The holidays are upon us friends. They are right around the corner and they aren’t stopping for coffee! Even if it feels like we’ve got plenty of time, we all know that come November, we are going to be sitting here wondering how is it already Thanksgiving again.

Every single year, I tell myself I am going to get my butt in gear early so that I can actually enjoy the holiday and use my time efficiently.

Last year, Kacee from Life with Lipstick On hosted a gorgeous luncheon for Friendsgiving and we got to help by providing her some lovely details.

We designed some custom name cards in the shape of maple leaves. I love this new font we’ve been using so much lately. Our maple leaf escort cards are perfect for any fall type gathering and the personal touch makes your guests feel appreciated.

We also did these thanksgiving themed stir sticks for their cocktails or champagne. These have been very popular for a few years now and the wooden stir sticks along with this gorgeous coastal palette just tie everything together perfectly.

Kacee’s clean and crisp styles make this light and fresh friendsgiving palette just so inviting. The food fare was simple family style dishes with a thanksgiving flavor and the company was just as lovely! It’s so important to take a little time to appreciate your closest friends during such a busy and stressful time of year.

The food was light and easy so that she could spend more time with her guests. A variety of salads and flatbreads all with fall flavors served family style sounds so refreshing and so delicious.

Do you have friendsgiving traditions with your friends? Is it casual or traditional? There are plenty of ways you can celebrate the season of thanksgiving, maybe try something new this year!

Maple leaf place cards: Delovely Details

Thanksgiving stir sticks: Delovely Details

Production & styling: Kacee from Life with Lipstick On

Last year, we were grateful to be a part of the LVL Academy Workshop, a leading wedding planning education program. This program empowers wedding planners to pursue their passion with confidence through a comprehensive program that prepares a planner to run a successful business.

We’ve been fortunate enough to work with Lindsay and Heather over the past few years on some of their beautiful weddings. It’s always such a joy to work with such professionals who really set the bar with their professionalism. It was an automatic “yes” when we were asked to be a part of this workshop, and it was an honor.

These workshops aren’t a typical day spent in a dark classroom with harsh lighting and run of the mill catered lunch from The Corner Bakery. Every aspect of this workshop is intentionally designed to first, educate you and second, to inspire you.

As a small business myself, I don’t think there is any better way to spend your profits than on education. If you are serious about your business, your craft, and your reputation, then further educating yourself to help elevate your brand and to stay on top of marketing trends will be the best investment you can make for yourself. I couldn’t think of a better way to gain all of that for a wedding planner than this workshop that LVL Academy puts on.

For this event, we were able to provide signage, stir sticks, and personalized name cutouts for attendees.

If there is one specific part of my business I love, it is helping support other small businesses. I have started to offer these engraved logo signs with a stand in my shop so that we can help other small business elevate their brand. They are perfect for trade shows, sponsor table displays, and craft shows. We also used them for menus and to help label pricing on some of the merchandise they also sold at the workshop.

My absolute favorite thing we did for this workshop was this engraved and acrylic inlay menu for the lunch being served. It was the first time we experimented with something like this and I think it turned out really well! If you aren’t familiar with laser engraving and cutting, engraving can be a really long processes. That is usually why prices are usually higher for engraved items than cut items. However, when it’s done and done right, the results are just gorgeous!

We are so grateful to have these opportunities to work with the best of the best. We also appreciate their support for my business as well. The wedding and event industry is huge but our community is small. Since being in this industry, I have been blessed to have the most amazing community surround me. Days and events like this remind me of how blessed I am.

Credits:

Production: LVL Academy

Signage, Stir Sticks, and Name Cut Outs: Delovely Details

Venue: The 1912

Catering: 24 Carrots Catering

Photography: Lorely Meza

Publishing: Two Bright Lights

Paper Goods: Minted Weddings

Florals: Heavenly Blooms

AV and Lighting: Elevated Pulse

Draping: Amber Event Production

Rentals: Signature Party Rentals

Table Top: Borrowed Blu

Wine: One Hope Wine

Coffee: Bodhi Leaf Coffee

Hair and Makeup: Design Visage

Head shots: McCune Photography

Swag Bag: Flower Stay

Video: One Story Weddings

Back Drop Design: Jesi Haack Design

Linens: Mod Mix Studio

Runners: Tono and Co.

