Time to Announce the Venues for The Scarlet Wedding Tour on July 26, 2015 in Charleston! | The Wedding Show on the Go TM | Charleston, Atlanta, New York Nontraditional Wedding Planning & Design

Sara Skinner April 10, 2015

Oh, my goodness! It has been sooooo hard containing this info for the last couple weeks, y'all! If you know me even a little bit, you know keeping secrets is NOT my strong suit. The venues we've lined up for the next Scarlet Wedding Tour are going to be nothing short of uh-MAZE-ing! As you probably already know from the last Tour, we here at SPD pride ourselves on showcasing an array of venues to our guests. Last time we had Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, Boone Hall Plantation, Historic Rice Mill and Upstairs at Midtown as our venues giving guests a taste of four uniquely different Charleston venues. This time we're showing different locations but all still very much The Holy City. Three of them are downtown and the fourth is on nearby Johns Island, only 15 minutes from the Peninsula.

Sadly we can't share the design themes of the venues until they're revealed on Sunday, July 26, but make sure you buy your tickets now so you don't miss a thing!

Purchase tickets here!

First up we've got Wingate Plantation out on Johns Island. If you haven't been there yet, call Sarah and make an appointment right this second! It's a gorgeous hidden gem sitting on acres and acres of land just oozing with laid back Southern Charm.

Next we've got The Cedar Room at the old Cigar Factory on East Bay St. Oh, my stars, this venue absolutely kills me!! Opening later this spring, their 8000+ square feet of industrial, wide open event space is the perfect spot for larger weddings and events. Honestly it might be one of the biggest wide open event spaces (outside of a hotel ballroom) in Charleston and I'm smitten! Exposed brick, super tall ceilings, wood beams, and history...ah, l'amour! Oh, and they even have a gorgeous garden out back!

You'll never see this next venue coming... we've got Charleston's most haunted building, Old City Jail! Most folks are familiar with this building's sordid past and infamous former residents, some of which never moved on, but few are aware of the fact that it doubles as an event venue. Not for the faint of heart {or the very traditional couple!}, this space is perfect for the couple that craves something different {and maybe even a few phantom crashers!} for their Big Day!

Finally we are overjoyed to announce the fourth locale and one of Charleston's newest and most incredible venues, Cannon Green. Featuring two unique event spaces, The Trolley Room and The Courtyard, and an intimate 80 seat restaurant, Cannon Green is an absolute gem. Blending industrial elements with both rustic and Mediterranean, this venue is effortlessly chic and elegant while remaining firmly Southern. Easily one of the most unique venues in a city that is simply bursting with one-of-a-kind finds! And with Chef Amalia Scatena leading their culinary team, your guests will be wowed by not only the stunning venue but the menu as well.

Can you tell I'm excited?!? Y'all, I seriously can't even. Eeeek! This Tour is going to be showstopping and we cannot wait to load all our lovely engaged couples onto the buses provided by Lowcountry Valet again {arguably my favorite transportation vendor in the history of ever, I mean, have you seen their fleet?!}. Fully restored vintage cars and buses, tandem bicycles, and even a couple school buses.... Oops, I'm off on a tangent!

In any case, we look forward to seeing you on Sunday, July 26 on the Scarlet Wedding Tour!

happy planning, loves!

sara

7 things to do the morning of your wedding | wedding planning advice | charleston, atlanta, new york nontraditional wedding planner

Sara Skinner March 19, 2015

OH MY GOODNESS! Today is the Big Day!!! What are you doing the morning of your wedding? All too often when I ask this question my sweet brides start listing a million things they have to finish up and I just want to beg them to take it easy so I figured it was probably high time for a blog on this subject. The only things you should be doing the morning of your wedding are relaxing with your nearest and dearest and being pampered by your makeup artist, but here are a few of our tried and true suggestions!

