Scheduling Your Wedding Planning Trips to the Lowcountry

Happy Fall Y’all! Not only is today the start of the colorful foliage season in the Lowcountry, it’s also a popular time for brides and grooms to come into town for planning their 2016 weddings. If you’re not sure how many trips to take or what should be accomplished in each trip, I’ve provided a guide for you right here on the blog.

Q: How many trips should I plan to take during the course of my destination wedding planning process?

Ideally, you should plan to make 3 trips to your town before the Big Day, whether it’s Hilton Head, Beaufort, Savannah or Charleston, SC.

  • Trip 1: Find your ceremony and reception venue
  • Trip 2: Design Planning
  • Trip 3: Tastings, Logistics and Planning

Tip: You should hire a wedding planner prior to scheduling trip one. This way you can save valuable time by having your planner do the legwork of recommending places that fall within your vision and budget, and setting up the site visits. I enjoy joining my clients for their site visits. It allows me to ensure they’re asking the right questions and also take notes on their behalf.

Trip 1: Venue Search

Prior to your first visit, your wedding planner will provide you with a shortened list of venues to research online. Once you’ve selected your top 3 or 4 venues and have the dates for your trip in place (airlines booked), your planner will setup an itinerary at the various locations. You should be able to accomplish this in one weekend (arriving Friday and departing Sunday).

Trip 2: Design Planning

Your second trip should take place 6-8 months prior to your wedding date and should include 2 full days of meetings, preferably during the week. During this visit, you’ll focus solely on the design aspects of your wedding, or as I call it, “painting the picture.” This visit will consist of several meetings with vendors and an in-depth meeting with your wedding planner. Your itinerary could consist of:

DAY ONE:

  • Site Visit at Venue – discuss layout and flow, brainstorm ideas, find out what needs to be rented vs. what is provided
  • Event Rental Showroom – see/fee/select the items being rented for your wedding
  • Meet with Planner – draw room diagram, select linens, discuss draping and lighting

DAY TWO:

  • Flowers – bring the room diagram so your florist can count tables and have a visual. Also bring inspiration photos. Your florist will want to see a picture of your gown when discussing bouquet.
  • Lighting Company – plan functional and aesthetic lighting for reception and rehearsal dinner (if needed)
  • Hair/Makeup Trials – you can postpone this to trip 3 if needed

Trip 3: Tastings, Timelines and Logistics

Your final trip can take place 2-4 months prior to your wedding. Two months is cutting it close in my opinion, but definitely feasible if work/personal life is busy prior to that. Like trip 2, this one can also take place over the course of two full days, preferably during the early week.

DAY ONE:

  • Meeting with Planner – Logistics Planning, Timeline Creation, Finalize design details…and so much more
  • Reception Menu Tasting – check with your caterer to find out policies on quantity of menu items you may select as well as the number of guests who may attend
  • Cake Tasting (my favorite!) – bring photos of inspiration…and your sweet tooth!

DAY TWO:

  • Final Meeting with Florist – revise quantities and update designs as needed
  • Meet with Officiant/Pastor to Plan Ceremony Service – this can also be done over the phone, but it’s always nice to meet in person if time allows
  • Rehearsal Dinner Planning & Tasting, if needed
  • Hair & Makeup Trial, if needed

Planning a destination wedding from hundreds of miles away may sound daunting, but with proper scheduling and direction from your planner, it is actually much easier than one may think.

If you’re recently engaged and planning a destination wedding in Hilton Head, Savannah, Beaufort or Charleston, SC, please do send us a note to tell us about your vision and inquire about our planning services.

Happy Planning!

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Embellished Events | Jen Leiti
Wedding Planner & Coordinator + Luxury Design Services
Serving Hilton Head, Savannah, Beaufort and Charleston, SC
(843) 757-7762
Hello@EmbellishedWeddings.com

Wedding Dress Shopping – A Little Girl’s Dream

Every little girl dreams about her wedding day and this weekend, those dreams started for my 3 year old daughter. We were wedding dress shopping for my sister-in-law and this little cutie wanted to tag along for the fun. As my sis came out of the dressing room in the most amazing gowns, my sweet girl’s face lit up as if she were meeting her favorite Disney princess for the first time. My sis stood in front of the mirror admiring the intricate details of each dress while baby bug slowly and carefully circled her in sheer delight and amazement.

As we got through a few dresses, my little darling finally did what I expected any little girl to do – she asked me if she could try one on. It was in that moment that I knew her wedding dreams had begun. I explained to her how special one’s wedding day is and assured her that one day (in many many years!) she too will find her prince charming and get to wear one of these beautiful ivory gowns to her very own ball.

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Embellished Events
Boutique Wedding Planner + Luxury Design Services
Serving Hilton Head, Savannah, Beaufort and Charleston
(843) 757-7762
Hello@EmbellishedWeddings.com

Thank You

Spring was filled with love and beautiful celebrations for several of our clients. As the photograph proofs start coming in, I can’t help but relive the day with them, gushing over every memory and detail and that was created. I am so grateful to call this my “job” and work with so many wonderful couples and vendors.

Congratulations to our spring couples who tied the knot! I can’t WAIT to share some of their gorgeous photos. For now, I’ll give you a little sneak peek of Evan Laettner’s shot from Katy and Fred’s picturesque wedding in Beaufort, SC.

Embellished Events
Luxury Wedding Design and Planning :: Serving Hilton Head, Savannah and Beaufort
(843) 290-2590
Hello@EmbellishedWeddings.com

Real Wedding: Madeline and Joe

Having vacationed in Hilton Head for many years, Madeline and Joe knew this was the place to get married. They wanted a venue that would allow them to intertwine coastal chic with Southern flair. After looking at several locations in and around Hilton Head, the Mansion at Rose Hill stood out the most.

