h e r  d r e s s…t h e  r o t u n d a…h e r  h a i r…t h e  l u m i n a r i e s…the sweet & sophisticated elegance of it all…………

On Wednesday Abby said it’s pretty much a given that we always fall head over heels in love with everything that Lisa and all of the lovely ladies at Ooh! Events send us. If you don’t know who they are, or what they do, just hang on. I really want to tell you all about them!  But before that, I want to show you one more wedding that they put their stamp upon … Heather & Christopher’s late October wedding!

Sent to us by Heather & Christopher’s terrific photographers, Jen & Eric at Jensen Larson Photography, this wedding oozes southern hospitality and charm.

Jen & Eric have described it so eloquently that I’m just going to let them take the mike …

Heather wanted an elegant wedding with a vintage feel, so she opted for a color scheme of frothy creams and rich golds to complement the murals in St. Mary’s church and the antique harp chandeliers in the Hibernian Hall where the reception was held.

Heather also incorporated a gold harp icon on her invitations and programs to showcase the history of the wedding venues, as well as the groom’s Irish heritage. Cream bouquets popped against the bridesmaids’ black Jenny Yoo dresses. Each side of the wedding party was transported to the church – and taken on a trip back through time – on old Charleston trolley cars.

To create a romantic, simple scene that wouldn’t compete with the architecture of the reception hall, mismatched black lanterns in varying sizes were placed on the steps of the Hibernian, and flickered in the calm, night air as guests began to enter the gold gates featuring the same iconic harp.

Inside the rotunda, a bustling cocktail party was already underway, with guests dining on hors d’oeuvres.

The party soon moved into the candlelit hall, where tables were dressed in ivory table cloths and gold runners topped with simple bouquets of ivory garden rose, ivory lisianthus, anenomies, white ranunculas, white tulips, touches of freesia and snow on the mountain. Glowing antique silver candelabras lined the head table.

To keep with the vintage theme of the evening, Heather hired a great band fluent in Rat Pack tunes, (The Joe Clarke Quartet) who sang Frank Sinatra’s “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” for the bride and groom’s first dance. But it was two members of Heather’s family who stole the show at the reception: After an endearingly hilarious speech, the bride’s sister and Maid of Honor, Somer Bingham, played her guitar and sang a song entitled ‘Real Estate Love’ (the groom is a real estate agent; the bride, an accountant), which she had written for the couple on the plane ride from New York to Charleston, and which had the entire room roaring with laughter. A tough act to follow, the only encore that would do was the bride’s 89-year old grandfather, better known as “Pop,” taking the stage to sing ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco,’ just as he had 37 years prior at the bride’s parents’ wedding.

The party culminated with the colorful wedding party – including the bride in an exquisite Monique Lhuillier gown - double-dutching on the dance floor. To send her guests off in style, Heather baked homemade toffee favors that she wrapped in clear cellophane with a gold embossed “K” (the bride embossed each one individually). A final treat, was Heather arranging for a hot dog vendor to set up just outside the Hibernian Hall doors to serve guests late night chili dogs as they departed.

To say that everyone loved it would be a gross understatement!

The Vendors:
Photography: Jensen Larson Photography
Ceremony Venue: St. Mary’s Church, Charleston, South Carolina
Reception Venue: Hibernian Hall, Charleston South Carolina
Reception Music: The Joe Clarke Quartet
Groomsmen’s Barber Shop: Old South Barber Spa
Catering: Hamby Catering
Floral Design & Decor: Out of Hand
Wedding Cake: The Cake Stand
Hair and Make Up: Tasha Mattox
Ceremony Invitations: Out of Hand
Table Numbers: Etsy – ilLUMIEnate
Coordinator: Melissa Murray
Trolley service: Absolutely Charleston

all images courtesy of Jensen Larson Photography

* * *

And now for that info about Lisa Thomas and the incredible artistes at  Ooh! Events …

