Photographs by Peter Frank Edwards
July 9, 2012
Garden Chic
Pull up a chair at this amazing table from A Charleston Bride
Written by Melissa Bigner
Here’s a brilliant solution for the couple who wants a garden wedding but booked a Lowcountry venue in the throes of summer. Take the party inside—when it’s a summer like this one, where it’s still in the 90s after sundown, it’s usually your best bet. For our current issue of Charleston Weddings, we challenged A Charleston Bride with just such a task, and the gals there dreamed up this divine table blooming with its very own garden, favors-place cards that are seed sachets, and golden fig bud vases. I love how the colors—oranges, peaches, and yellows—were in softer, warm tones. It took the “hot” edge off the palette and further cooled things down without being too icy.
Read on for an overview and how-to’s, and click here for a gallery of images.
Overview
The Look: “We went for a garden chic table in warm summer tones,” says Melissa. “And we wanted it to look like something a couple would want for their own home.” With that in mind, the team fell for a swatch of peach and coral fabric (“Hip Floral Sorbet” from Calico Corners) that inspired the color palette. They sewed place mats, pillows, and Chiavari chair covers in the material, and picked a floral menu to repeat its colors for fresh, organic style.
The Florals: Mixing and matching delicate blooms (Juliet roses, hyacinth, and ranunculus) with earthy elements (ornamental cabbage leaves, Berzillia berries, and scabiosa pods) created an unpretentious vibe and added texture that synced with the unfinished table from Coralberry Cottage and wicker lights from Technical Event Company. Flanking the dominant arrangement and topping place settings with bud vases added pops of color throughout.
The Details: Menus were printed in-house on peach-toned paper with a calligraphy-style font, then wrapped and tied with long-stemmed grass. Place cards doubled as favors when herb bags were filled with flower seeds and sewn onto the card stock with a note reading “for your garden”. Painting a wooden “5” in gold made for a low-key table number, and offsetting the place mats modernized the look.
Do It Yourself
Menu Scrolls: Choose your colored cardstock and print your menu in a font that matches the rest of your wedding stationery. Then, print the word “Menu” on the back. Roll the menu and secure with a piece of grass that is wrapped and then tucked in so it stays put.
Favors and Place Cards: Purchase colored card stock and print name at top center. “We cut them down to 4x5 inches and rounded the corners with a punch from Michael’s,” says Melissa Barton. “We then used small seed bags and cut the draw string off the top. Next, we machine sewed the seed bags to the paper with a complimentary thread. You can add a cute saying by printing in on a complimentary colored paper and sew it along with the bag, too.”
Chair Covers: Start by taking your chair and draping your fabric along the back. Drape it over the back of the chair until it hits just above the seat. Leave about two inches all the way around and cut to size; you’ll fold the overlay over for a one-inch hem. Use this as a pattern for the other covers. Fix the hem in place with a sewing machine or Stich Witch. Next, either sew or adhere Velcro on the unfinished side to join it in place.
Place Mats: “To make the place mats, we cut them to size, allowing extra for the hemming—easy!” says Melissa. “We chose place mats because we wanted to add the pop of colorful pattern without doing runners (because it’s done so much). Once we starting playing with the settings, we wanted to display them in a unique and interesting way rather than the typical centered under the plate position. Plus, it allowed for more of the place mat to show on the table.”
