Selfies with Brides

One of the fun traditions the owner of the Rutherford, Yasha has, is taking selfies with every bride!

In general, Yasha is pretty much the selfie queen. So it’s no surprise that when the Rutherford opened two years ago, Yasha started a tradition of taking selfies with all of the brides.

During the Rutherford’s first wedding season, Kaycee Hines’ wedding kicked off the month of May. It was only natural that she and Kaycee took a photo together.

From there, it just took off as a must-do on our event checklist. If Yasha knows she can’t be at the actual wedding, she’ll take on with couples during a planning meeting the week before. 

We love to become a part of a couple’s story and see all the planning and fun they have on their wedding day, and think of these selfies as a way to reminisce on all the excitement from their event.

What We’re Predicting for 2020 Weddings

2019 was (and still is!) all about bold colors (think: navy, blush, and gold), statement headpieces, and greenery everywhere.

Every single one of our brides incorporated their personal style into their weddings, and we always love to see how they put a twist on trends.

As weddings shift to a more natural yet personalized vibe, we’re predicting some of the upcoming trends to look for!

On Tap for 2020

1. Cornflower Blue and Gen Z Yellow

Unique color combinations are all the rage and we don’t see that dying down in the coming year. Unexpected pops of bright and bold hues will make your wedding stand out—and help you to express your personal style.

The Rutherford | 2020 Wedding Trends
Angela Zion Photography

 

2. Reception Entertainment

Receptions have become more than just dancing the night away. From photo booths to food board centerpieces, they’re only becoming more elaborate, and we’re excited to see what new ideas couples incorporate into their big day. Perhaps wedding scents or caricatures will become the new “it” entertainment at 2020 weddings?

The Rutherford | Taco Stand
DiPietro Photography

 

3. Eco-friendliness and Minimalism

This trend has been on the rise for years but it’s becoming even easier to implement environmentally-friendly aspects into your wedding. Using native flowers, sourcing local food, and printing invitations on recycled paper are all good starting points. Many couples are focusing on high-quality sustainable products rather than trying to incorporate every single trendy item.

The Rutherford | Wedding Invitations
Emily Bolt Photography

 

Let us know what you think will be next up for wedding trends!

– Audrey

Three Different Spaces = A Whole Evening of Events

Three Different Spaces = A Whole Evening of Events

Wedding day logistics are stressful! Let any-bride-to-be tell you. There are pictures and decorations and the ceremony and the reception and send-off. All of these moving parts, especially when you start moving places, can add more chaos to your big day.

The Rutherford can provide a solution to the crazy logistics of the day, especially when all parts of the day are done in our venue.

Wedding ceremonies typically either take place in our Brick Room, or, if the weather decides to cooperate, outside in the Courtyard. Both have beautiful backdrop options and plenty of room for guests to watch the ceremony unfold.

The Rutherford | Outdoor Wedding
Photo by Red Apple Tree Photography
The Rutherford | Brick Wedding
Photo by Madison Grae Photography

Following the ceremony, most brides choose to have their cocktail hour in the reverse of their ceremony—either the Courtyard or the Brick Room. This gives the couple plenty of time to take pictures after the ceremony while their guests mingle right next door.

The Rutherford | Outdoor Wedding Reception
Photo by Emily Bolt Photography

The Warehouse tends to be the most popular spot for food, drinks, and dancing. It can be set up for a sit-down dinner or flipped to a dance floor for you to get your boogie on.

The Rutherford | Industrial Wedding
Photo by Red Apple Tree Photography
The Rutherford | Industrial Wedding
Photo by Emily Bolt Photography

Guests can also float outside to chat under the lights or to catch their breath after an evening of dancing.

The Rutherford | Industrial Wedding
Photo by Madison Grae Photography

Send-offs are done from our parking lot and are a magical way to end a special day.

The Rutherford | Industrial Wedding
Photo by Angela Zion Photography

 

By flowing the events of the evening throughout our different spaces, you can truly enjoy the time without feeling rushed to get to the next place while still have distinct spaces for each part of the night.

