FLORALS + LIGHTING

OK, so you are to the point where you really need to focus on the decor part of your reception. You and your florist are talking about the beautiful flowers that will be used in your bouquets, at the ceremony and of course the reception site.

What about lighting? Can't afford pin spots or up-lights around the room? Can't afford draping for your reception? In fact even if you can't afford the chair covers or pretty ballroom chairs, there is a way of decorating and making it gorgeous.

Most floral designers now have handy tricks up their sleeves to add those extra touches to your centerpieces. For instance, the arrangement shown here by Charleston Florals is positioned on custom light boxes. The bowl holds clear beading, water and beautiful flowers wrapped around the inside of the bowl. This look is bot simple and clean. It would suit both contemporary and more whimsical looks equally. The illumination of the lighting adds debt to the arrangement and a romantic look throughout the room. Something so simple, yet so beautiful and when creating a look like this, the focus is all on your centerpieces.

For more information on floral decor or table-top lighting, contact the designers at A Charleston Event and let us come up with some unique ideas just for you.

May Wedding on the Harbor

Katie & Jonathan's Destination wedding in Charleston took place on May 8, 2010 at the Patriots Point Pavilion. The weather could not have been nicer for this lovely couple and their 120 guests.

As Katie chose to keep the ceremony and reception light and easy with a relaxed feeling for her guests, her muted greens and ivory with just touches of blues were the perfect color to achieve her vision. The bride carried a mixed tight bouquet of ivory vandella roses, hydrangea, cymbidium orchids, lisianthus, ranuculus and pops of cornflower. It was finished off with verigated hosta leaves and lied off with an ivory satin ribbon and hosted a family broach an embellishment of importance.

The couple loved the setting overlooking the Charleston Harbor and the ACE Team hung lanterns from the trees hanging over the ceremony site itself. The bride's mother hand-made the beautiful invitations and programs to match, which were tied into wicker fans and placed on the guest seating pre-ceremony.

ACE's own Captain Bob (and his side-kick Perch) were there to greet guests as they arrived at the cocktail hour following the ceremony and the festivities that followed slowly but surely made their way into a beautiful sunset with candle lit tables and fire pits waiting to be shared by all.

Katie's favorite flower was a Magnolia, but because they do not last well off of the trees they grow on, we decided to freshly pick some just for the bride and the head table. The Magnolia Blossoms are a beautiful flower with a light citrus scent. They were put in water and packed on ice until the reception was getting ready to start. 1 hour prior, they were arranged in sand and water dishes and within 1 hour they were in full bloom. Katie was delighted with her own Magnolia, which she was surprised with right before she was leaving for the ceremony. This is what makes is all worth while for the team at A Charleston Event. Seeing the look on a bride's face when she sees her bouquet for the first time is priceless.

Catering: Patriots Point Pavilion

Photography: A Charleston Wedding

Florals and Decor: Charleston Florals

Rentals: A Charleston Event

Planning: A Charleston Event & Bridal Library

ETSY does it again

I'll admit it. I'm obsessed with sites like Etsy. It all started with one of my brides and it was downhill from there. I would say the majority of our brides order one or more thing off of Etsy because of the sheer ease of surfing the site and the unique gift and personal items available to them. Pricing is great and shipping is fast.

Description

This glass vase is covered with real white birch bark. It is 6" tall and 3.5" in diameter. I wood burn a heart on the front with your initials, or your names if they are short (5 letters or less). I can also put a cupid's arrow through the heart and or the date of your wedding. This makes a wonderful wedding gift or centerpiece for your special day. This listing is for 1 vase, but I can make as many as you need, just ask and I can give you an estimate on shipping multiples. Flowers not included. Thanks!!!

Include in the "message to seller" what you want engraved and if you want a cupid's arrow.

My bark is harvested from dead trees only. No live tree is ever used in my work. They all come from the beautiful woods of New Hampshire.

Each vase does come out unique as the bark varies from tree to tree. Some may have natural moss on it, others may have woodpecker's holes, some bark is heavy in matrix while other is snowy white.

To compliment the theme, these adorable little ring bearer and flower girl accessories make the perfect accessory to rustic themed weddings. Or perhaps a keepsake ring box to present the rings?

One thing is for sure, Etsy is no stranger to different wedding ideas.

You can shop online at Etsy by going to http://www.etsy.com/listing/52128456/single-six-inch-birch-bark-covered-vase?ref=cat1__10

Small Touches

We love creating fun ways to display photos, signage or special quotes on the wedding day itself. One of our most popular are these customized photo frames done up with button mums and carnations. The frames offer an easy DIY option for the 'hand's on bride' and can be purchased in any dollar store and are cost-effective to brighten up even the most budget conscious wedding.

This may not have been used for a wedding, but a LOT of brides saw and loved this idea as they came into the Bridal House in Mount Pleasant for the Brides Across America annual event honoring military brides. Chef Eric Gaffin from New Dream Catering was on hand to offer catering delights and ideas and Charleston Florals offered some extra touches for his area.
Even just touches of color here and there with these cute little box frames make a huge statement. Placing little details like this around a reception venue, whether its on tables in groupings, on catering areas, the gift table, ladies room or even on the bar area, you're sure to get a wonderful response. They're perfect for making your wedding colors stand out!

For more information on wedding tips or planning your big day, contact the planners at A Charleston Event & Bridal Library.

Catering by New Dream Catering, Charleston
Floral Design by Charleston Florals - A Division of A Charleston Event & Bridal Library
Photography by Zero9 Photography

A CHARLESTON EVENT, LLC

The Team at A Charleston Event & Bridal Library were at it again this past weekend to show some new wedding trends in table top designs and ideas for upcoming wedding seasons. Shown here are planners, Brigid Redmond, Whitnie Eisele, Christy Roper (who heads up the wedding division) and owner Elyn Rahman in front of their booth at the Charleston Bridal Show on July 11 at the Gilliard Auditorium in Charleston, South Carolina.
The biggest trend we're seeing for 2011 weddings are more whimsical and fun themes. Also, the most popular colors that we are seeing are the Teals, Aquas and Purples. These are bold colors and to me, they almost symbolize the type of confident and professional bride of today. Years ago, our brides chose subdued colors and pale tones with more traditional overtones. Today, anything goes and the more detail, the better. Also, the majority of weddings we design are for couples who want the emphasis on FUN! They want their guests to walk away from their wedding having had the experience of a lifetime.
The other thing we are seeing a lot of is brides taking more of an interest in guest amenities and welcome packages. Gift bags with Charleston Goodies, boxes for families checking into hotels with everything including games for the children and fabulous place setting favors. A Charleston Event will do all the wrapping, assembly and even deliver for our brides. Guests feel most welcome and having a list of all the weekend's events and itinerary also allows them to explore Charleston on their own when they know when their free time will be.
The Bridal Show not only allows A Charleston Event to show off our ideas, it also allows us to hear from brides about their ideas and style preferences. We get a chance to see what today's brides are thinking about when planning their weddings. Every wedding is unique to us and we love hearing bride's talk about their own visions of their day. This helps keep our own ideas fresh and up to date.

If you're planning a wedding in the near future and would like to sit down with one of our planners to discuss your wedding ideas and planning options, give the planning team at A Charleston Event & Bridal Library to set up a consultation today. Telephone: 843-494-9501

Equally, if you are a potential bride and are interested in just finding venues to hold your wedding celebrations, check out our Charleston Wedding FAM. We'll show you the most popular wedding venues in Charleston and have your wedding planned in one weekend.