An Organic Olive Green and Khaki Wedding at Runnymede Plantation
Trust us, this isn't your average southern wedding. The minute we laid eyes on this stunningRunnymede Plantation affair planned by Tara Guerard, we instantly fell in love with its unique color palette of olive green and khaki hues and organic décor elements of bamboo, brass and palm leaves. Tec Petaja perfectly captured every Pinterest-worthy detail of the day. Prepare to spend a little extra time on this one, folks... it's a real beauty!
HOW DID YOU MEET?
From the Bride... One of my best friends from college was dating one of his best friends from college when we were living in NYC. We all met up to go to a Reptar concert in Brooklyn.
SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROPOSAL AND ENGAGEMENT RING(S).
We got engaged in Tulum the first night we were there. It was just the two of us there that first night and it was a really private, special moment. The next day two of our friends got there and we had an incredible trip. The ring is a solitaire pear shaped ring with gold band. Exactly what I would have picked out myself!
WHAT WAS YOUR PLANNING EXPERIENCE LIKE?
Fun and easy! Tara & Soiree did all the leg work and each trip to Charleston to do the planning was a mini-vacation!
THE LOCATION:
Charleston at Runneymede Plantation. We knew we wanted everything to be outside because we both love nature and being outdoors. It was the ideal venue for that, right on the Ashley river with Spanish moss trees and nothing else. We loved the rustic elements and the fact that it was a “blank slate” with no built structures.
DID YOU HAVE A FIRST LOOK?
Yes. At Runneymede before the guests arrived.
DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING LOOKS!
I wore a Lela Rose dress that was off white with a subtle pattern on the sheer overlay. Simple Stuart Weitzman block heels & tiny diamond crawlers on my ears. Jamie wore a navy suit and khaki linen tie.
DESCRIBE THE WEDDING PARTY ATTIRE.
8 bridesmaids, 2 matrons of honor, 10 groomsmen & 1 best man. Then 8 house party, 4 ushers & 3 flower girls – my dog, Runi & my brother-in-law’s nieces. The bridesmaids/matrons wore olive green dresses with a high neck halter and the groomsmen wore blue suits with khaki linen ties. House party wore various shades of nude and blush.
WHAT INSPIRED YOUR OVERALL THEME/STYLE?
We wanted it to be feel very organic and like a casual outdoor garden party. We wanted everything to blend in with the surrounding natural beauty and to feel like a big cocktail and dinner party with all the people we love, followed by a really fun dance party. Music was also a key part of the whole night.
WHAT WAS YOUR COLOR PALETTE?
Olive green, khaki, and wood & brass accents. Olive green table cloths, greenery, palm leaves hanging from ceiling in tent, khaki linen napkins and upholstery, sisal runner at ceremony, bamboo & brass accents throughout.
WHAT WAS SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR STATIONERY?
We loved everything lettered Olive did for us. The invitations looked like they were on vintage, textured paper with olive green calligraphy – very organic and casually understated. We went more modern and used fun patterns for itinerary & guest booklets.
LET’S TALK BLOOMS.
I really wanted a collected, organic garden feel - nothing fancy or too manicured. We used quicksand roses, ranunculus, dahlias, olive branches, rosemary, & eucalyptus. Soiree really ran with my inspiration photos and surprised me with final product and it was all perfect!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CEREMONY DÉCOR.
We really didn’t decorate too much here because the giant Spanish moss tree & Ashley River spoke for themselves. We did a sisal runner going down the aisle, simple wood pews and cross covered in flowers at the front. When you first got the center aisle, there was a beautiful, custom wood canopy overhead with drapery, white sheers hanging from it. Everyone had to walk under this to get escorted to their seats.
DID YOU INCORPORATE ANY CULTURAL, TRADITIONAL OR SENTIMENTAL ELEMENTS INTO YOUR WEDDING DAY?
