Create My Event - Event & Party Ideas Blog

My Challenge: a Great Wedding Under $5000

so, i am super excited about this post. i know i haven't posted in a while {thanks for reminding me!}, but i have been so busy getting ready for my newest challenge. a fabulous wedding under $5000.

a very good friend of mine got engaged to her long time boyfriend. my girlfriend recently decided to quit her job and go for her master's and PhD, and then she spent her savings on a big down payment for a beautiful old house. all her extra money is going into the new/old house, but she still wants to have a semi-traditional wedding.

so, she called me up to ask me if i could help her. she wants a 'real' wedding, but she only wants to spend about $5000. of course i eagerly accepted the challenge, and the wheels in my mind have not stopped spinning.

research, research, and more research!

so last weekend, laurel and i got inspired to play around with some pretty table-scapes.

she wants her colors to be inspired by the beach. yellow for the sun, blue for the water, and neutrals for the sand. the wedding and reception will be on the beach, so we have so much natural beauty to help us out.

here is what we came up with. i would love to know what you guys think.

allison@occasionsandstyle.com

this first table is more formal. we used plain white cotton tablecloths with a watery blue chiffon fabric layered over the top. white, dotted swiss napkin were placed on top of silver charger plates so the napkins could hang from the table giving the table drape and more volume. my girlfriend has asked if she can use my china, and i of course obliged that request.

the china is a limoges pattern from tiffany&co called moderne. we also used my grandmother's silver and my crystal. the silver is faneuil also by tiffany&co. the crystal is the hampton pattern, again, from tiffany. it's very pretty, but it's not terribly ornate or cut, but heavy enough to be warm and elegant.

we scattered small votive candles in white and pale green.

laurel did these centerpieces. she used floral frogs to create the centerpiece of hydrangea. i bought the flowers from costco for $9!

i think i spent about $12 on this table between the flowers and the candles.

this is the second table we created.

this table was much more casual, but super fun and quite lovely. using the same white tablecloth i found some really sweet seersucker and stripe table runners at Target! i crisscrossed the runners to create 'place mats' instead of charger plates.

laurel, aka miss crafty made napkin rings from seashells i bought while i was at the beach. i think i payed a quarter for each shell, maybe even less! she glued white ric-rac onto a wide tan grosgrain ribbon. she tied the ribbon/shell napkin ring around a plain white cotton napkin. these can be purchased anywhere for any price!

the dinnerware is from Sur la Table. the deep robin's egg blue dinner plates with the pale yellow salad plates really made this table come to life.

we scattered tea lights around the center of the table and under the centerpiece. the flowers, again, Costco!! for $16.

we just basically threw more seashells around the table. i bought these seashells for my daughter and i think i spent about $10 on all of them.

i didn't want to use my formal crystal on this table, so we used some of my everyday wine glasses i found at Pier 1. i think i payed $3-4 per glass.

the sterling champagne bucket was also my grandmother's, and the bottle of perrier jouet in the bucket probably helped give me my late night energy to get this all done! the champagne flutes are the hand painted flutes that come with the perrier jouet gift set. my mother loved perrier jouet, so i have a set of about 20 of these flutes. lucky me!

all in all, i spent maybe $30 on this table. and, i think it's my favorite. i love casual elegance, and this table just makes me feel happy and easy.

if you have pretty china, crystal, and silver or you know someone who does, you can borrow them. if you can't borrow, then you can rent plain white china, and simple flatware and stemware. or, you can opt for a more casual table and use some fun, pretty everyday stuff.

i'm really excited about these tables. i think we can easily create this wedding for $5000!

i can't wait to read your comments!

allison@ occasions&style

A Modern Luau

When you hear of a "Hawaiian Luau Party" images of fruit punch, hula skirts and colorful plastic flower lei's probably come to mind. However, a traditional Hawaiian luau couldn't be further from the truth. Culturally luau's are a large part of Hawaiian culture and entertaining is an essential part of life. Even if you aren't in the tropics, throwing a modern luau today doesn’t have to mean kitschy. Here are my tips for creating a more authentic, and infinetly more modern, Hawaiian Luau.

