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.

WOW FACTOR LINENS

WILDFLOWER LINENS

So, you're planning the most important day of your lives and you want it to be exceptional. You want your guests to walk away from your wedding day and remember all the major highlights of the day. Your grand entrance, the food, the entertainment. But don't forget the most important part of all...the decor.
With the economy on most people's minds nowadays, it is easy to see why a lot of people would think that the decor can do without certain aspects that normally would have been included. I cannot tell you how many weddings we've created where the decor is the thing that a lot of brides hold back on. To me, the decor is one of those things that you don't have to take a second mortgage out for, but it is the first thing that your guests will see when they arrive. So why wouldn't you want it to be spectacular?
One of the things I try to tell our brides is splurge a bit more on the linens and make a statement. We can always created centerpieces with a little less florals and a lot more candle light. But if the linens are just plain old linens, then no one will remember.

I wanted to share with you all one of my favorite sites for inspiration when choosing things like Chair Covers. Imagine beautiful linens with gorgeous chair covers like the ones on this site. Drop your fabulous candle lit centerpieces and voila! Exquisite!

For more information, click on WILDFLOWERS LINENS

Featured Couple: Sharon & Josh

Sharon & Josh on the Slopes January 2010

The WHO - Sharon and Josh

The HOW - She was a first year attorney at a Washington DC law firm. He was a seasoned second year attorney at the same firm. It all began when they were staffed on the same case....many billable hours later, they fell in love. Josh proposed by surprising Sharon with a trip to Kiawah Island. He led her up to their suite at The Sanctuary Hotel where the room was covered in rose petals and there were chocolate covered strawberries, champagne, and a candlelight dinner waiting on a balcony overlooking the ocean. As the sun was setting, Josh pulled out a beautiful ring and the rest is history...

Where you live now and WHY you chose Charleston and A Charleston Event

DOW and location(s): We now live in Colorado. We loved Kiawah so much that we decided to get married at the same place we got engaged. We chose A Charleston Event because Elyn was so knowledgeable and helpful from the very first conversation we had with her.

PLANNING - We have picked our rehearsal dinner venue (Magnolia's restaurant downtown), ceremony/reception/brunch venues (the Sanctuary hotel), and vendors. Our next steps are picking/designing invitations and finalizing menus for the rehearsal dinner, reception, and brunch.

THINKING ABOUT POPPING THE QUESTION????

For a lot of gentlemen out there, the holidays were added pressure for you to pop the question to your long-time girlfriend (or for some of you, even the girl you just met). Holidays are a time for new engagements and the new year is a time when a lot of couples start thinking about planning their lives together. If you've missed the holiday season to "pop the big question" and the pressure is still on, then have no fear! Valentine's Day is right around the corner and you've still got a chance to make an impact with the perfect proposal. But wait......is this something you both want???? Or are you just giving in to pressure?

If you have questions about becoming engaged, if this is the right time, is it for the right reasons or even if this is the right girl for you, there's a cute website out there dedicated for all your guys.
The Plunge is a new website to help you answer those daunting questions you've been asking yourself. Once you've decided this is a go, they'll even give you hints on proposing.

If you've got something else in mind, then call us for ideas on the perfect proposal, complete with a romantic candle-lit dinner of two and fresh cut roses or flowers of choice.

