Reader Question: Help Planning a Charming Southern Wedding in Savannah

I love, love, LOVE it when a member of Tulle Nation writes to me and asks for help planning their wedding. It's always fun to hear about other people's ideas and plans and get to offer them a few more. Recently, Abby wrote to me and asked if I could help her come up with some budget-friendly ideas for her upcoming spring southern charm wedding.

I love, love, LOVE it when a member of Tulle Nation writes to me and asks for help planning their wedding. It's always fun to hear about other people's ideas and plans and get to offer them a few more. Recently, Abby wrote to me and asked if I could help her come up with some budget-friendly ideas for her upcoming spring southern charm wedding reception.

From Abby, "I am recently engaged to the most amazing guy
named Chris. His parents live in
Savannah, which happens to be where he proposed (let me tell you, not romantic
but perfectly us). Anyway, we're going
to be getting married there next April and I'm having a super hard time
envisioning it. We're hosting 30 people in a rental house for the weekend to
make it more of a vacation than a wedding production. That being said, I still want the wedding day
itself to be special with that southern charm kinda feel.

Image Courtesy of: Dominique Bader

I found this picture of the most beautiful
bouquet ever. I love the colors since
they are very spring-y, but if I had to break the colors out into a theme or
group, I'm stuck. This is where I was
hoping you could help…

Chris proposed in Lafayette Square while we were down
there for Christmas so, weather gods permitting, we'll be getting married
outside in the square. We're going to be
having dinner at a local restaurant, Vic's on the River, and desserts at the
rental house after.

We're all about making this a relaxed vacation for
everyone since they're taking the time off to come celebrate. I'd love to pull in some Savannah/southern
charm to go with the location. I haven't
gotten a dress yet, but I'm looking for something with lace. I like the very soft and romantic type of
look (I mean look at that bouquet. Stunning). Chris's main request – lots of good food and don't spend
a ton of money (love that he's got his priorities straight)."

Well Abby, here's what I've come up with for you:

• Georgia = Peaches – Embrace the local fruit (it'll be pretty affordable!) and use it as favors (these are created by Desiree Spinner Events) and incorporate them into the wedding's food and drink menu. Use a single peach as both a wedding favor and placecards!
• Banner and Branches Wedding Invitation Minibook™ Cards – I love the idea of buying or creating minibooks for your wedding. They contain all the information that your guests will need for your multiple venues and weekend plans. Yes, the postage will be a bit more but it will save you a lot of time and energy when every single person calls you over and over to double check details.
• Tiny Kiwi Creations – These paper heart garlands would make great decor in your reception dinner spot. You could buy them but if you have a good heart punch, lots of scrap paper and newspaper, a sewing machine, and some time (plus strong wrists) – you could totally DIY these yourself! Just punch, sew a long line and wind the garland around a mailing tube for transport.
• Vic's on the River – Love the clean walls and rustic beams. I think that you should ask the management if you can use 3M Command Hooks to hang garlands or banners from the ceiling or walls. That will help make the room feel more intimate and cozy.
• In lieu of a pricey evening meal, why not serve breakfast for dinner? Breakfast foods (like this biscuit bar designed by Jillian Event Design, cheese grits, and ham) are generally MUCH less expensive than a fancier sit-down dinner menu. You could even have just the biscuit bar for people to graze at and then serve peach pancakes or quiche as a plated meal.
• Who would think tin cans could be so perfectly Southern when wrapped in burlap and
  ribbon, with roses and hydrangea, and surrounded by fresh cut peaches? This centerpiece, created by Event Studio, Purcellville, VA, is budget-friendly and pulls some of the colors and feeling of your bouquet – but at a MUCH more affordable price point. Plus, peaches? Totally Georgia!
• For your dessert, why not stack mini pies on cake stands for an alternative to the more traditional wedding cake? This one (by Tara Guérard) is simple and can be baked and assembled in the days before the wedding (she even includes a recipe for Ginger Peach Almond Wedding Pie)!
• You could also use coffee filters to create a different (or second) garland for your reception space. This one (with a tutorial from Pam Garrison) is gorgeous in nudes and blushes and can easily be created with unbleached coffee filters, a few boxes of dye, a washing machine, and fishing line. Dye the filters before traveling to Savannah and then get your guests to help you assemble them into garlands before the wedding.

***Stop by Wednesday for my ideas on how Abby can incorporate southern charm into her wedding ceremony***

Anyone have any more good ideas for helping Abby plan her southern charm wedding reception?