About Us
Our company is unique, but our mission is simple: we want all women to be gracious, be stylish, be charming. For seven years we have infused this protocol into the Charleston area through wedding and social occasion planning, manners lessons, and image consulting. We also have a highly visited lifestyle blog for the busy fashionista-entertainer, filled with tips, tricks and other fabulous things that get us through the day.
Southern Protocol has been beautifully successful in all three areas of our focus. Our weddings and events have given us a highly sought-after reputation; our manners and etiquette classes have children actually looking forward to cotillions; our image consulting has given numerous women outstanding new “looks” that fill them with confidence.
Our boutique size allows us to work closely with our clients and help them define their goals. Whether we are planning your wedding, helping you pull together that perfect outfit, or lecturing on modern manners, we assemble the right team of professionals that will marry creativity and style with years of experience.
Lizz Akerman, Owner
Lizz prides herself on her modern, sassy approach to fashion, manners and entertaining. As a wife, mother of three, and business owner, she knows that Southern women can do it all – but having a reliable source helps. “I don’t claim to be perfect in everything I do,” Lizz says. “But by learning from my upbringing, research, and even personal mistakes, I created a company that incorporates Southern decorum, fashion and type-A flair entertaining that has grown into a fabulous resource for all women.” In college, Lizz had a first glimpse of her future career when, as her sorority’s Social Chair, she not only planned events but styled her friends for every event; they all relied on her Southern upbringing to know how to properly handle social situations. In 2003, after the birth of her first child, conversations during playdates and on playgrounds led Lizz to realize her unique perspective on “old-fashioned manners and entertaining” could have a modern, lively approach. Lizz resides in Charleston, SC with her husband, John; three children, Jack, Charlie and Lola; and the dog you often hear barking in the office, “Bubba.”
lizz@southernprotocol.com
Sara Hosch, Executive Assistant and Lead Stylist
Sara is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Consumer Journalism and Fashion Merchandising. She brings her experience in the worlds of fashion styling and writing as well as event planning to the Southern Protocol family; she has worked with stylists in London, England and Athens, Georgia, and has served in numerous event planning positions in the past. Sara’s outgoing personality and love of helping people achieve their visions of a perfect wardrobe, event or having impeccable manners are a flawless fit for Southern Protocol and the beautiful city of Charleston.
sara@southernprotocol.com
Janie Bruce, Cotillion Coordinator
Born and raised in Alabama, Janie has had a lifelong fascination with Southern hospitality. After completing college in 2003 with studies in Interior Design and Visual Merchandising, Janie decided to make Charleston her home. She quickly teamed up with Lizz to bring a young and fresh outlook on etiquette to the Lowcountry. Janie has participated with various volunteer organizations throughout the area, including Charleston Preservation Society, the Junior League of Charleston, the American Red Cross and the Hands of Christ back-to-school program.