Styling a Coffee Table with Chairish

When it comes to styling my home, I tend to be a bit of a minimalist- in both color (neutral always wins it for me) and accessories. And when I do buy trinkets and decor, it has to be something I really love to look at. But I do love putting together areas of my living space that pop a little more, and give the entire room a nice balance of visual interest. One of the places I love to do this is with a coffee table, so when Chairish approached me about my take on styling one of their gorgeous vintage coffee tables, I was all in. 

Chairish is an online resource, and basically a design lovers solution to buying and selling vintage furniture across the country. The company features beautifully curated pieces, and includes everything from art to decor to rugs and lighting too. I was asked to share my tips on styling, using one of the gorgeous vintage coffee tables available in their shop right now. My heart jumped a little when I saw this four drawer black lacquer lovely, and it was so fun to put together a collection of accessories and must-haves that would make this gem shine. 

I started with the necessities: the items that would ground the entire look, while also keeping everything together. This white hexagon tray is dainty and functional, and I thought it provided a nice juxtaposition to the masculine lines of the table. 

My next go-to is books. I love switching out really great coffee table books periodically because they are constant conversation starters, and tend to be lovely to look at too. I have both of these books- Erin Gates’ Elements of Style and Coco Chanel by Lisa Chaney- and both of their black and white covers are the perfect amount of neutral yet stylish for this table. I also love mixing in other trade style books, whether they be for entertaining or even just photo books. My biggest requirement for a really great coffee table design is that it’s both functional and beautiful. 

From there I will always have a candle and flowers. I love finding soft, floral scents that aren’t too strong for the room, and it’s always a bonus for pretty containers too. This Cucumber Pop candle would be a great way for a subtle addition of color in the mix, and I love how the rim is in gold, pulling it together with the neutrals too. 

Finally, we can’t forget ‘les objets’- the accessories that really speak to your personality and finish off the entire look. I loved this lacquer box (perfect for the functional purpose of concealing anything from remotes to the small items that have no place to go) and this vintage brass wishbone for style and luck. 

It was so fun to find pieces to style this beautiful table; Be sure to check out their entire collection of coffee tables here. 

A Beauty Concierge Program By Soiree

In over 8 years of planning weddings, four of which have been primarily focused on full planning with our clients, a few things have popped up that either scream "it's working", or "this is not working". One of the areas in planning that has always seemed just off to me- both to the client and to us as planners- has been hair and makeup services. In fact, if I've ever seen a bride cry or become frustrated, it's over this- and looking back over the years, managing hair and makeup has been one of the more frustrating areas for us too. After analyzing wedding after wedding, I realized the process tends to breakdown at the point of communication and vision through the beauty team. Most hair and makeup artists are freelancers, so they each have their own process, rates, style and preferred ways of communication. Brides hiring their own beauty pros either rely on referrals or use someone they know- even if they are not necessarily experienced in the unique timeline of a wedding day or managing a large bridal party. On our end, we found we were sometimes working with someone new near every wedding, and it was often like reinventing the wheel every time. It was only when we were working with artists we know and love that the process became seamless and the experience was at its highest for the bride. So we decided we were on to something.

I met with Camilla from Deco Hair and Makeup Design to go over this new idea, and over our many cocktails and conversations, the idea evolved first into creating a network of hand-selected artists, then into an actual concierge program offering a full experience to be pampered as a bride. We wanted a bride to be able to trust immediately that she was in expert hands and most of all we wanted her to be pampered and to be able to create some really great memories on her wedding day. Part of making this happen was ensuring that the process would be painless..no more interviewing several artists, but rather being paired up with the artist that best fit their needs and look for the day. No more comparing rates because each bride would be offered a customized day-rate package that would include her beauty team, travel, and any additional services requested as an easy to understand bundle. And best of all, our brides could rest easy knowing they were working with the best of the best for their day.

So now that we have been talking about this new program, releasing little sneak peeks here and there (we even hinted about it all the way back at our holiday party in December!), we are finally ready (and so thrilled) to officially launch it and offer it to our brides. The artists have been interviewed and selected, and include some of Boise's best such as Deco Hair and Makeup Design, Jamie Verner (Blush By Jamie Rose), and Gabby Marcantonio for Bobbi Brown. As the program progresses we intend to offer other types of services to even further enhance the wedding day or weekend experience, such as spa and nail services.

