A Perfect Clemson Wedding For Melissa and Eric

When Melissa came to us, she had already picked her reception site.  Since she and Eric were both die hard Clemson fans it couldn’t be any place other than the Owens Pavilion at Clemson.  She wanted an evening wedding with a cocktail party feel.  Her colors were, of course, purple and orange (just a touch) and she wanted a theme of simple elegance.  So we used the paler lavenders, whites and greens for the ceremony at Clemson United Methodist Church and then punched it up at the reception with some touches of bright orange.  We also brought in furniture groupings of white leather lounge benches and low tables for a cool addition to the seating.  Lighting added the wow touch with a patterned dance floor and uplighting along the columns.

For the guests pleasure, we added bathroom baskets to the restrooms, menus on each table, there were koozies at the bar and chocolate truffles to take home.  Upon entering the pavilion guests were met by waiters offering BBQ sliders on silver trays.  There were tables of fresh vegetables, dip and both imported and domestic cheeses. Guests could enjoy the bar or beverage stations of lemonade, flavored water or tea.  The meal consisted of stations placed throughout the area filled with choices of mashed potatoes and toppings, top round of beef, chicken fingers, and tortellini pasta salad.  There were also an assortment of dips, crackers, and rolls.

Some personal touches included a bottle of wine from the Biltmore, purchased when Eric proposed, used by the couple for toasting and the Clemson tiger made a guest appearance. In all it was a beautiful night and a perfect Clemson wedding.

Wedding at the Owens Pavilion in Clemson, SC

Willrich Bridal and Special Events was on the road to Clemson University again Saturday. We had a wedding in Clemson, SC  with the reception at the Owens Pavilion.  The weather was warm but not terrible, the bride was happy and everything turned out picture perfect.

Here's a couple of pictures to get you excited with more to come tomorrow.

Awarding The Bouquet To The Longest Married Couple

At both the wedding we have had in the last few weeks the bride has decided she did not want to do a garter and bouquet toss.  Instead, we opted to award the bouquet to the longest married couple.  The way this works is, the DJ calls all married couples to the floor.  He then dismisses the ones married less than a day (bride and groom...lol), then those less than 5 years, less than 10, less then 20, etc.  This continues until only one couple is left on the dance floor.  The bride then awards the toss bouquet to the woman and the DJ asks the couple for advice on how to have a happy marriage for the new bride and groom.  I've seen this advice be hilarious or so touching there wasn't a dry eye.  It's really a great moment at the reception.

The DJ Asks the Longest Married Couple For Advice For The Newlyweds

Open Flame At Your Wedding - Sorry It's Just Not Going To Happen

Source:  Alabama Wedding Magazine

As much as I love these pictures, you can tell this is for a photo shoot and not an actual wedding reception.  There is pretty much no public venue (meaning no fire marshal) that would allow open flames at an actual reception.  Flames have to be contained in glass (i.e., hurricanes, glass votive, etc.).  Some venues in this area even require that candles be in water.  So don't get your heart set on a candle arrangement like this unless you are willing to use battery operated candles.

Flower Choices For Your Mother on the Wedding Day

Source:  Alabama Wedding Magazine

Picking flowers for the mothers' to carry or wear on your wedding day is always a challenge.  Should they be a pin on corsage, wrist corsage or a tiny hand held bouquet?  Should the colors match their outfits, the wedding colors or should they be the same boring ivory color for both mothers.  It can be tough pleasing both mothers.  Maybe this will help.  Why not decorate their clutch bag for them to carry down the aisle.  (They always want a purse to hold tissues and lipstick at least.)  That way the clutch looks beautiful going down the aisle and resting on the table at the reception.

Pew Marker Alternative

I ran across this design item in the 2011 Summer Alabama Wedding Magazine and I just adore it.  Tying chair sashes at an angle on the aisle chairs, allowing the ends to flow to the ground is such a creative way to decorate the aisle.  Much more modern than the old fashion tulle roping and a huge cost savings over floral pew markers on each aisle seat.  It's soft, pretty and classic, a wedding combination that can't be beat.

Even God Cries Tears of Joy....

“Even God Cries Tears of Joy”, that’s what they say it means when it rains on your wedding day and what a joyful day it was for Christine and Ian.  Even the little bit of rain we had didn’t spoil a thing.

The wedding and reception took place under tents at Walnut Lane Inn.  The colors for the day were white and tiffany blue.  Flowers were a mixture of hydrangea’s and calla lilies.  Programs were fans, perfect for the outdoor setting.   An engagement photo was used as the sign in mat upon which guests left their best wishes for the couple.

The whole wedding was a perfect reflection of the bride and groom.

Part 3 - More Cliff Wedding Details.

Before we move on to this weekend's wedding I wanted to show you a few more of the cool details from our Mother's Day weekend wedding and let you know who the great vendors were.

One of the coolest parts of the ceremony was the exchange of love letters.  Instead of a sand ceremony or unity candles, Tracey and Chris wrote each other a love letter.  During the ceremony the two letters were locked away in a wine box containing a bottle of their personalized wine and two goblets.  The box is to be opened on their one year anniversary and the letters will be read then.  How romantic is that!

After the ceremony guests were lined up on either side of the walkway and given a white balloon .  As the wedding couple passed each guest they let their balloon go.  Talk about your cool pictures.  Afterwards since it was a small wedding all the guests were gathered for a group picture before going to the reception.

One of my favorite touches was the pianist that played during cocktail hour.  I loved the candelabra on top of the carefully drapped runner.  So beautiful.

And last but not least, for a couple that loves golf, how cool is it to have guest sign a golf bag. 

In case you were wondering, the wonderful vendors for this wedding were:
Wedding Planner:  Willrich Bridal and Special Events
Ceremony:  Cliff's of Glassey Chapel
Reception:  Cliff's Valley Clubhouse
Florist:  Bella Blooms
Harpist:  Donna Germano
DJ:  Life of the Party, Robert Batson
Pianist:  Brian Turner
Officiant:  Jerry Frye
Limo:  DL Limo
Makeup:  Patsy Glunt, Mary Kay
Lighting: Daniel Yopp, Better Tie Productions
Ballooms:  And Why Not Balloons
Photography:  John Gillespie Phtography
Video:  Bride Theater

Part 2 Details - Wedding at the Cliff's

I promised I'd give you more of the great details from this past weekend's wedding at the Cliff's, so let's look at some pictures. First off Tracey and Chris ordered the cutest wooden signs to have displayed.  They were everything from table numbers to a sign that read "Eat, Drink and Remarry".  (This was a second wedding).  Notice the golf bag that was used as the guest book and the personalized bottles of wine that were guest favors.

Besides the beautiful centerpieces, a single flower was placed on each guest's napkin.  The meaning of that particular flower was attached to the flower. 

Paper products included the elegant menues, decorated with matching raffia ribbon. Menus were placed three on a table to allow guests to share and encourage conversation.

Also personalized coloring books were given to the children to keep them entertain during the festivites.

Tracey and Chris also had their monogram on not only the menues, the wall behind the DJ, but also on the dance floor.  This was my first time using a vinyl stick on monogram but it worked perfectly.

More to come tomorrow.....