From FYP Designer, Dianna—
My brother is GETTING MARRIED! I can’t handle the excitement. With the big day approaching, we’ve thrown the couple a shower, and I was so happy to be a part of the planning committee with other close family members. Here’s how it went...
The most important event goal was to have FUN. This party had to express the couple’s brightest character. They are both so fun. They are silly, caring, wholehearted people, who love to drink…WINE. The couple’s second best quality is their taste in fine wine and delicious snacks. With the two powers combined, how could we have anything but a classy and exciting event?
Party time.
Step One: Pick a venue. So easy, right? Ha! Finding a place that will represent the happy couple and accommodate all the needs of the party can be a challenge. Team McWing crushed it with the Black and Tan Grill in Downtown Green Bay, WI. The lounge was a perfect balance of casual and classy. With large windows, the typical bar was bright and sunny for an afternoon gathering. The space held guests well, had an amazing bar and a good sized staff to push delicious spirits in our glasses. If you are in the Green Bay/ Fox Valley area, I highly recommend this venue for your event.
Step Two: Decorate to AMAZE! We had the bones of the venue to support the party. Now we just needed to sprinkle the party with pretty things to complement the setting. I started with fun napkins. Our Kate Spade inspired party color palette was black, white and gold with pops of plum and corals. It was easy finding our colors from For Your Party’s selection and a blast putting personalized graphics on the napkins. I took it upon myself to add the couple’s wedding hashtag for Instagram, hoping partygoers would attach any fun pictures to the shower. IT WORKED!
I also couldn’t resist straw tags and stir sticks. We used our stir sticks for the coffee more than mixed drinks. Since wine was the drink of the afternoon, and we had many non-drinkers that still wanted to decorate.
Can you have too much confetti? The answer is no. Too many things can be done with paper. My hoarding reflexes had me make confetti garland with all the leftover paper that wasn’t needed to sprinkle on all the tables. The plus side was that confetti was large, so the bar didn’t want to kill me for sprinkling it everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE.
Step Three: Invite fun people. But really, all people who love and support you will make your day an event to remember. This party was not only filled with wonderful local family and friends, but there were a few surprise appearances from out of town family to help make the day even better.
Overall, the party was a huge success. It was a great kick-start to the couple’s wedding adventure. Another shout out to my brother and his soon-to-be-wifey, so happy to be a part of your big day (and events leading up to). Love you FOREVER!
