Old Hollywood Soiree

Who doesn’t love a good theme party? What better excuse to get dressed up and party like it’s the 20^th century than a 26^th birthday? Apparently, my good friend Ryan couldn’t think of anything better, and she asked me to plan a swanky soiree to celebrate her birthday in style. Ryan is a talented singer, model, and make-up artist, and she reminds me of an old Hollywood movie star...she has a timeless, elegant beauty, and she absolutely oozes glamour. I couldn’t think of anyone better to host an old Hollywood cocktail party. We went with a simple, elegant scheme of black, white, and silver with touches of red. We were working with a limited budget, but managed to turn her apartment into a space befitting a starlet sipping martinis.

Ryan requested that all her guests come in costume, and luckily everyone thought it was a great idea. We used white ostrich feathers, damask patterns, deep red roses, and lots of candlelight to set the mood. Her cake was custom designed by Select Confections, an ice cream bakery in Annapolis, MD, and was absolutely to die for. She served spiked punch out of a huge silver punch bowl, and we used her collection of fabulous jewelry to dress up the candelabra’s.

Her guests raved about the party, and Ryan was one happy little glamour queen.

Here’s some pics!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

So how does one start a blog? Do you write your first entry as if you didn’t just show up; like you had been there all along? Or do you do what I did every time I got a new diary when I was little...introduce myself to it like it was a real person, and that my audience (my sneaky little sisters) didn’t already know that my favorite color was pink and I couldn’t wait to be 16 so I could have a boyfriend?

Whatever. I’m Charlotte, I’m an event planner, and I’ve been throwing parties for more than half my life. My career started at the tender age of six, when I demanded that I be in charge of coordinating my own birthday party and that my mother have no say in it whatsoever (it should come as no surprise that my favorite book as a child was Eloise at the Plaza. Still is. I like to be bossy. I admire her moxy.) Ever since then, I have enjoyed organizing events for friends and family. I planned my first wedding in 2006, and decided as soon as I finished school that I would start my own event planning company.

So here I am, a year into my own business, trying to build it every day, and enjoying every second of it. I love everything about celebrations...how they bring people together, the love that can be felt in a room when it is filled with your nearest and dearest, the details that bring an idea to life, the way a rooms design and decor can transform an ordinary space into something unforgettable. I love planning all events...weddings, birthday parties, dinner parties, baby showers, engagement parties...I could go on. I’ve been told that I have a gift when it comes to understanding someone’s vision, and that I often know what people want before they do. I won’t argue with that, it’s a huge compliment!

Anyway, I plan to use this blog as a platform to share events I’ve done, ideas for entertaining, easy DIY projects, and a general forum for all things celebration related.

Here are a few pictures from an event I did in February...I was hired to do several client appreciation events at Rodney Laws Studio, a salon in Annapolis, MD, and this was the first one I did. Obviously, we centered it around Valentine’s day...who doesn’t love LOVE? Rodney is an amazing hairstylist...and QUITE the character....guarantee you will never be bored sitting in his chair! Check them out www.rodneylawsstudio.com