From Tracy Taylor Ward Design … How to throw a New Years Eve Party

When it comes to hosting a party, planning can often become overwhelming, especially around holiday time. From ambiance to table settings, one of the most common questions we hear, particularly when it comes to throwing a festive dinner party, is, “How can I come up with a fresh design concept?”

Whether you are looking to host a classic New Year’s Eve party or “mix it up” with something that creates a particular mood (as we did), this step-by-step guide promises to not only help you plan that perfect night to ring in the New Year but to also help you resolve to never be overwhelmed by another dinner party again.

Step 1: Get inspired. Determining what excites you. Whether it’s art, an object you saw in a store window display, or a passage from a book that described a world you felt transfixed by, inspiration is all around you and can help you establish a theme for your party. For our “Glam Noir” dinner party we found our muses in the sophisticated and edgy image of the black lace-masked Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen on the cover of Vogue’s Guide To Ultimate Style.

Step 2: Choose a color scheme. Taking cues from the time of year your event will be held and then adding touches of your favorite colors is another easy way to create a color scheme that will feel personalized. For our New Years Eve party, we selected silver, gold, and red, colors that would be appropriate and obvious staples of the holiday season. Then, drawing inspiration from Tom Ford’s gorgeous new cosmetic colors and packaging, we opted to give our event a little edginess by adding black and eggplant tones to the mix.

Step 3: Build your tablescape. Here are the basics you will need for your dinner table: a tablecloth, napkins, plates (dinner and dessert plates are a must, charger plates and salad plates are optional but nice additions, based on your menu and the formality of the party), glassware (water, wine, and/or cocktail), flatware, and centerpieces. For our tablescape we took a fieldtrip to Mood to find the perfect black lace to use as a tablecloth (we were thrilled when we found one with gold shimmer!). We then opted for simple black linen napkins and sparkly gold charger plates from Gracious Home, paired with the Black Murano Glass dinner plates, Confetti Dessert Plates and Aero Flatware from Crate and Barrel. In lieu of traditional vases for our centerpieces, we used the clear glass Whirly Hanging Candle Holders from CB2. These festive pieces provided a unique alternative: we were able to place gold and silver tinsel within each candleholder and then encircle vibrant red orchids around every one.

Step 4: Select lighting. How you choose to illuminate your space will greatly affect the ambiance of your party. Although dinner will require subtle overhead lighting – since you’ll want everyone to be able to see what you are serving – there’s no question that some accent lighting will also help set the tone of the evening and establish a more intimate effect. In the case of our dinner party, we choose to make candles a focal point by lining our table with a group of hand blown glass candlesticks from CB2, in assorted shapes. (Note: Glass candlesticks are unobtrusive and enable you to chat with the person across the table, especially since they are usually at eye level.)

Step 5: Don’t forget the embellishments. Love is in the details and your guests will surely notice the thought you put into all the finishing touches. From custom designed invitations hinting at your color scheme (we also made “Resolution Reminder Cards,” the size of a credit card, that guests could keep in their wallets to help them follow through with their New Year’s resolutions!), to a special table runner (we created the look of a runner simply by overlapping Chilewich Gold Dahlia Placemats running down the length of the table), to specialty cocktails, oversize balloons and pretty homemade desserts, the smallest details will let your guests know that they are in for a special evening and, also, that you are excited to be ringing in the New Year with them!

Venue: Renaissance Hotel 57 / Event Design and Planning: Tracy Taylor Ward Design / Photography: Scott Andrew Studio / Invitations and Graphic Design: Paper With Benefits / Balloons: Geronimo Balloons / Tableware: Crate and Barrel, CB2, Mood, and Gracious Home / Hair: Stacy Pitt / Makeup: Sally Duvall

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Post tags: Balloons, Candles, CB2, Color Palette Red Gold Black, Crate and Barrel, Geronimo Balloons, Glitter, Gold, Gracious Home, Mood, New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve Wedding, New Years, New York, Paper With Benefits, Renaissance Hotel 57, Sally Duvall Makeup, Scott Andrew Studio, Smores, Stacy Pitt, Tracy Taylor Ward Design, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog

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From the Bride…We wanted to have a very light, clean aesthetic, incorporating things that have been important to us and our families. We decorated the tables with test tubes, Erlenmeyer flasks, and our favorite books so that our guests would be surrounded by tokens from our leisure and livelihoods. And, of course, cotton bolls are just mini versions of white fluffy puppies!

