What do you get for the coolest, nicest, and most together 16 year old? A car? Well, yes. But, also you through her a sky's the limit sweet 16!
Sydney is such a talented and together young lady, and such a pleasure to be around. I planned her equally as awesome older sister's sweet 16 roughly 4 years ago, and she made an impression on me even then (at the age of 11). When we met to discuss her party, she had some definite ideas and style that she was looking for, but was also open to ideas. The party was going to be at her home (which is absolutely lovely), and I had great space to work with!
The Details
Photo Booth: Snap Photo Booth
This party was all about lighting. Luckily, we were able to adjust the pool lights easily, which really illuminated the back yard. It was transformed from Sydney's backyard, and took on more of a cool and modern touch. The lighting over the pool was custom made, and draped from one fence line to the next. Brick columns that open the patio were draped in white linen, and highlighted with up lighting. Behind that were several cocktail tables and the bar. Sydney had several "mocktails" being served, which were all signature and designed just for her! They were fittingly named " Sydney's Sixtini" and the "Sweet Dream." Both were delicious! (Pictured below). The pool was also adorned with mason jars lit with votive candles, which added just the right touch. Next to the pool, we added a lounge area with a white sofa complete with gold glittered pillows, and ghost chairs. Guests had a great view of both the pool and the party! One of my FAVORITE details of the entire party was Sydney's floating monogram. As the sun went down, the pool lighting really highlighted it - awesome! Inside, the party was going with passed h'or derves and Dominic (from JPL Entertainment) as the DJ. Rather than a birthday cake, Sydney opted for a dessert table (lined with a glittered gold linen) complete with individual desserts from Cordua and cookies from Michael's Cookie Jar. Also inside, the living room was transformed with draping over the built in bookshelves and television, modern lounge furniture, ghost chairs, and more spectacular up lighting! Remember when planning your next party, lighting can make all the difference! For fun, guests were also able to enjoy a photo booth (with awesome props)!
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Vendor Open House
Event vendors love nothing more than a fun party, and when you combine that with networking.... it makes for a great evening! Avalon Event Rentals recently expanded their business, and launched their new identity. Previously known as Party Explosion Houston, the owner, Melanie, wanted to introduce the new face of her company in a big way! Her idea was to throw an event with a vendor of each type, and allow us to showcase our talents while having the chance to network with each other. Her launch was a success (despite the pouring rain), and I wanted to share some fun pictures from the night along with information from some great vendors (most of whom you've seen on the blog before).
Kori at Motley Mélange provided all of the photography and images from the night, and she let me style her photography table :)!
Motley Mélange's table, styled by Perfectly Planned
Me with Kya from the Bloom Room
Leslie from Frosted Memory Makers is at it again! Delicious!
Melanie (Avalon Event Rentals, owner) preparing for her champagne toast
Kori and I... wait... who has the camera?!
Kori, Leslie, and I
Melanie and I goofing around in the photo booth... vendors have fun too!
Go Kya!
Floral Design by The Bloom Room
Check out links to all of the vendors featured on this blog post!
To all the vendors: You all are awesome to work with!! Xoxo!
Baby Shower Love
So...... This blog post (and the others to follow) is a long time coming.... 7 months to be exact. Through working from home, and having fun with my 17 month old son, my blog has seem to taken a back seat. Now that Mother's Day Out is in session, I can get back to the small details of my other fun job... event designing!
Last February I received an email from a friend from high school. She is completely creative and organized, so I was surprised to hear she was in need of my help. But, I was glad to step in! She and her mother were hosting a baby shower for her very special best friend. In typical fashion, when it rains, it pours, and she had a very crucial family issue arise amidst planning this shower. She had the chef in line, the invitations mailed, her decor purchased, and needed some assistance getting it all together. With only one planning meeting, and two days of setup, we were on our way! It was great to reconnect with Megan, and I loved so much getting to help put this adorable baby shower together! I wish I could take all of the credit for this one, but, like I said, Megan has a creative mind! Maybe we should team up again......
All of the photos posted were taken by Eli Spector Photography!
A Baseball Bash
So I think it is only fair to preface this post with letting you know that this was actually my son's birthday party! I didn't give a thought to posting it on the blog while the party was going on, so I did fail to capture detail shots, but I will share what I do have.
Being an event planner is a lot of attention to detail, planning ahead, anticipating mishaps, and allotting time to complete every task so that the event is perfect. I am able to accomplish these things with no problem for my clients, but when it is the event of the event planner, something just has to go awry! In my case, I definitely did not allot for enough time to get everything set up on party day. Well, I did, but I did not anticipate that the mood of a one year old would set back my setup. This is when I have to stop and remember that the party is for him, and his well being comes first (I guess I should have hired an event planner for the day... it would have made my life MUCH easier! Haha)!
My son, Augie, turned one at the end of April, and I decided on a baseball themed birthday when he was around 6 months old (you can never start too soon). He loves ALL sports, and anything that allows him to be rowdy and it was baseball season, so it only made rational sense! I invited friends and family to join in the celebration at our home. Some people would prefer not to have their child's party at home. It is a lot of prep work, but for his first birthday I wanted to include as many of our friends and family as possible. So, hosting it at home was the best option.
