I have literally been so excited to share this yellow & gray shindig with you guys! I honestly don’t know why it’s taken me so long to write about it but get ready for a tissue fan explosion!
Do you remember when I whipped up these invites? Well those two cuties smiling at you are the Spencer & Nicole I made them for. They had a very intimate wedding in early July but Spencer’s parents (and two of my favorite people on the planet) Maryann & Charlie wanted to throw them a big reception in August. Maryann got me & Crafty Jan on board to help and I have to say, it was one of the most fun parties I’ve ever gotten to be a part of planning.
We were more than lucky to have the backdrop of C&M’s beautiful home. Let’s do a sweeping tour… From the right (up top!) to the left (down below.) 
(P.S. Maryann made those poms hanging from the kitchen bar area herself! They were perfect touches!) Their home held the 150 guests beautifully. 
Using tissue fans we bought from here, we covered almost their entire pad. Good thing their dog Rocky didn’t get in the way, otherwise he might have gotten covered as well. 
I’m not sure if you’re grasping the magnitude of this installation, but each of the larger tissue fans are 25″ inches in diameter… and we used nearly 300 of them! The hole on the right side of the TV was left open intentionally for gifts. (These photos were taken before the party started.)
The left side of the TV made for a great backdrop for photos. It’s also giving you an idea of how ENORMOUS these things were.
We didn’t stop there! We designed a dessert buffet using the beautiful bones their house with even more tissue fans. I’ve been asked how we got the fans to stick…
… turns out it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. About 3 days before the party, we hung them up and 12 hours later they were all on the floor. Good thing we didn’t do this the morning of the party! Neither Glue Dots nor Zots worked on their beautifully waxed wood, so we resorted to clear packing tape. I was a little worried that the tape might ruin the wood but it turned out just fine. 
We’ll get back to the dessert in a second but let’s jump over to the “lemonade stand” in the courtyard. This is what greeted you as you walked in from the street.
Using fabric from Home Fabrics, graphics from One Charming Party (altered a little by me), stacked crates, pennant flags, and my mom’s vintage bottle stand, we set up an area for both lemonade and hard lemonade. Wink wink! (Which one do you think went first?)
Yeah, it’s not super normal that lemons are growing off ivy topiaries, but it had to be done! My mom just tied fake lemons to the trees and I think we fooled the whole party into thinking we found rare ivy lemon trees.
We kept the centerpieces pretty simple. My mom used to be a florist and always comes up with the funkiest ideas. I love the lemon on the stick! Cocktail tables alternated between having those atop them and styrofoam cone, moss-covered lemon ‘trees.’ I made banners for the lemon sticks with different sayings.
Now for some “LOVE!”
The “LOVE” sign that looks so small in that photo is actually a 60″x48″ canvas that my mom painted in the same font that we used throughout the other details. So though this looks small, it’s actually HUGE and it’s what greeted you as you stepped out of the courtyard and into the house. I think it set the tone perfectly.
Using spare tissue fans and dowels, we made ‘flowers’ and had them grow out of wheat grass which magically sprouted from opened drawers. This gives you a better idea of scale below:
Maryann had a beautiful photo of the newlyweds from the wedding blown up and we added a big frame and a yellow and white striped “mat” behind it. It was the perfect piece for the mantle.
We left a box of treats in the bathroom next to a sign that said “You look smashing my dear!” (always nice to get an unexpected compliment, don’t you think?) 
Maryann had really cute coasters for guests to fill our their wishes for Spencer & Nicole which was a really cute activity.
And she had napkins made up just for the party.
Speaking of napkins, we needed to use quite a few of them to wipe our greedy mouths of the delicious (I mean TO DIE FOR) food they served. Catered by Thank Goodness It’s Sofia out of Long Beach, they had everything from a mashed potato (in martini glasses) bar (below), macaroni & cheese grilled cheese sandwiches (yes together!), a wok box station, a prime rib slider station, in addition to amazing passed appetizers. I wish I would have taken more photos, but I was honestly too busy stuffing my face! It was DIVINE!
Tummy grumbling yet? There’s more! For dessert, Alicia of The Crimson Cake in Encinitas (you may remember that she did these cakes as well) created a bevy of beautiful sweets!
Let’s start with the showstoppers… the cakes!
I love when there are humorous personal touches in parties and the fact that Maryann had cakes made of Spencer & Nicole’s favorite ‘toons was just too perfect! 
How insanely darling is this Hello Kitty and Homer? I cannot believe the talent of Alicia! Geez! I’m blown away!
In addition to the darling & delicious cakes, she made 3 different brownie pops, a variety of mini cupcakes, lemon bars, profiteroles, and the cutest ‘bride & groom’ chocolate covered strawberries you ever did see.
I am happy to report that I tried them all and cannot believe that things that look this cute are in fact more delicious than they are adorable! SOOOO good! Maryann said that both the caterer & the confectioner were a delight to work with so I’m putting my stamp of approval on them! Use them! You will not be disappointed! 
The party was a hit!
And their view is unbeatable…
But what kept the party hopping from start to finish were these two talented guys…
The Kalama Brothers, Ryan & Kai. We know Ryan personally and it was so fun to see him in his element. They really knew how to work a party and played everything from fun Hawaiian hits, to Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah, to the best rendition of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison I’ve ever heard, to Lady Gaga and everything in between. They are honestly so talented I cannot say it enough! They picked up on the vibe of the crowd by playing mellow songs when we were mellow and turning it up ten notches when we wanted to go wild! They guided us along with beautiful beats like only great musicians can. 
By the middle of the party, the place was hopping! There was barely room on the dance floor. Sorry to gush. They really are insanely good! (Like them on facebook to stay in the know for their upcoming shows! They play all over Southern California and they are phenomenal!)
I have to end this post with a group of ladies who have all been a part of my life since I was born. How lucky I am to have such wonderful women as role models and pseudo-aunties. I love all of these gals so much!
Maryann & Charlie, you throw one heck of a party and we’re hoping to be involved in any party you plan from this moment on! What a blast that week of decorating and planning (and mostly chatting) was! We loved every minute of it!
So cheers my dears! My first post back! Phew! Thank you all for the reassuring comments from yesterday’s post. I am blessed to have you all as readers and am excited to be back on this party horse!
xoxo
A
