Charlotte + Carson, Spring Farm Wedding | Wadley, GA

In late May, we packed up all our team and made the journey out to Wadley, Georgia, a tight-knit community where we have had the pleasure of producing several weddings on beautiful farms that mean so much to our clients. We were thrilled when Charlotte and Carson got engaged and came to us to help them design and plan their big day on Charlotte's family's farm. They were envisioning a large tented reception to gather their many friends and family members to celebrate their long-awaited nuptials (Charlotte had just finished 4 years of medical school a few weeks prior!). 

The ceremony was held under a towering pecan tree on the property. Our floral designers hung thick garland of various greens and swaths of white fabric from its limbs to create the ultimate romantic backdrop for Charlotte and Carson to exchange vows under. While the weather was a bit touch-and-go the whole week leading up to the big day, we were incredibly lucky the day-of! There were some light sprinkles throughout the morning but the sun peered out from behind the clouds just as the couple exchanged their vows, creating the most incredible light that beamed through the pecan tree. It was truly magical!

After the ceremony concluded, guests made their way across the property to enjoy cocktail hour in front of the towering white sails of the reception tent. The beautiful wooden round bar you see below was built by Carson and his dad. After cocktails, guests moved into the main tent, enjoyed food and drinks, and danced the night away while the sun set over River Ridge Farms.

There were several wonderful highlights from this wedding day, it is hard to pick a favorite. The oh-so-talented Elaine Burge came and did two live paintings of the day! Guests looked on as she created one of the ceremony and one of the first dance. Highly recommend incorporating a live-artist for any event, it was amazing to watch her creative process. Another highlight included Carson and his band mates getting on stage and performing for the rest of the guests as their band, Cracker Jack Prize. The grand finale of it all though was the incredible firework display Carson surprised Charlotte with as they made their way to their limo. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day. 

We had an all-star vendor team for this one, with photography by Mark Williams Studio, the catering provided by the all-star JK Culinary team, and non-stop dance party courtesy of the Celebrity All-Star Band it was a day for the books! See the entire vendor list below.

Event Design & Production, Decorative Rentals, Linens by Greg Boulus Events | Floral Design & Paper Goods by Charleston Street | Photography: Mark Williams Studio | Catering & Bar Service: JK Culinary | Band: Celebrity All Star Band | Videography: CL Money Films |  Tenting & Rentals by Macon Tent Rentals | Ceremony Musicians: Soloist: Mike Jerel, String Quartet: led by Joe Kovac | Groom's Cake: Cake Art Studio | Wedding Cake: Tony Brett | Live Painting: Elaine Burge | Hair: Kellie Scarborough | Makeup: Kaleigh Simmons | Bridal Gown: Ines di Santo  | Men's Attire: Chancellor's Men Store | Bridesmaids Dresses: Hayley Paige

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