I’d say music selection for the ceremony & dinner party was really sentimental and important to both of us. Every song choice was an accumulation of songs we loved, at some point in our lives. We also had a close friend sing a Leon Bridges song mid-ceremony and it was soo beautiful and special for us!
DID YOU HAVE ANY UNEXPECTED CEREMONY MUSIC CHOICES?
I think most of them were unexpected to most of the guests because didn’t tell anyone our selections. Families were seated to Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez, Wedding party to Never in my wildest dreams by Dan Auerbach and I walked down to First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes. We then exited to Father John Misty’s Real Love Baby.
DESCRIBE YOUR RIDE.
Wedding parties rode out to the venue on trolleys and our get away car was a vintage, blue ford mustang!
DID YOU HAVE A COCKTAIL HOUR?
Yes! We used my family’s margarita recipe and served those as specialty drinks during cocktail hour
WHAT MENU ITEMS MADE IT A MEAL TO REMEMBER?
Literally everything from Cru Catering was incredible! We did a family style “tapas” dinner. Everything from shrimp & grits, BBQ quail, tomato pies, oysters, crab cakes, beef tenderloin, brussel sprouts, macaroni, and of course French fries!
DESCRIBE YOUR CAKE AND/OR DESSERT(S).
Bride’s cake: Layers of Creme Caramel, Lemon, Coconut & Cookies and Cream. Grooms Cake: Marcona Almond with Chocolate Ganache
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR FIRST DANCE SONG?
Don’t Like you I love you By Luu…We both loved this song and knew early on this would be our first dance song. We found it on a road trip one weekend.
WHAT KIND OF MUSIC PLAYED THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT?
We spent days making a playlist for the dinner and wanted it to be played LOUD throughout the tent so the dinner really felt like part of the party. Simply Irresistible played at the reception and they were SO. MUCH. FUN. They played a variety of old funk and soul and newer, more current songs.
LOOKING BACK, WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE WEDDING?
The dinner. It was our first time we really had to sit down, relax and take it all in! It was so special to be sitting at that table with our families and wedding party & surrounded by everyone that we love. It was also the first time we got to really look at everything and appreciate how it all came together – everyone’s hard work really paid off! The company, food, décor & music made it the most fun dinner party of our lives!
WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND YOUR WELCOME BAG?
Everything represented Charleston. My favorite part was the recipe booklet that included recipes for some of the food served at our reception dinner.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ITEM YOU REGISTERED FOR AND WHY?
Tough question…. Espresso machine – we really wanted one and have used it every day since. Or linen sheets because we have always wanted some!
WHAT WEDDING ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR BEST-ENGAGED FRIEND?
Don’t sweat the small stuff and do a seated dinner and first look for sure! Those are the moments we appreciate the most now and we weren’t certain we were going to do either in the beginning. Also, be organized/detailed with your guest list & addresses early on. That’s the most tedious part so it helps to be organized from the start.
DID YOU HAVE ANY WEDDING DAY SNAFUS?
Hardly! Jamie and I were having so much fun and didn’t want to leave the reception…to the point where we almost missed our own send off and everyone’s sparklers had been burning while they were waiting for us.
Photography: Tec Petaja | Videographer: Sharkpig | Planner: Tara Guerard | Wedding Dress: Lela Rose | Stationery : The Lettered Olive | Catering: Cru Catering | Makeup: Meg Workman | Hair: Kristy Cuthbert | Band: Simply Irrestible | Officiant: Bill Christian | Transportation: Absolutely Charleston | Transportation : Dream Classic Rentals | Transportation : Carolina's Executive Limo Line | Wedding Venue: Runnymede Plantation | After Party Venue: Restoration on King | Bars: Snyder Event Rentals | Bridal Dresser: Cacky's Bridal Aid | Ceremony + Cocktail Hour Music: Peter Kiral | Ceremony Director: Lori Lethco | Photo Booth: Tap Snap | Plants: Plants Alive | Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals | Sound + Lighting: Production Design Associates
