yup, my heart beat still.
here are some of the details i sent in to amy . . .
and a few of the great shots that didn't make the cut.
party details
based on my new party planning company, lil hoot’s, premise, ‘parties with heart’ - i believe every party should be highly personalized, and hopefully have a sense of humor. the inspiration for our fondue themed party was the fact that my husband made me fondue for our first valentine’s day together.
{i had been stuck in traffic and missed a coveted dinner reservation in NYC - he told me to relax and he made me the most delicious beef, cheese AND chocolate fondue. i was swept off my feet}
it became such a meaningful part of our relationship that we actually served it at our wedding
(years ago!) in lieu of cake. (featured on style me pretty)
in past years, we’ve shared this tradition with friends via dinner party and this year, we decided to bring it to a new level with the help of the fabulous paige kepner of paiges of style. Paige truly helped me bring my vision to life. We used a cow theme and kept it all very light-hearted and fun. First came the invite describing the significance of fondue and also using some popular cow sayings, such as ‘until the cows come home’. The “logo” was a boy cow (wearing a red bow-tie) and girl cow (sporting a pearl necklace) with a heart in the middle. The heart says ‘fun-do 2011’. because first and foremost, i wanted our guests to have fun!
(Uber-talented Tallow studio originated this dressy farm animal idea and I had long admired Katherine's work. Here's the link to her handsome cow!)
in past years, we’ve shared this tradition with friends via dinner party and this year, we decided to bring it to a new level with the help of the fabulous paige kepner of paiges of style. Paige truly helped me bring my vision to life. We used a cow theme and kept it all very light-hearted and fun. First came the invite describing the significance of fondue and also using some popular cow sayings, such as ‘until the cows come home’. The “logo” was a boy cow (wearing a red bow-tie) and girl cow (sporting a pearl necklace) with a heart in the middle. The heart says ‘fun-do 2011’. because first and foremost, i wanted our guests to have fun!
(Uber-talented Tallow studio originated this dressy farm animal idea and I had long admired Katherine's work. Here's the link to her handsome cow!)
We carried the heart theme throughout with heart straws, plates, cookies, and personalized tags tied to each fondue fork with pink divine twine.
Each guest was greeted with a cham-cham, my favorite pink drink! (champagne with a splash of chambord) - delish!
Our friends were such amazing sports - they all coordinated their wardrobes with the party’s color scheme.
When it was time to eat dinner, each guest was asked to get in line and grab a tray ( i used cafeteria trays lined with a pale pink chevron stripe) and then their heart plate (from target) and finally their ‘moo-tensils’. Guests then were free to roam the different stations.
The cheese station featured a blue cheese fondue and traditional swiss fondue, and custom pink chevron paper cones, filled with toasted fresh baguette cubes and apple bites. The cones were places in a galvanized boot tray with skewers.
The beef station featured a horseradish sauce and garlic sauce (both my mother in law’s sinful recipes).
Each station was complete with a custom poster. I framed the posters in o’brien schridde frames for a rustic contrast to the more modern design aspects. The beef station had a “keep calm and dip on” poster and our “logo”, The cheese station featured a take on the “got milk?” ad campaign but instead we used “got melted cheese?”
and my personal favorite. . .
was the dessert table and mini-milkshake bar with the poster “my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard” {a line from the popular rap song by kelis}. We served mini-mudslides, along with the milkshakes. Each mini-shake had either a red or pink striped straw or heart straw, with a different coordinating straw flag. {Some of them said ‘moooo’. Some with the logo. some with simple hearts. } We stacked the shakes on a galvanized stand from pottery barn which lent to the rustic aspect. I used cow print ribbon on the stand. There were two banners that said “fun-do 2011” and “mooooo”, keeping with the color scheme, red, white, black and pale pink. And incorporating stripes and chevron stripes throughout.
We hung cow bells throughout the space with coordinating ribbon.
Small posters featured ‘fun-do-mentals’ , some of the basics, in case the fondue experience was new for some guests or just to serve as a charming reminder. They were placed on tables throughout the dining space.
The parting gifts were the white and pink floral arrangements planted in classic cow creamers.
The dessert table featured yummy treats from sugar on top, such as cake balls (with tags that read ‘dip me’) and heart shaped cake pops. Stacey (from sugar on top’s) special rendition of the “black and white cookie” - beautifully decorated sugar cookies with black and white icing, mini-red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and angel food cupcakes with heart fondant decorations. Also, sliced strawberries for dipping in the toblerone fondue and mint chocolate fondue. (served in the actual pots we used at our wedding).
We ended the night with a dance party, largely a result of the mudslides ;)
HUGE thanks to amazing photographer meredith nelson and baker extra-ordinaire stacey butler of sugar on top, who both helped set up the soiree, contributed in an invaluable way, and also managed to dance the night away!
and of course to my dear paige, who wasn't there to dance with us but made the party happen from the left coast! (she better fly out for our "g" party)
and of course to my dear paige, who wasn't there to dance with us but made the party happen from the left coast! (she better fly out for our "g" party)
vendor credit
paige kepner of paiges of style - co-design/paper products
all images courtesy of meredith nelson photography
stacey butler of sugar on top - baked goods
fondant hearts for cupcakes - the lil details
heart plates- target
ribbon - isamay designs
frames - o’brien schridde
