Following a meticulously planned Morris Island proposal that accounted for sun angles and wind, Justin Fouts and Parker Rink began the long process of planning their nuptials. And as a Charleston native, the bride-to-be felt there was no better place to celebrate than her parents’ Old Village home in the town she knows best. Envisioning the affair as “Charleston with an Italian filter,” the pair hired master event designer Tara Guérard to pull off a lavish residential reception.
“Planning an at-home wedding presents unique advantages and challenges,” explains the designer, who elevated this backyard party into an alfresco celebrazione. From a welcoming flower arch and strategically placed champagne buckets to a spacious tent covering lounge seating and a custom pool-top dance floor, “the goal was to create an environment that drew people to relax, dance, and enjoy,” says Parker.
Charleston Weddings (CW): What do you love most about an at-home wedding?
Tara Guérard (TG): Home weddings are a favorite, because you can design a truly one-of-a-kind event that creates memories only the clients will have at that venue.
CW: What unique challenges does hosting at home present?
TG: In practical wedding world, you have to find places for boring things like bathrooms, generators, and guest parking, which can be tricky in dense neighborhoods with no parking lots. Keeping neighbors happy and figuring out the back-of-house details and particular permits are also important.
CW: How can hosts be respectful of neighbors and lessen the impact of such an event?
TG: I like to hand out neighbor bags with wine, a candle, earplugs, little gifts, and a nice note to please accept apologies in advance and that the band will end at X time. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, and letting them know and giving them something nice really makes a difference.
CW: How can host families avoid becoming overwhelmed?
TG: It is a lot of work for the family, between planning and doing any home improvement projects they’ve been putting off. As a planner, going over recommendations of what’s effective for the event with a punch list of ideas—like where to place a tent to hide blemishes—helps take things off people’s plates.
CW: How can you maximize available space?
TG: Consider using every nook and cranny for entertaining. I typically give recommendations on how to keep it feeling like home while shifting furniture in or out for flow. Most of the time, the house is turned into an open space for guests to walk through on the way to the backyard for cocktails, etc.
CW: What did you enjoy most about planning Parker and Justin’s wedding?
TG: Their wedding was nice and small, with a teensy yard that was fun to create pockets in, like covering the pool for the dance floor. I wanted the outside to feel like the inside, with the tent as an extension of the house, so we took the same fabric pattern from pillows inside the home to use outdoors. My favorite part was how intimate and personal the party felt, and the band in the backyard blew everyone away!
Vendors
Planning, Design, & Florals: Tara Guérard Soirée
Photography: Anne Rhett Photography
Catering: Cru Catering
Bar Service: Spike by Snyder
Cake: Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal
Rentals: Snyder Events
Linens: Tara Guérard Soirée, Lettered Olive
Dance Floor: Pleat Systems
Calligraphy & Signage: Lettered Olive
Entertainment: Jim Somerset (cocktail hour), TPG Band (reception)
