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Book It | Reception magic, flower power, and common sense advice

In Weddings by Tara Guérard (Gibbs Smith, December 2009, $30), we get what we always crave when we peek at the author’s work—more, more, more! Those who cherish Tara’s first tome, Southern Weddings, will be happy to see that the South’s premier wedding designer (and Charleston’s own) is as innovative, classic yet chic, etiquette-smart, and lavish as ever in these new events illustrated with the ever-evocative images of photographer Liz Banfield. Pick up a copy and you’ll not only take in ideas large and small, you’ll also get schooled on theme, palette, and how details make a special day into a Big Day. Look, too, for recipes and tips to make your wedding eco-friendly—stylishly so, of course. (For a recent wedding she designed, click here.)

Speaking of talent, Heather Barrie of gathering—floral + event design is another one of Charleston’s many event designer gems. (See “Citrus Goes Chic,” page 134). She and I paired to create Southern Bouquets (Gibbs Smith, April 2010, $24.99) with frequent contributing photographer Peter Frank Edwards. The premise? Simplicity rules. We used only blooms that grew in our own gardens, John’s Island ditches, and on plantation grounds (picked with permission), and then shot them in Charleston cottages, courtyards, and cobblestone street manses. We hope you’ll find fresh and easy ideas for your bridal luncheons, wedding showers, receptions, and brunches.

Last, in this day of wedding websites, e-vites, texting, bridezillas, bottom lines, and TMI galore, it’s time that we heard some back-to-basics etiquette advice. Enter Miss Manners’ Guide to a Surprisingly Dignified Wedding (Norton, January 2010, $24.95). A common question: Can I fire a bridesmaid? Answer: Maybe. Thank goodness there’s someone to step in to remind us all how to, as one staffer often reminds me, “act right.” After all, we are hostesses of the country’s most polite city, aren’t we?

The Wedding Row

May 9 2019
Morning, lovelies! Boy, do we have one for you today. But before we get into all the goodness, let’s get acquainted with the stars of the show … A meet-cute at a mutual friend’s birthday...

May 8 2019
Some brides just have such a knack for talking about their Big Day that we have to let you hear their own words on the matter. So it is with Angelia, who wed her now-husband Bobby at Old Wide Awake...

May 7 2019
We’ve heard our fair share of wedding day blooper stories here at The Wedding Row, but this may be the first time we’ve heard of the bride’s wedding band falling through the cracks of a rooftop deck...

May 7 2019
Amanda got an early gift the year Zach walked into her pre-birthday celebration with a couple of their mutual friends. The two Wilmington, North Carolina, dwellers hit it off immediately, and nearly...

May 3 2019
Spring is in full swing here in the Lowcountry—in fact, it feels more like summer outside—so we’re celebrating this first Friday in May by sharing an appropriately colorful shoot. Event planning...

May 2 2019
It’s not often that we get to talk about farm life here at The Wedding Row, so we’re especially excited to share the story behind today’s engagement shoot. Emma and Blake, who live in Nebraska but...

May 1 2019
When Mike swiped right on Ryan on OkCupid, he inadvertently created their future wedding hashtag: #MikeSwipedRy. And thank goodness these two found each other, because their wedding just goes to show...

April 30 2019
Good morning, Wedding Row-ers! Pour yourself a big cup of coffee (or is it Tea-day Tuesday?) and get ready to dive into one seriously gorgeous post, if we do say so ourselves. Cayleigh Hopkins of The...