Memorial Day Weekend Chic

Amanda and Jay were married on Sunday, May 24th at the Thomas Bennett House. It was a rainy day but the skies cleared up like clockwork when ceremony time rolled around. The blue skies allowed Amanda and Jay to get married in the garden like they had dreamed of all along. The Thomas Bennett House ended up being the perfect venue to host this special event. Amanda and Jay's 120 guests enjoyed a cocktail hour in the garden and on the porch before they headed to the tent for dinner and dancing. Some of my favorite parts of this special event were that Amanda's Mom hand made her dress and the beautiful table runners, how the bride and groom added parts of Jay's Filipino culture to their ceremony, and that the bride and groom relaxed and let go on their wedding day and truly had the time of their lives. This was a great event that I loved being a part of.

Citadel Chic

Yes, I said it - The Citadel can be chic! Ashley and Griffin were untied in holy matrimony on March 28, 2009 at Summerall Chapel on the Citadel's Campus. They had a beautiful reception that followed at the Francis Marion Hotel in the Gold Ballroom. Laura and I really enjoyed this one. Ashley was incredibly organized and easy to work with. I am tempted to say that her planning process and wedding day went perfectly - no problems at all! Ashley is a great example of a bride that vendors love to work with. She was respectful and generous to all of her vendors throughout the planning process and on wedding day. While Laura took the lead on this one, I had a wonderful time getting to know Ashley and Griffin during the pre-planning process and loved being able to feel like I was a part of their special day as I viewed their pictures a few days ago. Big props to the amazingly talented Liz and Rob Duren for helping to make Ashley and Griffin's day go so smoothly. Ashley is one of those brides that I know I will always keep in touch with - especially because she likes facebook almost as much as I do...

Wickliffe House Chic

May 16, 2009 I had the pleasure of working my first event at the Wickliffe House. The downtown historic home was the perfect spot for Ashley and Joseph's intimate wedding and reception. The ceremony took place upstairs with a cocktail hour immediately following on the porch and side lawn. Guests then came inside for a delicious dinner catered by Mediterra Catering. Katie was the site coordinator and catering manager and was wonderful to work with both during the planning process and throughout the event. I love how upbeat and energetic she remained throughout the duration of the event. She was definitely a breath of fresh air. Chris Smith of Chris and Cami Photography photographed the event and was a pleasure to work with. He always makes the bride and groom (as well as the guests and vendors) feel so comfortable and comfortable guests equal happy guests. I love working with Chris and highly recommend him. After dinner, Ashley and Joseph's guests hit the dance floor before the bride and groom left in a Charleston Black Cab to a bubble departure. Check out some more shots of Ashley and Joseph's wedding under the "Featured Chic" tab on our website. Thank you Ashley and Griffin for inviting us to be a part of your big day!

D.I.Y. Chic

Are you a savvy do it yourself bride? I was not but I have lots of brides that are. This past weekend's bride was no exception. Jenn and Jamie were married on Friday, June 12th in a beautiful ceremony on the lawn of Alhambra Hall. Jenn was escorted down the aisle by both her parents to Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" which was played and sung by Chris Crosby. The bridesmaids wore beautiful hot pink dresses by J. Crew and were given matching bright orange J. Crew flip-flops by the bride. They looked amazing! One of my favorite part's of this wedding (besides how the guys went to the Battery to play Bocci ball while waiting on the girls to get ready - what a great idea!) was the bride's dress. She wore a short fun dress that was just perfect for her. After the ceremony, the happily married couple headed upstairs with their 80 or so guests to enjoy a sit-down dinner that was provided by Carolina Catering. The guests dined to their delicious meal while enjoying music played by DJ Rob Duren and while being photographer by Rob's talented wife, Liz Duren. They are both incredibly fun and easy to work with both during the planning process and on wedding day. Out of Hand brought in beautiful pink and orange flowers to go with Jenn and Jamie's design. We hung 40 off-white paper lanterns and placed tons of candles around the room to give the room a more intimate feel. Jenn had the best ideas when it came to seating chart ideas and her guest book. I am going to try and get her to post a how-to blog when she has some free time. Jamie even made their card box. They really are one talented duo. Fortunately for us, Jenn is a teacher and is sharing her creative ideas with our future decision-makers every day. Everything about this wedding was chic and fun and planned to a tee. This was an example of a wedding where no detail went unnoticed. The guests loved all the special touches - especially the bottled water at the ceremony site and the late night milkshakes, fries, and make your own hamburger station - a huge hit! You can see more of Jenn and Jamie and Liz's work on our website under the "Featured Chic" link. I loved being a part of Jenn and Jamie's special day!

Big Apple Chic

Hi!

I just wanted to take a few minutes to blog about one of my favorite weddings. I had the pleasure of being a part of Laura and Jay's wedding this past March. Laura and I actually knew each other from attending Ashley Hall together back in the day. Both Laura and Jay's friends and family members immediately made me feel like I was part of the group. They were all so kind and welcoming. I felt like I became the Corless' fifth daughter within minutes. Yes, Laura has three beautiful sisters who were bridesmaids along with two of her friends from college. Laura and Jay live in New York, New York and were full of creative and chic ideas right from the start. Laura works for a publishing company and is very talented in the areas of writing, paper, fonts, and design - she will probably be upset when she sees how poorly written this blog is - ha. Laura and Jay fell in love with their venue, The Legare-Waring House at Charles Towne Landing, very quickly. They loved its southern charm and earthy and outdoorsy feel. They also picked some of the most amazing vendors to work with. They chose to have Jenny at Cru Catering come up with their unique and scrumptious menu while choosing Jim Smeal to create another one of his masterpieces in their cake. Matt Powell from Boone, North Carolina captured the day with his camera while Kevin Graham from KG Media recorded their special day via video. Matt did an amazing job with the pictures - despite the horrible weather conditions (flooding and a tornado watch). Please check out Laura and Jay and Matt's work under the "Featured Chic" section of our website. There you will also be able to see how well Lisa from Out of Hand captured all of Laura's ideas in the flowers and decor. Lisa's work was truly amazing. The guests enjoyed their dinner to the sounds of the rain and DJ Frank from Nustar entertainment while dining on filet and crab cake. The ambiance made this event. The guests sat at long wooden farm tables from OOH Events that were covered in candlelight and other special details. Lisa truly captured Laura and Jay's vision and so much more. The couple and their guests danced the night away for the remainder of the evening and departed to the Inn at Middleton Place via a Charleston Black Cab and lots more rain. All in all, a wonderful and wet day had by all. I feel so honored to have been a part of it.

Happy Planning!

Chic Newlyweds

On May 2, 2009 I married the man of my dreams. We truly had the most beautiful wedding day. The weather was perfect and everything ran very smoothly (for the most part). We had some amazing vendors that made our big day possible. I want to take the time to thank a few of them here. To Lauren at the Cake Stand: Our cake was amazing and we are still getting compliments on both the design and the flavor. Thank you! To our band, The Mighty Kicks: You were amazing. Thank you for keeping our dance floor full the entire night. I also want to throw out a special thanks to Greg and Alex at Stage Presence. They ended up providing the most gorgeous dance floor and stage at the last minute and were just all around great to work with. Lastly, to Lisa and all the girls at Out of Hand and OOH events: You MADE our day. The flowers and decor were just amazing. Everything came together perfectly. We can not thank you enough.

The Cake Stand
The Mighty Kicks
Stage Presence
Out of Hand