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Penny’s Birthday Party

October 21, 2013

Some images were lost in the move… check out the full post here!

I was beyond excited to help plan the birthday party of one of the most stylish, fabulous women on the planet – Penny! Her house had been wrapping up a lengthy remodel and they were moving into their new home in time to celebrate her birthday… and what is better than a birthday celebration in a gorgeous, new home? Not much…. here is what we did:

Because the party was also showcasing their new home, I didn’t want to take away from their gorgeous decor with crazy birthday decorations, so I kept it simple with beautiful blooms and a color palette that complemented the house.

For place cards I bought delicate craft paper hang tags, and attached them to these beautiful rose lemonade bottles. The arrangements were made up of some stunning pink garden roses and peonies, as well as white hydrangeas and calla lilies in glass and silver vases.

I set up various “bar stations” – one for wine and beer and another for self serve cocktails (recipes to come on Fun Drink Friday!).

For food, I used Chef Annie (the same chef who helped with my parent’s Anniversary Party) and her team – Stephanie and Chris. The food was amazing (as usual) and when a night starts with mini potatoes filled with lemon creme frachie and topped with caviar and chives… how can you go wrong?!

Menu

First Course

Silky Pumpkin Soup Topped with Calvados Apples and Crispy Sage

Second Course

Kale Salad with Balsamic-Soaked Currants, Crispy Pancetta, Toasted Pine Nuts and Shaved Pecorino

Entrée

Roasted Filet of Petrale Sole, Served over White Beans, Wild Mushrooms, Root Vegetables and Wilted Bitter Greens; with a Citrus Reduction

Dessert

Pear Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce

Happy Birthday Penny!

Party

Bunco Party

October 14, 2013

One of my college roommates started a Bunco group and I was excited to host this month!

First I had to give our house a little Halloween flair (orange colored bottles in the bar, pumpkins, orange and black books) and tweak our furniture layout. With a 900 square foot house, and our living room being pretty much the only accessible room in the house, I had to get creative with seating, but it all worked out!

This week was a little crazy (helped coordinating my boss’s major house move, planned two parties and worked a normal work week), so prep was VERY important. Here was my menu:

Cornbread
Turkey, Four Bean and Sweet Potato Chili*
Chili Toppings: Avocado, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Cilantro, Sliced Jalapenos, Corn Tortilla Chips
Bread Bowls (for the chili)
Brownies
Snacks: Guacamole, Salsa and Chips; Edamame Hummus and Rice Crackers, various crackers/chips/treats

* I subbed their beans with 2 cans black, 1 kidney and 1 white bean. I prepped everything the night before and stored in a crock pot (sans chicken stock and water) in the fridge overnight, and then added the stock/water the morning of and cooked on low for 8 hours while at work.

The key is prepping as much as you can ahead of time (you never know when your last meeting is going to run late), and to serve food that requires as little of your attention the day of (ie you don’t want to be frying chicken or plating food last minute). A party like this needs food that can be served at any time and at your guests leisure. Also little snacks at each table doesn’t hurt! Competition can make a person hungry!

For a bunco “How To Guide” check out this link. My friend Sarah has also created a “Bunco box” filled with all of the necessary forms, pens, dice (or die?!), bell, etc. It’s a great thing to have if you plan on mixing up the host home. You also will need a fun item (something small – usually a mini stuffed animal), for those that roll 3 of a kind. I went a festive route and used a small pumpkin (not the safest thing in retrospect, because it will be tossed around from table to table – not ideal with wine glasses around 🙂 ).

Overall it was a blast and such a fun night! I highly recommend you start your own Bunco night if you don’t play in one already! Thank you Sarz for starting the fun!

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30th Anniversary Party

August 5, 2013

My parents will be celebrating their 30th Anniversary this week, so we thought what better way to mark this major milestone than with a party?! My sisters and I have been working on this for quite a while… so I wanted to share it with you all!

Throughout the week I’ll be highlighting some of our favorite parts of the planning process – what to wear, what to serve, details not to miss! But today I wanted to focus on food and the menu… and better yet a great new company for those of you who live in the Bay Area or LA – Kitchit! The company provides private chefs that can accommodate any event type – anything from a 5 course menu for 2, to a causal family style feast for 30. Another feature I found really cool is you can split the bill online, so you can book as a group!

We were lucky enough to have Chef Anne help us out – her food is amazing, she’s super nice/professional/fun/accommodating and we definitely are looking forward to hosting another event that she can help us with! Here is her fabulous family-style menu for us (my mom is gluten-free, she created a menu that would reflect that… and make my dad happy at the same time!):

Heirloom Tomatoes, Burrata & Basil with Cornbread Croutons

Arugula Salad with Grilled Peaches, Marcona Almonds, Ricotta Salata and Shallot Vinaigrette

Tuscan Dry-Rubbed Chicken with Chimichurri

Summer Fruit Shortcakes with Whipped Creme Fraiche

Recapping the event today, my sisters and I couldn’t have been happier with the party – from great wine and food, to some memorable toasts and stories, and finishing with Fireball and a dance party, it definitely was one for the books… looking forward to the 50th anniversary party! Love you Mom and Dad!

