Fleur - Luke Wilson Special Events

India Meets America

2011-05-17T21:43:00.003-04:00

Goodness wedding season is flying by and we are just working our little tails off with some amazing events! We love that once a year or so opportunity we get to literally flex our design muscles with just a client who really appreciates our style and lets us add some absolutely delicious personal touches.

Ellen and Amol were married on friday, april 29 at the beautiful William Aiken House. Sidenote: you want to see an absolutely stunning site? When the William Aiken House stretches its spring "legs" and wakes up from winter, the gardens will literally take your breath away! Anyway, back to the wedding at hand ... We used a beautiful deep red and bright turquoise to bring their india meets america ceremony and reception to life. Thank you so much to Fish for the absolutely killer food (to include a customized samosa for the bride and groom) and for one of the pretties cakes I have ever seen. Thank you to Quiana Parler (and her friends), Snyder rentals, IES productions, Timeless Designs and last but NOT least Hyer Images (these guys are so talented it will make your head spin!).

Enjoy!

http://hyerimages.com/blog/amol-ellen-charleston-sc-wedding-photography/

Southern Wedding's Blog

2011-04-14T10:02:00.006-04:00

We love when we see litle tidbits of our weddings pop up in numerous publications. Southern Weddings introduced the Planter's inn to their list of vendors this week and used two of the photos by Kim Graham (http://www.kimgraham.net/) for their showcase. Check out the little article here (http://iloveswmag.com/sponsor-love-7/#js-proceed) For more images of this gorgeous wedding, check out the feature on The Wedding Row (http://theweddingrow.com/heather-tim-planters-inn/).

We loved working with Heather and Tim. There were so many personal details that all came together to make such an intimate feeling for their guests. Truly an honor to be involved with that event.

We put the Fleur in your party!

2011-04-07T15:06:00.004-04:00

Meredith and Katie (www.timelessdesignsonline.com) just sent me this asolutely gorgeous detail of our flowers for this weekend for Ashley and Christopher's wedding at the William Aiken House (http://www.pphgcharleston.com/). We are so excited to see this one all come together!

Whats a QBlog?

2011-04-06T10:59:00.006-04:00

So I know you have all heard of a blog (obviously because you are here) ... but have you heard of or seen a QBlog? Thats what Susie Q Varin of http://www.qweddingsphotography.com/ calls hers and it is the Q-test (cutest, am I taking this too far?) thing ever! You may see a bride smiling with her dad on the way in the church, you may see a fun 80's dance party, you may even see Zebra and Leopard carpeting! I can assure you of one thing though ... everything you see will be top notch! I had a chance to meet with Susie and crew last week and had a blast for our "five minute" (I think I kept her for longer than that becuase I loved what I was seeing/feeling/hearing) quick meet and greet. From Austin via LA (twice), San Fran (twice), France and Idaho, this woman has an eye for a good photo! Her gorgeous Couture Books, her fabulous catalogue style "Q-Zine" that she left, and not to mention the DROP DEAD GORGEOUS letterpress invitation she sent to us asking if she could meet up with us. This is top notch photography!

Check her out! She is available for travel, she puts forth that "something extra" for her clients with her close personal relationship and she does a great job. I am going back to the blog to finish my cup of coffe while reveling in her fabulosity! http://qweddings.com/blog/

The Term "Wedfabulous"

2011-04-06T10:44:00.005-04:00

They love us! They really really love us! :-) Thank you so much Della for posting this absolutely gorgeous affair (and for coining the term wedfabulous ... and for using it in reference to LWSE)!

http://www.theweddingrow.com/ always has such love for us and we love you back! Cant wait for the party tonight! :-)

Check it out here!

http://theweddingrow.com/claire-daniel-lowndes-grove/

Jennifer and Brett ... part one :-)

2011-04-05T14:28:00.004-04:00

So busy today with the wedding planner quarterly luncheon and Ashley and Christopher's absolutely stunning William Aiken House Soiree this weekend ... but I just couldnt resist taking a moment to post this beauty of a blog about us!

We love love love all that we do and we love that we do it for every single one of our clients day in and day out. BUT!, there is something so special when we are able to do it for one of our very own friends and honestly family (in a lot of ways)! Head over to http://kimgrahamphotoblog.com/2011/04/jennifer-brett-part-i-wedding-charleston-wedding-photographer/ to Check out Jen and Brett's amazing February wedding.

People, buckle your seatbelts! This is only part one and it is amazing! Cant wait for the next post!

Purple Perfection!

2011-04-01T15:01:00.011-04:00

So too funny that this blog post comes right after seeing prince. Unlike Purple Rain (which can be pretty fun), we had Purple beautiful weather at this recent Lowndes Grove wedding. Claire and Daniel were such a fun couple to work with. They were very trusting in the decor and design decisions which really let us flex our muscles in that department. I think you will agree the outcome was Stunning! Thank you so much Clarie and Daniel! We had such a blast with you guys and your fantastic guests! These are just my camera shots, but I have attached a link to Evan Laettner's blog with some of the professional pics too. I cant wait to see them all!

Enjoy!

Such a great setting and the light was just perfect! This altar table was dressed in our dark pewter linens and topped with two garden urns filled with Bridal Wreath Spirea and Greens, including a fun surprise greenery from our grower in california which was the perfect shade of purple!

We were loving the chance to use such great saturated colors of purple for this wedding. These bouquets were such a conrast to the gorgeous dresses. Claire let us get really creative with the bridesmaid's bouquets which ended up being a living still life panting almost in their shape.

Claire chose to do various flavors of cake so that guests could really enjoy dessert at her wedding. Knowing her love of sweet things we designed this candy display for her as her guests favors. There were all different flavors of old school candy sticks. Everyone loved it!

Champagne and Gold, what Bridal Bliss!!

2010-09-30T16:08:00.007-04:00

Ok so yes it is the middle of fall wedding season and we are running around sewing custom pillows, unpacking flowers, polishing silver, tying programs and all sorts of last minute details for our events this weekend ... BUT, I just had to share these. I have been waiting for just the right time to be able to get these out to you all.

