C’est L’Hallowe’en! October 18, 2012

C’est l’Hallowe’en! Hey! C’est l’Hallowe’en!

Many of my Canadian friends will recall this fun, French song from elementary school. Gotta love it!

It’s that time of year again. The leaves are turning gorgeous colours, the air is crisp, the boots are back in the porch, and indoor pursuits are starting to gear up. And Hallowe’en is just around the corner. I’m trying to hold off on hosting a Hallowe’en party this year, but it may be an unavoidable inevitability. I do love this particular celebration so!

What are you sources of fall party inspiration this year? I enjoyed the pumpkin crafts in the latest issue of Chatelaine. Pretty, pretty pumpkins…

DIY Pumpkin Craft via Chatelaine

Or, you could always go the cute route and affix some facial features to a standard orange pump, like so…

Spider Pump via BHG

Thus far, I’ve stayed the modern traditional course (surprise, surprise), and scattered some pretty white mini-pumpkins throughout my home.

Modern Traditional Autumn Table Top

If I was to plan a fall dinner party, I would love to incorporate these silver DIY lovelies:

Silver Place Card Pumps via Jenny Stefans Blog

What about you? What sort of look are you going for this fall?

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2011 in Review: Blog Stats January 4, 2012

Brilliant Bash Blog 2011 annual report:

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 47,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 17 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Party Planning: A Bachelorette Bash October 4, 2011

One of my best friends is getting married in less than two weeks, and I am hosting Part II of her bachelorette festivities.  Part I took place in August, and we rented a cabin for the weekend.  It was quite the time.  Now, on to the sequel!

Her wedding colours are red and brown – or chocolate and cherry as I like to say –  (I shared some wedding inspiration Bash Boards with you a while ago) so I’m going to incorporate that palette, as well as white, into the party atmosphere.

This is the Bash Board for the event:

Lots of fun ideas and pops of colour.  I can’t wait!  I’ll be sure to share some images from the partay afterwards.

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FACEBOOK CONTEST: Win a Custom Party Plan! October 3, 2011

CONTEST ALERT!!!

Are you hosting a party in the near future, but you’re uncertain about all of the details? If so, you’re in need of a Brilliant Bash Blueprint.

PRIZE DETAILS:

The winner will receive a Brilliant Bash Blueprint, which provides detailed suggestions for the event, including:

– Theme
– Colour Palette
– Décor
– Refreshments
– Entertainment
– Guest favours
– Bash Board
– Overall feel of the event
– Suggested preparation timeline
– Shopping sources for event preparation

I give you the party plan and you take the credit for the fabulous results.

TO ENTER THE CONTEST:

Please “like” Brilliant Bash on Facebook , and then post on our Facebook wall the type of party you need some help planning for.  On Friday, October 7, I will select the post with the most “likes” and the winner will be announced.

Party Time!

The winner’s Brilliant Bash Blueprint will be featured on this site, and the winner will be given the opportunity to have his/her photos of their event featured in a future blog post.

I would love to get started on your personalized Brilliant Bash Blueprint!  Enter the contest now!

Photo Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

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Brilliant Bash: Ladies’ Afternoon Tea September 30, 2011

A friend of mine recently became a Mary Kay consultant.  To help support her in her new venture, and to find a fun way to get us girls together on a weekend day, I planned a Ladies’ Afternoon Tea.  And who am I kidding?  I just love entertaining!

This was a low-key afternoon affair, so I didn’t go all-out with decor and such.  I kept it simple with some tasty treats and colour coordinated flowers and napkins (pink, for Mary Kay, of course).

I set up my butler’s pantry with tea mugs and assorted teas.  The dining room table was the place to be, with tea biscuits, jams and spreads, cucumber sandwiches, fancy cupcakes, and buttercream dipped doughnuts (coloured in pink food colouring to go with the Mary Kay theme).

Tea Time

Assorted Delights

Tea for Five

Cupcakes and Tea Biscuits

DIY Dipped Doughnuts (Easy!)

Mary Kay Magic

Sunday Afternoon Splendour

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon with friends: treats, makeup, lots of hot tea, and sun pouring in through the windows.  Maxin’ relaxin’.

Cupcake liners and napkins via Brilliant Bash.

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Vendor Spotlight: The Bridal Suite August 22, 2011

A new wedding boutique has recently opened in St. John’s, Newfoundland.  The owners of the ever-popular and stylish  Twisted Sisters Boutik have entered the wedding world with an accessories-focused shop located just upstairs in their 175 Water Street location in downtown St. John’s.

The Bridal Suite specialises in wedding fascinators, veils, jewellery and personal adornments of all sorts.  The atmosphere in The Bridal Suite is intimate, calming, and oh-so-exquisite.  The decor is crisp and chic, and evokes the feeling that you’ve been invited into a glamorous lady’s dressing room.  The only oddity is the “no shoes” policy – perhaps they should suggest you bring along your slippers?

For more information and to book an appointment, please visit the Bridal Suite blog, and check out their Facebook page here.  Welcome to the wedding world, Twisted Sisters!

Photos by Nate Gates

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Featured in Occasions Magazine: Our Wedding! July 12, 2011

Wow!  I am so pleased to share with you that our wedding is being featured in Occasions Magazine.  So exciting!  You can check out all of the details here (mind a few typos).

I must say, it is a lovely way to celebrate our first anniversary!

Woo hoo!