They do a little, ummm… no, a lot of everything involved in creating and choreographing a wedding. If you can dream it, they can do it. If YOU can’t quite put all of your thoughts together ~ turn it over to them and they’ll build it. They have all sorts of supplies and can get just about anything … from elegant favors to vintage trucks!  Yes, they can provide you with pretty much anything. If you take a look at their website, you’ll see that the Out Of Hand team consists of women from all walks of life … artists in floral design, jewelry design, invitation design, interior design … designs that all of our fantasy weddings are made of!  And the best thing?  They operate out of Charleston, but can travel just about anywhere to make your wedding come to life like no other wedding you’ve ever seen!!  Seriously, take a look: Out Of Hand ~  The Art Of Creating

Here’s a link to their rental page that shows just a fraction of the unique things they have on hand ~ Ooh! Event Rentals

Some ideas for wedding favors from Ooh! Events

Again, just a few examples of their invitations, menus, wedding programs … just about any paper piece you’d dream up!

And more stunning weddings with the Ooh! Events stamp of gloriousness!!

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Candles, Charleston, Hairstyle, Hibernian Hall, Illumienate, Jensen Larson Photography, Joe Clarke, Luminaries, Monique Lhuillier, Ooh Events, South Carolina, The Cake Stand
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Planners & Designers

from Tammy …

When dear friends of ours offered to host a garden wedding for us in their newly redesigned gardens at their home in Norwalk, CT we were so excited. Gilles and I were married in July at the Mairie in Paris at a small ceremony. With many of our friends and family absent from our ceremony in Paris, we were so happy that our friends offered to host our US reception with close friends and family. We decided to hold our reception on my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. It was a perfect day.

Our reception was planned in four months mostly from Paris.  SMP was a great help for inspiration, resources and ideas that really helped me plan the reception …such as the color palette: french blue and white with antique red accents, casual elegance look and feel, stylish details and floral arrangements. The inspiration boards were especially helpful.  Details of the wedding were very important to me. I included small touches of French flair to honor my husband’s heritage.

Tammy’s chignon is so classic and so perfectly paired with the lace gown!

The buffet menu was incredible. Our caterer really understood our vision to combine American and European cuisine. The charcuterie table was a great success. Details included: a menu board, kir royals, french wine, french bisquits with chocolate from Paris at each place setting, matchbooks given to us by my best friend was such a lovely surprise, an appetizer of home made pate from Gilles’s grandmother, lanterns with ribbon tails with blue lights, stamped cocktail napkins with a stamp from etsy, french-english flashcards placed at the cocktail hour for conversation bought on etsy, french blue ribbons tied on napkins, handmade guest book, elegant clean floral arrangements for tables to compliment the gardens, handmade ring pillow in french blue toile.

The best part of the day was being with all of the family and friends we love. We had symbols of our loved ones everywhere all throughout the day. Chris and Joe offered their beautiful home, our friend, Michael married us in the garden, my best friend Deb assisted me with every aspect of the wedding a few days before the ceremony (hanging all lanterns to wrapping napkins) and was my coordinator the day of the wedding (I am blessed to have her in my life).

What a charming, intimate celebration!

Advice to other brides. It is possible to plan a perfect wedding day in a short amount of time. Come up with a budget and figure out what is really important to you. Ask friends for referrals for catering companies, music and rental companies. Be upfront with your vendors about timing and budget. When they know what they are working with, it makes for a more pleasant experience.

To our hosts Chris and Joe, thank you very much for hosting our wedding and for all your help and effort in making the day just perfect. We are so lucky to have friends like you in our lives.

Perfect!!  A backyard garden wedding full of charm, elegance, and wonderful food & drink. You can tell that this was a very heart-warming day…filled with family and friends, love, laughter and a touch of attitude!

On a slightly different note … congratulations to Krystal and Paul, masterminds of Studio Foto … on their own engagement!! To see more of their fabulous fotography, and read a great marriage proposal story, check out their blog and website.

krystal’s engagement ring shot

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 29 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: August Wedding, Backyard Wedding, Color Palette Blue, Connecticut, DIY Inspired, Lace Wedding Dress, Luminaries, Norwalk, Studio Foto, Wedding Menu
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, Little Black Book Blog