Archive for the ‘lighting’ Category

WED on Weddings Unveiled Blog!

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Thanks so much to Completely Unveiled, Wedding Unveiled Magazine’s brilliant blog for featuring one of our all-time favorite couples, Wallis and Nick, and their wedding at Magnolia Plantation. Leigh Webber captured the details perfectly and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share the love with Completely Unveiled’s readers. Thanks so much for the beautiful feature! (All images by Leigh Webber, collages created by Completely Unveiled)

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

Oh, the things we will do…

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

… for our dear clients.

Hayley has a love affair with all things vino and so for her October wedding at Lowndes Grove we took our cue from French Vineyards…

I really loved how simply her escort cards were displayed. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, we kept it simple and timeless with hand-calligraphed cards in wine corks (dutifully collected by the bride and her family).

What you DON’T see if that we have WED staff working all day and night to chisel little grooves in each cork with exacto-knives to provide the perfectly balanced card.

All I can say to that is “CHEERS!”

"I'm Tar Heel Born, I'm Tar Heel Bred"

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

Though I certainly consider Charleston my home now, many may not know that I am a born and bred Tar Heel, raised my whole life in the lovely North Carolina!

With my entire family (when I say “entire family” I mean my parents, brothers, sister, and sisters-in-law!) all UNC-Chapel Hill alums, it has only made sense that I seek out weddings in the Chapel Hill-Raleigh-Durham area. WED loves to head up to NC for weddings and events!

This wedding in particular was a fun one for me to plan… it was my baby brother’s wedding, after all!

David and Christine met and fell in love at UNC and so it was fitting to host friends and family to come back to their alma mater for their weekend celebration. The rehearsal dinner was held in the gorgeous Morehead Planetariumon UNC’s campus, and the ceremony on Saturday evening at Chapel Hill Bible Church:

The reception venue- The Angus Barn Pavilion-  was absolutely stunning and was fabulously accommodating to us in every way… and the views of the lake were stunning!

We used an enormously talented photographer from the Raleigh area- Bill Broere. He was an absolute pleasure to work with and, as you can see, was able to capture stunning photos throughout the evening. **NOTE- he travels to shoot weddings!!

Being that we were in a barn, we kept the decor rustic but clean… white blooms in tin containers and candlelight everywhere!

We incorporated blue lighting on the uncovered patio… we needed at least a little Carolina blue in the mix!

And inside, we lit the barn in amber tones to offer warmth and soft ambiance…

The fire pit was a huge hit, even on the August night! S’mores supplies were brought out when the sun went down and everyone gathered around for a DIY dessert…

 I can’t believe my little brother is married… David and Christine, I love you both and it was such an honor to plan your wedding!

 

 **THANK YOU BILL BROERE FOR SUPPLYING ALL OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS FOR THIS BLOG!! VISIT HIS WEBSITE HERE TO SEE HIS WEDDING PHOTOS AND NEW FUSION VIDEO CONCEPT**

WED featured on TheKnot.com!

Monday, August 17th, 2009

WED’s May 2008 wedding was just featured as Wedding of the Week on TheKnot.com!

Sara & Ben in Charleston, SC

Sara and Ben planned a spring wedding at a historic home in Charleston, South Carolina.

Start Slideshow
Years after falling in love on a graduation trip to Costa Rica, it made sense for College of Charleston alums Sara and Ben to tie the knot in the place that started it all: the storied Southern city of Charleston, South Carolina.
 
The Bride Sara Givler, 28, attorney
The Groom Ben DeWolf, 29, stock trader
The Date May 17
 
While Sara was feverishly pursuing a law degree four hours away from Charleston, the couple began a long-distance relationship. When Sara finished up her first-year exams, she and Ben hopped on the first plane to Italy for a romantic getaway. On their third night in Rome, beside the Fontana di Trevi, Ben proposed, and soon the happy to-be-weds began dreaming up plans for their wedding day back in Charleston, the bride’s hometown and the place they’d come to call home.
Elizabeth Stadele

Sara & Ben in Charleston, SC

Sara’s richly textured bouquet complemented the intricate Alencon lace on her Judd Waddell dress. Her unique, all-white bouquet featured mini calla lilies, peonies, dendrobium orchids, nerine lilies, and garden roses.
Sara’s bridesmaids carried white bouquets that mimicked the look and style of her own. The clusters of mini calla lilies and freesia were a dramatic contrast to the girls’ dark blue gowns.
Even with its contemporary square shape and romantic satin bow, the wedding program reflected a sophisticated aesthetic rooted in tradition. The formal, cursive script in the couple’s names made a striking contrast to the modern typeset used elsewhere.
After their pictures were taken with a Polaroid camera, guests were encouraged to leave a note beside their snapshots in one of the guest books. The table, complete with a lavish arrangement of tall, white calla lilies, was set up near the entrance to the...
The magnificent antebellum home, with its classic facade, beautiful interiors, and spacious lawn and garden, was ideal for a romantic Southern wedding. “Holding the reception at The William Aiken House was the perfect way to show our many out-of-town gues...
A bamboo box on a silver tray made for an exquisite presentation of chicken salad cones. These and other tasty appetizers paired nicely with lemon martinis -- the signature drink of the evening.
After sundown, a lighting design, projected onto the two-story carriage house, gave the lounge area a hit of instant glamour. The couple lucked out with perfect late-spring weather for an outdoor wedding and a full moon.
Toward the back of the property, an (almost) all-white lounge was set up for guests to kick back and celebrate. An orchid arrangement on the table complemented the mod lounge decor.
The elegant, four-tiered cake featured an intricate turquoise pattern inspired by the Alencon lace on Sara’s gown. Delicate strands of fresh, white cymbidium orchids hung from the ceiling, creating a defined space for the cake.
Sara and Ben left the reception in a rickshaw decorated with a “Just Married” sign. Luckily, the weather couldn’t have been nicer: The temperature hovered around 70 degrees and a light breeze blew in from the coast.

