A Circus Party

I was recently asked to start thinking about a first birthday party idea for a January birthday girl and the circus came to mind! As a child I always knew that January meant clowns, cotton candy, popcorn and balloons...I loved it!

My initial thought is for the party to be at home. We can turn a carport into a circus tent by draping red and white fabric from the corners and mounting two flags off the roof.

You get my drift....

Like all of my parties, I hit the Internet for inspiration and this is what I have found.... mostly from Etsy.com.

(The Flour Pot is a great cookie design resource)

Possible Favor Bags?? Just a thought...

I came a cross Kara's Party Ideas and you would not believe the circus party she threw for her two little boys. It is truly amazing. While I loved all of her ideas, my favorite thing was the photo booth she had set up for the children.





The photos of the children will be great party favor for the parents. I would love to have the girls clown photo on my fridge!


Snapsterfoto is a great resource for photo booths in Birmingham. I have worked with this group before and they do an amazing job getting guests to liven up in front of the camera!

Happy Planning!

-NB

An Outdoor September Wedding

Last week, I was hired by a sweet girl to help plan her September 2010 wedding. I am so excited! Her dreams are leading her to an outdoor wedding in a "rustic, but elegant" barn in the mountains of Mentone, AL. Thinking "outside the box" is what this bride lives for, so I am thrilled to be the one to help make her wedding dreams come true!


I thought it would be fun to include my readers along the way. Below are a few photos I am using for inspiration.

I love the old church pews! There are so many things you can do to add style to the ceremony site. You could use different antique wooden chairs or hay bails with a fabric draped over each one.

The potted trees are a good way to line the aisle. The trees can later be used in the new couple's back yard.

The bride would like to offer her guests a very casual meal during the reception. While I love the idea of Bar B-Q, I would rather not use the aluminum tins that you often see at a company cookout.

Wedding favors disappeared for a few years, but they are back. While they still are not 100% necessary, I thought these wooden pencils would be a perfect wedding favor for an outdoor wedding.

Not a huge fan of the font...but always a fan of initials!


These aisle markers have been used many, many times...but look fabulous every single time. Whether you use them for candles, wild flowers or greenery they line the aisle perfectly!

Not sure what I like more...the poplin suit or the funky, cool bouquet!


Simple, yet unique..I think it may be a winner!

Happy Planning!

-NB

Rustic Meets Elegance

My sister Hannon came to my house for dinner last night and told story after story about an amazing farm wedding she attended this weekend! Everything from the plantation atmosphere, to the creamed spinach served at the rehearsal dinner, to the men in red coats who charged the reception on wild horses to deliver the wedding day toast, all sounded like it was out of a story book.

So today, I couldn't help but focus on a story where

RUSTIC + ELEGANCE = EXQUISITE

So, you may need a magnifying glass to see these photos, but try and squint (or click here to take you to the website). It is worth it!

There is a BIG difference between a sketch of the latest Buck your finance killed and an antique sketch of a Elk (I have spent the last 30 minutes on the Internet trying to figure out what exactly this is a sketch of and I give up...you would think I would know this, but I don't....lets just call it an Elk for now).

Notice that the bottled water on the tables have the old bottle stopper lids and also have a sketch of a deer drinking water.

I love the votive candles with the rocks in the bottom and the small grapevine balls that were randomly set out for decoration.

I always opt for the long "farm" table seating so your guests can enjoy the company of more guests.
My favorite detail of this rustic dinner is the old truck. Check out this video featuring my ever so favorite interior designer....Rachel Halvorson from Nest Egg.





When I asked Rachel if I could post the wedding video she was so sweet to share a few of her "rustic" photos as well! Like Rachel's blog, I should have known her wedding would have also been one of true elegance!






One of the bridesmaids made the "just married" sign out of old wood, spray paint and white letters. Hint: Make sure you have a creative bridesmaid if you want something like this!

Are you kidding...how amazing is this photo!! LOVE IT!





Rachel carried the rustic theme a little further by having games at her reception like sack races and the egg toss. She said it was hilarious and it was a great way to add some entertainment to her destination wedding. While the rustic look always fits in well with the fall...you can do it anytime of year!

Happy Planning!

-NB

Sweet Sixteen

Oh what it would be like to be 16 again...driving a hunk a junk Sabb convertible, listening to The Dave Matthew's Band and living for Friday night football.....oh the good old days!

I got a glimpse of the good old days last week when planning my first "Sweet Sixteen" birthday party for two super "sweet" girls....Mallie and Sallie! Let me just tell you, these girls are far more stylish than I ever dreamed to be at their age, and I had an absolute blast working with them to make their birthday wishes come true!

(The Birthday Diva's, Mallie and Sallie)

The girls wanted their party to be more than a backyard soiree. During the first few meetings, we contemplated cool venues and various ways to make their party, unique, fun and exciting for their guests. After a little arm twisting, I promised to make a "house party" far more spectacular than any house party they had experienced before.

Hint: When looking at your budget, list out what is truly important to you and then decide what you can cut. For this party, a logo, lighting, decor and details were far more important than the venue itself! The decision to have the party at home allowed us to plan the party of their dreams!

First, we took the invitation and logo created by Razzle Dazzle Creative Design and ran with it. We even had the photographer incorporate it into the boarder of all the photos.

What better way for Sallie and Mallie to remember the night than a signed picture frame. The guests wrote special notes around a mat that later will be filled with photos from the night.

The guests enjoyed cold bottled coke (Sallie's Favorite) through flagged straws.

Olexa did a wonderful job recreating the invitation design on the cake.

The Tiffany blue box always adds a little excitement to a girl's day! The favor boxes were filled with M&Ms and Skittles to carry the M&S theme through the night.

Lighting adds so much to the decor and atmosphere of a party. To keep my "Not your average house party" promise...I hired AG Lighting to light up the house and the yard with baby blue and lime green lights.

The lime green light illuminating each table gave the backyard an ultra sleek and sophisticated look!

Happy Sweet Sixteen Mallie and Sallie!! Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day!

Happy Planning!

-NB

Fashion For The Fight

Thank you all for coming to Fashion For The Fight Thursday night. As an event designer and coordinator, I love to plan anything, but planning an event that gives back to our community adds purpose and meaning to all the hard work.

The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center played a vital role in my fight against cancer and I am forever indebted to the doctors and nurses who helped me win my fight. Like myself, there are many other young women in our community who have also fought the fight of all fights and nowhave a bigger smile, stronger soul and greater purpose in life. Cancer doesn't just effect our parents and grandparents, it effects our sisters and our friends. Our event was in honor of the young female survivors who were faced with a challenge and fought it like a DIVA! Thank you UAB for your research and your desire to save us from this terrible disease!!

Let the party begin......

Please keep in mind all of our great sponsors, Laura Kathryn, Whole Foods, Trotter Technologies, Jemison Investments, Flower Stems, N' Vogue Spa, Levy's, Cafe Dupont and Will Dickey Photography!

Happy Planning!

-NB