DECOR:
For the table décor, focus on clean, organic lines with a lot of natural elements and just a few tropical ones. Keep the floral print to one aspect of the table, we chose to highlight a colorful floral tablecloth and balance that out by using many wood elements and limiting the use of color. Instead of floral centerpieces, we chose to use two large Monstera leafs in a simple wood bowl. Other beautiful floral options include orchids, birds of paradise and red ginger flowers. Clear votives with white candles were placed on wooden trays and set along the table.

For the place settings; simple, off-white ceramic plates were placed on top of a woven grass charger. Sleek modern silverware and stemless wine glasses complete our place setting. Little wood salt and pepper cellars with matching spoons hold the Hawaiian red sea salt and organic pepper. We placed a real leaf on top of each plate and wrapped them around the menus to give the entire setting a splash of natural color. For our guest favors a tin of authentic red Hawaiian sea salt was placed at each setting.

MENU:
Pacific Rim inspired cuisine is not only an accurate, but upscale menu choice for your party. Start with a refreshing Edamame Mint Salad followed by Cedar-Planked Teriyaki Salmon and Pork and Pineapple Kebabs. For dessert, try a Banana Vanilla Haupia Pudding.

Thanks for having us guest post today Create Your Event! See more at Modern Living Hawaii.

A Birthday Bash That Gives Back

I'm so glad to be a guest blogger here and for my first post, wanted to share a very cool idea I recently came across. 

Want to host an exciting birthday party with a purpose that lets kids do good for their communities and have fun at the same time?  Kids Care Club have partnered with Quaker Snack Bars to create the Quaker Volunteer Party kit, for ages 5-12, free when you send in any four UPC codes from the boxes of Quaker Chewy® Granola Bars or Quaker® Granola Bites and the mail-order form. The kit includes a How-to Guide, a T-shirt for the birthday child, wristbands, temporary tattoos, activity booklets and achievement certificates for 10 kids. There are five free themed party packages you can download invites, banners and thank-you cards after you receive your kit. We can't wait for our kit to arrive!  Not Just A Mommy

Quick & Easy Party Room Update with Wall Stickers

Need a quick and easy room update for a party or an event? Removal Wall Decals is the solution. Put them up, then take them down or move them! 2Modern has a wide range of wall stickers to choose from. See some examples from dVider:

Autumn Decor Question...

Alex asks...

"My company is in a trade show this mid-September and we are having an 'Autumn in Central Park' theme for our booth display about 20' x 10' and I have been asked to see if we can rent a couple of 'autumn/fall' trees, some potted mums/florals for this show (about 4 days) in San Antonio, Texas. I haven't the faintest clue on where and how to begin to do this. Any advice, direction, and assistance will be helpful and much appreciated."

Help Alex out! Respond to this post with your ideas...

Morning Entertaining

Entertain with simplicity, ease and style at your next party - host breakfast!

The symbolism of the dawning of a new day can be reason enough to celebrate. Morning is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. Party givers looking to depart from the usual may want to select the morning time to celebrate a birthday, someone's retirement or welcome a new baby.

Celebrity style maker, Colin Cowie says, "Breakfast is a wonderful way to entertain on weekends when you have the time to cook and enjoy leisure time around the house." Having friends or family over for breakfast in the early morning ensures you have the whole day to enjoy after the dishes are done.

Donna Leahy advises against recipes that are overly complex. The very nature of breakfast keeps things casual and from becoming fussy. The meal could be as simple as coffee and yogurt, fruit and granola parfaits or a continental breakfast of coffee, juice, pastries and jams. More substantial meals feature eggs and meat in addition.

Breakfast also lends itself to theme entertaining. A British or Irish breakfast has eggs, sausages, toast and tomatoes. Eastern European breakfast consists of cheeses, cold cuts, yogurt and muesli or other cereals. The Japanese have miso soup, grilled fish and pickled vegetables. Regional US preferences include lox and bagels in the Northeast, vegetable and egg white omelets on the West coast and biscuits and gravy in the South.

