Our Royal Wedding Celebration!

We put a Design Muse spin on our Royal Wedding celebration and unsurprisingly things got real over the top real quick.  Enjoy these highlights from our terribly fun day!

Instead of sending plain 'ol invitations we decided to up the ante and mail tiaras to each of our guests.  While we usually have a the-more-the-merrier take on party invites, we limited the guest list to family only for this particular occasion.  Granted, our family is huge so there were no shortage of invitations to send out, but the cap allowed us to include a lot of personalized touches for each guest.  Instead of just including local family, we sent invitations across the United States and I'm thrilled to say a handful of gals hopped on a plane and joined us!  

My favorite part of the event itself was the table decor.  We raided our event styling inventory for our favorite ornate pieces and put together a few beautiful flower arrangements using peonies, brightly colored poppies, a variety of roses and a few other beautiful blooms.  We couldn't fit all 16 guests at the dining table, so in an effort to avoid the feel of a "kids table", we got creative and came up with an inclusive T shaped layout.  We bought a beautiful gold fabric to create custom tablecloths and red velvet to fabricate the runners.  Each place setting included one of Hester and Cook's Gilded Frame Die Cut Paper Placemats and a personalized Table Accent Place Card...the perfect finishing touches!  

I used our Cricut (a purchase which- for the record- pretty much changed my life) to create a few embellished monogrammed seals that we placed on the runners.  I also used it to create some precision cuts on the Instrument of Consent we displayed that gave Harry and Meghan permission to marry.  

We rolled out the red carpet (quite literally, as you can see) and guests were greeted by a friendly member of the paparazzi (alias: Paul Wharton of Paul Wharton Photography).   When my Mom came up with the idea to order a red carpet I cracked up, but it was such a fabulous addition to the day and really added to the VIP experience we were trying to create. 

We kept the menu fairly simple, and decided against making it too British (because let's be honest...the Brits do a lot of things well, but food isn't one of them).  I ordered an assortment of Tea Forte blends, and a special Harney & Sons Royal Wedding Tea for the occasion.  We also set up a Mimosa bar and station for coffee.  Since our celebration was taking place mid-morning, the menu consisted of fresh fruit, macarons, tea sandwiches (peach/honey/ricotta and avocado/cucumber), shortbread cookies, charcuterie, quiche, yogurt parfaits, breakfast meats, a light salad and my Mom's famous homemade scones.  I also whipped up what turned out to be a delicious replica of Harry and Meghan's Lemon Elderflower cake and topped it with fresh flowers. 

One of the most memorable moments of the day was when my cousin, Natalie, made a quick costume change and re-entered the party wearing her mom's wedding dress.  It was hilarious and sweet all at the same time.  

Another special moment came when I received a few picture texts from my mother-in-law.  She and my beautiful niece Ava weren't able to make the trip from Virginia to join us, so they threw on their tiaras, invited over a few special guests of their own and had a lovely satellite party.  

                   

We watched the guests arrive while we ate (with much commentary, as you can imagine) and then moved to the sofas to watch the wedding itself.  Royal Wedding fan or not, if you haven't watched the ceremony yet you should put it on your to do list!  It was beautiful from start to finish but, as many have said, Bishop Michael Curry stole the show with his impassioned message on the power of love.  

I teared up on a few occasions, but cried very real tears when The Kingdom Choir performed Stand By Me.  While many moments of the Royal Wedding made me think of my own marriage and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband in Davey, this particular song made me grateful for the community of women that surrounded me in that moment.  The last few years have been challenging for our family, but the women in that room and the ones who couldn't attend but celebrated with us from a distance have consistently poured so much life into me.  I looked around and saw strength, love and the main characters from most of the best stories I have.  The gift of a life crowned with family is unlike any other.  Makes me feel luckier than a princess. :)

The Big 1-0-0-0!

I'm excited and freaked out and just the tiniest bit emotional to announce that today is Design Muse's 1,000th post.  Our 1,000th post, people.  I've been cheesing all day just thinking about it...in fact, I even brought in cake batter rice krispy treats to work in celebration.

Since the big 1-0-0-0 calls for some reflection, I got to thinking about my favorite posts over the last few years.  Turns out we've gone through a lot together, you and I.  We've powered through design overhauls and the re-organizing of the blog itself, survived a salon opening and reveled in the excitement of starting a more hands on design business, had some sappy moments (prime examples here and here), mourned a national tragedy, and had a blast doing everything from throwing a Breakfast at Tiffany's themed party to actually having breakfast at Tiffany's.  So!  In lieu of my usual Working For The Weekend links, I decided to use today to count down my top 10 favorite Design Muse posts of all time.  Let's take a quick stroll down memory lane, shall we?

10. Disney Princess Makeovers: I've gone back and laughed at this post dozens of times over the last few years.  It's a personal fave, plain and simple.

9. Crafting with Maps : This short series was a lot of fun to put together and really turned out beautifully.  Ideas that don't cost much and make a fun statement will always top my list!

8. Vintage Beretta: This post is filled with hilarious pictures of outfits I "designed" when I was a kid.  It's ridiculous and laughable but it's always made me smile for a handful of reasons.

7. Gabees Lip Balm: I'm so enamored with my Dad's many "Most Interesting Man In The World" hobbies, so when he named part of his empire after me I was smiley to say the least.