Megan and Connor were married May 1, 2010 at the Cottages on Charleston Harbor and their reception followed at the Pavilion at Patriots Point. We were so lucky to meet Megan through her great friend and our event partner in crime Emmy Brooks with Peacock Events. Emmy was invited to the wedding and she wanted to make sure Megan was in the best hands for the night. Megan had such a clear overall vision of what she wanted the wedding to be. She wanted formality, soft muted colors and of course feature pieces of her favorite color ever, Pink.

She trusted us implicitly with the decor decisions and really went with our advice on accent pieces, chandeliers, etc. I love when we are really able to just run with a design. I have attached some pictures here of some of my favorite things from the night. Her photogrpaher Tiffani Sunshine Photography came all the way from Virginia, and boy are we so happy with the outcome of the pictures. Some of the images below are setup pictures just from my camera, so forgive those. Enjoy!!

Ceremony on the Beach with a generous arch of roses, hydrangeas, lysianthus, stock, orchids, ivy, etc. All in soft pinks and creams.

Feelin' the love. These two are literally the perfect couple.

So the week of the wedding Megan brought by the portrait by from the engagement session (sorry I dont have that to share right now). I was literally teary eyed. I said "no way all of the pictures can be this good, this is picture perfection!!". I was proven very wrong. She is SUCH an artist!!

Here is an overall decor shot. Chandeliers over four feet tall, miles of white fabric draping and lots of soft pink lighting turned the space into such a soft environment. It was amazing to see the transformtation!

This is one of my crummy shots, but I wanted to show you the white and light wood dance floor we dreamed up for Megan and Connor. I told Megan when we decided to do this that she was going to be the trendsetter of the year for dance floors, and I was right! You wont believe how crazy we are for this floor now!

Just some of my floral shots. I say it all the time to please pay attention to your bars. You really need an accent there. Even if it is something very simple. I found these vases for Megan and this was my gift to them to do two accent pieces on the bars. They fit the theme so well!

Another Stunning shot by Tiffani. The cake by Elaines Events was so simple and pretty and fit the theme so well. We "floated" the cake on glass cubes with just slight touches of seashells and sand to tie in the setting and the save the dates. It was so pretty.

Megan changed into the cutest cocktail dress for the getaway. Still clutching her peony bouquet (her absoulte favorite thing, she wouldnt turn it loose), on her wonderful husband's arm and off into the night in a vintage white rolls.

Thank you to all who were invovled in making this event such a grand success, and thank you Megan and Connor for letting us play a part in your very special day. We love you!

Classic Elegance re-defined

2010-06-02T21:33:00.008-04:00

Now this wedding is one I have been waiting to post pictures of since the day we were hired. Catherine and her mom and dad met me at the William Aiken House to view one of our weddings. From the moment I saw her in what I believe I remember to be the most gorgeous navy blue dress (with a fantastic, dramatic collar, no less) I simply knew it was meant to be. Catherine and her family were literally geographically all over the map at the time and they were looking for somewhere to call home base for the planning stage. LWSE gladly offered that home base to them.

After choosing the William Aiken House we carefully planned each and every detail. Each vendor clicked with Catherine and Adam and we just knew it was shaping up to be the perfect wedding weekend. From the classic photography of Leigh Webber to the timeless elegance of Elaine's Events Cakes; even down to the fun and flirty Soul Fish band. Each vendor fell perfectly in place for this true sweet southern couple. Enjoy some of the images of what was the perfect April wedding weekend.

Of course every perfect wedding starts with the perfect stationery suite. We designed this in conjunction with Studio R Design. The hand calligraphy brought through the perfect tone of formality that we were looking for.

The Bridal bouquet with Bridal Wreath Spirea, Garden Roses, Sweet Peas and more.

The Pergola at William Aiken House adorned with Variegated ivy and Hundreds of garden roses in cream and soft apricot. The garden roses were really a theme of the night. We used them with sweet peas for what we deemed the perfect pew marker. So sweet.

The decor in the tent was a modern spin on classic black and ivory elegance. The clear top was just the perfect touch to open up the space and give lots of light on our slightly cloudy day.

From the Walnut Cream Cheese filling to the specialty Arnold Palmers, the south was the flavor of the night at this cocktail reception.

Now for some reception snapshots.

Congratulations Catherine and Adam. We were so happy to have been a part of your special day ... and Catherine we are so happy to finally see you on the blog. :-)

A Night of a Thousand Candles

2010-05-26T20:11:00.007-04:00

Now this event was a true stunner. A feast for the eyes and all the senses. The delicious dinner catered by FISH, the sounds of the Heather Hayes Experience (a re-incarnation of the band to include four more members a light show and an extensive song list) for their first performance, sweet treats by Elaine Mincey and of course a very detailed lighting design by IES led to literally the perfect night.

This couple just oozed fun every moment through the planning and during the event. It was truly an experience to remember.

Cassique = Number one Stunner! :-)

2010-05-14T20:53:00.002-04:00

Just time for a quick post. Wedding season has been working us all really hard, and with great results. Just a quick peek at some of our fabulosity from April. Marni Rothschild Durlach sent these to us today and we are all gaga over them! Enjoy! http://marnipictures.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/sarah-and-brian/

Babies ... the cutest thing since who knows what!

2010-04-05T21:21:00.011-04:00

Over the last weekend I had the honor of teaming together with friends to throw a baby shower for two of my dearest friends. Cassie and Rob Mills work in the event industry with us and over the years they have gained a very special place in all our hearts. We are proud to say they are expecting a beautiful baby girl on June 5th. We immediately sprang into action and decided baby Olivia Bennett Mills needs the very best baby shower ever. Through the help of everyone we pulled together a wonderful afternoon garden party fit for a princess.

We custom made the invitations and napkins to play into our classic pink and ivory scheme, but with special touches of gold.