Currently the beauty concierge program is offered exclusively to Soiree brides as an add-on to your services, and is included in our full planning levels. While these amazing artists are already on our referral list, the program offers an entire wedding day experience with next to no planning on your part (and if all goes well, we may begin offering it as a stand-alone service too..stay tuned!). And we can't wait to hear how you like it! So many thanks to Tana Photography for spending the day with us to snap photos of these beauty pros in action. For more information please contact Soiree at contact@weddingsbysoiree.com.

Xo,

Brandi

A Soiree Birthday | Happy Birthday Brandi

As we've mentioned before, around here we celebrate birthday months, because we love them that much! So today we wish a very happy birthday to Brandi. (The queen of birthday months!) Here's to a day as classy, fun and fabulous as you are!

xoxo,

The Soiree Team

{Featured} Whitney + Brian's Winter McCall Wedding on Style Me Pretty!

Happy Monday morning lovelies! There's nothing much better than waking up on a Monday morning to an amazing spread on Style Me Pretty- and we're thrilled to see one of our winter McCall weddings featured today.

Whitney and Brian planned their wedding with us in a short 7 months- his season as a race car driver left them only a few months to choose for a wedding- and before we knew it, January came and the wedding weekend went off without a hitch.

The look for the wedding was vintage shabby chic, matched with feminine blush and gold. Oh and chandeliers- we often joked that this bride would be the happiest girl on the planet if all she could have were chandeliers and her man. 

The ceremony was held in the upper pavilion of Shore Lodge. White chiavari chairs were paired with two vintage church pews for an eclectic, shabby look, and all 17 of the chandeliers were filled with white flowers and draped pearls for an immediate romantic feel in the room. From there guests were shuttled over to Whitetail Club for a cocktail hour and dinner. From the outside, the building looked like any normal building. But from the inside- a tent dripping with chandeliers. 

One of the shabby chic winter lounge areas...

...And one of our gold magnolia leaf bars

And we can't not put in the most gorgeous wedding video we've ever seen, to date, by PenWeddings:

Whitney + Brian | McCall, Idaho wedding film from Sarah Pendergraft on Vimeo.

For the full feature please do hop on over to Style Me Pretty, and be sure to check back here as we'll be adding a few more detail shots and talking a little more shop about the wedding. Thanks to Dylan and Sara Photography for the lovely photos, and we hope you enjoy!

Xo,

Brandi

Introducing.....E-Design Services

Hi Lovelies,

Today is the day that we are totally embracing the space outside of our comfort zones and launching something that has been in my brain for a while. And by a while, we're talking years. I'll bring you up to speed with a little background on this project: Ever since its first humble day of operation in January of 2006, I've been working to create a core for Soiree that would mainly involve design services (more affectionately coined experience and lifestyle design), event planning services that would marry the design and logistics, and styling. Even though we started out with event planning only, I've always known that one day Soiree would be recognized for design first, with the planning playing a necessary supporting role for an amazing experience. We've since evolved into a very (blessed) design-heavy business with an emphasis on lifestyle and our planning services have developed (lovingly) into being tailored for our out of town and destination clients; the ones that need a specially niche set of services.

With the complexity of our events increasing, more traveling, and less events we're able to accept each year, we really wanted to create programs and products that might be able to offer a different type of assistance, no matter where in the country our clients might be. Enter our newest Soiree baby:
 E-Design services!

Centerpiece by Lovely Little Details

One day I literally woke up and decided that we were just going to launch it. Ask my girls, too. I walked into the office with a vengeance and we got to work. So what is this e-design? It means that anyone- no matter the budget, whether they live on the East coast, West coast, here in Boise or somewhere in between, or just simply need a little design direction so that they can diy to their hearts content- can work with us to bring your vision to life. 

{Please contact  us for sources}

Here's how it works: We'll send out an extremely detailed questionnaire to get the process started. We'll also ask a lot of questions based on your venue, party, or details you're interested in. From there we'll collaborate with you over email to create a visual design board and a full purchase/rental list with real ideas and items you can put into place for your wedding or event. 

Organic cake photo via White Magazine

In short, we'll be walking you through a similar design process that we use for our weddings, to provide you with a fool-proof blueprint to accessing the wedding or party of your dreams. 

