Pattern Play

We’re having a majorly graphic “moment” (read : year) over at CCD. I’m blown away by the reams of fabulous fabrics out there and emboldened by the use of punchy chevrons, westernized ikats, oversized houndstooths, and more in both home decor and fashion materials. It’s definitely driving our designs in totally new directions. Can’t wait for y’all to see what’s in store for our Fall brides.

On a recent day date with the hub, we played our favorite game of tourist-in-your-own-town and walked up and down the streets of downtown just soaking up the architectural detail . . . and of course I was drawn to the beauty of the metalworking and masonry of yore- it is a virtual pattern mecca. All this from a ten minute stroll to brunch?

hello little quatrefoil friend.

old brick wall- wish I knew what they call this patterning style of masonry?

These hold a special place in my heart- the gates to the back courtyard of the Dock Street Theatre, where my hubb proposed . . .

old herringbone brick: how much do i love thee? let me count the pavers.

what- your intake/outtake exhaust at home doesn’t look like ziss?

love the pseudo-Art Deco ironwork and bold brick stripes of the Saracen building . . . would be such a bad arse venue if someone would get off their duff and make it such.

Don’t look down and you’d miss it.

even our common little friend the Palmetto has cross-hatching that could inspire some serious textiles . .

ok, enough of my bad iPhone imagery! hope you find your inner graphic guru today.

Chucktown 411 : Where to Shop!

A few caveats, mes amis. This post is really tailored to a few fabulous local haunts (some chain, some not) that are perfect for the wedding weekend information do-dad our clients typically create with us and print up for their darling welcome bags. The idea is to be ruthless (I’m not going to include Urban Outfitters and J. Crew, ya know?) but hit a few highlights so our clients’ friends can enjoy downtown Chucktown with ease.

Totally open to what you think is missing, of course! Drop us a line and read us the riot act.

Hampden Clothing rocks my face off.  Think Alexander Wang, Shoshanna, Vena Cava and Yigal Azrouel all snuggling up to one another on the rack. Cleverly curated, expertly staffed, totally cutting edge without being too over-the-top? Check, check, check. They even have that lovely old school offering of “take it home on approval”, which is a gigantic reason to shop locally.

‘Scuse for the uggs pic, but you’ll only hate me more when you leave the store broke. Bob Ellis is a glam shoe heaven with lovely service and a killer selection- Louboutins, Blahniks, the like. I’ve spent many an afternoon nose pressed to the glass like a small child, staring longingly at that-which-always-fits-but-I-can’t-have.

Classic gift stores with elegant registries are a dying breed . . . but thanks to Magda at Vieuxtemps, not so in Charleston. Vieuxtemps is chock full of all the good guys- Juliska, Herend, Annie Glass, William Yeoward, and more.

We may have just lost our Saks to (gasp!) Forever 21 – booooo- but Blue Mercury just got to town a bit ago, and it more than makes up for the rather pitiful makeup counter scene in C-town.  Awesome addition to any “wedding weekeend info” list because girl guests always seem to forget some staple like loose powder or that perfect lipstick.

Now tsk tsk- I didn’t forget about the boys, see? M. Dumas is Southern prepster classic at its chic-est. Well-stocked, brightly-lit, and full of everything Barbour to Vineyard Vines, it can’t disappoint.

Charleston 411 : Where to Stay

Where to stay in Charleston always stumps our clients, so we’ve laid it all out for you below! NB: this is all geared toward folks staying downtown whose biggest goal is for their guests to be walking distance to shops, eats, and more on peninsular Charleston.

SAVE-THE-DATES

You may want to post your hotel suggestions on your save-the-date. This is the whole lead-a-horse-to-water-but-you-can’t-force-him-to-drink concept . . . meaning, someone may select another option (beach house or B&B for example), but you can’t worry your head over those guests who choose to do their own thing. You have shown them courtesy and hospitality by making blocks where possible (see more on blocks below).

We suggest not listing price points because they are constantly in flux and can be updated by online coupons, club cards, and more by the time your guests actually make a booking. Pluuuus, it’s kinda tacky.

Trade secret: The best line we use in our clients’ paper suites is: “Making reservations early is highly recommended as Charleston is a popular travel destination year-round”. Always list the website and the phone number; address is optional.

