Shelley's and Scott's Westin Poinsett Wedding

As promised, here are more pictures from the beautiful wedding of Scott and Shelley. Both the ceremony and the reception took place at the Greenville, Westin Poinsett. The ceremony was held in the Poinsett Ballroom, cocktail hour was on the Mezzanine and the reception was held in the beautiful Gold Room.

Shelley and Scott chose red,white and black as their wedding colors. From the very beginning Shelley had wanted a topsy turvy cake with a wild and crazy design. We decided to have the cake reflect their wedding invitations with the same falling petal design. For the ceremony there was an arch of red roses and white dendrobium orchids along with callas and greenery. Ferns and plants were brought in to soften the area. We even had a red raspberry mojito signature cocktail that was served to guests as they entered the cocktail hour.

Scott and Shelley decided to see each other before the ceremony and take all their pictures then. As you can see in the pictures above, it was a very sweet moment when they saw each other for the first time at the top of the stairs.

For dinner we chose to set up a circular chefs station in the center of the room where pasta with vegetables, chicken and baby shrimp and low country cheese grits and shrimp were cooked to order for each guest. There were also crab cakes, mini chicken cordon blue and Swedish meatballs in sweet pepper sauce. Guests also enjoyed an antipasto display along with several different breads.

It was a beautiful wedding and I can't wait to see the professional pictures.

Venue - The Westin Poinsett

Flowers, Cake, Photography and Videography - U Designs

Planner - Willrich Bridal & Special Events

DJ - Life of the Party

Officiante - Jerry Frye

A Wedding Ceremony at the Westin Poinsett in Greenville

A little eye candy from our wedding on Saturday. More to follow soon.

Saving on Ceremony Decor

When creating your ceremony décor here are a few things to keep in mind. First, if budget is tight, design your décor with a plan to reuse as much as possible at your reception. We like to use large urns of flowers at the altar that can be moved and used as buffet arrangements at the reception. Pew markers can be used at the reception to hang on the back of the bride and groom’s chairs or set out in small areas that need just a little detail. Bridesmaids bouquets can sit in vases on guests’ tables to serve as centerpieces. Wreaths on the doors at the ceremony can be reused on the doors of the reception. Just remember, you need to have someone on hand to move these as soon as the ceremony is over to the reception so they can be in place before guests are finished with the cocktail hour.

I love having flowers at both the altar and at the back of the church creating a beginning and an end to your walk down the aisle. When guests turn to see the bride walk down the aisle their first glimpse will be of her framed by flowers. Again these flowers can be reused at the reception.

Food Displays at Your Wedding Reception

A beautiful display by the caterer

If you happen to be one of the lucky brides able to bring in your own caterer to your reception venue, that’s great. You can find someone that is not only in your price range but someone whose food you truly like. One thing you may not think of when interviewing possible caterers is to ask how they will set up their displays. This is especially important if they are doing action stations or buffets. You don’t want them just coming in and dropping down a few warming trays and that’s it. I really don’t think you want your wedding meal to look like a cafeteria line.

This buffet could use some serious dressing up.

There are so many ways a buffet line can be dressed up. Food can be stacked at varying levels, it can be decorated with flowers, vines or candles. Ice displays are beautiful. The more the caterer provides in the way of decoration the less you will need to spend with the florist. Ask to see pictures of other receptions they have done and pay attention to how the food was presented to the guests. Hopefully, you will be able to find someone who has wonderful food and a wonderful presentation.

Engagement Photos and Their Uses

Engagement pictures are such a good time for you to get to know your photographer and for them to get to know you. This being comfortable with each other is so important on the actual wedding day. A comfortable bride and groom translates into beautiful pictures.

Also, there are so many uses for the engagement pictures. We have used them in sign- in mats, whole books of pictures as sign- in books, as montages shown during the cocktail hour and as table numbers. They are a great way to personalize your wedding.




Yvette of Photography by Dennis and Yvette sent me some engagement pictures they took of one of my upcoming wedding couples. Carrie and Fletcher's pictures turned out so great I just had to share them with you.

A Downtown Greenville Wedding and Reception

Saturday, we had the pleasure of being the planner for Lauren and Clark’s wedding. Lauren is probably my most laid back bride ever. She wanted a simple, colorful, fun all out party and that is just what she got.

The ceremony was held at the Wyche Pavilion in downtown Greenville. We set the ceremony chairs in a semi circle actually facing the river and the bridge. The bridesmaids and the bride started their entrance from across the bridge and entered the pavilion to the sound of an acoustic guitar. It was really beautiful watching the bride come across the water.

Even though it was definitely a hot day the guests were kept comfortable by an ice water bar set up at the ceremony and programs made as fans. The couple was married in the shadow of dogwood cross made by the groom’s family to be donated to the Christian organization Young Life after the wedding. The flowers for the wedding were done by Memories By McMillan and were a riot of colorful blooms. There were pinks, purples and oranges in huge arrangements on each side of the cross. Ferns and trees were gathered at the bottom of the cross and placed strategically around the pavilion.

The reception was held at Brick Street Café where the food was outstanding. There was shrimp and grits, steak, chicken tenders, brie with caramel and pecans, salads, macaroni and cheese, crab cakes and desserts that were to die for. Instead of one big wedding cake, Lauren and Clark had a table full of all the cakes and desserts that are a specialty of the Brick Street Café. It was so delicious.

After all the food, Robert from Life of the Party DJ took over and played to a full dance floor all night. It was a real party, just what the bride and groom ordered.

The great vendors that made it all happen:

Ceremony Site: Wyche Pavilion – Larkins
Reception Site and Caterer – Brick Street Café
Planner – Willrich Bridal and Special Events
Photographer – Blue Mountain Photo Works I can't wait to see the pictures.
DJ – Life of the Party DJ