Ballpark Food
Hot Dog Bar with all of the trimmings so everyone could make them to order. (I made these at home, rather than ordering them from James Coney Island. It was easy to boil them, while working on other food in the kitchen.... okay, so I had my mom helping in the kitchen, and she was in charge of the hot dogs, which made it really easy)!
Cracker Jacks
Peanuts
Big Chew Gum
We did serve real food in addition to ball park food as well as snacks for the kids. Including mini croissant sandwiches, The Best Ham Sandwich, Veggie Tray, Fruit Salad, and Loaded Baked Potato Dip. Here were the recipes for the two most popular dishes!
The Best Ham Sandwich!
Ingredients
· 3 packages sweet Hawaiian rolls (the ones that look like dinner rolls)
· 1 1/2 pounds of Old Fashioned Ham, chopped
· 3/4 pound Swiss Cheese , chopped
Spread
Spread
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 3 Tbsp poppy seeds
- 3 Tbsp mustard
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Directions
Mix the spread ingredients together. Spread (using a spatula works best) the spread mixture on the insides of both the tops and bottoms of rolls. Mix together the ham and cheese (both chopped), and sprinkle on the insides of the rolls. Put together tops and bottoms of sandwiches. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Rolls should be golden brown, and the cheese should be melted.
Mix the spread ingredients together. Spread (using a spatula works best) the spread mixture on the insides of both the tops and bottoms of rolls. Mix together the ham and cheese (both chopped), and sprinkle on the insides of the rolls. Put together tops and bottoms of sandwiches. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Rolls should be golden brown, and the cheese should be melted.
Loaded Baked Potato Dip
Ingredients
· 1 (2.1-oz.) package fully cooked bacon slices
· 1 (16-oz.) container sour cream
· 2 cups (8 oz.) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
· 1/3 cup sliced fresh chives
· 2 teaspoons hot sauce
· Garnishes: cooked, crumbled bacon; sliced fresh chives; freshly cracked pepper
· Serve with potato chips
Directions
Cook bacon according to package directions until crisp; drain on paper towels. Cool 10 minutes; crumble. Stir together bacon and next 4 ingredients. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours before serving. Garnish, if desired, and serve.
Drinks for the day included iced down tubs of Coke, Dr. Pepper, and, of course, Capri Sun. For the adults there was iced down tubs of cold beer and margaritas on the rocks, served in Mason Jars.
Cakes
I did have a baseball shaped smash cake for Augie and served cookies and cream cake pops to the guests. The cake pops were perfect because they were small enough for the kids to manage, and delicious! Thank you to Cakes by Leslie!
Extras
I used a lot of printables to add some personalization to the party. You can find inexpensive frames almost anywhere, but my best bet was IKEA! The guests were able to take home cupcakes in a jar to enjoy later as well. We had some old wood in the garage. I used chalk board paint and chalk to decorate the boards. Also, (not pictured), I did the same thing to make a baseball score board. I also added in a children's size table and chairs, covered it with paper (sold like butcher paper by the roll at IKEA, $5), and put Crayons and markers in a bucket. They went to town coloring on the table! I still have paper leftover, and use it for many art projects. For table centerpieces, I used crinkle paper and foam baseballs to fill blue and red planters. I also dispersed silver outdoor lanters filled with the same for some additional decor.
.JPG)
Bridal Night
Last Spring some vendors collaborated (courtesy of Motley Mélange), and hosted an evening for brides to attend with their fiancées or girlfriends. As wedding planning can be overwhelming, we wanted it to be a night where they could relax, have some great food, and sip a cocktail... along with chatting to vendors in order to get ideas for their wedding, advice, or be exposed to other resources. The night was a great idea and a hit amongst brides and vendors alike. What I didn't anticipate is forging lasting working relationships as well as friendships. I'm so glad I was a part of this fun and eventful evening. Sometimes working for yourself, and as a one person show, it is easy to forget how great feeling part of a team can be!
A tip for ALL brides out there... you really do want your vendors to be able to work well with each other. If they are able to collaborate, work as a team, and bounce ideas off of one and other, your wedding WILL have details to AMAZE!!
A special thank you to my long lost soul sister, Kori Biller, of Motley Mélange (wedding photographer extraordinaire) for hosting this event at her home, and helping to bring all of the vendors together. You are so talented and creative. It is super fun getting to work with you, and I love the way you tell the story of love!
Since this night, I have had the pleasure of working with each of these vendors (multiple times), and I am SO glad I found each of you!
The outstanding vendors of the night included:
Motley Mélange (Kori Biller) - Wedding Photography
Elegante Entertainment (Francisco Perez) -DJ and Lighting
Ana Morrison - Floral and DIY
Avalon Event Rentals (Melanie Heinen) - Wedding / Party Rentals
Cakes by Leslie (Leslie Martinez)
Natalie Magoulas - Stella and Dot
Perfectly Planned (Me) - Designing and Styling
ALL terrific photographs by
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
