The WED team invited a few close friends in the wedding business and gussied up the upper room at Cru Cafe with gorgeous blooms by our favorite Sara Grimshaw to serve an absolutely delightful lunch (of course the menu designed by our favorites at Studio R Design) to celebrate my sweet little baby-to-be. He’s coming soon (in two months!) and I could not be any more thankful for WED and our amazing team, our sweet brides and clients and all of our vendors for your encouragement and friendship as this new phase of life begins…

And a special thank you to another favorite, uber-talent Marni Rothschild Durlach for both attending and taking these sweet photos!

Looking at these GORGEOUS photos of one of my favorite brides, Tara, by the super-talented Virgil Bunao of CVI Photography, I’d say wedding day bridal portraits can be a smashing success:

And here’s with her sweet new husband… what a wedding!

This is in our design center. We set up a coffee and cidar bar and the self-serve aspect lent to the casual-ness of the evening. Homemade cookies and peppermint bark was inviting- particurally to me, if I remember correctly (!).  We kept the flowers simple throughout… here a mass of green dendrobiums!

Granville’ catered the event for us and brought their specialties like goat cheese-stuffed African peppers, grilled pimiento cheese bites, and rare roast beef on crostini.

A bouquet of red ranunculus added zing to the champagne station we set up at the front of our office!

Cheers to another great holiday 2009 just a few months away!

Find the article in the newest issue and here online:

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

Photo gallery 

Alli Hobbs to Mark Peavy

 

“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!**

I loved what this bride’s mother said to me when she described what she wanted to see from the decor: “I want every guest to say, ‘She really outdid herself on this one!’”

The Hibernian kept glowing brighter and brighter as the night went on- it set the mood for a fun party inside!

PDA did our lighting again, this time with custom gate and scroll patterns on the ceilings verses on the floors, where patterns are typically seen.

Manzanita branches cast dramatic shadows…

Thousands of crystals picked up the candlelight and gave depth…

The cake (by Rococo) was the room’s centerpiece, situated under the central “gold” chandelier that was made silver with blue lighting…

A sweet hydrangea and ranunculus cocktail table piece in antiqued mercury glass…

Fugi and Football mums added a little life and whimsy to the centerpieces…

Tara, we loved working with you and wish you the best!

The bride wanted it to be the “WOW” factor of the wedding and I have to say, hearing the “oohs” and “ahhs” as guests walked into the reception and saw the display was my favorite part of the night!

The candy was all pink and white and the printing incorporated her butterfly motif…

Hundreds of romantic garden roses, hydrangea, nerine lilies, lisianthus and bells of Ireland composed the centerpieces that towered over the candy… gorgeous!

Eat your heart out!

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!