sooooo, i am a little behind in blogging this party..."california christmas" actually happened LAST YEAR but i got so busy i didn't have time to post it before the holidays were over...well, the photos are so insanely gorgeous i HAD to blog it this time around...so better late than never right? :)
i co-created the dinner party with one of my favorite wedding designers - cortnie purdy from canvas and canopy and it was hosted by my favorite publicist - leila khalil from be inspired pr...it started out as a lovely "christmas in california" inspired photo shoot but we figured, as long as we're setting it up, why not enjoy it and invite some friends? so that's just what we did...we held the party at my house in costa mesa, which fit the coastal, modern vibe perfectly...it was such an amazing evening to just relax and enjoy the beauty that we created as well as the company of sweet friends...
style file: coastal, modern, natural, breezy, calm with pops of red, festive touches
color scheme: mint green, tan, white, cherry red
flowers: succulents, air plants, peonies, balsa wood flowers
elements: white coral, capiz shells, smokebush branches, quartz, mercury glass, sea urchins, braids, seersucker fabric, cork
guests were treated to a "california holiday glow" by danielle from plush tan...we all left the party feeling ready to banish those winter blahs!
i created a sand blasted manzanita and capiz shell chandelier that hung directly above our dining table...
the table was set with white birdsnest coral, mint green air plants, smokebush branches, chunks of quartz and white ceramic sea urchins topped with succulents...it was all very tranquil and zen looking...so to make it more festive we worked in mercury glass votives and white ceramic vases wrapped in metallic beaded trim and filled with stunning red peonies!
the desserts were amazing!! cupcakes in flavors like winter mint, hot cocoa and gingerbread, as well as macarons, peppermint cake pops and beautifully decorated ornament sugar cookies that we actually strung and hung from branches!
the cake was a simple white fondant wrapped in red berry branches...
cortnie and i found some red and white striped seersucker fabric and we thought it was perfect for a coastal look as well as festive for the holidays! so she hand sewed every seersucker napkin and then she created those killer mint green and white braided napkin treatments!
the party took place a couple weeks after we got bossy...it's so crazy to look back at how small she was! i am so grateful for these adorable photos of her as a puppy :)
the beverage station was set with cork vessels that we topped with white boards and our specialty cocktails - icicle mint mojitos and jingle berry (on the) rocks...get it? ;) we accented the table with succulent christmas trees and quartz pieces topped with more succulents...
at the end of the night, we needed something warm to drink so we had apple cider with a gingerbread cookie "gift tag" customized with each girls name (from "cali claus")...we also had hot chocolate with snowflake marshmallows...
besides the spray tans, each guest also got to leave with a signature scent! courtney from kamilyin was there to guide us in mixing the right blend and then she created a hand soap, lotion and sugar scrub set for us to take home!
i accented the scent station with my grapewood stumps, topped with moss and balsa wood flowers...
once we lit the candles and started a fire in the hearth, the mood was warm, soft and magical - SO...MUCH...FUN!
although christmas is only for one month out of the year, i feel like there are definitely elements to this design that could be re-worked into a wedding day...so hopefully it will inspire you not only for this year's yuletide celebrations, but it will spark some design ideas for your 2012 nuptials!
here is the AMAZING team of vendors for the party...so much talent!!
and a huge thank you to all our friends who attended the party and blogged about it:
