Charleston Garden Festival Kick Off Pary
The splendid historic Edmondston-Alston House was this year’s backdrop to the kickoff party for the Charleston Garden Festival’s “A Night of a Thousand Butterflies.” If you wanted to pull out that summer dress one last time, this was surely the night to do so. The weather was warm, and patrons came to party. The entire courtyard was illuminated with torches, candles, and strands of lights covering bushes and life-size animal topiaries. Lanterns hung from the trees and a large whimsical butterfly chandelier dangled from the largest oak tree in the center of the courtyard. Mimi van Wyck Morrison—who, I am told, has designed events for P. Diddy, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, to name a few—was responsible for the night’s amazing decor. Carolina Catering provided delicious fare that included grouper ceviche with orange segments, jumbo lump crab cakes, and seared yellowfin tuna.
Tours of the Edmondston-Alston House were given throughout the night while guests also enjoyed the Garage Cuban Band who played traditional Cuban folk music which added some spice and zest to the evening. I had never seen the inside of the house, but was given my own private tour by assistant museum director Marguerite Getz, who highly recommends taking their Candlelight Tour during the holiday season. The house will then be dressed for the holidays, and guests get to enjoy the sights, sounds, and scents of the season as costumed interpreters tell the story of Christmas 1860.
Towards the end of the night, guests were given a sneak peek of nine premier exhibit gardens on a large screen monitor that were featured during the festival weekend at Middleton Place. Each of the gardeners reflected the festival theme “Metamorphosis.” Serenity Koi Pond owner Robert Lewis was the overall winner, who created his design around the entire 65 acres of landscaped terraces, shadowy allees, ornamental ponds and garden rooms of Middle Place —something that has never been done before.
