Charlotte Botanical Garden Wedding
This fall I had a handful of really amazing weddings with couples that really prioritized their guests’ experience. I can’t wait to share them all with you and we’re going to start with one I actually got to attend!
I don’t often get to attend the weddings I create for, but I’ve known Gwen and her family for awhile now (her sister is one of my best friends from grad school) and was so honored when she asked me to not only create for the day, but also attend the celebration.
As I got to know Gwen and Jake it was clear that they wanted their guests to feel included in the day and that they wanted to show off their city, Charlotte, NC. And we made sure the calligraphy details reflected that perfectly.
Gwen and Jake got married at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. With such a beautiful and unique space, I wanted to make sure the signage complemented the space and not took away from it.
During the ceremony we went with frosted acrylic signs for the welcome and unplugged ceremony signs. Using frosted acrylic made the lettering more visible while creating a simpler, more elegant style for their ceremony.
For the reception, we switched to a colored acrylic to create a more fun vibe for the signage. We opted for a clear acrylic so it blended with the beautiful venue; being able to see through the signs a bit made it feel like they were a part of the gardens, not just sitting in them.
Some of my favorite details were the table numbers. I was shipping everything to Charlotte, so creating a large scale seating chart installation would’ve taken a little extra coordinating. To accomplish integrating something personal and still shippable, Gwen and Jake named each of their tables after a favorite spot in Charlotte. I absolutely loved this detail - they had the name of the bar or restaurant followed by a short caption describing why they loved it.
Everything from a first date spot to a bar with a funny story, it gave the perfect personal detail for their wedding. The best part was sitting down at the reception and watching all the guests look at the table numbers and go from table to table to see what else was included. It ended up being a a fun interactive detail for the guests.
The last detail I’ll mention here was the place cards. We did special tile place cards for the head table and guests of honor. I love this idea, because it’s a budget friendly way to include a unique detail at the place setting without having one at every seat. It’s also a great way to recognize some special guests that may not be at the head table. It’s also a great option if you’re doing a sweetheart table or foregoing a head table at all.
I love working with couples that care about their guests and their experience. It makes my job really fun to creat something so personal. Your wedding should reflect you and have your guests feeling thought about. Details can really accomplish this and bring everything together.
Photos by: The Wedding Traveler
