Personalize Your Party with Monogrammed Sweets

{image via Bump Smitten. Party by Tara Guerard}

There is so much to love about a monogram! It's one of my favorite ways to add a personal touch to any party. Placing the guest of honor's initials on the dessert is a fun and pretty way to personalize your party. Here is a collection of some of my favorite monogrammed desserts. Enjoy the prettiness!

{image via Martha Stewart Weddings}

{image via Sweet Ambs on Etsy}

{image Gumdrop Cookie Shop}

{image via Things That Sparkle}

{image via Dayna Smith}

{image via Little Birdie Secrets}

{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.

Muffins & Mimosas

Invite friends and family to join you for Muffins & Mimosas! This charming party will work for a multitude of celebrations...a bridal luncheon, day of or day after wedding celebration, baby shower, birthday or even a graduation breakfast before the big event.

The party name implies what food will be served, but you can add more yummy breakfast items such as a bagels and interesting cheese spreads, assorted pastries and even an omelet or waffle station. You can serve traditional mimosas or spice things up with a make your own mimosa station. Blood Orange, Cranberry and Tangerine Mimosas are just a few of the many mimosa recipes available.

Any color palette will suit this party, but I am loving lemon yellow, marmalade orange and grey right now! Another great aspect of this party is that it can be held anywhere. An outdoor soiree in a backyard or park would be nice, but the weather does not always cooperate. You can make this party feel organic by hosting it outside or give it a more elegant vibe by having it at someone's home or even a country club.

images: tulip tablescape (theknot), fabric banner (can't remember??!), yellow heels (stylemepretty), apple flower arrangement (stylemepretty), ribbon chairs (stylemepretty), muffin basket (can't remember??!), outdoor food station (marthastewart), invitation suite (theknot)

A Very Chic Twilight Inspired Wedding

Ok, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I am a newly crazed Twilight fan. In the past, I rolled my eyes when I heard stories of people reading the LONG novels in hours and standing in ridiculously long lines to see the movies. But alas, I finally saw Twilight and New Moon and I was hooked! I rushed home, borrowed book 3 and 4 and finished them in about a week. Yes, I have turned into one of those people. Anyway...when I stumbled across this gorgeous photo shoot, my jaw dropped. The details and creativity are stunning and I can't believe it was inspired by the wedding in Breaking Dawn (did I just ruin the book for someone?!). I'm so used to seeing gothic Twilight parties and this was very refreshing to see...much more my style.

You cannot see it well on this picture, but the ribbon on the bouquet reads, "so the lion fell in love with the lamb". I feel incredibly cheesy saying this, but how sweet and creative is that?!

Sweet and Saucy contributed to this gorgeous photo shoot and that is where I found the pictures. You have GOT to see their write up on the event. My words will not do it justice. Read on to learn about the details and to see a lot more eye candy which can serve for inspiration for many types of events! I love how the event planners took the iconic apple from the original cover and ran with it in a stylish way...apple place cards, hot apple cider and a painted apple on the cake.

Late Night Party Snack

{image via Keely Thorne Events}

There are NO WORDS to describe how excited I would be to find this waiting for me at the door as I left a late night wedding!! We have all seen sweets, such as cookies or a candy station, set up for guests to indulge in as they make their exit, but how great would it be to find a hamburger or chicken fingers with fries waiting for you!!

This would not only work after a wedding reception, but would be a nice touch after any late celebration!

Who Knew?!

Who knew baby's breath could actually look pretty?!

I spotted this stunning wedding over at JL Designs and just saw that Natasha from Fete Fanatic just wrote a post about it too. See more of the gorgeous photos here.

"Reserve" the Date

I'm always trying to find a way to be different or at least slightly different when putting together a party. I really like the wording of this card which reads "reserve the date" instead of the traditional "save the date." Just a little way to make your card stand out that much more!

invitation designed by Hayley Hardcastle

Conversation Napkins

I just love this idea! These cocktail napkins would not only work for a wedding reception, but would be great at any event...rehearsal dinner, engagement party, couples shower, lingerie shower...you name it!

photo via Keely Thorne Events on Facebook

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Hello all! I apologize for the lack of posts!! It has been a hectic, but fun week. We have had lots of fun things going on and I've hardly had time to sit down and blog away. Thanks for bearing with me!

Today is a special day for me. My husband and I are celebrating five years of marriage! Five years and two kids later, I still love him to pieces and am so thankful for him everyday.

Here are a few pictures from our wedding day. Some of the images are a little blurry (long story). I'm so bummed I do not have more decor photos to share with you! For some reason, I just have this random bunch that was given to me by my photographer.

We had such a great time at our rehearsal dinner! Since our wedding was ultra-formal, we decided to have a very casual dinner the night before. We went with a Western theme, of course, since we are from Texas...and we were living in New York at the time and wanted to show our NY friends the Texas way. =)

Photography by Wedding Stories