1. Eat a big old breakfast! Then eat a big old lunch! You're probably not going to have another chance to eat for a very long time so eating now is essential. And odds are, your bridesmaids have lots of champagne ready to be poured so avoid getting tipsy on an empty tummy and eat up! Tip: make sure its high in protein and complex carbs to keep you going for hours.

photo credit :: the click chick photography — photo credit :: the click chick photography

2. Spend the morning with people you actually want to be around. There's no law or rule saying you have to spend the whole morning with every single person in your immediate and extended family, bridal party and well meaning visitors, so if a big huge group is not really your scene, ditch the crowd and just kick it with your mom and bestie! And guess what? If you want to sneak out and have coffee with your soon-to-be hubby, that's just fine too! The one and only person who was able to calm my nerves the morning of my wedding was Tony and thank god he stopped by the house to pick up his forgotten tie and check in on me. One hug and a smooch from that handsome fella was all I needed to soothe my frazzled nerves and get my day started right! So throw the rules away, smooch your sweetheart and dance on the bed with your bestie!

3. Stay hydrated! For every glass of champagne (or coffee) you have follow it with a glass of water. No, it will not make you look bloated but it will keep you from getting a headache or getting tipsy too early in the day. Seriously, nobody wants to be that hammered bride at her own wedding...save that for your bridesmaids weddings!

4. Write a sweet card or letter to your love! Have your wedding planner or a bridesmaid deliver it to him with your groom's gift. Or better yet, exchange the letters with a door between you to keep from seeing each other and read them at the same time. Bonus points if the photographer catches either of those things in motion! #swoon

5. Steal one of your sweetie's favorite button down shirts to get ready in. When getting your hair and makeup done the morning of your wedding the last thing you want to do is wear a tee shirt that you'd have to pull over your beautiful hair and makeup risking smudges and smears and ruining your lovely hair. By snagging one of his beloved button downs your hair and makeup will be safe and your getting ready shots will be even more special. Bonus points if its one of his college team shirts!

6. Do a "First Look" with your parents or just your dad. Everyone is always talking about the First Look with the groom, but the first time your mom and dad see you all made up and in your wedding gown, the tears are bound to flow and stunning heartfelt, tear-jerking photos are usually the result!

7. Take a few minutes alone to let it all sink in. Pray, meditate, cuddle with your dog, do whatever brings you peace when everything around you is going at full speed. You've spent months, maybe even a year or longer, planning a wedding and now that it's finally here, try to slow down for just a few minutes and find some quiet. This day is going to fly by and if you don't stop to enjoy it, it'll pass you by in the blink of an eye. Let the joy that this day is filled with come into your heart and just try to focus on the new life you and your beloved are forging from this day forward.

photo credit :: catherine ann photography

Well, there you have it! Those are our favorite tips and suggestions for the morning of your wedding! What are some of yours?

Happy planning, my loves!

Sara

Scarlet Wedding Tour | Kate Spade Chic at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina | Charleston Wedding Tours Bridal Show Alternative | Charleston, Atlanta, New York Nontraditional Wedding Planning & Design

Sara Skinner February 27, 2015

Our first and last stop on the Scarlet Wedding Tour was the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, arguably one of my absolute favorite venues in all of Charleston. With several impressive venues right on site for weddings and events, CHRM and their amazing event team are my first stop when venue hunting for clients or working on one of our many editorial shoots. Shannon Hartman, the director of sales at CHRM, was one of the first people I spoke with when we first started planning the Tour and she went above and beyond for us in the months that followed.

We used the Yacht Club above the Fish House for the afterparty. With enormous windows and panoramic views of the Charleston Harbor, the Ravenel Bridge and most of downtown Charleston, the Yacht Club is absolutely breathtaking. The last time we were at CHRM we put together an amazing nautical wedding inspired photo shoot (recently seen in Charleston Weddings Magazine) but wanted to stray from Nautical and show that although the space is perfect for that design theme, you're not limited to only that!

