Weddings become more and more amazing every year. That formal event seems more fun than in the past. Couples these days want a memorable wedding that fits within their personality. For these reasons, they are always an incredible source of inspirations for any big party.

You probably have seen the wedding of the creative director of Hello!Lucky, Eunice with Daniel. It is featured on The Spring 2010 edition of Martha Stewart weddings and many on the blogosphere have praised it this month. This remarkable wedding illustrates so well key components that can make any party one that your guests will remember for many years.

1. Set the Tone with Stages, Props and Custom Signage

If you wish to make a statement, you need to invest in out of the ordinary party decor elements. They use the service of Because We Can to build a portable flat-pack grand stage, various signs, and fun props. Look for local people with a background in theater set, or even an excellent store window designer. They know how to create make believe props and stages.

And do not underestimate the power of custom signage. It does not give directions to your guests. It look should reinforce your party theme.

2. Parades and Costumes

The idea of a parade to bring the guests from point A to point B is a great and fun idea. It sends the message that it is time to celebrate. People of all ages love parades. Anyone with an artistic flair coupled with some building experience can made their own version of hand-painted silhouettes, if you have time on your hand. At a kid party, the kid can decorate their own silhouettes. When selecting the materials, make sure the silhouettes once attached to the stick will still be lightweight.

3. Attention to the Comfort of Your Guests

Assuring the well-being of your guests is the number #1 rule of entertaining. Every party has their high and low moments. Make sure that your guests always find something to do. It is not just about paying attention to food and drinks. It is also making sure that nobody is too hot, or too cold. It is about self-servicing snacks all day long, just in case someone is really hungry. All these little details translate into fun and happiness for your guests.

The last point applies to everyday entertaining. If those are planned ahead, the host and hostess will be free to enjoy the company of their guests. It does not always work that way in real life. But as long as you aim for more work before and less work during the party, you should be OK.

SEE MORE:
+ Eunice and Daniel feature on Martha Stewart Weddings
+ Portable stands, props and signage by Because We Can
+ Behind the scenes coverage on the blog of Hello!Lucky
+ Get the vendor list on Hello!Lucky
+ via 100 Layer Cake

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They are plenty of details that you could recycle from this real wedding featured on Style Me Pretty. For one, I love the distressed wood candlelight chandelier. The concept will also work for an outdoor party by hanging the chandelier on a big tree. Plus, it is something that you can build yourself. Make sure to use small pillar candles instead of votive lights. You do not wish to replace them during dinner.

The Tabletop

Take clues from the way they set the table for an Easter brunch party or a Mother’s Day chic picnic. The restricted color scheme means that you can mix and match paired down tableware. As you can see, every day tableware can create an elegant tabletop. It is all in the way you display it and how you will enhance the look with your centerpieces.

Think about the Comfort of Your Guests

Whenever you do an outdoor party, think about ways to let your guests sit comfortably on the lawn. Put a futon mattress on the lawn with plenty of pillows for the guest(s) of honor. Transform little kid stools into side tables or use trays to get a place to set down your glass of wine. You could use big square blankets, towels or sheets. Select a place big enough for people to gather in smaller groups, if they wish to. Close proximity encourages the flow of conversation.

+ See all of the wedding images on Style Me Pretty

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You probably wonder what is the relationship between a pouch and a party theme. Sometimes, you find inspirations in the usual place. It started with a purchase I did this morning. I bought this yellow and white XL frame pouch with a collapsible handle designed by Oktak. My favorite handbag over the last years was yellow and I missed it. This burst of color complements many of my outfits. Plus, I like the sunny shade.

As I examined further the fabric pattern, I realized that those jungle animal shapes would be wonderful for a baby shower or a first birthday party. The silhouettes are simple yet sophisticated. If you are not a talented artist, you can draw the basic shapes from a coloring book and a kids book. You may have to make a few adjustments to get it right.

