Navy & Citron Nautical Wedding at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina | Charleston, Atlanta & New York Wedding Planner

Sara Skinner April 3, 2017

Preppy nautical weddings abound in the Lowcountry but Scarlet Plan & Design and The Click Chick Photography rocked the boat with this wedding coastal inspiration!

When Mackenzie, THE Click Chick, and I first started talking about doing a shoot together we knew it had to be nautical and it had to be at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina (aka CHRM). We're both obsessed with all things coastal so it was a natural fit and the perfect venue for our Nautical South Shoot.

We started with the very nautical navy and white as our base colors in the palette and used a fun citron green and a deeper emerald green as an unexpected pop of color throughout the entire shoot. After the color choices were made we started assembling a team of awesome, creative vendors perfect for pulling off the incredible shoot we're about to share with you!

Catering and mixology was done on site and was mouth watering to say the least! With the stunning Kristen Cook (AKA the real Miss Charleston!) as our bride and Citadel alum Ben Hebel as our handsome groom and professional ballet dancer Crystal Wellman as our Maid of Honor, our fake wedding party was ready to go! Can you believe how gorgeous they all look together?

My biggest piece of advice given to all my couples is to look into your own lives for inspiration and to stay true to yourselves to create a memorable and unique wedding that is completely YOU!

as always, happy planning my loves!

xoxo, Sara

Vendor List:

“Considering a sandy shores abound in the Lowcountry, it’s no shock that Charleston-based shutterbug Mackenzie Clark (aka the Click Chick) and Sara Skinner of Scarlet Plan & Design share an affinity for all things nautical. When an itch to highlight that aesthetic struck recently, the pair fashioned an inspiration shoot at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina bursting with maritime touches—from boat shoes to a compass-bound stationery suite. The result? A faux wedding any sea-loving couple would yen for. “Couples should look into their own lives and loves for inspiration,” says Sara. “If they stay true to the things that matter to them, the wedding will be unique and memorable.””

— Charleston Weddings Magazine

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Custom made oyster knives make the perfect bride & groom gifts for the nautical couple!

nautical wedding invitations and navy sperry topsider boat shoes

Custom designed invitations sporting real compasses were absolutely perfect for helping guests find their way to the wedding!

We opted to skip the traditional flower boutonniere and use a nautical knot instead. Believe it or knot (see what I did there? ha!) that gold anchor is an earring!

The gals at A Signature Welcome worked with us to craft a welcome bag we'd LOVE to give our own guests! They used our color palette paired with perfectly curated gifts sure to make your guests feel welcomed and at ease during their weekend in the sun with you at your wedding!

The morning of your wedding don't forget to bring one of your fiance's button down shirts to wear while you're getting your hair and makeup done and for all those sweet "getting ready" shots with your ladies!

Ah, the details...the stunning engagement ring with the citron stone was on loan from a private collection and is unavailable for purchase at this time (insert sad face here!), but everything else seen here can be yours! All jewelry was curated by Bridal Stylist Alden deHart for our shoot and can be yours simply by booking her services! See our Styling page for more info.

I wanted to do something completely off the wall but still wearable for the bride's gown so I paired a huge tulle ball-gown skirt from Gown Boutique of Charleston with a navy and white striped top from Target! When we started getting Kristen dressed we realized that we needed a belt around her waist so Alden used a fabulous pearl necklace wrapped in a grosgrain navy and white striped ribbon and it was perfect! And don't even get me started on how much I adore that rope necklace!

In sticking with our nontraditional wedding attire, we had Ben rock dark washed jeans paired with a pale blue button-down and a crisp white tuxedo jacket. It was the perfect choice for our seafaring couple!

This is probably one of my favorite images from the entire shoot. All 3 of the models wore custom navy and white Sperrys and they could not have been more perfect! I mean, boat shoes for a nautical wedding?! Obvi! And wouldn't they make the perfect gifts for your wedding party?