Curious about how you can use all three spaces for your evening event? Reach out to schedule a tour today!

– AR

A Unique Way to Eat (or Cater) on Your Wedding Day

“People who love to eat are always the best people.” – Julia Child

Making sure that you—and your guests—are well-fed on your wedding day is a top priority. Ask any caterer—food is always something people are willing to splurge on in order to elevate their event.

But what about those in-between moments or a-typical food requests?

Enter: Bite Squad

A service that brings your favorite food directly to you, Bite Squad can be used for more than just an in-office lunch delivery. It’s perfect for ordering lunch for a bridal party or even a favorite dish to serve during cocktail hour or a reception.

The Rutherford | Catering Your Next Event

Lunches and Such

For a bridal party lunch, delivery can be scheduled out in advance, so all you have to focus on is your big day. Chick-Fil-A, Sully’s Steamers, Caviar and Bananas, and Moe’s are all delivery options in Greenville (along with +100 other restaurants). With such a variety of offerings, you can make sure that there’s something for everyone to eat.

Food is priced as it would be in the restaurant and you simply pay an added delivery fee. (most restaurants charge around $3-5 for delivery).

The Main Event

If you’re looking to have food catered to your event (we recently had a bride feature Hooter’s wings as part of her dinner offerings), Bite Squad features a catering option. You pick your date, time, and the number of people, and they make sure that your food is delivered and ready to go when you want it!

The Rutherford | Catering Your Next Event

Restaurants that cater featuring their catering menus online, and there are over 25 options in the Greenville area to help feed a larger number of people at your event. Delivery fees for catering range from $5-15, depending on the restaurant.

Make sure that you—and your friends—are well-fed the whole day by planning your food ahead (or ordering whatever you’re craving in the moment). Whatever your style, you can stay put and enjoy the day while Bite Squad takes care of the logistics of lunch.

– AR

Courtyard – Spotlight

Our best kept secret.  The Rutherford Courtyard.

We’re a little biased, but our outdoor space is our favorite—especially this time of the year! From wedding ceremonies to the reception, there are so many ways we’ve seen the space utilized and wanted to share a few of our favorites.

Continue reading “Courtyard – Spotlight”

The Rutherford – Quick Tips for Photo Ops

With all of the different elements at the Rutherford, photos can be taken in the style that fits your aesthetic.

Brick Room Windows

A fan-favorite spot for stunning and elegant photos is in our upstairs brick room. With the original hardwood floors, a brick backdrop, and tons of natural light from the almost-floor-to-ceiling windows, it’s no wonder that so many brides choose to have their photos taken here.

Brick Venue
Red Apple Tree Photography

Under the Lights

One of our favorite parts of receptions is when couples sneak away for a few shots under the lights. There’s just something about that post-wedding glow that makes these photos even more special and intimate.

Courtyard Bridal couple
Mathew Pautz Photography

The Greenery Wall

Our green wall is one of the most versatile spots for photo-ops! We’ve seen it used as a cake table background, an accent wall, and a place for some of those first kisses. Seeing how clients customize it always inspires us!

wedding cake table
Emily Bolt Photography

 

Be sure to ask our planning team for ideas for your special day!

AR

The Herticas + Their Sweet Day

On May 18th, 2018, I got to experience working my first wedding at the Rutherford.  I arrived at the venue while the reception was still being set up and managed to catch a glimpse of the decorations before the guests began to arrive. This couple’s vibe was very classically southern.

First Impressions

The Herticas are high school sweethearts, and the great thing about this wedding  was that whether or not you knew them well, you could figure this out on your own. For the cocktail hour, they placed several tall tables around the bar.  On each table sat a picture frame holding a photo of a memory from their relationship.  From their high school prom, to their first vacation, to when they bought their first house, they wanted to allow their guests to see as many special moments from their relationship as possible.

It’s all in the details.

