Modern Sophisticate



WRITER CREDIT: 
PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
Modern Sophisticate | <p> Melissa Barton of A Charleston Bride shows how easy creating an elegant setting can be when you stay neutral</p>
When A Charleston Bride’s Melissa Barton was tasked with turning a cinderblock wall into a chic cake-table scenario, she opted for low-key glamour. The results prove you can make over any setting. Her favorite element, she says, was the fabric backdrop she and her team erected. “It’s an incredibly easy way to add a dramatic touch,” she says. “The hanging also adds a unique element to the cake table, a part of the reception that is so often overlooked.” Once Melissa and crew settled on the overall concept, they opted for a neutral palette offset with art deco-style trappings and vintage pieces in silver and gold.


COLOR BLOCK
(above) A Charleston Bride purchased three-yard swaths of material from Hancock Fabrics in neutral suedes, velvets, and sheers. They cut each into 18- to 24-inch wide strips. Using a pipe frame from Life of the Party, they affixed a 2-by-4-inch wooden board across the top with zip ties. Next, they overlapped the frame with fabric and stapled each piece to the backside of the wood. The fondant-covered cake from Delicious Desserts was decorated in the same colors as the wall hanging and accented with a flower lined in gold for contrast.




TIME TO TOAST
(above) Many modern-day weddings embrace the trend toward signage-as-art. An added bonus for DIY brides? There are plenty of treats to dress your home long after the reception has wrapped. Case in point: A Charleston Bride commissioned Studio R to fashion a “Toast the Twosome” print in the same font and colors as the cake tags. They then slipped that piece into a galvanized metal frame from Celadon and voilà! Directions that act as décor and a keepsake frame for the couple. 




LEAN ON ME
(above) We’ve all seen it—a stunning bouquet laying like a toppled mushroom by a wedding cake. Sidestep that sad fate with a little embellishment, as A Charleston Bride did here. Purchase glass vases from a floral supply shop, then turn each bottom up and spray-paint all over in gold. After vases are fully dry, use them to prop up bouquets, or place weights at the base of each, drop your bouquets in, fill with water, and place on tables or bars at the reception. Too busy to tackle any of this on your Big Day? Enlist your maid of honor.




NATTY NAPKINS
(above) You’re sure to have leftover material after making this fabric hanging, so cut remnants into 9-by-9-inch squares with pinking shears and fold each into a napkin. In lieu of a cake sign, consider making what Studio R did for the Delicious Desserts confection: tags tied to champagne flutes inviting guests to sample the treat.

Event Design, Florals, Vases, & Lucite Plates: A Charleston Bride, www.acharlestonbride.com
Signage: Studio R, www.studio-r-design.com
Fabric: Hancock Fabrics, www.hancockfabrics.com
Baker: Delicious Desserts, www.verydeliciousdesserts.com
Table, Bar Cart, & Background Frame: Life of the Party, Ooh! Events, www.OohEvents.com
China, Glassware, & Silver: Polished, www.PolishedTabletop.com
 

The Wedding Row

April 5 2019
Jessica and Jay met online and dated long distance (she was here in Charleston, he was in Connecticut) before she made the move up North. The two came back to visit the Holy City often, though, and...

April 4 2019
Food plays a part in every aspect of this Atlanta, Georgia, couple’s relationship, from the first time they met to their Big Day at The Gibbes Museum of Art. It’s fitting, Alex says, as he owns that...

April 3 2019
We’ve all seen photos of Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s Jodhpur, India, nuptials by now, thanks to how social media was lit up with the bright colors and ornate designs of their festivities. But...

April 2 2019
When the bride owns a wedding and event planning company, you know her Big Day will be something remarkable. Such was the case for Liz, owner of Elegant Aura in Boston, Massachusetts. After her...

April 1 2019
Usually no one gets a word out of a barkeep regarding his or her personal life, so today’s an extra special treat considering the groom du jour is Jayce, longtime bartender and bar manager at Edmund’...

March 29 2019
Jackie and Conor both went to College of Charleston, but they didn’t meet until the New Year’s Eve after graduation. That’s when both were secretly set up by mutual friends (and Jackie’s sister) at...

March 28 2019
Magic brought Mary Jane and Alex together. No, really, it did—they met while working at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, part of Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Five years later, while on...

March 27 2019
Here’s how the writer-bride talks about meeting her now-hubs on their wedding site: “Liz and Chris lived in the same apartment complex. The ‘boys upstairs’—as they were lovingly known by the girls in...