The ceremony took place on the front steps of the historic house. The brick walkway separated two areas of chairs where over 200 guests were seated. The altar was covered in colorful flowers, creating the perfect backdrop for their photos. After Madeline and Joe said, “I Do,” guests made their way to the back of the house where signature cocktails and hand passed hors d’oeuvres were served.

The reception took place under a sprawling clear top tent, draped in sheer gold fabric. Madeline chose a color palette of coral, teal, shades of pink and metallic gold. We had fun collaborating with Dawn at A Floral Affair to create three different table styles to give a less uniform look under the large tent. The outcome was exquisite and just as Madeline had envisioned. The greatest reward from that day was Madeline’s tears of joy when she laid eyes on her reception space for the first time.

Congratulations Madeline and Joe!

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Venue: Rose Hill Mansion | Photographer: Hopkins Studios | Planning & Design by Embellished Events | Hair and Makeup by Christine Stephens | Cake by Custom Cakes | Catering by Celebration Events | Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Music by Charleston Virtuosi | Desserts by Sweet Carolina Cupcakes | Lighting, DJ and Photo Booth by JLK Events | Florals by A Floral Affair | Rentals by Amazing Event Rentals

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Embellished Events
Luxury Wedding Design and Planning :: Serving Hilton Head, Savannah and Beaufort
Phone: (843) 757-7762
Email: Hello@EmbellishedWeddings.com

Real Wedding: Ashley + Peter

Ashley and Peter’s wedding was nothing short of a Savannah fairy tale and dazzled with luxurious details. Their black tie celebration began with a traditional Greek ceremony at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church. After the ceremony concluded, guests boarded trolleys and made their way to the historic (and some say haunted!) Mansion on Forsyth Park.

I knew from my first call with Ashley that she was going to be a dream to work with. Not only does she have impeccable style and grace, she’s a GATOR too!! Did I mention her father is Chuck Leavell, the amazingly talented keyboardist for the Rolling Stones? Lucky for us, the Mansion had a gorgeous Bosendorfer piano that was tuned and ready for Mr. Leavell to play that evening. Upon conclusion of dinner, he played a selection of songs including “Ashley,” which he wrote for the beautiful bride when she was a little girl.

This wedding was nothing short of exquisite and I am still overjoyed and honored to have been part of it. Congratulations Ashley and Peter!

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Planning & Design: Embellished Events | Ceremony: St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church | Reception Venue: Mansion on Forsyth Park | Photography: Tim Zielenbach | Floral Design: Garden on the Square | Cocktail Hour Music: Howard Paul | DJ: Ben Felton of East Coast Entertainment | Stationery: Emily McCarthy | Cake: Minette Rushing | Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals | Chargers and Ballroom Linens: BBJ Linen | Lounge Linens: Party Tables | Trolleys: Old Savannah Tours | Rolls Royce: Vintage Limousine

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Embellished Events
Luxury Wedding Design and Planning :: Serving Hilton Head, Savannah and Beaufort
Phone: (843) 757-7762
Email: Hello@EmbellishedWeddings.com

How to Create an Impactful BAR
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Photo by Hopkins Studios

Let’s be honest, the bar is the hottest spot of the night at any wedding. It gets more action than any fancy food bar and is the center of fun. For that reason, it’s especially important that you not overlook the decor and design of the most frequented area at your reception. Here are some tips to get your creative wheel turning:

  1. Perfect the Lighting:
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    Photo by Brandon Lata

     From as simple as putting a couple lamps on the bar top to as elaborate as having a custom light fixture made to hang overhead, think about the lighting at your bar. Lamps bring a sense of home to the bar and are an inexpensive way to provide an impactful piece of decor. Another idea is to have a custom piece of wood covered in boxwood with edison bulbs hanging beneath (I’m dying to try that one out myself!) You don’t want the lighting to be too bright and you don’t want it too dark. Provide just enough for your bartenders to be able to function, but not so much your guests have to squint.

  1. Make the back bar POP: Think about what your glassware will sit on behind the bar. Will it be a simple, overlooked banquet table with a plain white linen OR will it be a beautiful functional furniture piece such as a rustic bookshelf? My suggestion: take option 2. Visit your local event rental company and see what they have in stock. They can start around $150, but it’s money well spent. Give your guests something lovely to look at while they wait for their drinks!
  2. AVOID CLUTTER: Assuming you’ve taken option two in the bullet above and went with a beautiful, functional furniture piece as your bar back, my next tip is to request that your bartenders display all liquors and wines on those shelves rather than the bar top itself. Bar tops are limited with space as is and you don’t want to further clutter it with bottles that can potentially get knocked over as the night goes on.
  3. CREATE BAR TOP SYMMETRY: As mentioned above, you want to keep the bar top clean and clutter-free. You also want to keep symmetry. Be it two floral arrangements (or bridesmaid’s bouquets), clustered candles, lamps, etc., put the same decor piece on both ends of the bar to give height and uniformity. The only other thing you should have up there are your adorable custom cocktail napkins.
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    Photo by Hopkins Studios

    EMBELLISH THE FRONT: Don’t forget the front of the bar! If you’re using a banquet table and simple linen for your bar, consider swagging a beautiful garland on the front. It can be as simple as boxwood springs or your florist can create a more lush piece with fresh flowers. If your bar is wooden and has panels in the front (as pictured at the top of this post), the sky is the limit on what you can do! Some ideas include: having your graphic designer print a custom monogram, cover wooden panels in fabric of your choice, insert mirrors or have your florist create a live piece to hang.

 

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Embellished Events
Luxury Wedding Design and Planning :: Serving Hilton Head, Savannah and Beaufort
Phone: (843) 757-7762
Email: Hello@EmbellishedWeddings.com