Wedding Photography: Anna Kuperberg / Event Design + Coordination: Emily de Ayora of Downey Street Events / Venue: Nestldown / Floral Design: Natalie Bowen Designs / Hair Stylist: Jar Von Samuel of Oxen Rose Salon / Make-up Artist: Meaganne McCandess / Catering: Thomas John Events + Back-A-Yard / Wedding Cake: Satura Cakes / DJ: Chris The Rebel / Lighting: Bloomsters / Calligraphy: Pretty Pen Jen / Paper Goods: Ellie Snow of Mint / Wedding Dress: Junko Yoshioka / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Groom’s Suit: Indochino / Groom’s Shirt: Proper Cloth / Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Custom made in Hong Kong / Rentals: Classic Party Rentals + La Tavola Linen / Vintage Test Tubes + Test Tube Holders: eBay / Tapioca Wood Flowers Hanging from Arbor: Save On Crafts / Hanging Glass Bulbs: CB2 +  Crate and Barrel

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Post tags: Anna Kuperberg, Back-A-Yard, Bloomsters, CB2, Chris The Rebel, Classic Party Rentals, Crate and Barrell, Downey Street Events, Ebay, Indochino, Jimmy Choo, Junko Yoshioka, La Tavola Linen, Los Gatos wedding, Meaganne McCandess, mint, Natalie Bowen Designs, nestledown, Oxen Rose Salon, Pretty Pen Jen, Proper Cloth, Satura Cakes, Save On Crafts, Science Themed Wedding, Thomas John Events
Post categories: The Blog

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From the Bride…John proposed one year to the day after our first weekend away together at our favorite NYC hotel. I was completely surprised and over the moon happy. On our way home from celebrating our engagement that evening I found myself in front of an all night news stand buying wedding magazines. I couldn’t believe it was my turn to not just pass by this section but to finally start the fabulous adventure of planning our wedding. Being that John and I are both originally from NY but currently live in Boston we decided on a location that was half way between our two homes and Newport, RI was the perfect fit. We decided to do a mini-destination wedding in this beautiful seaside town. Belle Mer was our first appointment and we fell in love.Our wedding theme came easily to us since the venue was on the ocean and we booked a summer date, we wanted a modern seaside chic wedding filled with lots of personal touches that reflected our style. After securing the color scheme and choosing the bridesmaid dresses we went with a navy, bright purple and white color palette with accents of aqua.

Following Style Me Pretty religiously throughout the planning process I was inspired by so many beautiful weddings and took details that I liked and then put our own spin and style on them. I learned what I wanted our photographs to look like and knew I wanted both photos and film to capture our emotions on the big day. Lisa Rigby and Still Motion were the two best vendors who really understood that. Flowers and paper goods were my next obsessions. I wanted peonies & hydrangea everywhere an Stone Blossom seemed as giddy as I was planning out an all white floral palette with the only color being my wedding bouquet. Miss Pickles Press worked with me over the course of a year designing all the paper items and dreamed up the exact look we wanted for our modern wedding. Details were so important to us and we really felt made the wedding special to John and me. I envisioned beautiful pillows, frames, apothecary jars, mirrors, vases everywhere and was able to find them all on Etsy. Every Etsy vendor I worked with was amazing and really gave me custom items to match our wedding. I was constantly surprised when everything came out better then I had imagined.

On the day of the wedding we had the most beautiful weather and everything went as we exactly as we had planned. It was the best overwhelming feeling of love and happiness we have ever felt and will always remember. We will be forever grateful to everyone who helped make all of our dreams come true on our special day!

