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

October 1 2018
Truth time: Sometimes we get these engagement sessions and straight-up envy the charmed Instagram-worthy lives the couples seem to live. And Kaitlin and Allan’s shots could do just that. But....

September 28 2018
We’re heading into this football weekend with a true fan fave. Molly, a University of South Carolina law school grad, and Logan, who works with the Gamecocks football team, were successfully nudged...

September 27 2018
Do you know about Alhambra Hall in Mount Pleasant? That two-story, meeting house on Charleston Harbor that’s tucked away in the Old Village? Let’s let these shots of Abby and Patrick’s wedding...

September 26 2018
For the love of a topknot, people! University of Pennsylvania freshman Praachi and Shiv met one night when each were out with their friends and topknot caught his eye. “I remember thinking how...

September 25 2018
Eleven months after Stephanie and Scott met, the avid travelers ventured to Iceland for a long weekend (a surprise trip planned by him) and Scott popped the question on their balcony overlooking...

September 24 2018
Amber and Phil met while working in the same nonprofit organization together in Washington, D.C. Three years later, during a hike in Great Falls, Virginia (the same place where they did their first...

September 21 2018
TWR: How and when did you meet one another? Was it love at first sight? Daisy: Brent and I met through mutual friends on Halloween night at the University of North Carolina Delta Kappa Epsilon house...

September 20 2018
The Wedding Row: Tell us how your love story all began. Kiernan: Pawel and I met each other while we worked together at an ad agency in New York City. Early on in our friendship, Pawel tried to plan...