Cake: Simply Sweet Cakery

Lounge Furniture: Found Rentals

We recently had the privilege to not only help 24 Carrots Catering on one of their opulent events, but this time we were also hosted by them to a beautiful meal. It was 24 Carrot’s Gratitude Dinner. A night where they treated their closest vendor friends and guests to a night of lovely connections, joyful conversation, and copious amounts of delicious food. As 24 Carrots does, every detail was meticulously thought of and everywhere you turned was another vignette that tugged at you and invited you in to experience it. 24 Carrots does an amazing job at turning a simple “dinner with friends” into a journey for the eyes, mind, and soul. We are so grateful to work with them as often as we get to and consider them friends. It was a perfect night.

We were so excited to work on this project because you could tell how meaningful it was to them. Every event that 24 Carrots puts together is carefully planned and incredibly thorough. But with this event, you could tell how deep the gratitude really runs though this team. We had a blast doing the unique signage along with some drink details, of course.

The gorgeous Ring Around the Rosé bar served guests either a still or sparkling cocktail. It was a tough decision between a “Stop and Smell the Rosé” (Rosé, Aperol, St. Germain, Chambord, Soda Water) or “Rosé Sil Vous Plait” (Rosé Sangria). I was a huge fan of the “Stop and Smell the Rosé”. We created these drink “buttons” for each glass and I’m 100% obsessed with them. They were so cute and so different from our popular stir sticks.

Our good friends at Project Watermark did this epic escort card display. A cascade of leaves, each had calligraphy with your name and table assignment. It was a huge hit. Searching for your name among all of the ribbon and leaves reminded you that you were in a garden, Franciscan Gardens to be exact.

I love this venue. The space is so versatile and has so much potential. There must be a hundred different ways you can host an event here. The outside garden area is spacious, yet intimate. The inside is stunning and elegant, but full of potential to personalize and create an inviting space for your event. On our way into the dinner area from the outside cocktail area, we cut a very large sign for a green hedge that pretty much summed up what was behind the wall. They set up the entire kitchen area just on the other side of the hedge wall, and that is where the magic truly happens.

Inside the space, gorgeous tables of pink and green overflowed with intricate floral pieces. Tall candelabras made the space feel intimate and warm. Each menu was personalized and informed you of the delectable dinner you were about to devour. In one corner of the room was a beautifully tattered buffet that was a display for the take home gift, along with a full belly and heart. Custom colored pencils and a branded coloring book to help you keep those creative juices flowing after the evening ended.

Midway through our dinner, Carizza, whom I am fortunate to call a dear friend, spoke on behalf of the 24 Carrots team. Full of sincerity and affection, she summed up perfectly about what the entire night was about, gratitude. Norm, owner and mastermind behind 24 Carrots Catering, spoke as well. Between the words spoken, the ambiance created, and the food prepared…the appreciation was brimming in the room.

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Of all the beautiful events we’ve been to and worked on with 24 Carrots, this one will hold a special place in my heart. This company has been a blessing to my company and therefore my family. Friendships have been forged, businesses have been elevated, and creativity has been bountiful. What more can one ask from a fellow collaborator.

Thank you 24 Carrots Catering for a beautiful evening.

Production + Catering: 24 Carrots Catering

Venue: Franciscan Gardens

Floral Design: Oak and the Owl

Furniture + Lounge: Found Rentals

Tabletop Rentals: Borrowed Blu

Linens: La Tavola Fine Linens

Photography: Brett Hickman Photography

Videography: Villa Visuals

Entertainment: Elevated Pulse

Lighting: Premier Lighting and Production

Calligraphy: Project Watermark

Laser Cut Details: Delovely Details