Consider the following for your menu:

Fruits - My personal favorite is to serve a fruit bowl with fruit of two contrasting colors. Cantaloupe with strawberries, for example. In season fruits served whole or halved are simple and delicious.
Cereals - Homemade granola is easy to make yet wows guests every time. Obviously, there are some great commercial brands available. Oatmeal or other hot cereal can be made ahead and kept warm in a low setting slow cooker or glass bowl atop a simmering pot of water.
Breads - We all have friends that insist on bringing something. Have them stop at their favorite bakery for items that would compliment the rest of your menu.
Spreads - Splurge on jams, honey and gourmet items such as Nutella or Dulce de Leche.
Eggs - Poached, boiled or baked eggs keep you from standing at the stove for your entire party.
Meats - Bacon can be baked or parma and serrano hams can be brought home from the deli.
Drinks - Coffee, tea, juice, smoothies, cocktails such as mimosas and bloody marys.

My last breakfast celebration was a birthday party with a Parisian Cafe theme. I served french roast coffee, watermelon juice and sparkling wine, platter of triple cream Brie and Red Grapes, bowl of Blueberries, Asparagus, Ham and Swiss Cheese quiches and Paula Deen's French Toast casserole with Maple Syrup. The dishes were simple enough that everything that served was homemade. Guests arrived at 9 and departed at 11.

Most of us have grab and go meals in the morning during the week. Trust me, morning entertaining with a hearty breakfast shared with loved ones is the way to.

Black & Green Olive Tapenade in an Orange Pepper Jack-O-Lantern

The Celebrations team has just the recipe to spice up your Halloween party. Make some spooktacular pepper Jack-O-Lanterns with a tasty tapenade.

With tasty Halloween treats like this, your guests will definitely stay pleasantly happy throughout the night.

*Ingredients:*

   - 1/3 cup olive oil
   - 2 (8-oz.) cans button mushrooms
   - 1 teaspoon dry mustard
   - 1 tablespoon mustard seed
   - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
   - 1 (6-oz.) can large black olives, pitted
   - 1 cup green olives stuffed with pimentos
   - 1/2 teaspoon salt
   - 1/2 teaspoon pepper
   - 3 orange bell peppers

*Preparation:*

Cook oil, mushrooms, dry mustard, mustard seed and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Place mushroom mixture and olives in a food processor and until olives are finely minced.

Cut tops of orange peppers and use a spoon to scrape out seed and inner membrane. Use a sharp knife to cut out Jack-O-Latern facial features in the side of the pepper.

Spoon tapenade into Jack-O-Lantern peppers and serve with thin baguette slices or crackers in a basket.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

Recipe courtesy of Celebrations expert, Jeanne Benedict. Be sure to check out Celebrations for more great Halloween party ideas!

Reduce stress...get organized for your next party!

What makes a good party? Is it the food? The conversation? The interaction of the guests? Of course all of these things play a vital role in the success of a party but the stress level of the hostess ranks as THE key element. When the stress level of the host/hostess is high, guests can sense it. When the stress level is low (and the hostess is mingling, laughing and having a good time with her guests, the guests feel welcome, happy) the fun begins.

I have thrown many, many parties and learned early on that when I was organized, had taken the time to create a great checklist and timeline for the party, everyone had a much better time. I once threw a party where I didn't take the time to really read the main dish recipe, started too late on setting the table and was racing the clock to get ready and clean the house. I ended up spending more time in the kitchen cooking, and was so stressed to clean, set the table, etc. that I wasn't really ready when guests arrived. I was stressed, slightly grumpy and I knew my guests could feel my angst. The night ended up okay, but I didn't have any fun. I vowed I wouldn't let myself get behind the eight ball and from then on, I would be ORGANIZED for each and every party.

As a result I created the following check list and food prep list. The timeline is what makes all the difference in the world, especially the "day of" timeline. Working backwards from when your guests arrive, you write in the times things need to start in order to be done on time. This especially helps my husband, who instead of saying to me when I am in the middle of something, "What next?", he can reference the timeline and check it off. Below is a link where you can download a PDF of my timeline and checklist. I promise it will make entertaining so much more fun...for you and your guests.

Party Prep Checklist and Timeline

Dorm Room Decor Ideas Contest

Win this racey mobile from 2Modern Modern Furniture. ENTER HERE...

An Orange & White Wedding

I'm crazy for orange and white, so was estatic to walk into a chic Pasadina rooftop wedding surrounded by my favorite 2 colors. Enjoy...