This weekend, Soiree was on Bald Head Island for a wedding. The floral decor involved organic elements to go with the natural setting and cotton was one of our main resources… But, on Bald Head Island, there are no cars allowed and Golf Carts rule… is there an easy way to carry cotton on a golf cart?

Our truck leaving the island on the ferry

Inspiration from High Point

Last week I took a quick trip up to the furniture market in High Point… It’s overwhelming how much amazing stuff there is! Found lots of great stuff to use for weddings, but of course much of it is a bit impractical- GREAT inspiration and fun stuff, so wanted to share:

More cowhide, mmmm… not sick of it yet!

I call this the Wedding Pyramid

Would love to use this for all of our weddings, had such a pretty look in person, but all glass???? Storage would be a nightmare!

Interesting wall piece- very spiritual at the same time

Tara’s Tidbits

Martha Stewart Weddings is celebrating their 15th anniversary and I still get inspiration from them all the time. They had a big party in New York at the new Plaza in conjunction with the bridal show, and I got to attend with one of our Soirettes, Sam…

This Year, Why Don’t You?

Paint a pumpkin! These were gathered and found over at one of my favorite blogs, Twigs and Thistle...

From top, left to right: Country Living: Black & White Painted Pumpkins by Liz Demos, Ladies Home Journal: Stenciled Pumpkins, Rick Rac Pumpkins by Eddie Ross, Decorate for Fall with White Pumpkins, Martha Stewart: Homespun Pumpkin, Country Living: Autumn Harvest, Better Homes and Gardens: Black & White Painted Pumpkins

Fresh off the Letterpress…

We are getting lots of requests from client to do fun versions of maps… This trend does seem to resurface every few years, but here some fun recent ones that The Lettered Olive has done.

With the tragic recent loss of Modern Bride and Elegant Bride – at least we can all still look to Brides magazine for ideas, inspiration and real weddings. The wedding that we have featured of Latashia and Melvin was a meaningful one for us to do- Melvin works for our local rental company, Snyder Event Rentals and has been an integral part of many of our events, so it was great to be able to give back to him.

Carolina Girl

Thank you to Shelter- always one of my favorite reads, for showing pictures from Metropolitan Home of designer Kelly Wearstler , whose home town is Myrtle Beach, S.C. Not only is every commissioned work of hers an obsession, but getting to see her own house seals the deal!

Tara’s Tidbits

I know the Golden Rule of Thou Shall Not Covet, but oh, I do… I covet these bags in the new Bergdorf Goodman catalog:

Fresh off the Letterpress

The Rutledge collection featured in two contrasting shades of blue is the perfect fit for a fall wedding and can work with so many different options in color scheme.
Monograms are always a big hit, but we love getting creative with designing them! Add some character to details like the return address by incorporating a monogram or letter from the invite…

Shameless Plug…

I have recently begun volunteering at Pet Helpers, a no kill animal shelter here in Charleston… taking the dogs for walks on the weekends and playing with them in their “little rooms”… Since it totally exists on private donations, fund raising is an integral part to their survival. The Annual Fur Ball is a great way to do what you can and have a blast at one of Charleston’s most anticipated Galas every year…

“Cough It Up” for the Fifth Annual Fur Ball!

JOIN US FOR THE 5th ANNUAL PET HELPERS FUR BALL GALA
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6
6:30 – 11:00 PM
MEMMINGER AUDITORIUM

Pet Helpers 5th Annual Fur Ball Black Tie Gala will be held Friday, November 6th, 6:30 p.m., at Memminger Auditorium, located at 56 Beaufain Street in downtown Charleston. This year our theme is Fur Bollywood! Guests are encouraged to wear Bollywood attire and Saris…Bindis will abound!

As you embark on your exotic evening with a delicious beverage from the open bar and scrumptious hors d’oeuvres, you will have time to peruse and bid on the many exciting Silent Auction items; including: vacation get-a-ways, custom art work, dinners at local hot spots, jewelry, golf packages and many other exciting and unique items. While enjoying your delicious dinner, prepared by Barry Waldrop of True Charleston Cuisine, you will also have a chance to bid on items during our exciting Live Auction, emceed by Tom Crawford and Victoria Hansen of TV 4 News and then dance the night away to a DJ spinning your requests.

All proceeds from this gala will fund our Pet Helpers Adoption Center and Spay/ Neuter Clinic. Our new facility houses over 250 homeless animals on a daily basis, where they are all medically cared for and given TLC in an open, bright and cheerful environment. All of Pet Helpers animals are kept until adopted.

Click Here to Purchase Your Fur Ball Tickets!

Click Here to Download our Sponsor/Auction Donation Form

Please Support our Sponsors!

Snyder Event Rentals and Staffing - J.R. Rowell Printing Company, Inc. – Whole Foods – Gilmore Bar & Wine Service, LLC – Christopher Rose Architects, P.A. – Indigo Books – Vincent’s Drug Store and Soda Fountain – Cruz Lawn and Tree Care – eLifespaces – The Urban Electric Co. – Aubergine Home – Code 4 Graphic Design

So much attention is giving to weddings -of course they inspire, and project that warm and fuzzy feeling, but there are so many other events and parties that do the same.. So, I’ll be featuring some of those this month. Here is an engagement party from October 2007 that we did for one of our Spring 2008 brides at her parents home on the beach.

Fresh off the Letterpress

Save the dates are often your first chance to showcase your style and set the theme for your wedding. These letterpressed save the dates by The Lettered Olive for the bride shown above featured an enclosed booklet – which was too bulky to display on a fridge or in a day timer. So, we included a little “ticket” that guests could remove from the save the date and display to remind them of the big day!

Tara’s Tidbits

Before my sons came into my life, I actually had my first child Georgia as my favorite photo subject. I’m lucky enough that Liz Banfield loves snapping children and pets alike, so I wanted to share some of my favorite shots.

Say It Isn’t So…

I know I’m not the first with this news flash, but just wanted to express my heart felt sadness about the newest loss of some favorite publications. Both Elegant Bride and Modern Bride have been so good to Soiree over the past several years featuring many of our weddings, and even naming Tara Guerard a Modern Bride Trendsetter for 2005.

Sad, Sad times- in the meantime, in order to fill the void the loss of these as well as publications like Domino left behind, check out the new online Magazine, Lonny Mag.

Early Registration…

Please check out our favorite place to register in Charleston- Vieuxtemps. They carry everything from William Yeoward crystal to Herond China and everything in between.