As for the color palette, I think that the festive yellow and white combination works every time. It is gender neutral. It is suitable for kids and adults.

One Day Sale

If you interested in buying pouches and fabric handbags, Oktak hosts a 10% sale all day. The rebate does not show up on her etsy store but in her newsletters Aki of Oktaktold us to check out as usual, and she will refund the 10% through PayPal. I bought a few items in the past from Oktak, so I do not worry about the process. In fact, I received a confirmation of my refund during the time it took me to write this post.

+ XL frame pouch with handle – yellow shapes on white by Oktak $45 USD

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You have less than a week to prepare for the Academy Awards 2010. I scoured the Web to integrate the best party ideas into a cohesive party theme. You could easily merge the do it yourself candy bags from Twig & Thistle with Bakerella’s oscar statuette cookies.

Print Your Own Candy Bags, Invites and Ballots

For a theatrical effect, make your own tray held by a neck strap. You can use it to serve candy or popcorn. Kathleen of Twig and Thistle made invites, ballots, popcorn bags, and party favors all available as downloadable PDF’s.

Invite your friends one to two hours before the Awards show starts. It will give you the chances to chat, eat the canapes, discuss the dresses on the red carpet and will leave enough time to fill the ballots. Ask people to dress up so they can pose at a movie star photo booth.

Oscar Night Cupcakes and Cookies

Since everyone will want to watch the show, including you, forget the formal dinner and serve tapas instead. Ideally, opt for recipes that can be eaten at room temperature.  For dessert, get inspired by the star cupcakes from Sprinkles cupcakes.

Leave the Oscar statuette cookies to be the star of the night.  I like how Bakerella displayed the cookies on the red carpet with cute small signs. This baker is amazing. If you plan to serve the cupcakes for dessert, everyone could get back home with their tasty Oscar statuette.

SOURCING:
+ Awards Night Sugar Cookies by Bakerella
+ Statue Cookie Cutter $12.95
+ Ballot template, DIY candy bags and print your own invites by Twig & Thistle
+ kid picture from J. Crew
+ Gold star decorated cupcakes by Sprinkles cupcakes

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I bet that Tim Burton’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland will push the more daring party planners to give a facelift to this ever popular theme. I am curious to see how much the vivid imagination of Tim Burton transformed the universe depicted on the 1865 novel written by Lewis Carroll.

I am a fan of creating a long table for an event. But as you can see it, in an Alice in Wonderland universe, things look best if they do not match. Do not be afraid to mix round tables with rectangular tables until you have enough places to sit all your guests.

I look forward for the release of Alice in Wonderland March 5th, 2010. I hope that the IMAX 3D would be as impressive as in Avatar. And I would not miss a performance of the good looking Johnny Deep. He is one of my favorite actor.

+ Alice in Wonderland

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Yellow and grey is a nice color combination for any party. It is sophisticated while the yellow carries plenty of festive vibes. Plus, if you plan a baby shower, the advantage of a grey and yellow palette is that it is gender neutral.

Sara of Party Perfect had the design sense to add a ball of wool. It adds coziest to the theme. Plus, I am always on the looking out for ways to hang things from the furniture or the ceiling when I have a party at home. After all, we do not wish to leave a permanent mark.

You can find more inspirations for sophisticated elephant party decorations here.

+ photo: Party Perfect

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The freelance artist Brandi Powell drew adorable robots for her letterpress cards. She designed a robot card for a few occasions. Each one is inviting.

On my previous post about cupcake toppers, I told you about mixing party decorations from different suppliers to get a custom look. Here a good example. The birthday invite from Sweet Harvey Letterpress goes well with the 3D robot garland and the party bag. Plus, the robot cupcake kit by Meri Meri saves you time and requires no cake decoration skills.

If you are looking for more inspirations, find more ideas on how to design a remarkable robot kid party by revisiting an old post.