I've been sitting on this idea for years, because I wasn't sure how to offer it, or how it would work. But then I realized that what we do for our clients on an everyday basis- connecting them and their weddings with creative companies and products all over the country- has already put us in a position to offer design help virtually. 

Example of a tabletop only design board: Metal hang tags- BHLDN | Charger/Plate + Amber glasses- Frances Lane | Gold graphic paper- Paper Source | Linen + Napkin swatch- La Tavola Fine Linen | Wood Cake Stand- Williams Sonoma

When we design a wedding for a client, we have set up our relationships across the country- from industry and trade only accounts to retail options that we can't live without (hello, Home Goods, West Elm and Pottery Barn to name a few)- so that we can layer our events with attainable, unique items that aren't all rental or all purchase. This is how we are able to create a comfortable, inviting environment that everyone can relate to, while keeping it completely personalized and different. By using this mix of suppliers and resources, not only do even diy clients have access to amazing options they normally wouldn't unless using a planner or designer, we are also able to offer a custom design experience without the custom price tag attached. 

Example of a Lounge-Only design board: 1. & 2. Nuage Designs | 3. Ikea | 4. & 5. Safavieh coffee table + Honeycomb side table, Target

Clients will be able to choose single elements of the wedding (tabletop design, lounge area), specific areas or portions of the party (ceremony, cocktail hour, reception or after party), or choose to have us create a design for the entire event for maximum cohesiveness. Each design board will come with a full to-buy/rental list with links, and each design board will take into account the location of the event or client to ensure accessibility. Clients will also have the option to include trade-only items with their blueprint (in which we would obtain) or to have their boards include only retail ideas (from either chain/online stores available or rental companies located in their town) they can implement completely on their own. 

We think it's a win-win for everyone, and would love to see it take off. The whole process will take 4-6 weeks, after which you should be on your way to easily put together an amazing wedding without all of the heartache. We'll be offering special launch pricing for a limited time, and as we do with all of our events, we'll be limiting the amount of e-design projects we take on-so please contact us for more details! contact@weddingsbysoiree.com

We're so excited for this new venture and hope you are too. Would love to hear your thoughts or questions in the comments section! 

Xo,

Brandi

Beauty Post | Holiday Party

Here at Soiree, we are getting super antsy for our upcoming Holiday Open House Event this Friday. Check it out, we will be pulling out all the glitz and glam (and a little champagne), and we can't wait to unveil our new beauty concierge service. We hope you will join us!

invitation design by Paperie + Pen

As we prepare, I've been honing in on all my favorite beauty tricks to go with my dress and heels. What am I loving this season? Lipstick! Here's one of the many "how to's" I stumbled upon. 

 source

How does that saying go? "Life's short, buy the lipstick." I'll definitely be taking this advice and trying out some different colors just in time for our little party!

Enjoy!

A Soiree Birthday!

Happy birthday to our soirette, Annie, who is lucky enough to be enjoying this special day while on her honeymoon! We hope you are having the best time celebrating your birthday, and your marriage!

 

 Image via | Tana Photography 

(She makes a stunning bride, wouldn't you say?)

Cheers to you, Annie! 

xo,

The Soiree Team

Soirette Wedding Day

Today is a very exciting day over here... One of our very own is walking down the aisle! Annie, we cannot wait to see you on this special day, it's going to be beautiful, and we are so happy to be part of it! From the entire Soiree team, we love you!

Tana Photography

Cheers to this beautiful couple (very soon to be Mr. and Mrs.)! 

Featured | Caitlin + Monty's McCall Soiree

Happy Monday! We woke up with news in our inbox- Caitlin and Monty's southern September affair is featured on Style Me Pretty today! We have been (im)patiently sitting on all of the pretty photos from Two Bird Studio for months so we are so thrilled to finally reveal them. But first, a little background on this wedding. Caitlin and Monty spent much of their relationship long distance, including while planning their wedding; Caitlin was in New York for most of it, working with her Regas team, and Monty in Texas. McCall was a favorite family spot from Caitlin's childhood so they chose the lakeside destination locale to bring their family and friends from all over to one lovely place. I remember receiving the initial email from Caitlin- she was spunky and so excited to put tons of thought and detail into the weekend, and she's a letterpress designer, so basically we hit it off from the start.

