The Ultimate After-Party?



PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
The Ultimate After-Party? | Charleston influencers Andrea Serrano and Liz Martin stage the bridal luncheon they say you need
Here’s a thought: Why not host a bridal luncheon for your inner circle after the Big Day? That was the thinking behind this shoot put together by the two girl-bosses of The Curated Weekend, a social media managing outfit and content creation group run by Andrea Serrano and Liz Martin. (The two recently embarked on their partnership; Andrea’s known for her Charleston Shop Curator blog and Liz for both her Charleston Weekender blog and Cannonborough Collective boutique, where everything from gifts to seriously ’gram-worthy balloons are sold.)
 
“The wedding weekend becomes so much about the bride,” says Liz, “that scheduling time with your besties gets squeezed in as time allows.” When you all gather post-“I do’s” you can break down the best of the wedding weekend, fill each other in on what was missed, and reconnect for the newest chapters in each other’s lives. And because every get-together goes better with a theme, Andrea and Liz came up with a “The Golden Girls” styled brunch to say “Thank you for being a friend” (for the uninitiated, that’s the theme song from the 1980s show about four golden-years women living together in a tropical retirement community). Take a look at what they put together in the gallery and tune into their takeaways.
 
TRY THESE TAKEAWAYS
 
Hand-address invites.
No matter the scale of the gathering, Andrea and Liz say hand-addressing sets a more intimate tone.
 
Say “Yes” to a staycation.
Make your gathering a getaway and book one of the myriad rentals around town just for the day. 
 
Pick a theme and coordinating palette.
The wedding festivities may have passed, but you can still pamper yourselves with a posh party. Edit your decorations, florals, and palette. Here, they filled the house with tropical plants, rattan elements, and pastels—all apropos for “The Golden Girls” theme.
 
Gift some goodies.
Assemble themed swag for your honorees. The pineapple earrings they picked impart a tropical “welcome.”
 
Slip into something comfortable.
Greet guests with a pair of slippers (like these Birdies from The Skinny Dip Charleston) upon arrival.
 
Outsource.
Consider putting aside a small portion of your wedding budget for your after-the-fact bridal luncheon to allow for hiring a caterer and florist (like Hamby's Catering and Events and Petaloso here).
 
Vendors
 
Shoot design, coordination: The Curated Weekend, TheCuratedWeekend@Gmail.com
Wardrobe stylist: ​Charleston Shop Curator, www.charlestonshopcurator.com
Prop stylist:​ CharlestonWeekender (Liz Martin with Keely Laughlin), www.thecharlestonweekender.com
Location, weavings: ​ sunwoven, www.sunwovenstudio.com
Images: ​Julie Livingston Photography, www.julielivingstonphotography.com
Catering: ​Hamby Catering & Events, www.hambycatering.com
Flowers:​ Petaloso, www.wearepetaloso.com
Nails: ​Lu.nu.la Nail Lab, www.lunulanaillab.com
Place settings, tabletops: ​Vieuxtemps, www.vieuxtemps.net
Furniture (peacock chairs, planters, white lanterns):​ Celadon, www.celadonathome.com
Paper goods, calligraphy: The Town Serif, www.thetownserif.com
Clothing: ​Beckett Boutique, www.beckettboutique.com
Eyeglasses: Celadon, www.celadonathome.com
Favors: Spartina 449 (jewelry, handbags) www.spartina449.com ; ​The Skinny Dip Charleston (slippers) www.shopthedip.com
Beauty: ​Silhouette on Site (makeup), www.silhouetteonsite.com
Models: Liz Martin, Andrea Serrano (@TheCuratedWeekend, TheCuratedWeekend@Gmail.com); Danielle Fabrega (www.thetownserif.com); Duolan Li (www.xiaobaobiscuit.com)

 

The Wedding Row

December 10 2018
After connecting on Tinder (both are adamant that they were each on it for a short, short while) Charleston residents Arlene and Andrew met at a local café where she says she knew she was in trouble—...

December 7 2018
Did you know we typically save our most blockbuster weddings to post on Fridays? It’s true. So knowing that, and that this couple got engaged in Italy (on a gondola in Venice, no less), and that they...

December 6 2018
Seems like you don’t even need to be Irish to have some of their fabled luck. Take Trygve and Brooks for instance: The pair met in Columbus, Ohio, via Match.com and went on their first date on St....

December 5 2018
Any first date can be intimidating, and especially so when it’s a blind date. In fact, butterflies got to Kierstin so bad when she was set up by a friend to meet Mike, she canceled. Luckily, Kierstin...

December 4 2018
After dating for three-and-a-half years, Olivia and Sam were visiting her family in Columbia, South Carolina, for the Fourth of July when the whole crew decided a day trip to Charleston was in order...

December 3 2018
When they met up for a reunion with a group of their fellow missionaries a year after all had spent a week in Savannah, Georgia, Ashley and Brian hit it off—bigtime. That encounter launched the pair...

November 30 2018
Yes, Paula and Tyler’s Boone Hall Plantation wedding is a dream to look at. But we have to say the backstory to their day is just as inspiring. There’s just something about a couple who knows...

November 29 2018
Is wedding planning getting to you? Say hello to Charleston’s newest feel-better motivator, Ginny Leavitt, the health coach behind Healthy Bride Experience, a program that helps brides-to-be look and...