Jesslynn + Scott, River Room at St. Paul's | Augusta, GA

As wedding planners, it is always fun when we get to do something a little bit different from the norm. This wedding season has been filled with clients who are asking for something different, unique, and reflective of them as a couple. Jesslynn and Scott came to us knowing that they wanted to do a full Catholic mass ceremony at St. Mary's on the Hill, followed by a brunch reception somewhere light-filled and beautiful. 

After considering a couple of options, we settled on The River Room at St. Paul's. Hidden in plain site, the venue sits right on the Riverwalk in downtown Augusta and is filled with gorgeous, natural light. We tented the patio along the Riverwalk to add some shade for guests to enjoy the absolutely stunning weather that is April in Augusta, Georgia.

It was there under the tent that we staged a DIY mimosa and Bloody Mary bar, because what is a brunch wedding without that? To accompany the tasty drinks, we brought in Jennifer Shuford of Tastefully Yours Catering, to provide the most delicious brunch menu. It included variations of Eggs Benedict, classically Southern shrimp n'grits, and of course her signature charcuterie display. 

Scott knew one of his must-haves was some fun music, so we unlisted the help of Carl Purdy to put together a bluegrass ensemble that added the perfect background while guests mingled. One of our favorite details were the sweet trio of cakes by our friend Lila Greene, as you can see below it was one of our groom's favorite details as well!

Scroll down to enjoy the gorgeous images captured by Ashley Seawell Photography. Thank you to Jesslynn, Scott, and both of their families for entrusting us with your big day, it was such a pleasure to be a part of!

Event Design and Coordination: Greg Boulus Events | Florals & Paper Goods: Charleston Street | Photography: Ashley Seawell Photography | Catering: Jennifer Shuford of Tastefully Yours | Venue: River Room at St. Paul's | Cake: Lila Greene | String Quartet & Bluegrass Ensemble: Carl Purdy | Hair & Make-up: Cucumber & Mint | Bridal Gown: Romona Keveza | Ceremony Venue: St. Mary's on the Hill Catholic Church

5 Ways to Elevate Your Wedding Design | Wedding Planning Tips

We are based in Augusta, Georgia, a city where there are only so many wedding venues to go around and only so many that can fit the large guest counts that our clients typically have. Spaces get booked up fast and clients are always looking for ways to reinvent the look of the space to be reflective of them and their wedding day. It's not an easy task when you have multiple events at the same venues year after year, but we try and keep things fresh and different for each of our clients while also keeping with their needs. 

After being in the wedding business for over 15 years, Greg has learned what elements of the design you should elevate to create the most impact. These can differ in importance depending on the kind of event you are producing, but generally they are the key components that take a standard wedding and make it extraordinary. 

Here are our top 5 ways to elevate your wedding design:

1. Chairs

We find that swapping out the banquet chairs that come with the venue for a decorative rental chair is one of the biggest impacts you can make in changing the look of your wedding or event. Banquet chairs are clunky visually, usually don't come in a great color, and are heavy to move around. Depending on your personal style and what direction you wanted to take the style of your event, chiavari chairs, crossback chairs, infinti chairs, or even ghost chairs are a huge way to change the overall look.

Image by Lauren Carnes Photography

Image by Ashley Seawell Photography

Image by Lauren Carnes Photography

Image by Mark Williams Studio

2. Linens

Your standard catering linens come in white, black, and maybe if you're lucky, ivory. They're a stiff material, with not much flow or softness to them. They may not even reach the floor if they're not sized appropriately. Linens are our next big impact item that we use to change the look of an event. This particularly comes in handy in country clubs and other venues that have a pretty set floorplan that you have to stick to. Linens are a great way to inject color, texture, and pattern. We also love using linen napkins when possible over paper. When your guests sit down to eat at your reception, they will notice the quality of both instantly. 

Image by Ashley Seawell Photography

Image by Lauren Carnes

Image by Robin Gerrard Photography

Image by Lauren Carnes Photography

3. Glassware

We always recommend our clients bring in a beautiful charger for their seated dinners, but where you can really elevate the look of the table is in the glassware. Most catering china is white with a fairly inoffensive pattern and if you need to save, the china is where we would do so. However renting nicer crystal glassware makes a huge impact not only visually (really de-clutters the look of the table with the thinner lines), but also in your guests' experiences. A nicer wine glass is so much more enjoyable to drink out of and to hold. 

Image by Lauren Carnes

Image by Lauren Carnes

4. Lighting

Another huge impact element to bring into your event design is lighting. Whether that be mood lighting, spotlighting, or decorative lighting. Up-lighting not only inside your venue, but also outside is a huge game changer. It defines the boundaries of your space. Decorative lighting allows you to dim the overhead lighting in your venue, which changes the mood instantly (and who likes fluorescent lighting!?). We also love utilizing pin-spots to highlight important elements such as your cake, votive candles to add ambiance, and market lights to make any space feel more festive.

