Christening/1st Birthday in the Park

 

 

 A Party fit for a Princess.....

 

Christmas in Australia also equals summer and that means a hectic time between October and December for us in the events industry.

Now with a bit of a quiet January I am happy to sit down and share some of my parties that I planned and styled during that crazy time. Starting with a beautiful 1st birthday/little girl's christening.

I was contacted by the Blackburne's as they were keen on hosting a special 1st birthday in the park down by the river in one of Perth's most tranquil spots, for their special girl. Fortunately, the beautiful spot picked by my client consisted of some beautiful big trees and this was then to be the focal set up point of my buffet and food tables.

The trees gave me the inspiration to incorporate a woodlands theme and my client requested a pink princess theme. Balloons supplied by Shop now HQ.

Adults buffet table

To create a wow factor at the park, we hung beautiful tulle pom poms and our home made personalised party bags between the magnificent trees.

The ruffled tablecloths used really stood out in this open space with the addition of a magnificent princess cake by Cake Love Couture in
Perth and princess cake pops by the very talented Niknaks Sweetest treats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Children's Table

 

A square setting with mini ghost chairs. The umbrella helped keep the food from melting!!

 

Cute detail of animals throughout the day. The day was captured wonderfully by the talented Sarah of SarahO'Flanagan photography

 

Stunning children's food supplied by Hungry Little Monsters.

 

Champagne was poured in our acrylic look champagne glasses for guests after church on arrival to park and a drinks station was set up for self service during the event.

 

  Drinks station with Pimms and punch.

 

 

 

Party planning: Petite Posh Parties

 

A special mention goes to my friend and fellow stylist Angel Bewsher and both our very patient husbands...much love!

Here we both are hard at it....#didntfeellikework

 

 

Drinks Stations

I love the idea of these drinks stations. It's one of my favourite stations to style as I always manage to  create something different each time.  With it being close to Christmas I decided to put together a few quick tips on how to style your own.

There are some gorgeous dispensers on the market.  Choose from French Provincial, rustic, barrel, basket, large or small.






Of course the hire option is great when you want to create something unique and allows you to get really creative whilst wowing your guests. You can add colour to your dispensers or get fancy and fruity.  For instance pink lemonade for little girl's party, or blue juice if you dare for a frozen party, even water is made fun by adding fruits.

You can add some interesting props to the table or why not consider setting up on a vintage table. The options are endless.

Use a variety of drink vessels, glassware, from acrylic to mason jars to mini milk bottles.  You may like to think about your straw colour and even some party printable or name tags for each guest. 

Now you're almost done. Don't forget the linen, even just a small lace placed on the table can really help style your station.

Contact me for any hire options or drinks station styling!!

#drinkstationhireperth    #drinkstation

   Enquiries@prtiteposhparties.com.au

Photo via stylemepretty

 

Photo via Pinterest

Party planners -to hire or not to hire? That is the question

Would you hire a stylist or party planner?

There seems to be two camps and money is a huge consideration. Once you factor in cakes, food, party entertainer etc.

But here's what I've come to realise, yes hiring someone can be an expensive exercise but believe me, we party planners/stylists earn every penny of our money and are sometimes left with very little profit. I don't mean to sound negative, I just want to make people outside of the industry understand the value of enlisting a planner.

I'll start, therefore, with the obvious benefits, (which I'm sure you already know anyhow):
-You save time!!
Captain Obvious or what? I hear you shout. Seriously though, there are so many hours involved at craft shops, on the internet, painstakingly tackling glue guns and labels into the hours of the night. Making sure bows are tied to perfection, putting craft flat packs together, you get the idea. The hours a stylist puts into your party are normally not billable (think how many hours that amounts to? Many many late nights let me assure you). We generally just bill our time for the work setting up on the day. Such is the nature of this beast.

-You don't have to store anything!!
That's my biggest selling point really. As silly as it may sound, there can be nothing worse than  spending your hard earned dinero on props which  quite frankly may never see the light of day and where do you put all this stuff afterwards? Gumtree or Ebay probably have that answer.
(Unless like us you like storing tea-cups and cake stands in obscure places around your house!!)
-Style
Stands to reason that your stylist would have some beautiful items and fabulous taste.  Not to say you don't but think about it, to put a styled buffet table together from scratch to suit a theme you require table linen, runners to match, stands, jars, ribbons..the list is endless. Your planner/stylist over the years has collected enough to style something beautiful.  Experience in the field and a knowledge of  colour palettes, food décor and quantities can really be very beneficial.

-You get to relax a bit and perhaps focus on other elements of the party. Making sure you and your venue is presentable for example.