I loved all of the small personal details that they incorporated into the space. They created personalized street signs with their names on them to say “Jake Junction” and “Tara Trail” that sat at the entrance of the dining room. Instead of a guest book they placed a wooden letter “H” on a table and placed a sign above it that said “Sign our love letter”. This was one of the many examples of them taking traditions and giving them cute twists. They chose a 1955 Chevrolet truck that had been converted into a wood fire pizza kitchen to cater their reception. They wanted the children attending the reception to have something to play with, so they attached bells, ribbon, and lace to wooden sticks for the children to wave around while dancing.

Coastal Crust Pizza
Coastal Crust Pizza

Standing Out.

The most unique thing about this wedding was the groom’s cake. The bride and groom’s favorite place to eat was Hooter’s, and they wanted to find a way to incorporate this into their wedding day. One of the ways they did this was by having Hooter’s cater wings to their reception, the other was by dedicating the groom’s cake to the restaurant. The groom’s cake was made at Couture Cakes, and was shaped like the body of a Hooter’s girl and was wearing a Hooter’s uniform. This was a very creative way to include one of their shared interests on their wedding day. One of my favorite touches was their tribute to their lost loved ones. They dedicated a table to the family members that had passed too soon to see them wed. There were pictures of these family members scattered on top of the table, with a plaque in the middle that read “We know you’d be here today if heaven weren’t so far away.”

The Groom’s Cake

This wedding was a wonderful, family-friendly event. It definitely had a sweet and intimate vibe. It was truly an honor to be involved in the Hertica’s special day, and this experience has definitely left me excited for the next time I get to work on a wedding. 

Best, 

KV

The Pretty Place is Pretty Beautiful!

We recently held a reception for a bride and groom who got married at Pretty Place Chapel. Fred W. Symmes Chapel (dubbed ‘Pretty Place’ because of its beauty) is located at YMCA Camp Greenville in the mountains just outside of Greenville. The chapel sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking the rolling hills that reside on the North Carolina/South Carolina border.

The Best Selfie Background

The beauty of this location is so difficult to capture even in the best pictures, and it is nearly impossible to do it justice in words. The front of the chapel is open and looks out on the gorgeous view. In the center of the floor there is a cross, and above the cross there is a ledge with a line of scripture on it that reads “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills”. This is extraordinarily poetic considering the scene that it sits in front of.  Needless to say this is definitely a dream wedding destination for people who adore mountain scenery.

Conveniently Located By The Rutherford

The great thing about holding the ceremony at Pretty Place and then having their reception at The Rutherford was that the couple and guests got to experience both a beautiful natural setting during the ceremony and then a trendy urban setting for their reception.  They could enjoy the mountains and all of their natural beauty, and then they were able to come celebrate in a cozy space that was more appropriate for a party and dancing. This plan was absolutely perfect for providing their guests with a unique and diverse experience.  You can easily have this experience too if you go onto the Pretty Place website and fill out the reservation request form. Then all you have to do is contact us for your amazing reception!

 

KV

Pretty Place Chapel

 

Time to celebrate with your bridesmaids!

Photo by Madison Grae Photography

Getting ready to celebrate with your bridesmaids before the big day?!

Trying to figure out a way to enjoy your bachelorette weekend without doing the same old Vegas trip? No need to worry – there are plenty of unique ways to celebrate with your gals based on your preferences!! We advocate for changing things up and trying something new – whether that means going on an adventure outdoors or simply a spa day in with the girls. This blog gives some amazing suggestions to celebrating with your girls:

https://www.theknot.com/content/new-bachelorette-party-ideas

Cue the tears…what song are you walking down to?

Getting ready to walk down the aisle, but unsure which song you want playing in that crucial moment?

Most brides struggle to determine their wedding processional song, because they want it to be personal and moving – which we love! It can be hard sometimes to get ideas beyond “Here comes the bride” though, especially after having to choose a first dance song and all the other music throughout the reception. If you are struggling to come up with processional tunes, or you just want a list to give you ideas of where to start, we believe this list gives great suggestions for brides to look at!

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/20-modern-processional-songs-that-cue-all-the-tears

Photography by Meredith Beck