Party of the Week: Alexis' Bridal Shower

This past weekend has been so much fun and it was largely due to a bridal shower I helped put on for one of my friends here in Seattle. I was in charge of designing the decor for the party and had a blast putting that together with the other host. As you know from one of my previous blogs, I am really big on choosing at least 3 colors for the theme of any event. The other host and I decided to have the colors be teal, yellow gold, and white with damask patterns incorporated for that elegant appeal -such a cute combination! And of course, as the designing took place I just had to include a candy buffet created by yours truly!

Perhaps my greatest discovery during the decor designing process was how much I can do with spray paint! I ran to Michaels before the party and picked up teal, yellow gold, and white spray paint. The goal was to take white paper lanterns I had bought and spray paint them the exact colors of the party.

It was a success!

Not only did I spray paint the paper lanterns, but I also spray painted empty glass bottles that I had been collecting as well as open, wooden picture frames. Fun fact: the empty glass bottles were bottles of my favorite salad dressing and dip!

If there is anything that I have learned in my experience of decorating for parties is that there are so many things you can use around the house to make your parties stand out. One thing I found in my home that I decided to incorporate in the decor was food dye. Food dye is awesome because if you simply fill a jar or vase with water and spoon in some dye, you've just added a little color to your party. Throw on a bouquet of flowers (real or fake!) and you've just created a fabulous centerpiece.

Another cool thing found around the house that served as a great filler was rice! We used rice in the candle holders to help hold up the chalkboard food signs. 

I know you have heard me talk about Gartner Studios before after I had discovered their awesome bottle labels that I used for my friend Angel's Bachelorette Party. Well, I couldn't help but use them again, this time for some wine bottles to add some personalization. I just love Gartner Studios! They create the design, you just add in your own words and press print!

No party is complete without a touch of my candy buffets!

At the beginning of the party each guest was asked to write the bride and groom a nice note filled with either advice or well-wishes. I brought in a tree branch that I had previously spray painted white and made pre-made note cards glued to ribbon to be hung on a tree branch. The whole thing turned out to be such a sentimental activity!

 

All in all, this was one of the best parties I have helped put on and I am so happy with the turnout. The future bride and groom had a blast and that is all that matters in the end!

Party decoration design: Party with a K

Candy Buffet: Party with a K

Candy: Oh! Nuts and The Confectionary

Love is in the....CANDY JAR!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of hosting my friend's 25th Birthday Party. The theme was "I Love Keley" with the theme colors being red, pink, and purple. The party had a great turnout and my favorite part of it was doing the candy buffet! Check it out below. xoxo

Photography by: Keley Ogunmola

Candy: The Confectionary

Candy Labels: Free at Bird's Party !!

                                       Decorations: Michaels & Party @ Display & Costume

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How To Decorate a Birthday Dinner: Red, Purple, & Black theme

I am a huge advocate in basing the decorations for your party off of main colors you choose to represent your party be it in conjunction with the theme or tone of the party. It really helps to piece the food and decor together when you have main colors to work off of.

Earlier this month my friend asked me to decorate for her mother-in-laws birthday dinner. I was happy for the opportunity and asked for one piece of information, "What three colors would you like me to work with?" My friend said, "Red, black, & purple". RED, BLACK, & PURPLE it shall be!

Now, birthday dinners in a public restaurant can often be hard to do because you have to go in ready to quickly decorate since most of the time, restaurants will only let you come in a couple minutes before your set reservation (unless it is a private dining area, in which case the earlier you set up the better)! With that in mind, I had to think "BASIC yet BOOM!". "Basic yet Boom" means, something easy to set up, yet stands out. With that being said, I chose to incorporate a burlesque theme with the colors by using masks, feathers, balloons, crystals, and cute centerpieces.

To make the long table set-up look small and intimate I used table cloth that matched the theme colors along with balloons tied to each chair. What a way to draw the best attention to the party too!

Note: It is always best to have extra hands to speed up the decor process so make sure you have someone there to help. Moreover, be sure to let the restaurant know that you will be decorating your dinner table so that they have the tables cleared and not set (this caused a bit of a delay for us because the servers and host had to clear the table they had just set for us! Eek!)

All in all, dinner parties are fun and easy to set up as long as you know what direction you'll be taking with the decor. The key things to remember are main colors and the "Basic yet Boom" approach.

Signed, sealed, & delivered!

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Party of the Month: McWhirter Wedding at Coquelicot Estate Vineyard

What do you get when you mix a barn, a vineyard, beautiful people, and love? You get this month's "Party of the Month": McWhirter Wedding at Coquelicot Estate Vineyard.

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of attending one of my sorority sister's weddings in Solvang, CA and I was blown away by the simple, yet classy and elegant decor done by the event planners at Coquelicot Estate Vineyard.

COQUELICOT, pronounced (ko-klee-ko) is the name “en Français” of the striking red poppy flower that graces the French countryside, as well as all the labels on the estates wines. The 58 acre vineyard is an organically farmed property in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley and it was on the vineyard that the wedding ceremony took place.

While the vineyard was beautiful, some of my favorite decor was at the reception area right outside the barn where the main celebration took place. The wedding planners acknowledged that after the ceremony everyone would be full of energy ready to mingle so props like a photo booth and "Just Married" car sat outside the barn to keep guests preoccupied. Not only that, but a galore of amazing appetizers and beverages (wine, no hard liquor which is a good idea for a wedding) plus live entertainment awaited guests.

But, the decor inside is what topped all the decor! The bride and groom decided on elegant, classy colors: light purple, shades of pink, and dark silver. These colors were shown off inside the barn.

The best way to really describe all of the decor would be Country Vintage. From the elegant chandelier that dangled from the ceiling of the barn...

to the barrel tables..

to the cute gift bird cage..

to the dinner menu written out in chalk...

and much, MUCH more!

One thing I never miss at a wedding is dessert and staying true to the Country Vintage theme, the dessert table had a plethora of traditional country desserts including apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, and lemon raspberry cake to name a few!

People were definitely having a great time in the barn, courtesy of the onsite DJ. I am a firm believer that you should incorporate both a live band and DJ at your wedding; the live band to add that classy musical touch, and the DJ to really bring people out dancing on the dance floor.

All in all, the wedding was fantastic and the wedding planners at Coquelicot Estate Vineyard truly brought the bride and groom's vision to life.

*Many photos were courtesy of Scott Gibson Photography!

To find out how you can have a photo booth at your next event check out Thought Box Photobooth !!

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xoxo,