Cultural Divide by Charleston Weddings Magazine

DECEMBER 1, 2009 Cultural Divide Span the distance between far-flung family customs, religions, and wedding traditions with finesse WRITTEN BY BRIDGET HERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY GISSENDANNER PHOTOGRAPHY Milan Patel and Rachel Bloom When Drs. Rachel Bloom and Milan Patel married at the Charleston Marriott on Lockwood Drive, they wanted to include all of Rachel’s Jewish traditions and all of Milan’s Hindu customs in their celebratory weekend. Thus Elyn Rahman of A Charleston Event & Bridal Library planned a wedding extravaganza ulminating in two elaborate same-day ceremonies followed by one big bash. On their wedding day, the Manhattanites (clad in custom-made saris) first knelt under a mandap, the sacred Hindu wedding tent, and were married by a Hindu priest. A few hours later, Rachel donned an ivory silk and taffeta wedding gown and Milan slipped into a tux. The couple then exchanged vows under a chuppah, the traditional Jewish wedding canopy. As Milan stomped the wedding glass, a rabbi sealed their union for the second time that day. To keep the couple’s celebrations cohesive, Elyn stuck with one location and incorporated the same colors throughout both events. Red and gold linens, along with ample armfuls of lush red and white orchids, brightened the Marriott’s ballroom, and both traditional Indian food and American fare were served. At the end of the night, more than 500 wedding guests hit the dance floor and celebrated the union of the happy couple—and their customs. Lowcountry lovebirds Josia Martin (an Indian expat) and Cooper Strong (a local son) also hosted a blended wedding, although they ran into a few planning challenges at the onset. The initial stumbling block occurred with their church. Both attend Christ Our King in Mount Pleasant, but Josia wanted to incorporate a few Indian traditions into the service, and local Catholic church officials were skeptical. Undaunted, Josia met one-on-one with her officiant to explain the spiritual significance of the traditions, and the church changed its position. “My uncle is a Catholic priest,” says Josia. “So he presided over that part of the ceremony and read in my native language, Malayalam.” When everyone retired to the reception at Hamlin Plantation, guests sampled both chicken tikka masala and she-crab soup while lounging on ottomans outfitted with pillows covered with Indian fabrics. In the end, the couple was thrilled with the outcome, and Josia advises brides in similar situations to create celebrations that represent the melding of families. Her top tip? “Anything special to either family should be included in the wedding.” Takeaway Tips for Blended Weddings • Successfully blended weddings are all about communication. Begin by discussing your dream wedding ceremony one-on-one with your partner. Together, make a list of “musts.” • Present your ideas to a wedding planner: they’ll help make the celebration cohesive. • Ask your planner for advice on talking to families if this promises to be tricky. • If you have more than one officiant, encourage them to work together while planning the ceremony. • Present your ideas to your families as a united pair. • Print programs that spell out special customs incorporated into the ceremony or ask officiants to explain rituals as they are performed. • Provide translations for foreign language segments so all guests can follow. •Print menu cards that name and describe all foods, local and ethnic. Head to the Holiday House! What are you doing this Thursday, December 3rd? A Charleston Event & Bridal Library is throwing a holiday social-slash-networking event for those in the bridal industry. That means the Governor Thomas Bennett House will be dressed to the nines by a host of great local vendors—but it’s not for biz folks alone! Brides who want to preview local talent in action can pop in, too. See you there! GIVING BACK CHEER, December 3, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Governor Thomas Bennett House; free, although a sealed envelope with a donation for Palmetto Project's Families Helping Families is required. For a complete list of vendors, and more, click here!
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Wedding at William Aiken House

Crystal and Kevin fell in love with Charleston and couldn't think of a better place in the world to hold their wedding. So the search began to find the perfect venue that would boast charm, sophistication and historic background. Enter William Aiken House, the perfect wedding venue for a beautiful setting, close to all downtown hotels and easy to find.
The large wooden arbor structure lends a perfect backdrop to gorgeous ceremonies and couples have a choice of using the footbridge which goes across the fish pond as shown here on the left or they can choose to forgo the bridge and walk around the pond or hold their ceremony in front of the pond itself. We chose to use the bridge and bring in our white carpet aisle runner for extra finishing. We dropped draping down the arbor on both sides which blew softly in the summer breeze during the ceremony. The aisle was lined with our ACE wrought iron orbs, simply decorated with colorful touches of florals and ribbon. Black benches replaced guest chairs.

A Charleston Event and Bridal Library like to use clear top tents in settings such as this to allow guests to see the beautiful live magnolia trees at William Aiken House, especially during this time of year when the magnolias are blooming. Large lanterns were hung from branches of the trees to give additional lighting in the trees during the evening. We also customized these wonderful boxes shown on the four corners of the dancefloor, which are changed out with each bride's particular color theme. We used large live ferns as shown here, but from time to time, place large urns with flowering arrangements or use as cocktail tables. We have these boxes in 3 ft and 5 ft sizes and they also make a wonderful dramatic look for aisle markers. Boxes are a regular stock item at ACE Rentals, along with custom monogram cake runners as shown in opening, photo, draping fabrics and aisle runners, curtains and a huge selection of wrought iron props and planters, custom table runners and ties.

For questions on ACE Florals & Rentals, please call us at 843-388-8000

Look out for our new floral division website (coming soon).

It's all about the Details

Photo Courtesy of Richard Bell Photography

So you've ordered the bouquets and centerpieces for your wedding celebrations. You've even though about the small arrangements in the restrooms, but what about the other areas that are sometimes forgotten? Here's some tips to think about when planning your special day...

Instead of the usual guest placecards, consider planning a theme such as a lowcountry themed wedding, complete with these adorable sweetgrass flowers above. Sweetgrass weaving is not only an artform, it is a rich cultural tradition in Charleston and the Lowcountry.

Thinks like mantle pieces are often overlooked. Placing the simplest of decor and candle light can make a big difference.
If having a seated dinner, think about printing up menus ahead of time. Some catering companies will do this for you at no extra charge. Adding a small color coordinated ribbon around the napkin brings out your colors even more.
Linens come in a huge variety of prints and colors now. Instead of just having a solid color linen, think about a solid underlay and placing a printed overlay. For a more dramtic look, pull the linens up and hang embellishments from them.

For the Bride & Groom, Bridal Party and Mothers, Grandmothers seating markers, Tussie Mussies are adorable and can be used after the wedding as keepsakes. They are not only affordable, but look gorgeous when hung off the backs of chairs as shown in the photo below.