Engagement Party for Laura Hooper

I’m a self professed Laura Hooper stalker. I love, love, love her calligraphy work and from the looks of it, everyone else does too. I bet that if we crawled all of the past weddings we’ve featured on SMP, Laura’s name would come up the most because, well…she’s just that good. So when I heard that she is getting hitched in a few months, I just about burst with wedding joy. And if her engagement party, designed by the fabulous Beth Helmstetter and photographed to perfection by Steve Steinhardt, is any indication of just how gorg the wedding is going to be…well, consider me one very happy blogger. Click here to see even more!

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Jeremy and I had moved into our home about 8 months ago but still hadn’t had a “housewarming” of any kind, so after we got engaged we thought this would be the perfect time to have our friends and family over to celebrate! Since our wedding is taking place in later this year in Hawaii and will be full of bright colors, we wanted to keep the engagement party in metallics – think gold, silver, sparkles and black.

We used a gorgeous gold crinkle paper for our round invitations and I also glued crystals onto each one to add a little bling!

Beth transformed our small backyard into a comfortably elegant lounge area using hanging lanterns to help set the mood. We thought this would create a nice balance of casual and chic for our friends and family to enjoy! Guests headed inside for our heavy hors d’oeuvres display and Beth also created a fabulous champagne cocktail bar complete with our custom cocktail napkins! We made adorable swizzle sticks to tie it all together and everyone indulged in the delcious skewers, champagne, wine and strawberry margaritas.

The evening flowed like a cocktail hour, with everyone mingling, chatting and catching a glimpse of our photo slideshow which we had up on our tv to brighten up the room (big thanks to Steve Steinhardt for producing our engagement photos so quickly!), and at the end of the night we all enjoyed desserts out in the lounge area…we of course had comfy blankets and heaters to keep warm on the cool night.

Event Design: Beth Helmstetter Events / Photography: Steve Steinhardt Photography / Calligraphy and Paper Details: Laura Hooper Calligraphy / Hair + Makeup by Summer Noelle / Catering: Joan’s on Third / Desserts by Vanilla Bakeshop / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

33 Comments about “Engagement Party for Laura Hooper”

1. Txtingmrdarcy says:

   March 15, 2011 at 1:09 pm

   Firstly, this is completely adorable and fabulous. Secondly, please share where you got your dress, Laura! I love it!
2. Alyssa says:

   March 15, 2011 at 1:32 pm

   Love this!! The decor is so sweet and the evening was definitely a joyous {and delicious} occasion...can't wait for the wedding!
3. McKenzie Powell Designs says:

   March 15, 2011 at 1:33 pm

   Oh boy... I can't wait to see the wedding! No pressure, Laura. ;)
4. Ashley says:

   March 15, 2011 at 1:34 pm

   I'll be waiting for the wedding feature as well! This engagement party is really something!
5. Ashley says:

   March 15, 2011 at 1:36 pm

   Gorgeous!! The details are amazing (of course!) and I love the ambiance. What an incredible event!!
6. Laura Hooper says:

   March 15, 2011 at 1:36 pm

   Thank you! We had such a fun time and thank so much to Abby and SMP for posting!
   @txtingmrdarcy: I got the dress from APART and loved it!
7. amanda says:

   March 15, 2011 at 1:38 pm

   So beautiful! The environment is ideal and the lighting is so romantic!
8. Valerie says:

   March 15, 2011 at 1:46 pm

   Amazing! Soooo beautiful! I'm jealous!!!
9. Tamara Nicole says:

   March 15, 2011 at 1:52 pm

   I love all the decor, so fun!
10. Sarah says:

    March 15, 2011 at 1:53 pm

    The backyard looks great!! And Laura I love your dress. Congratulations!!!
11. HiLLjO says:

    March 15, 2011 at 2:23 pm

    How nice! Lovely setting for a party and this way you have two parties in one!
12. Casey says:

    March 15, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    I also want to hear where that dress is from!
13. Melissa L. says:

    March 15, 2011 at 2:39 pm

    Laura looks stunning in that sparkly dress! What a fabulous event for a fabulous couple!
14. Laura Hooper says:

    March 15, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    Thank you everyone! The dress is from APART.
15. Anne-Marie says:

    March 15, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    Wow, how incredibly beautiful! Looks like a perfect engagement party.
16. Don says:

    March 15, 2011 at 3:28 pm

    BAM !!
    Words cannot do justice.
    Stupendiferous !
17. Vanessa says:

    March 15, 2011 at 3:31 pm

    So beautiful and classy:) I love the self-serve champagne bar and the lanterns!
18. Justine Raoof says:

    March 15, 2011 at 4:50 pm

    The create your own champagne bubbly cocktail is to die for! Laura, your wedding is going to be such eye candy :)
19. Michelle says:

    March 15, 2011 at 5:51 pm

    Congratulations, Laura!! This is stunning. So happy for you!
20. Megan Clouse says:

    March 15, 2011 at 7:16 pm

    Ooh, I want an engagement party! Oh wait, I'm already married. Ok then, how about an anniversary party that is equally as sheik.
21. Medina says:

    March 15, 2011 at 8:41 pm

    So, I first have to say how excited I am for you Laura. You have grown up to be not just a smart and wonderful woman but actually a contemporary of mine now...we are BOTH grown-ups now...crazy! Huh. I hope you not only have a wonderful wedding day but a wonderful and trusting, honest, zany and "love legacy" of a marriage. God bless you girl.
    Chris
22. Laura Hooper says:

    March 15, 2011 at 9:18 pm

    We forgot to mention Holly Flora did the flowers. They were so beautiful and kept for at least a week after the party.
23. Kayla says:

    March 16, 2011 at 1:04 am

    These are going in my inspiration board. I love it!
24. Andrea says:

    March 16, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    Cool shot from above!
25. Madison says:

    March 16, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    Yummy Chombard! How gorgeous do those cakes look!
26. erin * sparkle & hay says:

    March 16, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    my heart is going pitter-patter crazy - this is so, so beautiful! cannot wait to see her wedding!
27. Winnie Fung Saxton says:

    March 16, 2011 at 9:31 pm

    Congratulations Laura! So happy for you! People still comment on our beautiful invitations thanks for all your help :)
28. Laura Hooper says:

    March 16, 2011 at 11:42 pm

    You are welcome Winnie! Please send us some photos from your wedding :)
29. Janet says:

    March 17, 2011 at 2:14 pm

    It looked like it was a magical evening! Love the lanterns and the romantic look
    they provide! Congratulations Laura and Jeremy!
30. Stephanie Ross says:

    May 24, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    Laura-Can you tell me where the cocktail napkins were ordered from? Love the understated style of them!

3 Links to “Engagement Party for Laura Hooper”

1. Laura Hooper ~ Wedding Invitations & Calligraphy | Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog says:

   March 18, 2011 at 10:32 am

   [...] featured the lovely Laura Hooper’s engagement party plus her sister’s equally awesome rehearsal dinner yesterday on Style Me Pretty … and [...]
2. S’more Deliciousness! | Pure Sundays says:

   June 10, 2011 at 2:08 pm

   [...] make S’mores in this backyard all day. What a set up! Thank you Style Me Pretty for always providing such beautiful [...]
3. Loving Calligraphy | The Sweetest Occasion says:

   June 28, 2011 at 9:34 pm

   [...] by Steve Steinhardt Photography via Style Me Pretty. Calligraphy by Laura Hooper [...]

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