A live sketch artist to capture your wedding day and provide a little entertainment for the guests is one way to go when you want to stray from the expected at your wedding!

Y'all, that's a real working cannon from the 1800's that my sweet hubby's buddy let us borrow. That little thing must weigh about 70 freaking pounds! Thanks for helping us get that out there, Snyder! And thanks for letting us borrow it, Chris!

See that beautiful catamaran in the background? We shot our next (and final) scene aboard her and you're going to love the unique Grand Exit "vehicle" we chose for this faux wedding!

For our Grand Exit aboard the OM catamaran we took Kristen out of the boatnecked 3/4 sleeved shirt and rope necklace and put her in a fun white and blue tank top and a more casual anchor necklace. We changed Ben's solid blue shirt to a fun floral printed shirt from Banana Republic. Captain Banff Luther sailed us out around the peninsula, around the harbor and all over Charleston treating us to a KILLER sunset and unparalleled views of the Battery and all the way up to Fort Sumter. I'd highly recommend booking a cruise on his cat with your friends ASAP!

What boat trip would be complete without someone pretending to be King of the World?

Could these two be any more gorgeous together?!

I spy the Charleston Battery in the background!

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!

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click on an image above to enlarge

Friendor Friday | Dana Cubbage Photography | Charleston Wedding Photographers | Charleston Wedding Design | Scarlet Plan & Design Wedding Tour

Sara Skinner November 15, 2014

I am so excited to talk about my good friend Dana Cubbage of Dana Cubbage Weddings on the blog today! She was one of my first friends here in Charleston and is one of my go-to photographers when I have clients looking for a photographer with her clean, elegant, timeless style. Dana is quick to laugh and has to be one of the easiest people I know to get along with. Brides and grooms just adore her and we are absolutely delighted to have her on The Scarlet Wedding Tour.

We've put some fun questions together for folks to get to know the sponsors of The Tour a little better. Enjoy!

happy planning, loves!

Sara

how long have you been in the event business? and/or business for yourself? Photography was always a hobby of mine, but my background is in business + finance. After 7 years in corporate America, I was laid off at the most perfect time and became a full-time wedding photographer! It was the push I needed to make it happen! I've been shooting weddings full-time since August 2012 :)
what inspires you? Traveling, new locations, beautiful light, color, texture, architecture, nature, my clients… there is so much beauty in our every day life!
what will guests of the scarlet wedding tour be seeing from you? I'll be photographing all of the lovely details that the Scarlet Plan & Design team creates! Shooting details is one of my most favorite things!
what are some of your favorite venues to work at? I absolutely love plantations + nautical settings! Luckily, Charleston has plenty of them. In Charleston, I'd have to say my favorite venues are Lowndes Grove, the William Aiken House, + the Legare Waring House… but honestly, there isn't a "bad" venue in town!! I just really love the versatility of those places :)
what do you love most about this industry? The camaraderie among the vendors. I've met SO many incredible people in this industry and I feel like we are so very lucky to be surrounded by such creative AND kind people!
what do you hope guests of the scarlet wedding tour will take away from this experience? I hope they are able to see the possibility of creating a unique wedding experience for themselves and their guests. I hope they come away with new ideas + inspiration on what is possible!
name one thing/place someone coming to charleston from out of town must see or do. Taco Boy :) You know it's my fave! Other than eat, I'd say take a walk downtown South of Broad. It's magical down there!

Takeover Coordination End of Summer Special | Charleston Wedding Design | Atlanta Wedding Design | New York Wedding Design

Sara Skinner September 4, 2014

With this amazing summer drawing to a close and dates still open on our calendar for Fall and Winter 2014, we're offering Takeover Coordination (similar to the Day Of Coordination packages most people are familiar with) for only $1400 for couples getting married in Charleston, SC and Atlanta, GA! What a deal, right?! Only one catch, you must book or inquire about our services by September 30th to secure your date at this rate.

Happy planning, my loves!