Three locations within McCall- The Old Finn Church, Roseberry Barn, and Shore Lodge- and three design concepts layered to build upon each other-provided such an awesome experience for the guests; a historic quaint chapel to start, rustic barn complete with a lively folk band and spanning mountain views, and a rockin band, great food and gorgeous lake setting to end the night. In short it was an amazing event that had the entire Soiree team involved and we loved every second of it. Here are a few photos to whet your whistle, but do take a peek at the full feature on Style Me Pretty today!

Press | Eric + Tiffany's McCall Wedding Featured On A Paper Proposal

Happy Tuesday lovelies! We've been in full wedding swing over here, so we've been a little behind on the blogging. Hope you've been following our Facebook page or one of our Instagrams (I am @brandi_reiland) for the most up to date happenings in our world! 

Today we are excited to be back on the blog to share a little feature happening over at A Paper Proposal Blog. Tiffany and Eric's Shore Lodge wedding took place last July, so it's almost like a happy one year anniversary to them and their pink soiree. Tana Photography captured the day and Boise at Its Best produced all of the blooming flowers. I'll leave you with a few, but do take a peek at the full feature here for more photos and insight to the day! 

Xo,

Happy Birthday Brandi!

Brandi's birthday is here! We've been celebrating our way to this day, as she doesn't just have one day, she has a 'birthday month', and a very well deserved month that is! Happy birthday, Brandi! We hope your day is as fabulous as you, and filled with all of your favorite things (and hopefully some cake!)

via

Cheers!

xo,
The Soiree Team

Introducing | Baby Hudson

Good morning!

We've been busy here at Soiree, as Brandi and her hubby have been getting ready for baby boy number two. We are all so excited to announce his arrival, as he made his appearance early Friday morning. He's the perfect addition to Brandi's family, and of course, Soiree too! And we must say, he's quite the charmer...

Have a very happy Monday! We will be getting a busy start to our week, and of course, oohing and aahing over baby Hudson. Stay tuned this week for another Room To Wedding post and more wedding inspiration!

Press | Soiree + Shore Lodge In Pictures

Picture this: The whole team heads to the bridal show a couple of weekends ago to do our yearly walk-thru and catchup with vendors we haven't seen in a while, when we stumble across our friends at the Shore Lodge weddings booth and catch a glimpse of this:

We were thrilled to see our work from this past summer featured in the 2013 Shore Lodge marketing brochure (all photos by the lovely Tana Photography). We immediately grabbed several and tried hard not to look like giddy school girls (I'm not sure if we were successful)....

Stay tuned for our weekly 2012 weddings round up series this week and in the coming weeks as we'll be featuring much of what you see here! 

Have a happy Tuesday!

Xo,

Weekend Notes

Via

It's Friday again and this weekend I'll be wrapping up Thanksgiving plans and shopping, and for any of you that will be traveling I'm sure you're busy packing and tying up loose ends. I'm not hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, but I mentioned yesterday that I am currently so inspired by earthy, rustic, and all-things-nature for the holidays regardless, and this table just did the trick for me. Not only that, the linen is from one of our favorite and exclusive accounts we offer to brides, La Tavola Linen- it's always so nice to see a variety that we haven't used yet in full form. Check out the blog for La Tavola to see more from this event- it's beautiful! In the meantime, a few links from around the web as you head into the busy weekend:

* Another post that had me at nature, by one of my favorite design bloggers.

* Loved this post on hostessing the French way

* A grown up version of the grilled cheese, plus a new twist on that day after Thanksgiving turkey sandwich.

*********************************************************************************

In other news, I'm so excited to be chosen as a judge for St. Al's Festival of Trees Iron Designer and Junior Iron Designer challenge- an annual design competition where some of Boise's best (young and old) and well-known designers go head to head ala Iron Chef style. The competition will be held from 4:30p-6:00p on Wednesday November 21st, so if you are in a festive mood do stop by the Boise Centre for the event. More details coming up next week- see you there!

Happy weekend,

Technical Difficulties + Giveaway Winner

If there is one thing that will throw a stick in the plan, it's often technology for me. Our giveaway winner was supposed to have been launched yesterday, but didn't go....and you all got a Sunday Soiree a day early :)

So brighten your Saturday, we'll post the winner, randomly selected via Random.org, now...we had responses here on the blog and on Facebook, and drumroll please.....

And the winner is Alicia! Alicia, please email us at blog@weddingsbysoiree.com so we can mail you your gift card!

And many thanks to everyone who took the time to view our video and leave your lovely comments!