipe graciously supplied by Cypress restaurant (if you haven’t ever tasted one, you must!)

The beautiful couple walking back down the aisle under the oak at Magnolia Plantation

I loved the “barn” feel at Magnolia in the details like this fence guiding guests to the ceremony

Jim Smeal does not leave out a single detail in his cake designs. These leaves and flowers were edible, and the “young” dogwood flowers and their centers were coordinated with the green and coral scheme

I love that we kept with the season in our “fall leaves” send off! We purchased preserved leaves so that we could have all of the color and none of the breakage.

A beautiful end to a simply lovely night. Cheers to you both, Wallis and Nick!

Thank you, Charleston Weddings Mag!

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Check out the new issue of Charleston Weddings Magazine for great tips and tricks… we had several brides featured (p. 4, 64, 88, 95, and 153– are they not all stunners?!) and a great feature on a budget-savvy wedding from this past fall pp. 88-89:

Find the article in the newest issue and here online:

Brides on a Budget: Alli Hobbs to Mark Peavy, October 25, 2008

Innovative ideas plus $25,000 equal one gorgeous Charleston wedding

“Considering the state of the economy,” says New York gal Alli Hobbs, “issue number one on most brides’ minds is saving money while maintaining beauty and not sacrificing too much.” Counting herself in that camp, she and her fiancé opted for a small, smart wedding that stretched their dollars. They chose a morning ceremony and brunch reception (less pricey than dinner) with Bloody Marys and mimosas (less expensive than an open bar). And since Alli had a clear wedding day vision, she just needed a top-notch event coordinator to polish it off and pull it together. W.E.D.’s Ellen Robinson     typically tackles six-figure affairs but was happy to work with Ali and Mark since the well-thought out (and early) event didn’t call for much manpower. The result? A stunner of a fall fête.

Cost-Saving Tips

The Location
Alli and Matt booked the Confederate Home, where they hosted a garden ceremony and sit-down brunch on the same property for one rate.

The Attire
The Bride: Alli got a past-season Vera Wang gown at a sample sale, which costs less than a current release.

The Bridal Party: The couple opted for only a matron of honor and best man, who were able to select (with guidance) their own attire.

The Ushers: Male ushers wore their own suits and the couple gifted them ties, which brought the color scheme together.

The details
Décor: Elegant but simple ribbon streamers in purple and green gave a lot of bang for the couple’s buck.

Stationery: A designer pal made the invites, and Alli created programs herself with a color printer, kraft paper, and ribbon.

The Photographer: Setting a strict shooting time limit and opting for an online album (rather than an actual one) to trim photo costs.

**We wrote a post on this last year- check it out for more great photos from this chic event!**

Avenue of Oaks

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

An Avenue of Oaks… what is more “Charleston” than that?

Ashley and Scott celebrated their wedding at the beautiful Legare-Waring House, located at historic Charlestowne Landing. The shade of the Oaks made placing a clear-top tent doable in May (normally summer heat + clear top tent = everything melted!) and the effect was just stunning.

Here are several of the details, gorgeously captured by Marni Rothschild:

        

Cake: Jim Smeal

Tent/Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals

Flowers: Dahlia Designs

"It's a Beautiful Day"

Monday, March 16th, 2009

“It’s a beautiful day,” she told me. Though the clouds were out, the temperatures down, and the threat of rain eminent, our bride yesterday could only see the beauty in her wedding day… I love that!

This wedding was an adventure for WED. Deborah contacted us this fall and told us her story of receiving her breast cancer diagnosis, enduring treatments, coming out stronger than ever (5 years cancer-free!)… but being plagued with medical bills. She had finally met the love of her life in her fiance Craig and had always dreamed of a Charleston wedding, but was debilitated with mounting hospital payments. She asked us if we’d be willing to help her out and help her in finding other vendors to donate of their time and services, and we were thrilled to be invited to be a part of this gorgeous couple’s wedding weekend. With having gone through a breast cancer scare myself, I was excited to help this deserving couple out.

Our planning started with the cocktail hour space: the ever-chic Robert Lange Studios. The space was donated by the owners (and friends of Deborah’s family) and proved perfect for their 50 family and friends to cocktail.

  

With this space secured I thought it only made sense to have their guests walk right up to dinner in the beautiful Gallery room at McCradys. Fate would have their wedding date open (the only weekend in March that was still available!!), so we picked a beautiful menu and the couple could not have been more excited about the space (“George Washington ate here!” I heard the bride tell just about every guest!). Lauren Robertson of The Cake Stand rounded out their meal with this gorgeous cake:

WED did all of the flowers in house, creating nature-inspired bouquets of andromeda (the bride’s favorite), button and cushion mums, garden roses, heleborus, cymbidium orchids and local dogwood blossoms:

  

So many of our vendors “wow”ed us with their generosity… FABULOUS photographer ELizabeth Leighton flew up from Port St. Lucie, FL to shoot the wedding (Tomme Hilton was her local second shooter),  Redeemer Presbyrterian Church donated their gorgeous sanctuary on Wentworth Street, Lee Edwards his night to DJ, Snyder Event Rentals the linen and Allure Salon the bridal hair. THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who chipped in to treat this very deserving couple!

Make sure to grab a Post and Courier this Friday — Deborah and Craig’s story and more wedding pictures will be featured in the “Moxie” section.

Brunch in the Garden

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

Alli and Mark came all the way from Brooklyn to have the Southern garden wedding they craved…

The October wedding was painted purple– with accents of orange to add an autumnal touch. Moss natural elements like bittersweet vine and birds nest added a bit of whimsy for this free-spirited and laid back bride.

The torrential rain on Friday cleared up just in time for their 10:30 a.m. ceremony- whew! Streamers of satin ribbon and strands of green dendrobium orchids framed the couple as they bacame husband and wife.

The cupcake “cake” was a huge hit– who knew so many cupcakes could get eated by 60 people at 11:00 am?!

Each detail seemed to fall right into place… the decor was just so pretty in its simplicity. Congrats to Alli and Mark!