Playing into that color scheme we found an amazing paisley fabric and sent it to our fabulous linen provider. They custom sewed fabulous runners and a custom cake table linen. Using simple candles, our super cute preserved boxwood balls and simple accents in green and white flowers (by none other than the fabulous Katie Bell) the tables were a sophisticated girlie paradise. Simple white chairs, pink cushions, champagne linens and it was such a gorgeous afternoon soiree.

Of course being that it was a co-ed party we had to provide some activities such as cornhole with custom bags out of the matching paisley fabric. There were also plenty of good friends.

Trae with Granvilles personally hand crafted some delicious menu items based off of mom and dad's favorite foods. Fried chicken bites, Macaroni and Cheese with Lobster and Pulled Braised Pork over Grits were just a few of the delectable delights.

Even the delicious Marble cake from Ashley Bakery was painstakingly decorated to match our fabric perfectly.

Sara Cavallon worked so hard on the specialty favors. Of course for the boys customized golf balls with Miss Olivia's name on them. For the girls, the cutest scrabble charm pendants with parts of our paisley detail on them. It was the perfect pairing of favors.

To two of my very best friends, thank you so much for allowing me to help you celebrate this beautiful gift. I love you both and we are all looking forward to meeting Baby Olivia.

Hands On Stationery...

2010-02-01T21:20:00.008-05:00

I have posted some of the vintage wedding pictures from Kristen and Latif's wedding, but I wanted to post a few of some of the stationery pieces as well. We teamed up with the insanely talented Studio R Design as well as our bride to come up with a great scheme and idea for the wedding stationery. It was all too perfect. Enjoy!

For the save the dates we worked with Studio R to bring in the champagnes and blues of the wedding while showing our accent color of a buttery yellow. The soft Chocolate writing really gave this set such a soft and almost vintage look as none of the colors were overwhelming, but soft and attractive to the eye.

For the invitation we decided to tone down the yellows and bring through more of our blue color to really give it a soft and more formal feeling. Studio R created the perfect sized folder set incorporating our great swirl pattern.

This is when our crafty bride took matters into her own hands. Once Kristen set her mind to something she could do anything she wanted. Everything was done perfectly to a T. Here are some of the things that she created for the wedding.

Each hand tied program came in its individualized sleeve. Bringing through the monogram created for the Save the Date as well as the swirl design they fit perfectly into the theme of the wedding.

The cute little place cards in envelopes hand written by the bride. Each envelope held a miniature picture that corresponded with the picture marking each table. We set them in trays of yellow grits to bring in some of our yellow coloring. A very cute escort table if I must say so myself.

Each menu custom cut and mounted by the bride flowed perfectly with the rest of her stationery.

Dancing shoes the bride provided with her custom made tags. Each tied by hand by the bride and her mother.

Last but certainly not least, the bags put together by the bride. Custom label bottled water, packages of grits, Charleston chews and a guide book of Charleston. The crown jewel of these bags was the home baked benne seed wafers baked and packaged by the mother of the bride. The ladies in this family were oh so talented in so many ways and it was such a joy helping them create the wedding of Kristen's dreams.

A vintage wedding ...

2010-02-01T21:06:00.004-05:00

We just got some pictures in the mail from the ever talented Heather Forsythe from our September 6th wedding of Kristen and Latif. I am so happy to share them here. Kristen was very interested in having a little bit of a vintage feeling to the pictures. Heather created an entire gallery of pictures just for Kristen so that she could have her own collection. Here are a few of those pictures.

Stay posted for some of the rest of the pictures. Heather gave us so many treasures, I just cant decide which are my favorite!

Fresh and new...

2010-01-23T13:28:00.000-05:00

As we head out of the office for a much needed and welcomed break I wanted to leave you with the first of many nips a tucks in the overall face lift of our site. Enjoy!

http://www.lukesevents.com/mcleanryan.html

Our web designer has some great things in store. Stay tuned!

Sneak Peek...

2010-01-15T22:03:00.006-05:00

I was so lucky to work with Liz and Chris on their October 17th wedding. I will bring you every luxurious detail as soon as we get the pictures, but until then...

... just one beautiful shot by The Kim Graham in front of one of my favorite churches, Trinity United Methodist on Meeting.

When I get the rest of the pictures I will be updating, so keep an eye out. It is truly a beautiful fall extravaganza.

Sweetness and Light ...

2010-01-15T21:34:00.004-05:00

So, we at LWSE are always looking for new and fun sayings. Megan's favorite lately has been sweetness and light. I always think it is such a cute little saying, and while thinking about that today I immediately thought of Emmy and Burch. This super cute September 12th wedding was the ultimate mix of cool, funky, traditional and fun. You just cant get any better than this.

Emmy decided (with a move planned right before the big day and with being out of town in both locations) she needed just a little help planning her early fall wedding. After the first meeting with her, her parents and Burch I think we were all so sad to leave each other. We had such a blast with them through the whole planning process. Emmy came in for every meeting with the best stories and so much to entertain us that we often found ourselves having to settle down and actually get to the purpose of planning for the wedding.

They chose the William Aiken house for their event with ceremony on site. With Fish catering and the ever so talented pastry chef Susie doing the cake we were in GREAT hands! Calvin Taylor played for cocktail hour and then brought in his trio for "rockin' tunes" through the night. It was truly a party to remember. Kim Graham was able to catch all of the pictures to memorialize it.

I had the pleasure of seeing Emmy and Burch (and bridesmaid Owen) out the other day and it made my Sunday. I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as We enjoyed working on this event. Thank you Emmy and Burch for being the definition of Sweetness and Light!

Best of 2009

2010-01-11T13:46:00.002-05:00

So one of our Photographer friends Tracy Turpen just posted her best of 2009 slideshow, and the images are stunning! Thank you so much for sharing Tracy! I was so happy to see that a couple of our brides and grooms made it in!

http://tracyturpenslideshows.com/2009/

Take a minute to look through it, and enjoy! We surely did!