Image by Lauren Carnes Photography

Image by Amy Noon Free

5. Lounge furniture

We've said it once, we'll say it again, soft seating is such a fun way to bring a different look into a space. Not only does it add additional seating for your guests to enjoy, but it also can add texture, dimension, and even color to your wedding or event. We love using lounge furniture around the dance floor to give guests a soft place to land and watch everyone enjoying themselves. 

Image by Lauren Carnes

Image by Lauren Carnes

Image by Robin Gerrard

10 Wedding Invitation Etiquette Tips | Wedding Planning Tips

As many of you may know, we also offer full-service wedding invitation and stationary design services here at Charleston Street! And while we have always offered these services, we have recently expanded the lines we carry to include William Arthur, Vera Wang, Arzeberger, Crane & Co., & Page Stationary. This way we can cater to a variety of styles and price points to find the perfect solution for every bride. 

We love getting the opportunity to design invitations with our clients as it allows us to continue the event design across all mediums. But our clients love it because it gives them the opportunity to ask us all of those pesky etiquette questions that not everyone knows the answers to! So today we thought we would share our top 10 most frequently asked (and answered!) wedding invitation etiquette questions and tips!

1. When do we send out our invitations?

Really the first question you need to ask before you ask the above is when do you need to send out save-the-dates if you are doing so. Save-the-dates can be sent out anywhere from six to eight months in advanced. Then traditionally, the actual invitation is sent out six to eight weeks before the wedding date. If you are doing a destination wedding, then we suggest sending the invites out three months in advanced to allow for plenty of time for guests to make their travel arrangements. 

2. When should our RSVP deadline be?

We recommend making the RSVP deadline date two to three weeks before the wedding date. This gives you enough time to give numbers to caterer, rental companies, etc. as well as finalize your seating chart if you plan on having a seated dinner. 

3. Spell everything out!

Street addresses, names, even "post office box" should all be spelled out. Additionally, no abbreviations for states, city names, and numbers smaller than 20. However "Mr. and Mrs." can be abbreviated if you choose to do so.

4. Where do I put my registry information on the invitation? 

It is actually considered to be impolite to include your registry information on your save-the-date or wedding invitation as it implies that you are asking for gifts. We recommend to our couples that they tell close friends and family where they are registered and then let them fill in the rest of your guests. Alternatively, if you have a wedding website you could include that information there.

5. Where do I include my wedding website information?

Speaking of which, where should you include your wedding website info? Having a wedding website is especially useful if you are having a destination wedding or lots of out-of-town guests. It's a quick and easy way to get information out there about hotel blocks, welcome party details, and as we mentioned above, wedding registry info! We recommend if you have a website, to include that information on your save-the-date. If you're not doing save-the-dates, you could also print that information on a small card that can be inserted into your wedding invitation suite. 

6. How can we tell our guests what our dress-code will be?

First and foremost, your wedding invitation design will signal to your guests what they can expect. A traditional invitation with letterpress and calligraphy can indicate a more formal affair, whereas a more fun, colorful invitation will show guests the event will be more casual. However the easiest way to let your guests know is by indicating on the reception card, "black tie" "cocktail attire" or "casual attire."

7. Make sure to address your guests properly!

Address married couples as "Mr. and Mrs.," followed by the husband's first and last name (you can list both full names if you want). When a woman keeps her maiden name, list the names in alphabetical order. For an unmarried couple who live together, write their names on two separate lines. If the wife is a doctor, her full name comes first, "Doctor Jones and Mr. John Smith." When the husband is a doctor, the title should say "Doctor and Mrs." and if both husband and wife are doctors, the envelope should read "Drs. Sarah and John Smith." A single woman should be addressed as "Miss" if she is under 21, "Ms" if she is over. 

8. Does every guest need a plus-one?

No, unless the guest is married or in a serious relationship, you do not need to give them a plus-one. Most of your guests will realize this if you address their invitation without the customary "and guest." If they still RSVP with two guests, just give them a quick phone call and explain that you are trying to keep your wedding guest list to close family and friends. However we do recommend that if most of your guests will be coupled up, it is considerate to extend your single friends a plus-one. 

9. We are having a no-kids wedding, how do we tell this to our guests politely?

As we mentioned above, the most effective way to ensure your guests know who to bring is to address your invitations correctly by specifying each name. Again, if you still find some loved ones are RSVPing with more than expected, give them a call and explain the situation to them. 

10. Where does the return address go on the envelope?

Traditionally the return address is placed on the back flap of the envelope, addressed to the person who is considered to be the wedding's "host." That could be either you or your parents, but whoever is hosting is typically responsible for the response cards. Friendly reminder that the RSVP card envelope should have this information printed on it as well, and don't forgot to include postage!

We hope these tips help answer some of your questions that you've always wondered but have been too afraid to ask! One final piece of advice, be prompt with your thank you notes! 

Infographic Image by Lauren Carnes Photography