Break out your flapper dress and cloche hat. We're going to a party!

I have one word for you: Themes

Themed events are tons of fun and really exciting to plan. To take an idea, expand it, and create an interactive version of it takes vision and creativity.  I personally love themed parties. Almost every party I've gone to from age 14 to 25 had a theme. Now, this is in part due to the creative nature of my family and secondly because of the residence hall I lived in while I was in college. (Shout out to all my former Prestonites!)  When my parents would get their friends together at our house it could be just a casual get together or one of my father's grand ideas. My dad came up with some of the most clever themes. I think the most memorable being the "Come As You Were" party. Basically, who do you think you were in a past life and come to the party as that person. We had a variety or characters show up. Everyone from Cleopatra and The Grand Duchess Anastasia to a Samurai warrior and an Amazon Princess. And my dad.... decided to take a more literal approach and show up in a gorilla suit. Bless him.

Now some people may shy away from theming their event because they fear it might make it feel cheesy and they don't want to exclude someone who can't participate. Both of which are valid concerns. But just because your event has a theme doesn't mean you have to show up in a gorilla suit. You can have a Luau family reunion, a little cowboy baby shower, or a sweet and salty desert party. Each of these would be easily executed without having the guests do too much work or feel too intimidated.

On the other hand....
Going all out from top to bottom can be a lot of fun. If you have some good friends who you know will enjoy a great themed party... go for it! I have a friend in Florida who use to have about 10 themed parties a year at the house she shared with a few friends.  Some of their themes were:

~New Years 

~Masquerade

~Choose Your Own Adventure (come as whatever you want basically, choose your adventure and live it!)

~Spirit Animal          

~Blacklight Party

~Red Party (She raised money for a friend that was in a car accident)

~Rubix Cube (wear all the colors of the rubix cube and trade items [hats, shoes, accessories, t-shirts, etc.] and solve yourself)

~Doppelganger (come as your evil twin)

  There was always a good turn out and people were always anxious to hear what the next theme would be.

                                                                                                              Nicki's spirit animal is an owl

Themed parties can also make good traditions. You can have an annual themed event like a Casino Night on New Years Eve. Or every year on your birthday throw a themed birthday party but change the theme every year. To this day my favorite themed event was the annual "Gatsby Banquet" that Preston Residential College held every Spring. As the name suggests, the banquet was modeled after the parties that the character Jay Gatsby would throw at his house in the book The Great Gatsby. It was held outdoors. Starting on our expansive front porch then moved into the garden behind Preston for dinner and Jazz music. 1920's attire was encouraged though not required but many rose to the challenge. But as long as you made an effort to look formal you were good to go. It was also a good excuse for some of the girls to break out their old prom dresses.

The Gatsby Banquet has been a tradition at Preston since its founding in 1995. And it is something that the residence look forward to every year.

Now that I've given you some ideas and told you about a few of my favorite themed party memories tell me about some of yours! And if you haven't been to a themed party, what theme would you give a party if you threw one yourself?

Whitney & Nick

This past weekend I went to the wedding of my friend Whitney Bragg. (now Whitney McCormac) Just going as a guest was such a nice change from planning a wedding or being in one. The ceremony and reception were at 701 Whaley near downtown Columbia SC. I discovered that 701 Whaley is a great indoor venue! I had never been there before so this was a great chance to check it out and I wasn't disappointed. The ceremony was upstairs in what they call the Olympia Room. It is 2000 square feet with original hardwood floors and 17 foot ceilings. Three lofty windows let natural light stream in with distinctive original walls lending character to the room.
  
(This picture is from their website. I was enjoying the ceremony too much to think about taking pictures)

The reception was downstairs in the Grand Hall. (I love weddings that have the ceremony and reception at the same location. So much easier for everyone.) The Grand Hall has an impressive glass storefront that shows off a striking view of the church steeple across the street and the clock tower of the historic renovated mill. Beautiful late afternoon light streamed through the floor to ceiling windows. And, again, the original walls help create a very unique almost rustic feel to the room. And the 'Grand Staircase' gives a great entrance for the bridal party.

  

(You can tell I am a real fan of these walls.) 

And I really liked the staircase as an option for the wedding party's entrance. It's off to the side. Everyone has a good view without having to be in the front. And the photographer has some great opportunities for really nice pictures.









Now, Whitney is a very crafty person. (and I mean that in the best possible way) She knits, scrapbooks, makes handmade decoration....you name it! So, I expected some special details that were all Whitney and I wasn't disappointed :) 

The Whitney and Nick sign was made from an old table sawed in half, some yarn, and nails. I know the Jamie Williams was a great help with this project and also with the felt flowers that placed within the real floral arrangements. And Whitney's bouquet was made of all felt flowers! Not an easy task but the end result was fantastic! Both these projects were inspired by similar crafts on Pinterest. (Yay Pinterest... lol)

Also something I've seen on Pinterest (although I am not certain that's where Whitney got the idea) were the centerpieces for the tables.

She chose a variety of different flowers with the same color palette but put them in different bottles, jars, or cups. I personally love this idea. It brings dimension, depth, and a sense of uniqueness to each table. Besides the "head table" (picture to the right) all the tables had about the same number of flowers on each. The bottles were actually supplied by the florist which kinda surprised me. I haven't come across a florist that catered to those kind of centerpieces before. So they definitely earned a spot on my Vendor List.  (click on the tab from the home page)

The food was also really good. For starters there was a bruschetta bar and waffle and chicken skewers. They also had a great buffet with broccoli salad, peach chicken, vegetables, shrimp, and BBQ sliders. But what was my favorite you ask?........The waffle and chicken skewers were, hands down, my favorite thing on their menu. I was not expecting them but they were fantastic!





At the end of the day the best part was seeing all my friends together to celebrate the start of a new chapter of Whitney & Nick's life. I wish them the best as they both look forward to a shared future of love, friendship, and the wonderful closeness that is marriage.