6. My Bedroom and Living Room Makeovers: These particular before and after posts were high points for me for very practical reasons, but even years later I'm still thrilled with how they turned out.  It was important for me to learn first hand that a little bit of re-decorating changed more than just my space, it changed my disposition.

5. Best Day Ever: I'm excited to continue this series in the near future because we had such a great time putting together our first post.  They're sometimes a challenge to orchestrate but I'm determined to make personal style posts a regular part of Design Muse soon and very soon.

4. Project Pep Talk: This post will always be very close to my heart as it centered around a really special present I made for my partner in crime.  It took some time to orchestrate but it was worth every second!

3. Banana Nutella Bread and Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter and Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies: When it comes to Foodie Files, these two recipes tied for my favorites...though I think we can all agree the real winner here is Nutella.

2. Amazing Race-Cation (parts 1 and 2): By far the coolest thing I've ever done.  Period.

And my #1 favorite post of all time...

*drumroll*

Table For Twelve Tuscan Night: A breathtaking night and precious memory...up there with my favorite evenings of all time.

So there you have it!  I enjoyed writing (let's be honest...almost) all 1,000 but these 10 have a special place in my heart.  I wish I had words to tell you guys how grateful I am for your willingness to keep coming back and allowing me to share my adventures with you.  The fact that even one person out there would find what I have to say interesting is so humbling to me.  Thanks for showing up and engaging...we've built something pretty cool together, don't you think?  Here's to at least 1,000 more!

Table For Twelve: Welcome Vivian

It's been awhile since our last Table for Twelve.  Too long, in fact.  I can almost hear Ricky Ricardo as I type this..."Gabby, you've got some 'splaining to do".  Well, here's what's up: we're changing a few things around in 2012.  Change isn't exactly my favorite, even when it's change for the better (case in point, I've had 52 updates pending in my app folder for the last year...no thank you apps, I like things the way they are) but I hope this is an adjustment you can get excited about.  For the next year, Table for Twelves will be a seasonal post...four a year.  I know, I know you're not okay with that, but wait there's more!  We came up with three other seasonal series that 1) are killer and 2) will run during the months between our Table for Twelves.  I was going to go ahead and introduce you to them now, but I kind of like the suspense that's building so I'm gonna wait and show you one month at a time.  Kinda fun, right?  Over the next three months I'll unveil one new series a month, then we'll circle back around to our next Table for Twelve and the cycle will repeat.  Cool?  Cool.

Now, back to this Table for Twelve...it's a good one.  You know I'll find a reason to celebrate just about anything, but when you give me a real, honest to goodness event that's gonna change all of our lives, the celebration swells accordingly.  Last weekend we got a chance to herald the coming of my cousin Natalie's baby girl, Vivian.  My cousins Nikki, Nadine, Leah and I co-hosted the shower and it really couldn't have been more delightful.  We took a different route from the soft, pastel color palate that traditionally monopolizes baby-centric events.  It was kind of a breath of fresh air to me.  We've all been to the same baby shower a million times over, why not make this one different?

One of my favorite parts of our decor was the Anthropologie-esque pendant installation we put together across the back wall.  It was cheery and fun and really set the tone for the whimsical party we set out to create.

The food was not only delicious, but really beautiful in and of itself.  We set up a doughnut tower, a display of Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis (so tasty), a veggie tray, chicken salad sandwiches, mini quiches, some fruit, Snickers salad (yup, you read that right), homemade Oreo truffles, a make-your-own yogurt parfait bar and pre-poured glasses of Natalie's favorite, fruit tea.

We kept the centerpieces and tableware simple but threw in a few pops of flash, pairing potted plants with delicate arrangements, plain jane plates with customized napkins and setting it all on a classic black and white polka dotted tablecloth with a metallic gold runner.  

In lieu of games (cause lets be honest, no one enjoys playing those at showers anyway) we had our guests put together a picture guestbook.  The drill was simple: write a message to Vivian on a dry erase board and strike a pose.  I can't imagine how much fun sweet Vivi will have reading through them someday! 

The presents just kept coming, which was great fun to watch.  There's nothing like an afternoon of pretty little baby girl goodness to get you smiling real big.      

*Side note: Although Natalie already decided on the name Vivian Rae, 

her sisters are still competing over Vivi's middle name.  For Christmas, Aunt Nikki got Vivian 

a bib that said "Vivian Nicole".  This was Jessica Dianne's best attempt.*

We sent everyone home with one of Natalie's most frequent cravings, a loaf of her Mom's homemade banana bread.  Random as it is, I also had a few really sharp looking custom coasters made.  We set them all around the room and let folks take a few if they so desired.  You know how I feel about details... they'll make or break just about anything.

As much as I truly love celebrating minor victories and silly holidays, there's really nothing more exciting than reveling in the excitement of a legitimate life event.  We're counting down the days 'til Vivian gets here...that little angel has quite a fan base.  She may not have made her grand entrance into the world just yet, but she's already so loved (and maybe the slightest bit spoiled).  

For more information on this party or any other Table for Twelve (S'more Fun, Tuscan Night, Fancy Shmancy Dinner Party, Garden Tea Party, Pool Party,Sugary Sweet Goodbye Party, Picnic in the Park, Royal Wedding, Breakfast at Tiffany's,Valentine's Day) or to find out about Design-Muse's party planning services, contact me here.