Wedding Party Armies??...

2010-01-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

Brides ask me all the time of their number of bridesmaids is too large. "Have you ever heard of so many bridesmaids, should I get rid of some people? I don't want it to look like an army!" My answer, "the more the merrier!" This year with so many weddings we saw every number of bridesmaids from just one up to twenty two. Yes, can you believe 22 ... on each side??

All of these Bridal "Army" weddings went so smoothly and the large number bridesmaids and groomsmen was really never a setback at all. In fact, I would say it assured that there were plenty of hands to help the bride and groom. Also, plenty of party goers who were guaranteed to be the life of the party.

This wedding ceremony was at the Citadel Summerall Chapel. The 13 bridesmaids were some of the nicest girls I have ever had the pleasure of working with. They were all so beautiful in their floor length blue matching dresses. The Chapel was a perfect choice for such a large party since there is plenty of altar space for them to stand.

For this wedding we held the ceremony and reception at Lowndes Grove. The large patio space was the perfect location to have 16 bridesmaids and 16 groomsmen standing. In the same way that there was no shortage of bridal party, there was also no shortage of fun. These bridesmaids were having a blast all through the night.

For this bridal party of eleven, the bride decided because of restricted space behind the fountain at The William Aiken House that we would have nine of the bridesmaids sit and two of them stand with her. She was slightly concerned the the girls would think it was a bit of an A list and B list, but in rehearsal one of the bridesmaids put it to rest very quickly. She said "honey, in these heels and in this heat, I would much rather be sitting down!" We all laughed and that put the bride's fears to rest.

So you can see that no matter what size group you end up with, with careful planning you can have your larger group and enjoy your friends being close around you that day.

Just an advanced peek...

2010-01-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

One of the many perks of being able to work on so many events a year (this year LWSE happily planned and executed 94 weddings) is being able to sit down and choose from hundreds of thousands of pictures for our many talented photographers we work with. We are so grateful that Charleston has such a wealth of super talented photographers. We love being able to sit and thumb through the pictures. While waiting to get some of our great fall wedding pictures, Leslie McKellar provided us with some great detail shots that she took while working with Kim Graham Photography on one of our most detail oriented weddings ever. I really should wait to put anything up, but I just cant resist!

Place Cards in Wheat Grass. These were beautifully hand calligraphered and put together by the mother of the groom. She was very hands on.

A beautiful overall tent shot. The flowers were truly breathtaking here. I love the simplicity of the all white/ivory taller designs with just the hints of greens and pinks.

The shorter centerpieces we brought in more color to play off of the hand pearled pintuck organza overlays. The silver of the satin underneath really was a perfect combination with the color scheme.

To me, there can never be enough candlelight ... or rose petals for that matter.

And helping us out with making sure every single detail was flawless, The Patrick Properties Events staff at Lowndes Grove really making sure every setting was impeccable.

New to us...

2010-01-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

I feel very slack in posting this after they have been with us for months, but I thought that since we are still in love with them we might as well show them off.

In September we purchased some beautiful new lanterns from Jamali in NYC. They are a pretty standard carriage lantern shape, but something that was new to us and new to our brides. We love them and have them in any size. Let us know if you can use them. We would love to share.

Traditionally Southern and Sweet...

2010-01-04T09:45:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite events of the year was held at Lowndes Grove back in August 2009. We worked with the bride to come up with such a subtle, but very pretty color palatte of gold and pink with soft champagne accents. It was a color combination that I would love to re-create.

Because of threatening poor weather we decided to setup the ceremony under a smaller tent located adjacent to the reception tent. This gave an all inclusive feeling for the space making guests feel like they didnt have to go from place to place all through the night. The overall setup was very simple with lots of indoor and outdoor seating to help make guests comfortable on the warm summer night.

The flowers we did for this wedding were truly stunning. From the large flower ball hanging from the ceiling of the tent (as opposed to a chandelier or some sort of lighting fixture) to the small accents of the pew markers, each arrangement was the perfect mix of pinks, apricots and peaches.

For the centerpieces we filled a simple glass compote bowl with fresh green moss and built a large dome of hydrangea, lysianthus, stock and roses to give a soft lush look that stood out wonderfully on the gold runner and soft pink linen.

Kim Graham was with us through the day shooting all of the wonderful moments.

And for the ultimate showpiece, the cake was covered with garden roses, hydrangeas, lysianthus and stock creating a lush display that wowed our sweet bride.

A sweet treat ... as if we didnt have enough over the holidays.

2010-01-04T09:45:00.000-05:00

Having a Baking and Pastry background I really take great care in helping choose the wedding cakes we display at our Weddings. I have loved working with all of the talented Bakers and Pastry Chefs in the Charleston Area, and I wanted to show some of their immense talent.

Wedding Cakes by Jim Smeal

http://www.weddingcakesbyjimsmeal.com/

This beautiful cake was made to serve 400 of a total of 600 guests at this early August wedding. Jim worked with the wonderful ladies at The Gown Boutique of Charleston (LOVE them!!!) to get the pictures he needed to re-create the dress pattern. When Mason saw it she was so impressed at the detail and how closely it matched her dress. She loved it and even joked that she saw details on the cake that she never even noticed on her dress. She said it made her love her dress even more now that she has noticed these details. What more could you ask for than to help a bride love her dress more on her wedding day?

The Cake Stand

http://www.thecakestandcharleston.com/

For this truly southern inspired event the Mother of the Bride and a friend made each and every hand molded and painted white chocolate seashell out of the bride's favorite chocolate. Lauren create a smooth and stunning three tier cake with her own White Chocolate Mousse and fresh Raspberries. The combination was remarkable! The Bride and her mother were so happy to see it all come together so flawlessly.

Ashley Bakery

http://www.ashleybakery.com/

Hayden worked with our bride Elizabeth's sister for her wedding four years ago. When Elizabeth and Sanjo got engaged, Elizabeth's dad (a big sweets fan) was insistent that Ashley Bakery do their fantastic Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Filling. It as a request that Hayden was happy to oblige. Choosing a simple ivory cake with bands of deep navy blue the cake was a subtle accent in a wedding with bright pink and deep blue abounding.