Party

Wedding Week – Top 10 Tips

July 12, 2013

Here are a few things I wish I would have known before the wedding planning process (I wish I wrote this list a year ago when everything was fresh, but here is what still sticks with me… 52 weeks later…):

Go with the flow. Something is bound to go wrong (not in a pessimistic way… it just most likely will). So if there is a typo on your invites or a groomsmen gets sick the day of the wedding, just roll with it… because in a year you will forgot all of those life shattering “hiccups.”
Don’t forget about tax and gratuity. When creating our budget Jeremy and I forgot about a little thing called gratuity and tax that they tack on to your bill. This number can be anywhere in the $100’s to $1000’s of dollars, so be aware when budgeting.
There are no rules. Luckily our generation is figuring it out and learning that you don’t have to have your wedding “a certain way.” J and opted out of a first dance, throwing the garter or anything we weren’t excited about/comfortable with. Some people may look at you funny, but at the end of the day it’s your day!
Hire a videographer. Every advice column I read said to hire one and I ignored their advice… and now I regret it. I would love to watch our vows again or listen to my dad and sister’s speeches… there are so many fun memories that a picture can’t fully capture.
Keep an eye out for hidden fees. We had to negotiate our way out of fees for everything from bread rolls (vs. sliced bread) to extra heaters. Be aware of these ahead of time, so you are smacked with a giant bill when you get back from your honeymoon. Also, be aware of little things you may forget to put in your budget – postage for invites/thank yous/RSVP cards,
Splurge on open bar. This obviously is down to personal preference/budget, but I would advise cutting in other areas to make this happen. It is a nice touch and ensures that everyone is having a blast on the dance floor 🙂
Don’t forget other events. If you are having a destination wedding of any kind, don’t forget to include the rehearsal dinner, activities, brunch/lunch, etc. into your budget. Welcome bags are also a nice touch for out of town guests. We bought these cute bags (our last name is Beaver), and filled them with treats we bought of Amazon (sunscreen, Pop Chips, Fiji water, candy, Advil, etc.) as well as an itinerary and welcome letter.
Timelines. Everyone says how fast the day goes (which is does), but we made sure to take in the little moments (all your loved ones sharing a meal with you, dancing to our favorite songs). I also made a timeline (ahead of time), to have a better idea of what needed to get accomplished when. I also made a chart with all vendors names and contact info, as well as the time they’d be arriving. It was helpful to know when and where someone would be should an issue arise.
Pick your battles. No matter how close you are to a family member/friend, something will come up that will not have the easiest solution. Maybe it’s guest list additions, or your mom wants you to wear her (very 80’s) wedding dress. Take a deep breath, hear them out and pick your battles. It isn’t worth getting into a giant fight over a plus one.
Enjoy your day! You just spent a huge chunk of your (and your parents, and your husbands, and your husbands family’s) savings, so make sure to try every appetizer, eat your dinner, dance with your family and laugh with your friends! This is your day!

For more of wedding tips/suggestions check out the following:

Planning and Prep

Venue and Vendors

Decor and Dresses

Gowns and Garb

* Images by John Plus Louise Photography

Party

Wedding Week – Gowns and Garb

July 11, 2013

Attire

The Dress: This could be a post all its own, but I will save you the boring parts and get to the point. I bought a vintage dress for $300 and took it to the tailor to get the back lowered, straps adjusted, etc. I basically reworked the dress completely, but for saving so much money in the dress department I figured why not!? Well 2 weeks before I went to my final fitting/pick up my dress and realized the tailor had chopped the hem of the dress, so that it was a couple inches above my ankle! Not a cute look. As you will learn (or have learned), something is bound to go wrong during the planning process, so if this was “my thing,” so be it. I hit the web and started frantically searching online. I had bought a few dresses before the vintage one (ie. via J.Crew, Nordstrom, etc.), so I already knew a few were not going to work. I had remembered a dress that caught my eye from Nieman’s and low and behold it was 25% off! A sign! I ordered it (with expedited shipping) and just my luck it fit like a glove (I just had to hem it because I was wearing flats). The day before our wedding J and I picked up my dress and his suit from the alterations (it still makes me laugh that two people as into fashion as we are, threw together this element of our big day) and off we went!

Bridesmaid Dresses: My sisters were my only two bridesmaids, and considering the cost of being in a wedding is high enough as it is I surely didn’t want to ask anymore than I had to. I had Taylor rent her dress on RenttheRunway.com and I bought Kendall’s dress on Gilt.com. Both were around a $100. Growing up my sisters and I wore matching outfits, so to honor that, I gifted them Tory Burch sandals (similar) that we all wore the day of (kill two birds with one stone).

Suits: We also used the gifting approach and bought our groomsmen Calvin Klein suits (2 for 1 at Men’s Warehouse). We wanted to get them something they would wear again, and we love when we see them wearing the “wedding suit” to work 🙂 We also bought everyone fun socks, which were quite the hit.

*Images by John Plus Louise Photography

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