In a nutshell, I would say it just saves you a headache. I have heard many a mum say, "it's a labour of love" after planning their own parties.

Our best customers, have undoubtedly been the 'here's my date' you get on with it and invoice me afterwards ones but we recognise that not everyone has this type of budget. of course, but please  do not devalue the work. Doing it yourself nicely costs a fortune and you can not put a price on the time you'll devote to the cause.

The other benefits?
-Well tidying up for one, your stylist can deliver and pack away (this depends what you've worked out of course) saving you cleaning time.
-Mentioned above, hours and hours of prep, you don't have to spend hours liaising with a graphic designer organising printables, find the right card, labels to print on or take to a printers.  Or nip in and out and in and out and in again to craft stores such as Spotlight.
-The hard work has been done. Your stylist has spent hours finding quality products and catering and no doubt done some hard negotiating in the process.  You have the benefit of having a choice of the best suppliers, many of which won't deal with the public and you really can leave us to it.


If you hire a planner or stylist, I would strongly recommend spending a bit more and asking them to take care of the entire event, invitations,  goodie bags, food, styling, all of it...leaving you to  kick back and enjoy the party!!!

In summary, why wouldn't you hire one? :-)

Christmas Engagement Party

Engagement party styling

It was with great pleasure that Petite Posh Parties were asked to style the engagement party of Hayley and Steve Tobin late last year.  In consultation with Hayley, we were able to transform their already amazing beach front apartment, into a romantic venue.  It was the small detail of this party which bought the large and spread out space together.

We worked around our colour theme (chosen by Hayley) of red and pink. Katherine and I adore hearts and where better to work them into a function than a romantic engagement party, we were able to choose an array of hearts from our collection. This allowed us to bring three theme elements together (romantic, colour and Christmas).   Being a week away from Christmas we had to add some festive décor into the mix.

The ceiling beams were the ideal spot to hang our gorgeous tulle pom poms (yes you guessed it, red, white and pink!) They looked simply stunning in this space which back dropped onto a beautiful sunset view (yes it's Western Australia, our beaches have some of the best sunsets in the world).

Our focal point was the small lolly table, this was at the right height for the children (who may have over indulged just a little on our red and silver heart chocolates and red jelly beans!) We also placed a beautiful rustic birdcage on the table and again the red pegs and envelopes tied into the colour scheme beautifully.

Hayley, also had a bare wall that she wanted decorated, so Katherine and I used a wall decal and gifted this to the couple.  Our charming silver Christmas branches were adorned with beautiful romantic poetry to match.

Our red carpet made a grand entrance downstairs, where couples were asked to watch a beautiful display of fire-eating/dancing. It was a warm balmy evening. Hayley and Steve also kept their guests entertained with a psychic reader and a DJ.

The Paella man stationed outside the front entrance ensured all the guests were well fed and this was accompanied by a beautiful Sparkling from the couple's Margaret River vineyard, Aravina Estate.

I'll be sure to post about the gorgeous wedding I had the honour of attending, in the meantime you can view photos on the Style me Pretty blog,  here.

Children's party hire

Children's party hire (Perth)

Time to talk a bit more about some of our fabulous party hire items.

I can't help but get excited about some of the products Katherine and I have sourced over the past year. Based on that, this blog post will not be too wordy but simply show you some of our products and how you can put them together (affordably) to make your kids party an elegant and memorable event.

All of our hire products are available individually or in packages.

Mini Children's Tables and tablecloth

1. It stands to reason that your mini guests won't feel too comfortable sitting at a big table, these tables are readily available in most hardware stores if you do choose to purchase.  Personally, I don't have the storage so hiring is a great option.   Ours adjust to three heights but are not complete without our signature white tablecloth and table runner (you can choose your own table runners to suit your theme).

 

 

 

Children's mini ghost chair

2. Again, it stands to reason that your 'petite' guests will need 'petite' chairs.  Our children's ghost chairs are stunning and can be used for either boys or girl's parties.  If you are putting an event together and can not get hold of this particular chair, Ikea have some great stock of chairs, and I'm sure if you ask around you can borrow lots of different kids stools, sometimes the mix and match options look can be very effective, think vintage!! However, if you do that, we recommend a very simple setting.

(As you can see in this photo, you can tie goodie bags, ribbons or anything to the ghost chairs to match your theme).



 



 

Glassware and cake stands

So now you have your setting almost complete.  I know there are many gorgeous products on the market that fall under the glassware and cake stand category; Once more you may not wish to spend the money or to store the goods. The hire option allows you to a) use products that you may not usually purchase yourself due to cost b) use products that suit the colour or theme of your party c) use products that suit the food you have chosen to serve.

