Bridal Cocktail Party

Event.

We love when our readers write us to tell us about ways that they've incorporated ideas we've shared, or share some new ideas with us. We have a passion for entertaining, and we get very excited to see that in others as well.

Last week one of our readers, Barbie Tilman, wrote in to tell us about not-so-typical bachelorette party that she threw for her best pal Margie. With a great story behind the party and wonderful photos by her friend Jessica Lorren, I just knew that we had to share this with you. Here's the story behind the event in Barbie's own words:

"My best friend Margie was ANTI a bachelorette party, but she did agree to let me throw her a low key cocktail party for our 6 best friends. It was such fun to plan. The bride and our best friends all grew up in Palm Beach, but have moved all over the country, so it was a blast for everyone to be together for a fun filled weekend. I went with a classic Palm Beach theme of pink & green & told the girls on the invitation to dress in "Palm Beach Glam" attire...bold, bright & Lilly-esque. The bride loves margarita's and wine, so they were the poison of choice for the night. I found wine glasses at the neatest little gift shop (KT Jane's/ Tampa) that I could monogram with her initial, that she LOVED."

"I also found the cutest cocktail flags for the margarita's there. Everything else was diy....the pom pom's hanging from the cocktail pavilion, the flowers, decor and food. My parent’s house in Palm Beach was the perfect gathering spot for the party, as we all use to congregate there & sneak drinks in high school. Naughty, Naughty!! We had the best memories there growing up…pool parties, slumber parties, sweet 16 parties, etc…. so it was just so fitting that we’d do her little pre-wedding cocktail celebration poolside at that house. Margie LOVED this fun night of "Margie's Margaritaville" in Palm Beach."

PS. Barbie recently started her own wedding planning business in Palm Beach/Tampa/Kennebunkport, Bumblebee Weddings. Brandi and I know a thing or two about branching out on your own. Congrats to you and best of luck in the world of entertaining!!

Birkin Bag Cocktail Napkins

Party Linens.

I ran across these napkins on CasaSugar and thought it looked like a great addition to a bridal shower or ladies luncheon. The colors are bold and the graphic is simple yet still makes a statement.

The cost is $52.00 for 8 napkins. One of the great things about this product is it provides a bold color palette with lots of variety, an instant theme and they are made of cotton for reuse.

Check out these napkins at Supermarket.

Destination Bridal Shower and Beyond

Living hundreds of miles away from engaged friends can make it difficult to be involved in all of the showers and parties that lead up to their big day. But I wasn't about to let that stop me when my friend Jade got engaged last year. Instead, I decided to get in cahoots with a couple of her local Chicago friends and create a shower/party extravaganza all in one day. That way I could still be involved, but I wouldn't have to offer my first born to American Airlines.

So we planned a late afternoon couples shower and an evening karaoke bash. And to keep the overall day cohesive in theme, I designed the invitation suite below.


With help from an amazing group of Chicago friends, I arrived in Chicago with all of the groceries purchased, all of my supplies safely stored from shipment, and a beautiful home ready for us to take over.


To go with our picnic theme, we created individual picnic baskets by lining wood berry baskets with inexpensive gingham fabric. We then filled them with chinese take-out containers filled with orzo salad, mini sandwiches on challah rolls, and fresh cherries. Plastic forks were rolled in red napkins with a contrasting band of tissue paper and twine tying it together.

For drinks, we used a GIGANTIC mason jar as a punch bowl to hold my new favorite summer drink - lemonade with sweet tea vodka.

And the sweet thing that topped off our day was Hip Hostess's signature chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream icing. To make our cupcakes look like flowers, I dyed the icing green and topped it with a lollipop. Then using double sided tape, I adhered little green leaves that I had pre-cut from cardstock.

For decorations, we filled the space with lots of tissue "poofs." They are super easy and cheap to make. Here are the instructions.

Both the shower and the karaoke party were a huge success. I'd love to show you pics from karaoke, but none of them passed my self-imposed censor. Just know that we were all Rock Stars.

DIY Bridal Luncheon Lunchbox

Unique Presentation Idea.

When planning your wedding, it's a nice touch to have a get together with your 'maids ahead of time...before things get crazy. A bridal luncheon can be just a lunch, a spa day, or even cocktails after work.

Well the Hip Hostess ladies got to thinking about an easy and affordable idea for a bridal luncheon theme, and we think we came up with a winner. We were inspired by the idea that a lot of times our bridesmaids are ladies that we have known for most of our lives...often times from our elementary school days. So we've created a play on a school lunch box for our ladies luncheon.

Here's what you'll need:

Cardboard Pencil Boxes (teaching supply stores or sometimes Michael's carries these)
Scrapbook paper
Scotch Tape

Craft Glue

Double-sided tape
Hip Hostess Name Tag

Print out Hip Hostess Name Tag (below) and write out each bridesmaid's name on individual tags. Cut and paste to the front of the pencil box.

Create dividers for inside the box to separate each course. The sizes that you use will vary depending on what sized food you choose, but this is the concept. The area within the dotted line is the overall size of the insert. You will fold along the lines and then tape the flaps together at the joint to create open-top boxes.
Place the dividers inside the pencil box and use double stick tape to keep in position if necessary. Now fill with treats for your girlfriends to enjoy. We did grown-up Mini PB& J (with plum-cherry preserves & organic natural peanut butter), cherries, brie wedges with crackers, and homemade whoopie pies for dessert. It's kind of like being back in the elementary school cafeteria, only a whole lot fancier.

Beautiful April Showers

Bridal Shower and Photography.

If there is something that I have definitely learned from experience, it is that great photography makes all of the difference in the world when you are trying to capture important moments or details.

So when Sandra Pan of Sandra P Photography reached out to tell us about a very special bridal shower that she had shot, I was very impressed to find out that it was the future groom that had requested her services. Mike wanted to make sure that his fiance, Erika, had a very special shower...and he wanted it captured on film in the best way possible. He's a keeper!

Check out these amazing photos by Sandra P.

The Bride and her friends enjoy a lovely afternoon.

The pink and green theme are carried through very well in the invites and lovely hanging arrangements.

I love the bling on the cupcakes!

Every girl loves champagne and Tiffany's.

And captured perfectly on film, a lovely card from the groom. He wrote some very thoughtful words about his first date with Erika. It brought the bride to tears and brought on many oohs and ahhs from her friends.

Best Wishes to Erika and Mike! And thanks to Sandra P for sharing her wonderful work!