Photo by Aaron Vincent Elkaim

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Brilliant Bash: Vibrant Bat Mitzvah July 5, 2011

And we’re back!

Well, the move from Toronto to St. John’s is still in progress, but I’m finally settled in enough to start the blog up again.  And this is a lovely event to help me kick off the summer party season.

Event planner Angela Zaltsman and event stylist (owner of Hazlitt Vintage Rentals) Selena Hazlitt sent along the details of this fabulous bat mitzvah that took place just a few weeks ago in Toronto.  This event is stylish, creative and inviting – what more could you ask for?

Welcome to the party!

 

Vibrant Table Settings

Gorgeous Spring Flowers

Candy Bar

Sweet Sweets

Pretty Pink Cupcakes

Stylish Refreshments (Straws from Brilliant Bash)

Marley’s family wanted to host her Bat Mitzvah somewhere unique and memorable, so they selected their very own backyard.  Inspired by Martha Stewart’s creativity, the team designed a fun, chic outdoor luncheon for 140 friends and family. 

A few notes from Angela and Selena on the bash:

A custom-built barn board directional sign greeted guests and welcomed them into the home. Hot pink and white balloons filled the front yard.

Touches of vintage decor set the relaxed, casual tone.   Clear vintage canning jars were used for the flower arrangements of Festivus Maximus peony blooms and table numbers.  More than 85 jars were over-flowing with peony blooms scattered throughout the tables. 

Place cards were attached to small jars of homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam for guest favours.  The jam, from a local farm, was homemade and fabulous.  The place cards were displayed on a pine harvest table stacked with wood soda crates and wicker picnic baskets. 

Guests were treated to signature drinks of lemonade from the “ol’ fashioned lemonade stand.”  The lemonade stand featured a custom sign with Marley’s name on it, a soda case for serving drinks and galvanized tubs for holding ice and wine.

White tents with white floors and linens looked crisp while gorgeous magenta table cloths brought the tent to life.  Marley’s Aunt Paula and mother pulled together a fabulous array of candy that was presented to guests.  There were line-ups to fill their magenta polka dot bags with goodies! 

All in all, the party was the talk of the neighbourhood!

 
Bash Location-  Backyard of Family Home in Toronto
Bash Planner – A to Z Event Management
Caterer- Encore
Decor Sources- Hazlitt Vintage Rental, Balloon Boutique and Brilliant Bash
Flower Sources – Lilium
Photographer – Hudson Taylor
Videographer – Redstone
Rentals – Advanced,  Exclusive  and Around The Table
Cupcakes – Short and Sweet
Entertainment – Mysterion
DJ – Magen Boys Entertainment
Gardens and Planters – Josh Martin

Vendor Spotlight: Cynthia Martyn Events April 10, 2011

One of my favourite wedding magazines is WedLuxe Magazine.  Their gorgeous photo shoots and real weddings are out of this world.  Time and time again, I noticed that events styled by Cynthia Martyn were popping up in the magazine and online.

Cynthia Martyn is a Toronto-based event designer with an exquisite style sensibility.  Cynthia and her team touch on every element of each special event, from the initial budget planning, venue selection and vendor management, to the styling and design of stationery, flowers and decor, and then expertly manage the dozens of suppliers, family members and friends to ensure the big day proceeds flawlessly.

Cynthia’s style is lush, romantic, and vibrant yet soft.  Her events are distinctive and magazine-worthy.  Just a few selections of beautiful event styling from Cynthia Martyn Events:

 

Breathtaking Table Setting

 

Fun, chic styling

 

Golden Goddess

 

Wow

 

Creative (and tasty) Centrepiece

You can follow Cynthia’s work on her blog or Facebook page.

Photos courtesy of Cynthia Martyn Events.

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The Latest: Interactive Refreshment Stations March 27, 2011

One of the trends that is gaining quick popularity this year is the presence of interactive food and drink stations at special events.

Not only can these stations add visual interest to an event, they also add a participatory element to your guests’ experience, inviting them to “make their own” cupcakes, fondue, bagels, cocktails, etc.  Interactive refreshment stations allow your guests to customize their food/drinks to their own personal tastes.  And who doesn’t love that?

Some fabulous examples to inspire you:

Custom Bagel Bar (via Luna and Chloe Weddings):

Bagel Bar: Guests can make their own breakfast bagels

Fondue “Fundo” Party (via Amy Atlas Special Events):

Fondue Party: Fun and tasty for your guests

Smoothie Bar (via Hip Hooray Blog):

DIY: Smoothie Bar

Yum!

Art Birthday with DIY Food Palettes (via Hostess Blog):

 

Art Party: Make your own food "palette"

Brunch Birthday (via The Sweetest Occasion):

Interactive Pancake Station

Customized Pancakes

Baking Party Birthday (via Amy Atlas Events):

Baking Party: Fun for all ages

S’Mores Spectacular (via Cookie Creatives):

Decadent DIY S'Mores Station

DIY Ice Dream Parlour (via Eat Drink Chic):

Pink & Pretty Ice Cream Parlour

Choose your own toppings!

Champagne Bar (via Eat Drink Pretty):

DIY Mimosas & Bellinis

These interactive food/drink stations are so much fun.  If you plan to try this concept at one of your events, make sure you have the time/staff to clean up the station periodically, as guests can often be very messy.  It would also be wise to have a helper nearby to assist small children and older guests who need help with the station.

I can’t wait to see the new ideas that come with spring and summer entertaining this year!

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