We have lots of gorgeous products available to choose from...I couldn't possibly post all the photos here, however, I hope this gives you a really good idea.

(Acrylic cocktail, wine, champagne glasses. We love this look and so do the children and mummies. Unbreakable glass!!)

 

 

 

(Our milk bottles and mason jars are also very cute. Simply add a coloured straw for your styling).

 

 

Just a few of our collection of cake stands.

 

 

 

Once you have the above in place, you are all set for a fabulous looking party.  It really doesn't take much, simply by using the children's tables, tablecloths and ghost chairs you just can't go wrong.

 

Recognising how busy lifestyles are these days, Petite Posh Parties offer a delivery and set up as an optional extra.

 

 Soon I'll be posting about some healthy and easy party food ideas.

 

Please feel free to leave questions or comments and I'll get back to you.

 

Childrens parties

Running on the treadmill a couple of days ago, a program grabbed my attention regarding children's parties and how much we as society now spend on an average kids party.

Here in Perth, kids parties are certainly a big thing. With my daughters, aged 4 & 6, we average about 4 parties a month. Pretty crazy. Obviously, doing what I do, I am a big advocate of styling beautiful kids parties, but that being said I simply think the decision is up to the family. Be it a trampolining or ice-skating or bowling party with a select few or a lavish at-home affair for the school year peers, family, neighbours, close friends, the choice is individual and not to be judged either way. Yes, we all do it!!! I have heard all sorts of remarks from, 'is this party for the kids or the parents?' To 'I would only serve healthy food?' From 'I would never spend that amount on a 4year old's cake' to 'she really should not have attempted to bake'. The judgements are quite something else.

Personally, we choose to have a party where we want to double the occassion with a get-together with those we don't always get a chance to see. My husband and I love to keep the alcohol flowing, the kid's entertained and the kids table set beautifully. Don't get me wrong, we have also had very very small affairs where my then 5 year old chose just 1 friend to go on a day trip with. It just depends on our budget and mood for that year.

Whatever you decide, keep in mind, no two parties will ever be alike as will no two hosts. It is an honour to be asked to celebrate in any family occassion, respect it, don't upset the host, don't over indulge, do bring a present.....and lastly? Don't judge the event, just enjoy it.

A Breakfast at Tiffany's Birthday

Late last year, I was racking my brain for inspiration for a birthday theme for my little girl who was about to turn 6.  We were pretty adamant that for this year's birthday we would turn the house into 'Wonderland' and my little Alice would tell all her guests to come dressed up as their favourite Mad Hatters or Queen of Hearts.  That idea is still in my head. I had sourced and even bought some amazing products.
Here are some ideas for you in case you decide to host an Alice Party. Any of these items are easily found by doing a Google search.

*Giant Playing Cards to hang around the house/venue.
*Eat me tags or food
*Mad Hatter Party Hats
*Alice In Wonderland Tutu for the party girl
*Tic Toc biscuits as tea cups (see below)

 

 

Back to the Breakfast at Tiffany's Birthday (I think I got distracted there....!)


However, my soon to be 6 year old had other ideas.  I was actually fairly surprised when she said 'mummy, I want to dress up like her..' she was at the time, looking at a birthday card given to my then German aupair. I looked and saw she was not speaking about Alice or any Disney character to my surprise but in fact the late and great Audrey Hepburn.  Sometimes inspiration can come from the most bizarre places. So the idea to host a Breakfast at Tiffany's birthday party took off.  We already had a few items that I knew straight away that I could use. So Katherine and I set about creating the event.
In the end I had so many photos that I have just posted a few here to help you pla your Tiffany's party.

Some other elements of the party included:
*We asked all the little girl's to come dressed up in their favourite little party frocks and adorn some costume pearls

Our homemade heart shaped coockies.



We used a mirror as a tray and layered glasscakestands to form our own display.  The holly on the cake was a nice Christmas touch.

Sweet cupcakes by 'Sweet on Cupcakes'.
 

Sometimes, the finer details that make a party can be painstakingly time consuming. Always a good idea to leave yourself plenty of time to get creative.  However, it's these details that sets your parties apart, and the guests adore such details.

Inside each of these boxes were small rings for the girls to wear. I'd purchased them at Lovisa. The girls also enjoyed wearing the big black sunglasses and the fake pearls.

 

Here was the mini set up before the food. All our items (Pom poms, children's tables and children's ghost chairs etc. are available for hire).

 

And here is my gorgeous mini-Audrey Hepburn!

 

Many more photos available here!