Calm & Cool

Spring 2016

WRITER CREDIT:

PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT:

Calm & Cool | Host a fête inspired by marble and infused with spring elements

Charleston Wedding fashion wedding wedding cake Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal Boone Hall Plantation Boone Hall calligraphy Events by Reagan EventHaus gown inspiration poppies Stems

TIERS OF JOY: Try a stackable table runner (like Anne Dabney of Charleston Stems did here) to maximize space. She placed floral foam between marble slabs and then tucked blooms into the foam. The flat slab tops allow for candles, table numbers, bread baskets, and bouquets.

LINE THOSE ENVELOPES: Marbleized papers are très chic but average $8 per sheet. Save when you print an image of marble in black and white, trim the paper to suit your envelope, then affix with double-sided tap

BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY: Warm up a cool palette with an accent color that pops, like lemon yellow.

NAME THE PLACE: While these place cards were custom calligraphed, fashion your own when you print scripted names on stickers, then attach them to ribbons.

BE BOLD & BEAUTIFUL: Get epic style with a classic but colorful gown, like Carol Hannah’s “Downton” with its ethereal blue-gray tulle.

FORCE THEM: Blooms like hellebores and dogwoods are easier to come by (and easier on your wallet) in spring. But it takes skill to force flowers open on a specific date (like your Big Day). Either read up on coaxing tricks, or ensure your vendor can play Mother Nature.

STAY STRONG: Marble slab runners are heavy, so opt for sturdy, stable tables.

BALANCE THINGS OUT: Offset the refined look of sterling silver, crystal, and cane-back chairs with rustic touches, like this home-style iced cake.

BORROW A NATURAL CANOPY: Spare your guests, food, cakes, candles, and flowers a case of the meltdowns when you plot tables to take advantage of shady spots.

Photographs by:

Rachel May Photography

“I view inspiration shoots in the same light as fashion shows,” says planner Reagan Barnes of Events by Reagan, “they are daring but there’s always something you can take away from them.” So it goes with this tablescape she concocted at Boone Hall Plantation with Anne Dabney of Stems. Using marble as a touch point, the core palette—cool blues, whites, and grays—got a lift from yellow daffodil-like poppies, emerald-hued ferns, and demure green hellebores. With a little scavenging, Anne scored a heap of marble slabs she stacked and layered with blooms for a multi-dimensioned table runner on the head table and as a cake stand on the dessert sideboard. “That’s a great approach for family-style dining where space is a premium,” says Reagan. “You get the full, abundant floral look while leaving convenient surfaces for platters.”

Browse through the gallery above to find simple style tricks worth stealing from the the shoot.

Vendor List:

Event design: Events by Reagan, www.EventsByReagan.com

Venue: Boone Hall Plantation, www.BooneHallPlantation.com

Photography: Rachel May Photography, www.Rachel-May.com

Cake: Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal, www.WeddingCakesByJimSmeal.com

Calligraphy: If So INKlined, www.IfSoINKLined.com

Stationery: dodeline design, www.DodelineDesign.com

Rentals: EventHaus, www.EventHausRentals.com

Gown: Carol Hannah, available in Charleston through Southern Protocol, www.Carol-Hannah.com

Flatware, chargers: Tablescapes, www.Tablescapes.com

Florals: Charleston Stems, www.CharlestonStems.com

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