The Cake Stand

http://www.thecakestandcharleston.com/

Lauren provided a beautiful soft white background for this bride who wanted her English Garden style flowers to really pop off of the smooth base. It was a stunning cake with all of the tiers double height so that even though it was only three tiers it was still a tall cake with presence in the cotton dock.

Elaine's Events Cakes of Distinction

http://www.elainesevents.com/

For this wedding, Sara Cavallon with Something to Celebrate, Elaine and myself teamed up to re-create the bride's inspiration cake from a magazine image. With the delicate piping and soft flowers this cake was an understated element of elegance at this Middleton Place wedding.

Elisabeth Hanckel

843.568.3008

We geared this entire wedding around a pattern we loved from our Cutout Lace Pendants that we hung in the tent. Elisabeth copied the lace pattern on the soft yellow background of certain tiers with alternating colors on the other tiers. It was such a beautiful interpretation of our theme, and created a wonderful centerpiece for the dining room at the William Aiken House.

Ashley Bakery

http://www.ashleybakery.com/

Another beautifully detailed cake for this I'On Creek Club wedding. The bride and groom's initials were piped on in a deep green while the soft piping designs were kept in all white just for a slight accent. Just a few flowers really gave this grand cake a soft look.

The Cake Stand

http://www.thecakestandcharleston.com/

For this 39th birthday celebration we chose to do a broken up look with the cakes, instead of one massive cake for the large group. Using a very literal interpretation of the orange color we had Lauren sugar frost oranges as very simple decor for each of the satellite cakes. The centerpiece of the table was a large cutout 39 to match wooden 39's that we had made and painted to accent the rest of the room. A great touch we added for this cake was to have our calligrapher hand write signs to mark each cake so that guests could get excited to taste all of the different flavors. This cake was a big hit.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T12:26:00.008-05:00

2009 was such a whirlwind year for LWSE with moving offices and 94 events we had our hands quite full indeed. We will be starting our year off right tomorrow working with Sara Cavallon of Something to Celebrate as well as The William Aiken House to produce our first event for 2010. The flowers are beautiful and we couldnt be happier to be starting off a new year busy. What a blessing.

We would like to toast all of our great brides and grooms from 2009 and all of the wonderful vendors we worked with through the year. We are so grateful for every interaction, and we are looking forward to a great new year.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy new year, and we will see you in 2010!

Planning for Summer Heat ... To Booze or not to Booze

2009-12-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

Today in looking through the events I have booked for 2010 I was noticing that a lot of them are in the warmer months of July, August and September. Keeping this in mind when menu planning last year for our warmer weather weddings I took the traditional idea of a passed cocktail and simplified with more flavor and less alcohol. For instance for this wedding of our British James Bond groom and Sweet Southern Belle we decided to take the flavors they loved (in this case peach and mint) and just simply add a classic sweetened tea.

As you can see it was a beautiful passed beverage, but we were able to offer them to guests of all ages and preferences while really quenching the thirst which is the main purpose of the passed cocktail in the first place. Perhaps have a carafe at the bar with some Firefly Vodka or Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka for those guests that do want a little touch of something stronger in theirs. The William Aiken House staff made sure that each drink was picture perfect.

Your guests will end up with thirst quenched and less of a headache the next day.

Ice Ice Baby...

2009-12-29T22:26:00.000-05:00

While talking with a friend recently, it came out that he was thinking of making that next big step with his Girlfriend. I was so excited, I hope to be a part of their wedding of course. However, with my extreme love for diamonds I just had to run him down the high points of diamond and ring shopping. These are just some of my favorites that of course have been on my mind since that discussion.

A classic favorite of course is the timeless Tiffany Six Prong setting. It is such a beautiful setting, very simple (perfect for the super busy, hands on bride) and being Tiffany the stone is a piece of art on its own.

Also from Tiffany, for the bride (or groom) looking for something a little different yet still classic there is the Princess Cut which is a stunning, more modern ring. Tiffany also has their Lucida which is their version of a cushion cut in a specialty setting that has been refined to really showcase this beautiful diamond.
Then from my favorite Harry Winston comes the beautiful emerald cut. This one of course is definitely what i like to call celebrity sized (kind of like super sized), but you can really see the detail in the cut.

Then some other classic Winston settings with slightly less traditional cuts are the Pear shape, Marquise and Oval. Your diamond is really supposed to be such an expression of you and I feel like this is such a great way to say something different about yourself.

Last but definitely not least, for the bride who just refuses to have anything traditional and tends to love things completely over the top ...

From the Harry Winston "incredibles" collection. Talk about celebrity sized!! This ring is so spectacular that you have to set an appointment just to talk about it. Too much for you? Well then get it for me ;-)

Curly Hair ... What to do?

2009-12-29T21:48:00.000-05:00

While looking through the pictures from this last year I came across some great pictures of our girls with big beautiful curls. I just get so excited to see that. As someone with curly hair, and hair that used to be pretty long, I understand how the thought of what haircut and even more important what hairstyle to have on your wedding day can prove to be daunting.

Luckily for us all Stuart Lawrence Salon on King Street has done the hard work to bring us a fantastic new product and style technique. Check out their Ouidad styling system that Michael has brought to us to help all of the curly haired brides (and wedding planners) really be confident in their wedding day look.

www.ouidad.com

Call today to make your appointment with Melissa.

http://www.slsalon.com/

455 King Street

Charleston, SC

843-722-6776

The Divine is in the Details

2009-12-29T20:54:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to make a quick post sort of in keeping with my theme. In looking back through pictures while planning for next year, I ran across this image from Squire Fox.

It inspired me in its simplicity. Just the simple piece of an Antique Hydrangea Bloom really was all that was needed in this vase to make a statement of understated elegance.

