{Real Parties} A Wedding Day Picnic Full of Lovely Details

This incredibly gorgeous picnic is one of the loveliest table settings I have ever seen...and it comes to us all the way from Spain! The details are sweet and simple, but elegant at the same time. Nina of Designs by Nina styled a beautiful picnic table for her wedding...

I was thrilled to see this intimate picnic in my inbox and to discover Designs by Nina!

A Swoon Worthy Shower

My mouth dropped a little when I first spotted this beautiful bridal shower on Divine Party Concepts (originally via Green Wedding Shoes) and you will soon see why...

Here are the party details as told by the hostesses...

The decor and vibe was feminine, airy, clean and fresh. We took sherbet colors as our main inspiration and incorporated lace, lockets, vintage milk glass vessels and cameos of Leila’s silhouette to give the shower a girly, yet sophisticated feel. Vintage white milkglass vases were filled with sherbert toned florals in shades of blush, coral and peach…floral varieties consisted of ranunculas, garden roses and parrot tulips. Pink and cream ruffled pillows accented the modern white furniture, adding a soft, feminine touch.The vibe was kinda this urban loft feel but bringing in really pretty, feminine colors and elements (lace, cameos, ruffles, etc.)

For food, we kept it light and simple with some delicious offerings from Contemporary Catering. Finger food options included a spread of assorted cheeses, breads, dates, berries and figs, Ahi Tuna Tartar, and Smoked Duck with Mascarpone and Fig Jam on Petite Bellini. Salads were also served, including a Cous Cous, Sundried Tomato and Basil creation, along with a Pear and Gorgonzola Salad and a tasty Potato salad.

The cupcake spread was incredible! Not only did they taste amazing, but were gorgeously detailed as well. Flavors included champagne mimosa, red velvet, strawberry shortcake, 24 karat ginger, vanilla bean with white chocolate shavings, Cinnamon cake with brown sugar frosting and meyer lemon with raspberry jam. The dessert backdrop was made up of over 50 strands of 6 theme colored laces and 3 theme colored satin ribbons…all shades of blush, coral, peach, apricot etc.

Throughout the planning, we wanted to incorporate a phrase or series of phrases to give the shower a unique and personal feel. At some point, someone on the planning team suggested an “L is for ____” theme and we loved it! We included phrases such as “L is for Leila”, “L is for Love”, “L is for Lewis (Leila’s soon to be married name)”, “L is for Life”, “L is for Laughter”, and “L is for Lucky” on tags attached to paper straws, enlarged in frames and in other signs throughout the shower. The labels on the mini perfume bottles guests took as favors read “L is for Lovely”. The bar even had a sign that said, “L is for Libations”.

The scent bar was set up by a friend of the bride to be and was a huge hit! Guests could create their own perfume to take home, using a combination of over twenty scents. Each guest left with their signature scent in a glass roll on bottle. I love the scent I created – and seriously such a fun activity and favor!

Seriously, can a bridal shower get any prettier?! Two of the hostesses happen to be favorites of mine in the event planning world...Carissa of JL Designs & Courtney of Joyful Weddings and Events.

{Real Parties} My Birthday Dinner

A few weeks ago, we celebrated my birthday in a special way! My parents, being the kind and generous people they are, had a private chef and a small staff come to our house and wine and dine us for the evening. I had such a wonderful time spending quality time with some of my closest friends. Of course, being the party planner that I am, I had to try and make the night as memorable as I could for our guests.

The color palette for the party came from my china which is the Queen Victoria pattern by Herend. It is bright and colorful and is filled with intricate flowers and butterflies. My talented friend, Hayley Hardcastle, designed the most gorgeous invitation which she hand wrote for each couple. My best friend, Whitney, asked Hayley to paint the door sign {shown above} as a surprise gift for me! My jaw dropped when I opened the package!

I had so much fun pulling the dinner table together! I wanted to combine modern and traditional touches which I did by using my china, silver and crystal along with modern white vases from Crate & Barrel.

One of my favorite parts of the decor were the pink napkins I purchased from World Market and had monogrammed with our initial.

As our friends sat down, they found a gift at their seat. Each lady received a butterfly frame with a picture of them and their significant other. This also helped direct them to their place.

The guys each received a monogrammed Jon Hart koozie which was wrapped in coordinating pink toile paper. I know, PINK! But I was not about to wrap their gifts in a masculine paper that took away from the table setting. Sorry guys! It's the inside that counts though, right?!

The table was filled with beautiful pink peonies and roses. I was beyond pleased with how the flowers turned out!

Hayley Hardcastle also hand wrote each menu card which served as the place card as well. Each guests name was written in a dark pink pink to give it a fun pop of color.

The guys monogrammed koozies which they found packaged in their seat.

Before we sat down for dinner, we sampled many delicious bites. My favorite had to be the tomato basil soup shots with mini grilled cheese sandwiches!

I changed the specialty drink the day before to Champagne Slushies after I saw this gorgeous photo shoot on Style Me Pretty. The drink was light and refreshing and perfect to start with. On the drink tray that the waiter passed, a card was placed near the glasses so guests could see what was being offered.

Another goodie for my friends to take home! I individually wrapped mini pies from my favorite source, Royer's Round Top Cafe. They are divine!

I tucked bamboo forks {from Garnish} which Hayley embellished with the word, Indulge, inside the ribbon.

It truly was such a memorable celebration for me and I hope my friends had a wonderful time as well. Here is a picture of me and my hubby before everyone arrived...

Ellen Johnson took all of the beautiful photographs and was such a pleasure to work with. Ellen also photographed the clothing swap that I hosted last August.

Party Sources:

* Invitations, menus, specialty drink card & hand painted door sign - Hayley Hardcastle

* Flowers - Whole Foods {Woodway/Jose}

* Pink napkins - World Market

* Gold beaded chargers - A Finer Event

* White, square vases - Crate & Barrel

* Butterfly frames - Z Gallerie

* Jon Hart kozzies - Bering's...stamped at Maidas

* Toile packages - wrapped by Bering's

* Mini pies {chocolate chip, buttermilk & pecan} - Royer's Round Top Cafe

* Bamboo forks - Garnish

* White boxes - Palmer Packaging

* Sheer, pink ribbon - Michael's

* Catering - Abuso Catering

{Real Parties} A Black, White & Blush Pink Bridal Shower

This beautiful bridal shower was hosted by one of the Gatewood ladies again! The bride's colors were black and blush pink, so Cindy and her friends ran with that and included a gorgeous damask print to tie in the details.

The crystal wedding tree held notecards with various wedding words on them.

A black and white candy bar was present. Here are a few samples of what they offered.

Guests wrote down their wish for Teresa on notecards that were later given to the bride.

I am not always a fan of shower games, but I truly like this one! At each place setting was a card that listed the words, "old, new, borrowed, blue". Teresa, the bride, was wearing various items of clothing and accessories and guests had to guess which ones fit each category.

Another game the group played was to guess how many blush pink jelly beans were in a jar.

The blushing bride!

All photography by Angela Francis, owner of Bella Smile Photography. If you live in The Woodlands or Houston area, Angela is a wonderful photographer!

A few party details you might be interested in...

* The gorgeous flowers were ordered from Central Market.

* The "Damask Flocked" invitations are by American Crafts and were ordered from Bering's in Houston.

I love the bridal mannequin that is pictured by the invitation. Cindy uses it at many parities and she bought it from Bellaregalo.

* All candy was purchased online from Candy Warehouse.

* The damask linens, which sure made a statement, were rented from The Total Table in Pa.

* The rhinestone chargers and vases were bought at Z Gallerie.

* The white dishes were rented from Aztec Events.