Can I Do It Myself? YES! --Pinterest style party planning

One of my nieces is getting married at the end of June. I can't wait. I was also lucky enough to be able to host her bridal shower.

The party turned out great, as you can see from the picture on the left. And I did it all myself, for a really great price. 

My niece's wedding will be held in a woodsy location outside of San Francisco. It's a camp with cabins and a gorgeous area for weddings. She likes shabby chic, and wants an elegant but simple wedding, with the focus on family togetherness rather than over the top extravagance. 

But that doesn't mean it can't be Pinterest perfect. Over the next few weeks I will take you through how I did all of this for just a few hundred dollars. Nothing was rented. I purchased most of the items and used a few things that I had. And, most importantly, I was able to enjoy the party. I didn't kill myself to put this on. 

It took quite a bit of planning and work ahead of the day so that it would be what I wanted and what I pictured. To complicate matters the party was held at my Mom's house because my home is being remodeled. All party supplies needed to be moved to my Mom's house. We used glassware, ceramic plates, and metal flatware. No paper or plastic was used.

Guests were greeted with a baby's breath wreath hanging from the entry gate. It was so easy to make with a wet floral foam base. I simply tied a ribbon around it. Baby's breath lasts for a really long time so this piece can be made even a week ahead. 

One note, once you soak the floral foam base it gets really heavy. We were originally going to hang this on the front door. The door has such a tight seal that there isn't a way to use an over the door hanger. I didn't want to put nails in the door and the 3M temporary hooks would not have been able to hold it. The ribbon worked well to tie it to the rod iron gate. 

A friend of mine, Lucy Kelleher, is a Close to My Heart distributor so had her make some really cute banners (you can find her here). 

I was going to put tulle on the front gate and have one of the banners there, but ran out of time (this was not a must have...I will talk about how to plan so you can eliminate things in a time crunch in a future post). I ended up using the banner on a gate to keep people from heading straight to the backyard. 

I tied the banner to the gate using inexpensive satin ribbon in a tan color. It matched the burlap that was used on the tables. It was also on sale because it was an odd brown color. But it worked perfectly for the party. 

Another banner was hung on the front door. The banners reflected the colors of the party and set the theme for what was to come. 

Inside there is a small table in the foyer and I put a framed picture of the couple on it with a bouquet of flowers next to it. 

There was also a table provided for guests to put presents and purses and that had a large floral arrangement on it. 

We also provided alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. These were divided onto a bar table and a drink station table. 

I had created a drink named after the bride and one named after the groom using their favorite alcohols but forgot all drink makings at home. My husband made a last minute dash and picked up some sparkling wine and no one was the wiser. 

For an earlier party I had used the metal rectangle trays for flowers. I was able to use them for ice here. The bottles fit perfectly in them and stayed cold.



For non-alcoholic drinks we used a water dispenser to which we added sliced cucumber and lemons. Pink lemonade was served in the bottles and kept on ice in a second tray. 

The buffet and drink station tables had white tablecloths with burlap overlays. The bar featured a white tablecloth with a lace overlay that was the same color as the burlap. 

The party was at 1:30 PM so we offered heavy appetizers and dessert.  

I used a combination of homemade items with some appetizers from Trader Joes. I had planned to make everything from scratch but came down with a cold 2 days before the party and ran out of energy. 


I was still able to make the buffet tasty, healthy and inviting.
  
The appetizer list included:

• Spanakopita
• BLT Bites
• Cheese platter with nuts and dried fruit
• Crudite' in glass
• Apples and strawberries with caramel apple dip
• Puff pastry with goat cheese and caramelized onion

I always set a buffet so the plates are at the beginning and the flatware and napkins are at the end. This saves the guests from having to juggle their plate and utensils while trying to server themselves. 

Be sure to include serving utensils with each dish. I purchased sets of tongs for each item and had the tongs on a small plate in front of each dish. I had seen this done in hotels and liked the efficiency and the look of it. 

I used the cakes and some floral arrangements to decorate the buffet. I also purchased the "antique" luggage as buffet props. 

When it was time for dessert, we removed all the savory plates and brought out the desserts. The dessert buffet included:

• Tiered cake
• Lemon Bundt cake with Blueberry Compote
• Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits
• Homemade
  Heart Butter Mints

I made the flower arrangements on old brass candlesticks and used single flowers in short glass vases.

In future posts we will review how I planned the event, organized the various areas, created the menu, purchased the serving pieces and determined what parts of the plan were must haves vs. the nice to haves. Creating a plan like this makes it easy to keep you sane as the event approaches and allows you to participate in the event as your own guest. 


If there is an area you would like me to cover first, let me know in the comments. I will write up that part of the plan first. 

Do you like the look of this event? What is your favorite part? 

You can host a Pinterest-looking party yourself on a small budget. Let me show you how. 

Enjoy!
Laureen