Just a thought ... from someone who doesn't always think less is more ;-).

Elizabeth and Sanjo

2009-12-29T20:24:00.001-05:00

In planning for next year I am finding that we are seeing a few of the same color schemes and palettes being repeated this year. We are always so happy to work with the same colors or themes again because we get excited to see how we can change the old ideas into new fun and fresh looks for the upcoming events.

Elizabeth and Sanjo were married at Saint Luke's Chapel with the reception following at The William Aiken House. You might recall seeing a post to check out Tracy Turpin's beautiful pictures on her website, but I wanted to share some with you that are giving us great inspiration this time around. The deep cultural influences of Elizabeth and Sanjo's wedding as well as deep family influences really warmed the heart for this event. So many times we see the days come and go with no time to really sit back and enjoy it as a family. It was very important to Elizabeth that we really give them time to make this a family affair and spend time with the ones they love so much.

I love Saint Luke's Chapel because of its versatility. So many times we have the pleasure of bringing in cultural influence into the ceremonies which are not allowed at so many other chapels or churches.

Some of the shots of the reception show me places where slight changes and adjustments will re-fresh the look our upcoming bride. I loved how the dark tablecloths gave a really deep background for our beautiful bright pink flowers. Elizabeth's sister worked with Debbie Mock on her wedding and we were so happy to be able to team up with Debbie again for this event.

The Bride teamed up with a graphic designer friend and came up with all of the place cards and table numbers in the same color scheme of the wedding, but with fun touches of Charleston Charm.

The most important part of the decor of this event I think was the lighting that at night really brought through our color scheme and helped the floral and linen elements pop the way they were intended. This is something we will definitely bring into play again in the coming years events.

One key to such a great party is the right band for the group. The Heather Hayes Band brought the fun to this wonderful spring event. Not only were they high energy and fun, but they got the entire crowd moving and dancing.

Even our favors were customized to fit our color scheme. We found stone ground grits who's labels were stamped with a bright pink stamp. With a custom tag and a tie of our navy ribbon we had a personalized gift with which guests could remember the night.

Fun, New and Improved...

2009-12-29T19:43:00.000-05:00

What a better way to get over the stresses of the holidays than some great retail (or in most cases) wholesale therapy. In starting planning for next year we have found some absolutely delicious pieces that we just have to add to our inventory. Today we got in some absolutely divine containers for one of our upcoming weddings in April. They are a silver/gold Mercury Glass look. In a word they are breathtaking and I cant wait to see them at the wedding.

And after looking through hundreds ... and I mean hundreds ... of chandeliers, we have found the new ones that we will be bringing into the LWSE family. They are a beautiful Chrome with dangling Crystals and Crystal strands. They will be a stunning new addition to our Spring events and I am sure will be in lots of pictures. We will update the blog when we use them the first time.

I am looking forward to our break from events to be able to investigate even more fun new things to bring to our clients and to the Event community in Charleston. I will update with more ideas as shopping progresses.

October 30, 2009

2009-11-03T10:33:00.000-05:00

Sherman Financial Group
Cotton Dock
Electric Company
Leslie McKellar
Tidewater Catering
Mr Koolie
Jason's Jump Castles
Charleston Coach

The scene was set at the Cotton Dock for Sherman Financial Group's Annual Halloween Party. The company forgoes other holiday parties and goes all out for this party. This is the third year that LWSE has done the party for them, and the second year at the Cotton Dock. This year we went for a Pirate Theme with bones, pirate coins and flags :) We had Mr. Koolie come out for some GREAT ice cream, along with Jason's Jump Casltes providing a cotton candy machine. Tidewater Catering's Food for the Southern Soul provided BBQ and sides with a smores station to accompany the roaring fire.
Once again the Electric Company put on a GREAT show with break dancers keeping the kids entertained. A friend of Bryan Mahanes (front man of the Electric Company) came along to do Balloon animals for the kids as well. We rounded out the night with Charleston Coach taking the kids around the plantation for a haunted hay ride. This party is always a great time, laid back and entertaining! Check out some of our favorite shots from Leslie McKellar

September 6, 2009

2009-10-14T12:44:00.000-04:00

William Aiken House
Kristen and Latif
Heather Forsythe photography

Hey everyone! Check out the following link for our September 6th wedding at WAH! Thanks for the link Heather!

Kristen and Latif
event key: Charleston

What a gorgeous couple! Kristen knew from the get go what she wanted for the big day and did not leave out any detail. What a pleasure to work with. A proper post will be up soon!

April 18, 2009

2009-10-01T14:15:00.000-04:00

Kristina & Chris
Episcopal Church of St. Luke & St. John
William Aiken House
Heather Forsythe Photography

Kristina won our day of coordination at the Spoleto Auction the previous year. She has some experience working events in the past so she had very specific decor ideas that she wanted. At the same time, she was more than willing to be surprised by Luke's designs. She was such a joy to work with, always calm with a smile on her face just happy in love! Chris was just finishing up law school so he stayed pretty busy and was most excited about the tasting! Of course, with Fish catering, how can you NOT be excited?!

The ceremony was beautiful and traditional. The bride and Groom arrived for cocktail hour at the William Aiken House and we kicked off first dances and announcements.

Guests then headed upstairs for another fabulous seated dinner. Afterward Heart and Soul kicked it into high gear with dancing until the end of the night. Thanks to IES we had awesome lighting in the main tent along with the lounge tent!

We were able to do a lot of fun things for Kristina and Chris. The orchid garlands with crystals on the ends in the trees were one of my favorites. Heather Forsythe created all of their stationary from save the dates and invitations to the place cards and menus at each table; as well as shooting their wedding (amazing isn't she?!). We took a piece of the design and created a lighted stencil to be shot onto the carriage house during the event as well.

May 19, 2008

2009-10-01T13:23:00.000-04:00

Aimee and Milton
Citadel Summerall Chapel
The Mills House

Aimee and Milton's wedding was a great event! They had a great band, and their guests danced all night!