Wedding Photography: Lisa Rigby Photography / Film Makers: StillMotion / Venue: Belle Mer / Floral Design: Stoneblossom / Wedding Cake + Groom’s Cake: Confectionery Designs / Wedding Dress: Anne Barge via Kleinfelds / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale via L’Élite / Band: Night Rhythm / Cocktail Hour Band: Steel Rhythm / Save the Date: Cheree Berry Paper / Wedding Invitations + Day of Paper Items: Miss Pickles Press / Navy + Aqua Pillows: Willa Skye Home / White + Navy LOVE Pillow: Wrap it Up LLC / Table Frames: Frame it by Jill / Hammered Silver Items: West Elm / Bridesmaid Rings: Toosis / LOVE Dishes: Say Your Piece / Wedding Mugs: Timeless Creations / Ring Pillow: Giggle Room / Silver Urchin Escort Card Holders: Gallery 360 / H&J Wood Letters: Compulsive Collection / Vases for Drink Stirrers: CB2 / Tote Bag Design: QA Design

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Post tags: Amsale, Belle Mer, CB2, Cheree Berry Paper, Compulsive Collection, Confectionary Designs, Frame it by Jill, Gallery 360, Giggle Room, Jimmy Choo, Kleinfelds, L'elite, Lisa Rigby Photography, Massachusetts Weddings, Miss Pickle Press, Newport, Night Rhythm, QA Design, Say Your Piece, Steel Rhythm, StillMotion, Stoneblossom Floral and Event Design, Timeless Creations, Toosis, West Elm, Willa Skye Home, Wrap it Up LLC
Post categories: Massachusetts Weddings, Traditional Elegance

From Sara True, lead designer for True Event … Inspired by all things girly, ruffles, texture and pink, Libby dreamed of a wedding every girl dreams of growing up.  She described her vision as modern romance with flair. “–because part of me is all girl, loves ruffles, pink, and sparkle, and part of me loves the downtown skyline and all things modern and a little funky. And most of all, I love the unexpected combination of the two!” Thus we set out to design a style that was just that. Decidedly modern with girly charm.

From Libby…When I first started the wedding planning process, I was a little overwhelmed with the whole notion of a “vision” for the wedding…in fact, the only think I had actually visualized up to that point was my groom (handsome, thick brown hair, insatiable wit…check!).  So at first, when people would ask me about my vision, I felt like the worst bride ever because I couldn’t really describe what I had in mind.  Enter…Abby & Sarah, the wedding goddesses who asked me all of the right questions, and helped me to really discover and put into words MY perfect vision for our wedding day.

After about an hour long chat with the girls, I knew that I wanted our wedding to be an interesting and unexpected combination of equal parts modern and romance–equal parts stainless steel and ruffles. I wanted a monochromatic color palate that included all shades of neutrals, all shades of pink, and tons and tons of texture.  I also really wanted our reception to be a CELEBRATION.  I wanted a party complete with lots of dancing and laughing and of course sushi eating (Patrick owns an awesome sushi restaurant called Zumi). I wanted my guests to have a good time and to really get to take in Nashville!

THE FLOWERS

Now that we had the inspiration for our wedding (and by “our” I mean Libby, Patrick and Style Me Pretty’s wedding…ha), it was time to start thinking about every element and how we would integrate all of Libby’s loves into one cohesive design. First up, the flowers. Libby wanted ruffly, romantic, unabashedly girly flowers which of course, came in the form of Peonys. Sarah and I recruited Nashville based floral guru and designer, Chase Rivers, to help us bring the vision to a reality. Chase is AWESOME and so talented.

From Chase Rivers … As far as the overall wedding flowers, Sarah told me the basics, Peony, garden roses, sweet pea, ranunculus, babies breath. We added some anemones to the mix and weaved in plum foliage and wisteria vine to add texture and dimension. Lucky for our budget, we had a contact who was going to allow us to pull peonies from their peony farm at no cost. It was going to allow us to take the floral design to an entirely new level…every peony lover’s dream. But as fate would have it, that wasn’t in the cards (more on that later), so we ended up ordering the flowers above in the colors Libby was wanting..many shades of pink, pink and more pink.