SOURCING:
+ Missing You Robot Cards $10.50 for pack of 3
+ Robot Hello Cards $18 for pack of 10
+ Happy Birthday Robot Card $4 USD
+ Robot Party Decor Supplies by Meri Meri $9.95 to $22.95 USD

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There is no need for fancy skills in cupcake decorating with the cupcake sets designed by Meri Meri. Those will be perfect for a kids birthday or a baby shower. Their collections are sophisticated and very affordable. Amongst the favorites, you will find:

+ the Circus Cupcake Kit
+ Oh Baby Baby Cupcake Set
+ the Pirate Cupcake Set
+ the Ready Set Go Cupcake Set

Each set costs $11.95 USD and includes 24 cupcake cases and 24 cupcake toppers. Therefore it is really an inexpensive solution that will make a statement at your party. Meri Meri also sells coordinated centerpieces, invites, bunting, napkins and more for each theme. Ideally, I would use the design of their cupcake cases and toppers as my starting point and find by myself the rest of the party decor. This way, I would get a custom look. But if you are in a hurry, you could save time by getting more items from the collection.

+ Meri Meri’s Party Shop

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The extraordinaire Hostess with the Mostess styled this eye-catching Berry Sweet baby shower. There are lots of great details. I want to put your attention on how Jennifer Sbranti decorated the tables by taking advantage of the furniture accessories. It is a good lesson of what to do when you host an event in a venue that comes with the furniture and its own decor.

Go see the album photo. You will not want to miss her series of custom made labels.

+ photography by Jillian Bisinger for Hostess with the Mostess – album on Facebook

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Photographer Meg Baisden already hosted her Halloween party. And what a fabulous party it was! Her Halloween decorations were fun, festive and so sophisticated. It has just the right amount of glitter to suit an evening event.

You can add glitter to any objects. This allow you to buy less expensive props knowing that you can upgrade their look. It can be messy, so choose the right spot in your home.

The event was planned by Meg and her employee Jamie. I like how they integrated Meg’s home decor into their festive decor. When you host a party at home, it is an important consideration. By making them a part of your party decor, you send a warmer welcoming message to your guests. This is not always possible to accomplish. The easiest way is to consider the style of your home decor before planning your party theme and decorations.

Since they are professional photographer, it comes to no surprises that the pictures they took of the decor and the food are stunning. Since I envy the quality of her party photos, I feel inclined to mention it anyway.

MORE:
+ photos by Meg Baisden Photography

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I scheduled brand new Halloween party mood boards for next week. But, in the meantime, have a look at what is still great ideas from previous Halloween. You could reinvent these ideas and use them as your starting point. I like those because:

+ It provides a warm welcoming with Bag-O-Lanterns. Find your own templates and you can craft the lanterns to fit any theme. Remember to use battery-operated lights, for safety reasons.

+ You can recycle these ideas for some many themes from the hospital to the obsessions. And it is super easy to make your own Candy favors in pill bottles. Simply glue a prescription tag to each bottle.

+ A Victorian Gothic feast is always fashionable. Plus, Halloween takes the stylish path instead of the scary road this year. You will see what I mean next week.

+ A Murder Mystery Halloween Party can lead to a fun game night.

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Weddings in a barn are popular. The Spring 2010 Chanel show in Paris will probably inspire many brides to be. Second to walking barefoot on a beach, I am curious to see if many brides and grooms will opt for walking the aisles barefoot in a hay path.

The gold basket could make an awesome container for the centerpiece. You could recycle the idea and make your own. I believe that the bride and groom must distribute one by one the party favors. Decorating a few baskets would add a fancy touch. It is more original than a tray.

To know more details about this fabulous presentation by Chanel, read what Garance Doré had to say about her experience at the fashion show.

October 15th, 2009 Update: you can see the construction of the barn in a video on Wallpaper. It took 6 weeks to create the concept of the barn and 38 men working full time for a week to assemble it.

+ photos: Jacky Naegelen/Reuters on Times Online, Garance Doré

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