Having a great party was very important to these two. We had a few seating tables and a lounge area for guests but kept most of the ballroom open for mingling and dancing.

We brought in some great bare branch trees and hung orchid garlands from them to help break up the expansive ballroom space.

We used the Queen Street Gallery area for more seating for those guests who needed a break from the band.

May 24, 2009

2009-10-01T12:58:00.000-04:00

Lindsey & Brad
St. Luke's Chapel
Wickliffe House
Richard Bell Photography

Lindsey is probably one of the most beautiful bride's we have had all year. Not that all of our brides are not beautiful, but not all of them bring us to tears watching them walk down the aisle. Lindsey was one of them.

those of you from the Charleston area know that Memorial Day weekend is a very busy time for weddings! We had THREE weddings on the 24th all over Charleston. It rained all morning and the forcast was looking grim. However, as Charleston weather likes to change at a moments notice Lindsey was able to walk back from the Church in the sun!

Lindsey choose a fun combination of pinks and greens for the decor and we used our white west elm lanterns as centerpieces as well.

March 20, 2009

2009-10-01T12:43:00.000-04:00

Farrah & Harry
William Aiken House
Richard Bell Photography

Talk about a destination wedding! Farrah and Harry's guest list was literally global! We had guests from all over Europe as well as the US. Farrah has been living in Italy for the past couple of years, but being from Charleston there was no question where she would get married!

Farrah and Harry were married on the front lawn. We hung milk bottle lanterns from the pergola with green and black ribbons. They had a custom runner made with their name's and date printed. Farrah's bouquet was a beautiful mix of white and ivory flowers with ostrich feather mixed in.

We hung out white lanterns in the trees that have a little bit of gold brush accents on them with votives inside.

After cocktail hour downstairs we asked guests upstairs for dinner. The silver and green combination on the table is so fresh and simple! The bride provided the mercury candle holders. After dinner guests were asked back downstairs to enjoy the rest of the evening. We reset the front lawn with large community tables to utilize the space. We tented the smaller grass area and had a lounge area under the tent.

April 19th quick link

2009-10-01T12:41:00.001-04:00

Here is the link from Tracy Turpen Photography from our April 19th wedding at the William Aiken House. Elizabeth and Sanjo click here!

photo booth fun!

2009-10-01T12:32:00.000-04:00

For our September 6th wedding at The William Aiken House we had a photo booth in the oyster tabby lot. The guests had a blast!! Photo booth by Shutter Booth

Click here to check out Kristin and Latiff's photo booth pictures! More wedding photos to come from Heather Forsythe!

Luke, Lauren and I had some fun checking on the booth during dinner :)

We had the same company come for September 27th at Boone Hall Plantation's Cotton Dock. Kristin and Michael's photos are here

Another quick link!

2009-10-01T12:15:00.000-04:00

Here is another quick link from Karyn Iserman, the wedding of Courtney and Brian May 3, 2009

Another great wedding at The William Aiken House!

June 27, 2009

2009-09-30T12:53:00.000-04:00

Andrea & Bill
2nd Presbyterian
The Wickliffe House

June 27 started out as a hot and sunny day! Andrea and Bill were able to get pictures outside before the ceremony and made it to the church before the bottom fell out. As most of you know, when it rains in Charleston, it POURS!

The guests were slightly delayed getting to the Wickliffe House navigating the flooded roads in Charleston. We were all nervous awaiting the Bride's arrival. Much to our relief, Andrea and Bill were not put out by the weather. Sure, it was not ideal but they were married, their closest friends and family were with them to celebrate, and that is exactly what they did!

This was a dancing crowd! Due to the rain (and the flooded parking lot tent) space was limited inside for dancing. We ended up moving some tables once people were finished eating to give them some space to spread out.

At the end of the night we were able to get the brave outside (in the pouring rain) to see them off with sparklers!

May 30, 2009

2009-09-30T12:44:00.000-04:00

Krissy & Jordan
Redeemer Presbyterian Church
The Rice Mill
Kim Graham Photography

Krissy and Jordan were one of our younger couples this year. The flowers that came in were amazing this week!

One of my favorite moments with the two was during the tasting trying all of the great food they were planning to serve and really getting excited about the wedding. There is usually a moment where it all kicks in, and that was it!

The day of the wedding was a hot one in Charleston and we were all thankful for the indoor venue choices! Once they got to the Rice Mill they danced the whole time, barely pausing to cut the cake! What a great event!

May 17, 2009

2009-09-30T12:27:00.000-04:00

Jennifer & Travis
William Aiken House
Kim Graham Photography
Elaine's Events

Jennifer and Travis are two of a kind! Both from California, they had a very specific idea in mind when they decided to get married. A Shakespearen Renaissance themed wedding. Complete with a Herald to announce dinner, dancing and so forth. Also we had a strolling musical group and a Jester.

Now for those of you familiar with LWSE, you know this is something a little out of the realm of things we generally do. However, Jennifer and Travis were able to blend their ideas and style with ours to make a beautiful memorable event.

Due to rain, the ceremony was in the downstairs ballroom and then guests went upstairs for a seated dinner upstairs in the ballroom with some more rustic choices. We served Mushroom Truffle Soup (which is to die for!) as the first course follow by a choice of a stuffed pork tenderloin, roasted pheasant, lamb chops or spare rib.

Travis brought in all the wine that was served along with the glassware. Each person got to take home a champagne flute as a gift. He also brought in water glasses and special goblets for the wedding party.

The piping on the cake matched the invitation paper was safely delivered in the rain by Tony and Elaine!

The wedding was an overall success thanks to the staff at The William Aiken House along with all of our other fabulous vendors!

April 11,2009

2009-09-30T12:06:00.000-04:00

Erin and Rodger
St. Luke's Chapel
The Mills House
Kim Graham Photography

Erin and Rodger were so much fun to work with! They were both in the midst of their residency at MUSC so time was short. We had to be creative with our meetings, Erin ran over to our old office many times during her lunch break to choose stationary and linen samples.

The day of the wedding was absolutely gorgeous. Erin and Rodger never showed any sign of stress or anxiety all day. We got to have some fun with the decor as well. We used pieces of our West Elm sofas, as well as some custom covered ottomans and bare branch trees. The cake, by The Cake Stand was a grand display with the help of IES lighting!

Quick links!

2009-09-30T11:23:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone!

I am listing some quick links below for some of our more recent weddings. Click on the Names and then enter the password listed next to their names. A big thanks from Kim Graham Photography

Nora McGillicuddy
User name: Nora
Password; 8831

Emmy and Burch
User name: Emmy
Password 8831

November 2, 2008

2009-09-24T14:52:00.000-04:00

Laura and Chris
William Aiken House
Olivia Griffin photoghraphy
Cake- The Cake Stand
Flowers by LWSE

When Laura first came to us she had a very specific idea in mind. They wanted to have a tasting menu with their closest friends and family members. With food being top priority we knew we were in great hands with Fish Catering!

They ended up with fifteen people total! We had the ceremony in the downstairs ballroom and then went upstairs for a multiple course dinner. Laura and Chris went downstairs to the ballroom alone to cut the cake for pictures before returning upstairs where it was served as the final course. This ended up being a beautiful, intimate affair!

November 1, 2008

2009-09-24T14:31:00.000-04:00

Peggy and Stephen
Thomas Bennett House
Heather Forsythe photography

Peggy and Stephen were such a great couple to work with! The day of the wedding they were both so happy and excited to be starting their new lives together.

For Peggy and Stephen we set up the ceremony in the garden area around the pond with the house as the backdrop. All of the girls came down the stairs which made for a grand entrance. Once all the guests went inside for cocktail hour we rearranged the ceremony area with seating tables and were able to re-purpose the ceremony chairs. After a quick cake cutting it was back outside for dancing!

We were also able to use some of our new chocolate brown suede sectional to create some lounge space on the lawn complete with some soft tan throws for when the sun went down.

October 28, 2008

2009-09-24T14:15:00.000-04:00

Sherman Financial Group's Annual Halloween Party
Boone Hall Cotton Dock
Photos by Leslie McKellar

This is one of our favorite events to plan each year! We get to have fun coming up with new ideas without the stress of planning a wedding. We had Mr.Koolie come out as a surprise, a full candy bar for all the kids (and adults), fun casual food from Tidewater Catering. Of course, let us not forget The Electric Company! They do costume changes and even had the kids break dancing all night! We decorated the cotton dock with bare branch trees, spider webs galore with rats, bats, snakes and other creepy crawlers. Lighting by IES helped to transform the space into a creepy haunted dock!

Charleston Coach made a special hay wagon and took all the kids around Boone Hall on a Haunted Hay ride!The employees at SFG go all out with home made costumes! Some of my favorites from this party included a couple dressed as chefs with their baby in a cauldron dressed as a lobster, and character's from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

I can not wait to see what everyone is dressed up as this year! We will be at Boone Hall with some familiar faces again next month, but don't worry the staff at LWSE has some tricks up their sleeves! :)

October 26, 2008

2009-09-24T13:27:00.000-04:00

Kirsten
Citadel Beach House
Photography by Kim Graham

Wow, October of 2008 was a very wet one! The weekend of Kirsten's wedding we had several events. The 24th we go completely flooded out of our wedding! With Kirsten's wedding the on the Sunday after the parking lot of the Beach House was completely flooded! guests were shuttled from the entrance of the parking lot through the water up to the sidewalk. Kirsten maintained a positive attitude and ended up with a beautiful wedding and gorgeous weather!

August 9, 2008

2009-09-24T11:40:00.000-04:00

Liz and Colin
William Aiken House

Working with Liz was such a great experience. She was so nice and knew exactly what she wanted while letting Luke have the freedom with the design.

With deep royal blue, white and hints of green this wedding was refreshing for a hot August wedding. We had cocktail hour on the lawn and then went upstairs for a fabulous seated dinner with Fish Catering. During dinner we reset the lawn with community tables and rearranged some of the lounge furniture. The guests then came back down for dancing under the tent. Instead of a traditional cake Liz and Colin opted for a candy buffett with all of their favorite treats. They also provided flip flops for their guests to kick off their shoes and enjoy the rest of the evening. A Sparkler departure capped off a great evening!

June 14, 2008

2009-09-24T11:18:00.000-04:00

Amy and Mark
St. Simon's Island GA

Amy is one of Megan's best friends that she has known since she was a little girl. When she got engaged of course LWSE had to be a part of the big day!

Amy was not a traditional bride, she is very down to earth and laid back. She had her dress made for her and wanted to keep things light, airy and simple. Mark and Amy gave away organic potting soil as favors in one pound bags. This shot on the right capture's Mark and Amy's overall attitude and feel of the wedding.

They got married at a quaint little church on St. Simon's Island in Georgia with their wedding reception following at a local park. it turned out to be a beautiful wedding! Photos by Kim Graham Photography

May 30, 2008

2009-09-23T16:33:00.001-04:00

Kathryn & David
William Aiken House
Photography- Leslie McKellar

Kathryn and David had a gorgeous wedding at William Aiken House last May. With the help of Leslie McKellar we got some great shots of the simple yet trendy decor!

We used our new eyelet lace pendant chandeliers and accents of green and yellow to make it pop. Seated dinner upstairs in the ballroom with long tables and broken up centerpieces were really cute! The Cake, by Elisabeth Hanckel mirrored the eyelet lace pattern on the chandeliers! We had a kids table in the other room complete with brown paper on the top, crayons, and candies.

We had a lounge area on the smaller lawn section by the front gate with our white leather and chrome sofa and love seat.

The beginning....

2009-09-23T13:39:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Luke Wilson Special Events blog! We are finally getting this process started so check back often for new updates! I am starting with some of our favorites from 2008! Enjoy!