THE DETAILS

Because Libby wanted to marry a very girly, pretty aesthetic with a more modern, clean execution we needed to pull together a general blueprint for the products that we would bring in to round out the look. We wanted modern meets girly, in a chic, sophisticated and utterly timeless way. The space itself was this ultra modern rooftop rose garden (sounds pretty bad-ass doesn’t it)…think steel tables and chairs, wooden beams, pyramids overflowing with roses and a killer view of Nashville…all neatly tucked on the side of a skyscraper. Yeah, I know. OK, back to the task at hand. Here are the products that Sarah True and I sourced to really bring Libby and Patrick’s style to life.

The VERY first item that we bought, that ultimately inspired the entire wedding style, was that awesome chandelier from Urban Outfitters. With that, Sarah easily let the rest of the design fall into place. The silver cylindrical CB2 vases would give the ruffly pink flowers a more modern base, the zebra rugs would provide that bit of swank that we needed, the lucite trays would be amazing on top of mirrored coffee tables in our lounge areas and the ruffly pink pillows…well, they were just so gorgeous we couldn’t resist.

We are actually selling most of the products that we bought if you are interested! More details on that later!

THE RENTALS

While we were sourcing the decor elements, we needed to really flush out the design concept in terms of the rentals we would bring in to transform the bare space into an inviting and warm place that guests would want to stay forever. We enlisted the help of Classic Party Rentals in Nashville who literally hit it out of the park. Together with Sarah True, the fabulous designer behind the day, we came up with four defined spaces for our event…4 lounge areas, a dance space, food stations and dining. Click here to see the floor plan.

Although Classic Party Rentals provided ALL of the rentals for the day (I told you they kicked butt), the real focus turned out to be the lounge areas that Mark and Allison at Classic helped Sarah design. Each of the four lounge areas would consist of 2 benches, 2 reflection tables, 2 small square ottomans, a zebra rug, some throw pillows, a lucite tray and perfect floral centerpiece.

So in terms of inspiration and ideas, we had a lot. Add in some fun DIY’s, the most gorgeous flowers you’ve ever seen, a giddy bride, vendors who traveled from four corners of the country and oh, did I mention the Nashville floods that literally left us without a venue until the week before…and you have a real life wedding adventure that I will never forget. STAY TUNED to see how it all turned out. Coming up next!

And here is the dream team that made it happen…

Sarah True of True Event: The BEST designer on the planet / Justin and Mary Marantz: Photographer’s whose work will make your heart stop / Julie Hill of Elysium: Cinematography that you’ll hardly believe  / Laura Hooper: Papergoods that are as beautiful as they get / Classic Party Rentals: Furniture and Rentals that literally transformed the space / Wildflower Linens: Linens that were BEYOND gorgeous /Jacki and Angela of Elegant Weddings by Angela: Planning and Logistics / Zumi Sushi: The groom’s awesome sushi restaurant that catered the wedding (how cool is that) / Chuck Arlund of Arlund Imagery: Libby’s Day-Of Photographer who snapped some gorgeous photographs / Estilo Weddings: The most perfect cake flower ever / Melangerie NYC: The most adorable gift bags ever.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Arlund Imagery, CB2, Classic Party Rentals, Elegant Weddings by Angela, Elysium Productions, Justin & Mary Marantz, Laura Hooper, Nashville, Peonies, Tennessee, True Event, Urban Outfitters, Wildflower Linens, Zumi Sushi
Post categories: Casual Elegance, From Inspiration to Reality, Inspiration Boards, Traditional Elegance

Oh and guess who did the gorgeous flowers and table styling? One of my FAVORITE So-Cal florists! La Partie Events! Am totally smitten with Meg’s work and am still inspired by the DIY centerpieces that she did just for SMP a while back.