Lowndes Grove, Take II

Monday, June 8th, 2009

We were fortunate to have back-to-back weddings at Lowndes Grove May 23rd and 30th (see “Eimile and Drue” for the first round!). What is so interesting to me when something like this happens is seeing how absolutely different and unique each bride really is. Eimile chose warm, bright tones, while Brooke the following weekend opted for vivid, vibrant cool blue and more casual vibe. And while both were at the same venue, you’ll see that the similarities stopped about there!

While she opted for a seated dinner (read: more “formal”), Brooke wanted to ensure that the laid-back plantation life wasn’t lost, so we threw in details such as candles and flowers in mason jars behind the bar and a menu written on a giant chalkboard:
 

Still, she kept her centerpieces lush in all-whites and opted for a warm amber tone to, as she said, “Make everyone look beautiful.”

And then there was the lounge tent… Brooke loved this vibrant, deep periwinkle/royal blue and wanted her lounge tent and dance area to be a completely seperate space from the dining area. Again, we used lighting to achieve what she desired and created a hip, dance club vibe for her fun crowd:

  

Eimile and Drue

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Joyful. Utterly, blissfully joyful… that’s how I would describe our bride and groom from this past weekend.

Eimile and Drue met when they both attended Dartmouth and traveled the world over before settling into our city. With Eimile  busy in medical school here, it only made sense to bring in their family and friends from around the globe to experience all they loved about the lowcountry.

Gracious… that’s exactly how I would describe the family’s attitude towards their guests. It all began with a detailed packet of info and a “wine and cheese” snack- featuring what else but southern pimiento cheese!

 

Drue’s family hosted the rehearsal dinner at Alhambra Hall. With sweet tea vodka drinks-a-plenty and a gorgeous Charleston sunset, every person knew this weekend was going to be an unforgettable one!

 

    

  

(the bride’s favorite red velvet cupcakes from Village Bakery, and a sweet treat for her brother on his birthday!)

There was no question where the ceremony and reception would be held: the ever stunning Lowndes Grove Plantation:

The ceremony was on the front lawn facing the water. I love Eimile’s musical selections… she even had her string quartet play an instrumental version of Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” as she and her father walked down the aisle. It brought tears to my eyes!

  

 Guests were greeted to cocktail hour with a champagne and peach bellini:

 

An evening of dinner and dancing (LOTS of dancing) followed… the dinner tent was more subdued and featured HUGE crystal chandeliers, while the lounge and bar tents were all about the BRIGHT colors… we loved that Eimile wasn’t scared of a little color!

  

   

 

(gorgeous flowers by H.B. Stems of Beaufort)

  

(we draped the lounge tents in pure coral, and so as a contrast we found these fantastic little lamps from IKEA- gotta love the new Charlotte location!)

And for those weary, danced-out feet, a bookcase filled with flip flops. Even the men were snapping these up!

 

Emilie and Drue- it was truly a pleasure. We wish you the best in your new marriage… and happy honeymooning, too!!

Platinum Wedding

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

Unfortunately I’m not talking about the (fabulously funny) show… but we did have our own “platinum” wedding this past February… platinum, black, and white to be exact.

The stormy skies may have dampened anothers day, but I love that the bride proclaimed, “Well, I asked for a gray wedding, right? The weather fits right in!”

It was a gorgeous night…. lots of sparkle, but oh, so chic. Here are a few of the details:

Creeping flowers up black birch branches in custom-tin containers…

Orchids were hung from one of the lounge tents to create an art deco-inspired “chandelier”

Sequined linens paired well with minimalist arrangements…

Silver silk draping and white leather furniture created a hip space…

And the interior rooms for dinner will all about elegance… with a little bling, of course…

We had a silver graphic print designed to meet their mod tastes and carried this throughout the night, beginning with the save-the-dates, then on to the placecards, menus, etc.

The lighting in the dance tent was gorgeous!

Flowers were simple and elegant…

And of course the martini bar was a huge hit…

Beautiful!

Pepper Plantation

Monday, February 9th, 2009

This past weekend the weather turned warm just in time for our wedding at Charleston’s most gorgeous new event venue, Pepper Plantation:

The exposed beams, concrete floors and huge mantles screamed “Ralph Lauren” to me- it was an understated kind of chic:

   

The bride loved an eggplant and green dot overlay we had and really was drawn to the purples… we used various shades from aubergine to smoky lavendar and accented with rich wood tones to highlight the barn-inspired Pavilion.

LOVE these linens– they didn’t compete with the casual-ness of the space yet somehow dressed it up…

The “dot” theme came down even to the vases on the cocktail tables…

And all the printed materials

And the cake was stunning, designed by Jim Smeal.

Everyone flocked to the tent out back- here’s to 70-degree weather in February- cheers!

Golden night

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

I always call the hour before sunset “the Golden Hour” at The River Course Club on Kiawah Island because it always seems that the setting sun hits everything with the perfect glow. This fall 2008 bride wanted to bring out that natural gold light in her decor and a fabulous event resulted…

Rattan furniture created comfortable nooks around the porch, perfectly juxtaposed to the lush tent:

Gold tones shone throughout…

What a stunning view (note to golfers- this is on an award-winning course)!