Aim for one high (fauncy!), one medium (reasonable but polished) and one low (wallet-friendly) to accommodate a wide array of guests.

Throw in a beach house rental listing and feel confident that you’ve showed them hospitality by doing your due diligence. Anything more than this is overkill and sure to overwhelm. Your guests do have Google, you know.

BLOCKS

We recommend that you set up blocks at three hotels, as mentioned above. Remember that wedding clients are not our local hotels’ bread-and-butter (transient and corporate clients are!), so be patient with the possible dearth of deals, steals, and “great” rates. Charleston is the third top wedding destination in the country and is routinely selected as a top travel destination world-wide. It simply isn’t cheap to stay and play in Charleston.

As you begin to collect information about rates and availability, you will likely find that there isn’t a great deal of difference in the cost per night at most hotels. Within a certain date range, rates fluctuate a great deal depending on the time of year and/or what huge events are also taking place in the city. That is to say: the hotel that acts as your economical option in one month, may be your “middle-of-the-road” option the next month (in case you’re between wedding dates or comparing to friends’ blocks).

You’ll want to consider walking proximity to your wedding weekend events, and supplement transportation where needed.

WHOM TO CALL AND WHAT TO ASK

Try to speak with a group sales manager- they know best. Here’s what you need to garner from them:

• Rate(s) for your date range (include Thursday night in case guests come in early!)

• Your cutoff date (the date after which they can’t offer your special rate to your guests)

• Whether/not they require a contract signature (some do, some don’t)

• Whether/not they require a credit card up front (some do, some don’t)

• Attrition ($$ they charge you for rooms your guests don’t “pick up” or book within your block)

• Amount of rooms they’ll give you as a starter block and their workflow on how/when/where/why you add rooms to those blocks

Then it’s on auto-pilot until your save-the-dates go out, when you can start to check periodically (perhaps every 6 weeks) to see how your blocks are doing. Once your invitations go out, you’ll see quite a bit of traffic and you may be able to gauge your probable guest count from the number of rooms that have been booked in your blocks. Remember that guests who didn’t reference your last names when booking may be staying at a given hotel but not be on the hotel’s rooming list for your block (how would the hotel folks know?) This just means you may have a few more wedding guests at a particular hotel than you even can know. Or, you may find you only have a small handful of guests who have chosen to follow your recommendations- that’s okay, too. That just means you can’t gauge your guest count from your hotel blocks, after all!

HOTELS WE RECOMMEND

Higher Level

Charleston Place
205 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 722-4900
www.charlestonplace.com

*Best round-the-clock service, food + bev, and “club level” concierge floor. Has a pool and spa, unlike most.

Market Pavilion
225 East Bay Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 723-0500
www.marketpavilion.com

Wentworth Mansion
149 Wentworth Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(888) 466-1886
www.wentworthmansion.com
*Boutique size, great for the honeymoon night

Medium Level

The Mills House
115 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 577-2400
www.millshouse.com

The Francis Marion
387 King Street
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 722-0600
www.francismarionhotel.com

The Renaissance Charleston Historic District
68 Wentworth Street
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 534-0300
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/chsbr-renaissance-charleston-historic-district-hotel/

Lower Level (but still lovely!)

The Hampton Inn Charleston Historic District
345 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 723-4000
http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CHSHDHX

The Embassy Suites
337 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 723-6900
http://embassysuites1.hilton.com/en_US/es/hotel/CHSESES-Embassy-Suites-Charleston-Historic-Charleston-South-Carolina/index.do

Courtyard Marriott Waterfront
35 Lockwood Drive
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 722-7229
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-deals.mi?offerInfo=375074&marshaCode=CHSCY

*not walking distance

Beach Rentals

The two best options are VRBO (vacation rental by owner) and Island Realty. While it does involve someone renting a car, it’s a fun and often reasonable option for several couples and/or families to utilize in lieu of a hotel. One can rent downtown homes through VRBO as well, but I’m not sure how spacious or accommodating each one is, of course. Most of our clients rent a beach house for the week leading up to the wedding and then retreat to downtown for the festivities.

Hope this helps y’all on your journey to wrapping up wedding details!