From the gorgeous bride…

After the ceremony we all enjoyed a appetizers and drinks and after our first dance we all sat down for dinner. Each place card included a love quote that we picked out especially for them. Since each one was different everyone took turns reading theirs out load and at the end it served as the first toast of the evening. Everyone enjoyed a 4 course meal and continued the rest of the evening outdoors to enjoy the warm desert breeze.

Vendors: Photography by Ray Soemarsono – APERTURA / Flowers by La Partie Events / Dress by J Crew / Dress Accents and Hair Piece by Twigs and Honey / Shoes by Stuart Weitzman / Shoe embellishment by Oh My Deer / Doggie Bow Tie and Flower Collars by Pecan Pie Puppies / Groom’s Jacket by Marc Jacobs, Pants by J. Crew, Socks by Paul Smith, Shoes by Converse.

Decor: White Vases were hand selected from different sources / Pink Candle holders by Anthropologie / Stainless Steel Cylinder Vases and Block Crystal Candle Holders by CB2

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2009. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Anthropologie, Apertura, California Weddings, CB2, J. Crew, La Partie Events, Oh My Deer, Palm Springs
Post categories: California Weddings, Casual Elegance, Contemporary, Palm Springs Weddings

all photos by Angelica Glass

I thought that we could do a “look for less” feature on this wedding, as I really think that the gorgeous style could be pulled off on a variety of budgets!

First off, the beakers and other containers…

-I found these adorable chemistry inspired vases at CB2 that range in price from $2.50 to $7.50. They would look adorable lined up on a table, varying in heights and sizes, with single stemmed flowers.

-Glass beakers sell for $2.50 to $12 through teacher supply stores or through science websites, depending on their size. Buy a collection of different sizes to mix things up!

-Mix in glass vases so that you don’t overkill on the chemistry theme. Jamali Garden makes amazing, affordable glass vases in lots of sizes and shapes.

For the flowers…

-Look for flowers that are delicate and/or feminine. Pretty hydrangeas (which go a long way for little $$), lavendar, lilac, anemones, peonies, garden roses, things like that. The best way to get a look that is both pretty and cohesive is to head to your local wholesaler and pull individual stems of everything you love. Have someone there write down the names of everything, then ensure that they are in season for your wedding.

-Arranging flowers yourself is HUGE in terms of saving $$. If you are up for the feat but a little creatively challenged, remember this…simple is always better. Use the same flower in the same color in each container. If you stick to this mantra, you will create gorgeous arrangements that look as professional as they come!

-Order flowers in bulk to arrive 2-3 days before your wedding. Keep them somewhat cool if possible in buckets of water. If they need light, bring them out for 15-30 minutes until the day of your wedding.

The decor…

-Pretty feathers that can be used as accents (don’t go overboard with the feathers or it will look cheesy) can be found in lots of colors and styles at Fabulous Feathers. I love the ostrich feathers because they fall so beautifully. The Feather Place also has great ostrich plumes.

-Buy bolts of black and white printed fabric to use as table covers. You can use easy hem if you don’t feel like sewing a bunch of table linens. And, if you want the look, but don’t want to go overboard, craft table runners and place on every other table. Make sure to buy from a discount fabric store to save $$!

-Hang test tube inspired vases from branches to create intrigue and whimsy. These little gems can be found at eCrater for $1.50

-Accent with little round 6″ japanese lanterns for a touch of romance. Luna Bazaar has tons of colors to choose from!

Even though the weddings we feature on SMP are sometimes outside of some budgets, that doesn’t mean you can’t adapt the look to your own unique budget. With a little searching, some hands-on crafts and a touch of style editing, you can really go a long way in making a wedding on a budget seem both sophisticated and expensive.

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2008. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Angelica Glass, CB2, Do-It-Yourself Inspired, eCrater, Fabulous Feathers, Feathers, Glass Beaker Vases, Jamali Garden, James Abel, Luna Bazaar, Ostrich Feathers, The Feather Place, the look for less
Post categories: Centerpieces, Look for Less, Real Weddings, Wedding Flowers, Wedding Photography, Wedding Planners & Designers, Wedding Resources, Wedding Style, Whimsical