My sincere apologies for disappearing at the end of last week. I have been working on an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art—interning, doing research, etc.—for nearly three years and it finally opened last week! I just needed an a little down time after all that excitement. I will do a proper post about the exhibition soon, but in the meantime, you can read about it here.
So, without further ado, here's my last post about my engagement party, hosted in Connecticut on Saturday, June 25, 2011.
As you already know, I love balloons. Love! The bigger the better! So I bought several dozen super big balloons that fit my blue theme. These happen to be 24" diameter, but I also bought some that were 36" diameter but just didn't get a chance to blow them up (things get busy right before a party!). I did a bunch of research to find the best prices, since balloons that big tend to get expensive, so if you are in interested in where I bought them just say so in the comments!
Everything I read online about big balloons made me nervous about how much helium I would need to fill these babies up. In the end I decided to just buy a 'party kit' at my local Target: a big box that contains regular 10" balloons, ribbon and a disposable helium tank. The tank actually went a lot further than I thought it would, so I would highly recommend that solution to anyone looking blow up a few balloons at a time.
Of course we had to have tons of flowers. These were mixed bouquets that I assembled from blossoms bought a local farmer's market and (surprisingly!) our local supermarket. Normally I like arrangements that are very structured, but I was actually quite happy with the free-flowing looseness of these vases; I think it suited the mood of a casual afternoon get together by the beach.
A couple weeks before the party I decided I wanted to have a lettered banner (like these) to hang on the front of the house. After deciding on my text (which mirrors the language used on our wedding website and save the date), I simply designed an Adobe Illustrator document which contained 3-4 outlined letters on each page (you don't need design software to do this, but if you print out letters through Microsoft Office programs just make sure you use an outlined font). Then I printed them on heavy blue cardstock and cut out each letter. And to ensure the garlands didn't rip in the breezy outdoors, I added a couple of eyelets in each letter a matching shade of blue and strung the whole thing on blue and white baker's twine. If I do say so myself, I think they looked pretty great!
The drinks and table, of course, also had to fit the 'blue' theme. As I mentioned here, we used Ikea polka dot curtains and super cute polka dot glasses to add a little pattern and fun to the party. I also bought these Kikkerland straws for a reasonable price at an online store called the Gray Goose.
A party wouldn't be a party without some atmosphere! We bought a couple strings of these string lights (only in clear bulbs) from Target that look delightfully vintage and elegant and only cost $12.99 for a 24 foot strand!! Though I forgot to take a photo of them at night, I can attest that they cast a beautiful (and surprisingly strong) glow.
Lastly, I personalized some of these $4 Ikea stoppered water bottles with big vinyl stick on letters (I bought these 4" versions) to spell out celebratory phrases and our initials. Top photo, left to right: 'HELLO', 'T', 'LOVE' and 'K'. Not only do the stickers stay on super well, but they also look wick the condensation off the bottle in a beautiful water. And the bottles can be reused over and over again. I mean, really, who wouldn't smile when served water from a bottle that says 'hello'?
Hope you liked the recaps (and sorry they took so long!). If you have questions about anything feel free to ask a question in the comments. If you don't, well, we will be back to regular posting tomorrow!
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