a dark, weird dinner party just in time for halloween

this shoot was a feature for rue magazine that focused on the home and lifestyle of noa from featherlove photography...noa has such crazy rad style - a unique blend of bohemian, gypsy and 1960's hippie...with some dark, unique elements thrown in...

when anne sage and jesi haack set out to create a party that reflected noa's flair, the girls came up with ideas that they coined "darko-weirdo"...at first i was confused but after a couple emails i totally understood what they were looking for with the tablescape and florals...when you see the photos it all comes together ;)

in fact, i think the styling and design ideas actually make for some killer halloween inspirations! skulls, taxidermy, feathers, tarot cards, crows, macrame, ferns, face painting, dreamcatchers, furs, antlers and jello molds!?!!? i meeeaaaan...it was literally one of the weirdest but most genius shoots i have ever been a part of...

jesi used all of noa's existing furniture to to set up an al fresco dinner table, complete with bohemian rugs and that crazy dreamcatcher in the background...

i found a ton of vintage green and amber glassware at local thrift stores so we used them not only for vases but for drinking glasses as well...

i used some twine to hang some of noa's animal skulls, antlers, bones and teeth from one of the trees...

to give the table texture and dimension, i found a killer gray fur coat at a salvation army and we bunched it up to create a runner down the center of the table...

instead of florals, i stuck with all types of ferns, and accented a couple of the pieces with feathers...

here's the lovely noa - how fab is her outfit?! the perfect bohemian hostess :)

jesi came up with these crow placecard holders...the perfect dark touch for our table...

little fortune teller menus made by amber from pitbulls and posies...jesi found the 70's dishware at a goodwill...

i saw this glazed ceramic frog at the thrift store and couldn't resist nestling him into the fur runner...

jesi worked with jay's catering to come up with these insane throwback foods - grasshopper pie and a tomato jello mold?!?! they fit the 60's vibe so perfectly...

these are some shots of the inside of noa's home - her interior design is so funky and unique! it was such a great inspiration for our shoot...

a brilliant idea from jesi - using a retro lightbrite!

after dinner, guests entertained themselves with tarot card reading, music, fondue, face painting and of course, dancing!!

this was such an awesome shoot to collaborate on! jesi, anne and noa had a super crazy vision and it was so fun to feed off their energy and ideas!

to see the rue magazine feature and write-up on noa and her aesthetic, click here (page 142)...there is also an awesome video of the day, shot by son of sharkpig...seriously, watch it...it's a total reflection of the vibe of the day!

here is the full list of everyone involved:

event design and styling: jesi haack design

photography: braedon flynn (who is SO talented by the way)

florals and tablescape decor: JL DESIGNS

stationery: pitbulls and posies

food styling: jay's catering

videography: son of sharkpig

face painting: body art by allison

JL DESIGNS featured on style me pretty!

how exciting that just one day after the vintage halloween bash, i got news that style me pretty was going to be picking it up and blogging it the day before halloween! what a treat! (yes, pun intended)...post 1 can be viewed here and post 2 can be viewed here...

thanks abby for sharing the event with the rest of the wedding world! :)

a very vintage halloween bash, beverly hills

when yelena johnson of the stylish soiree and i decided we wanted to throw a fun halloween party for about 40-50 people it started off very small scale...but once we started tweeting it, the guest count quickly grew to over 150 people! and we just figured the more the better! let them come... :)

the initial design concept was kind of a playful vintage but as we got closer to the event and we kept finding new inspirations, it definitely morphed into something a bit more gothic, a bit more victorian and a bit darker...for the florals and decor pieces, i knew i wanted to go with all muted, lifeless colors...nothing bright or vibrant...and almost all of the vessels, candlesticks, platters, gravy boats, frames, mirrors, etc. were thrifted in order to keep an authentic, vintage feel...

i REALLY loved how everything turned out and just hours before the party began, the clouds rolled in, the wind got CRAZY (hello blackouts!) and it made for a perfect, eerie halloween setting...

yelena borrowed this black vintage typewriter from a friend...

i hit the jackpot with this filligree framed mirror...$4.00 at the goodwill!

another killer find was this footed silver container...i packed it full of white hydrangea, black dahlias (yes there really is such a thing), gray reindeer moss and scabiosa pods (which kinda look dead but when mixed with the right florals, they are gorgeous!)...

two more of my favorites from the night were this silver gravy boat holding gray reindeer moss, scabiosa pods and gray succulents...

as well as this brass candelabra...i couldn't believe the things i scored at goodwill! and i am not telling which one it is because i am going to hoard all their stuff just for me :)

i got this 5 piece set of petite brass footed goblets for $2.00! and ps. i KILL for black and white anemones...like hands off, those are mine...KILL! :)

yelena brought these fab black lanterns to hang in the trees and my dear friend jesi haack brought some of her own for us to use too!

yelena crafted this huge spiderweb the night before and hung it from some of the trees near the courtyard! she put so much work into it and i don't know if everyone saw it once it got dark so i am super glad meg got a photo of it! and doesn't that sky just look CREEPY?!

we created a little "vintage vignette", using an eclectic mix of furniture...yelena brought this cute black nightstand from home...

both of the green chairs were another donation from jesi haack...

and the rest was stuff i thrifted just days before the party...including this studded, velvet wingback chair for $10.00 and the coffee table for $6.00! the flocked damask pillows were custom made by my team...

glass votives were given a brushed gold paint treatment to continue the muted look...

and in case you're wondering, i didn't do anything to the pumpkins...you can buy them that way...my vendor calls them "lumpy" pumpkins...i think he is being generous with that adjective...because what they really are is moldy and decrepid...but perfect for halloween!

katrina did a fantastic job with the calligraphy for the programs, bar menus, dessert tags, etc. it fit the vibe perfectly - and i love the white writing on black paper!

a cute little clock from yelena...

i fell in love with the black net linens overlaid with the gray matte satin linens that wildflower provided...it added such a cool texture!

ahhhh...the dessert table from sweet and saucy...i accented the back of it with 4 tall black candlesticks and set a "lumpy" pumpkin on top of each one...i then added a few more mercury glass candlesticks, each holding a mini white pumpkin...but let's be honest, people were not flocking to that table because of anything i created ;)

red velvet cake pops, pumpkin cheesecakes, chocolate mousse shots and mini pumkin cupcakes drizzled in salted caramel...i miss you...

and there are no words for this cake...

adorable custom "boo" tags yelena created for the cupcakes...

yelena and i collaborated on these cool black frames holding naturalist drawings of bats, eagles, butterflies, antelopes, etc. because let's be honest, naturalist drawings are kinda creepy :)

the night was SUCH a success and we have gotten amazing feedback from people letting us know how fun and fab it was! it could NOT have happened without my fellow sponsors and hosts:

the stylish soiree

contemporary catering

franklin canyon park

meg perotti photography

sweet and saucy shop

wildflower linens

classic party rentals

town and country event rentals

calligraphy katrina

mint photo lounge

crash dj

is vodka

thank you to everyone who braved the dark, narrow roads and crazy winds to show up...and an additional thank you to all of you who came in costume (about 90%)!!! it was so fun to party with you! we deserve it! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!