Our design was inspired by Kate Spade, all things elegant, clean and fun. We started with black, white and gold as our base colors and added an array of blush pink, peach, fuchsia, lilac, dusty rose, and lots of greens to round out our stunning and fresh color palette. It was the perfect setting for the private after party! We used elegant black sequined linens on the high top tables, black and white chevron sequined runners on our white farm table estate tables, paired with square plates, perfect gold flatware and used Riedel red wine glasses with delicate Kate Spade polka dotted white wine glasses to finish off our tablescape.

happy planning!

love, Sara

Gorgeous Gayla of Tiger Lily Weddings putting the finishing touches on their stunning floral design!

Try moving the table runners from the center of the table to either side tucked under your plates for a fun, fresh take on tradition! Black and white keeps it elegant while the chevron and the pop of pink in the napkins keep it light and unexpected! Gold flatware on square plates were the perfect finishing touches for this tablescape.

How perfect are these invitations?! Brydon Holsey & I collaborated on the design and it came out incredible! All I had to do was give Brydon my inspiration and color palette and she just absolutely nailed it!

This cake by Monica at Sablee might be my most favorite part of the entire design! I mean, how can you go wrong with polka dots, stripes, gold confetti and our very own Scarlet ampersand?!

The cakes Monica makes are absolutely outstanding and we just love taking our clients to do tastings at her West Ashley bakery.

The catering provided by Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina was outstanding...as always!

Local favorite Firefly Vodka sponsored the tasty cocktails our guests enjoyed!

Ampd Entertainment played remixed tunes and kept the party bumping! They're easily one of our favorite DJ's in the South and one of the first vendors we recommend to clients that want to get the party started and keep it going!

Gorgeous cakes and outstanding tastings by Gardenia's Custom Cakes and Catering. Bit of trivia for ya, the owner of Gardenia's, Desmond Pringle, and I go waaaaay back to my pastry days in Atlanta when we were on the same pastry team. Working with him was probably my favorite part of being a pastry chef! Desmond even made my wedding cake when Tony & I got married back in 2011. Love me some Desmond!

The Scarlet Wedding Tour | Charleston Wedding Venue Tours | A Wedding Show Alternative | Charleston, Atlanta, New York Nontraditional Wedding Planning & Design

Sara Skinner February 9, 2015

This past weekend was easily one of the hardest and most rewarding weekends of my career. My team and I have spent just about the last full year talking about, planning, designing and pulling off essentially 4 events in one day. We took engaged couples and their loved ones on tours of 4 of Charleston's most amazing wedding venues before ending with a super fun private after party. Each venue featured a different design by a Scarlet planner complete with live models styled by a Scarlet stylist, full tablescapes, floral designs, tastings by award winning caterers, cocktails, epic wedding cakes (and even a cake made entirely out of cheese wheels!), and so much more!

More than anything I need to thank my incredible team and our amazing sponsors. Without them this event never would've happened. I love all of you!

My venue was Boone Hall Plantation. Most people opt for the Cotton Dock, but that's not what we wanted. We went for the Back Patio and it was perfect for my design! It's funny how my design went from being super Tuscan inspired to ending up kind of a mash up of all things "Sara". I basically created a wedding that was entirely 100% me without even realizing it! We mixed some Italian/Tuscan pieces, a killer vintage airstream, farm tables topped with mismatched plates that could've been just as easily at home in my Nonna's cupboard as they were on our tables, fun travel themed pieces like vintage globes and suitcases (thanks, Whitney!), a little bit of my love for Wes Anderson flicks, and some very fun Boho touches to create this one of a kind theme!

Enjoy!

vendors

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Sweet Taylor Girl one of our favorite bloggers (Holy City in Heels) acted as our lovely bride model paired with Max owner of Holy Smoke Smoked Olive Oil as our handsome groom. We put Taylor in a stunning lace Sareh Nouri gown (arguably one of my favorite designers EVER) with an illusion neckline and back. I mean, what's more Italian than lace? Niente! Max was decked out in a classic black tux from Charleston Tuxedo.

I'd say this "cake" is probably my favorite piece of this entire design. I mean, seriously? A cake made entirely out of cheese-wheels is legit the coolest thing I've ever seen and perfect for the couple that loves savory more than sweet! And with a cake like this, there's no need to wait until late in the evening to slice that bad boy and mangia!

Vintage globes throughout the tablescapes kept the vibe fresh and unexpected.

Individual baguettes wrapped in kitchen paper with a spring of rosemary tucked in atop vintage china plates with gold flatware completed our "Family Style" feel on the guest table. If you're in the market for gorgeous vintage plates, gold flatware or any other unique table toppers, look no further than our friends at Polished!

Sweet Brydon at By Brydon Fine Paper Designs absolutely knocked our paper suite out of the park with the colors she chose and the design we collaborated on! And how about that canary yellow diamond on Taylor's ring? Amazing!

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With the bride getting so much attention and say so when it comes to the wedding plans, we KNEW we had to do something pretty epic for the fellas! A vintage airstream inspired by Teddy Roosevelt and all his manly machismo decked out as a quirky cigar lounge and bourbon bar was perfect!

click on an image above to enlarge

click on an image above to enlarge

Friendor Spotlight | Forage + Fleur by Rebekah Clark Moody | Scarlet Wedding Tour Sponsors | Charleston, Atlanta, New York Nontraditional Wedding Planners & Designers

Sara Skinner December 15, 2014

I am starting to get incredibly excited about the Scarlet Wedding Tour, y'all! We've got less than 2 months to go and so much in store for our guests!

Today I'm delighted to introduce everyone to the super talented Rebekah Clark Moody of Forage + Fleur. She's so much more than just a talented young woman, she's sweet and funny and kind and we just adore working with her and introducing her to our clients. She's one of the floral designers guests will see on the tour and she's doing two of our fabulous venues! Her designs will be at The Historic Rice Mill and Upstairs at Midtown.

How long have you been in the event business? and/or business for yourself? I have been in the event industry for almost three years (wow, time flies) and I launched my business in August 2014.
What inspires you? Authentic moments. Whether it’s sitting down for an intimate dinner with family and friends or getting to know new people at creative gatherings, I love spending that time to create memories. Beautiful light. There’s just something amazing about working on a project when the lighting is just right. I recently worked on my first styled bridal shoot where we recreated the English countryside. Looking through the camera lens when the light highlighted the model and my floral bouquet, how could you not get inspired? And lastly an amazing meal. Sitting down with good friends and good food inspires me greatly. The structure and menu of a well planned meal has the ability to make me think creatively of how a well designed arrangement could compliment the moment and enhance the atmosphere.
What will guests of the Scarlet Wedding Tour be seeing from you? Soft, lush blooms with lots of greenery mixed in. The floral arrangements that I design are very natural and whimsical. I forage and work with flowers in their natural state. If my flowers or greens naturally fall to the right I put them on the right. When you see my designs I want them to look as if these flowers naturally grew together and I simply put them in a vase with unique variations and vibrant colors.
What are some of your favorite venues to work at? Some of my absolute favorite venues in Charleston are River Oaks Charleston, Boone Hall, and Runnymede Plantation.
What do you love most about this industry? I love the ever-changing nature of the event industry. Each and every event is unique, so it is fun to collaborate with other creative vendors to make each event remarkable. We as artists evolve and change over time. It’s inspiring for me to see our work evolve and change through our collaborative process.
What do you hope guests of the Scarlet Wedding Tour will take away from this experience? Inspiration and peace of mind. The wedding planning process can be quite challenging, so having good vendors that can help guide you along the way is crucial.
Name one thing/place someone coming to Charleston from out of town must see or do. I would spend a day downtown, walking along the Battery, exploring all the beautiful historic homes, and eating at some amazing restaurants... like the Ordinary, Husk, or Two Boroughs Larder. Ok, maybe that is more than one.

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Scarlet Plan & Design