The Party Dress » grey

Party Perfect Palettes – Part I

Casi — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:00:51 +0000

Last week I shared with you how to entertain in style, keeping in mind the 2012 entertaining trends. And this week, it is all about being chic & loving parties!

One of the very first things you decide on when planning a party is the colors. Recently, the colors we see in fashion have transferred into the home and served as inspiring color palettes. It’s important to remember that fashion – it’s not just clothes, you want to party in style too right? I am going to show you just how to pull color trends from Spring’s best-in-show hues found at home and in your wardrobe and see how fab they can be incorporated into a party!

Grey

Almost every nail collection we have seen for the Winter of 2012 incorporates grey, which I love by the way. In the fashion world, it is the perfect muted color to add a pop too. Well now, it’s about taking a drab color and making it fab. Pair a great grey with a bright yellow, or tonesd down mustard, purple, or turquoise – a good contrasting pair that creates an ahhh as guest enter the room. Step out of the box and make a simple neutral shine.

Images: Grey Cupcake, Yellow & Grey Table, WH Hostess Invites, Watters Grey & Yellow Dress, Etsy Canvas, You are my Sunshine Print

Less is More

Sometimes you may just need a little dose of glamour in life — white, soft pink and a side of sparkle. Oh, and Audrey too. A classic palette gives you lots of options to fill your tablescape with pretties. It’s classy, chic and just simply elegant.

Images: Whie & Pink , Pink Feathers, Audrey Quote Collage

Stay tuned for more Party Perfect Trends later this week!!

TPD Magazine: Thanksgiving Dinner Party

Kelly — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:00:50 +0000

November is a lovely time to entertain family and friends. Whether you are hosting an actual Thanksgiving dinner or not, take it upon yourself to set a gorgeous table, cook a delicious meal, and treat the special people in your life to a great evening. This tablescape was featured in the latest issue of The Party Dress Magazine (the holiday issue!).

To switch things up a bit from my usual, rustic Fall decor and tablesettings, I decided to set this table using a sophisticated neutral color scheme of ivory, pewter grey and accents of moss green. A bead-chain fabric table cloth, crisp white napkins, a pewter grey charger and basic white dishes set the base for our tablesetting. A placecard embellished with ribbon sat atop a ramiken ready to hold veggies. To add demension to the table, I added white pumpkins, votive candles and our moss and pumpkin centerpiece (in a grey wood grain vase). Stay tuned for the DIY centerpiece instructions later this afternoon!

TPD Magazine: Flower Arranging with Friends

Kelly — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:00:05 +0000

It’s always a pleasure when I get to work with Christi from P is for Party on a party….especially when it’s one of her parties! When she approached me about helping her design party goods for her very own birthday party….a flower arranging birthday party….I knew we were going to have some fun! The end result is nothing short of spectacular, and I am so pleased we were able to feature it in the latest issue of The Party Dress Magazine.

Read on for some serious eye candy, and all of the details as told by Christi, herself…..

For my birthday this year, I decided to celebrate with a close group of girlfriends. I wanted the theme to be unique and one that people looked forward to. I decided on a flower arranging party! Many times, my husband will bring home flowers for me from the store and I haven’t the slightest idea how to arrange them. I know other ladies feel the same way! I asked my good friend, Elizabeth Munger, who happens to be an amazing interior designer who often arranges stunning flowers for her clients, to come teach us simple steps and tricks.

Gray is such a popular color right now, looks fabulous with just about every other color out there. I went with the color scheme of emerald green and gray and loved how everything turned out. Kelly Lyden of The PartyDress and WH Hostess always does a phenomenal job with her designs. I told her my color scheme and that I wanted to incorporate a chevron pattern and she ran with it. Kelly designed all of the paper goods for the party, from the invitation to the food tent cards, to the favor tags and all of the signage.

After the flower arranging fun, we moved to my dining room where each girl was served champagne and had a small cake all to herself! My favorite local bakery made individual two tiered cakes for my friends and I could not have been more pleased with how they turned out. Kelly now offers a service where you can order fabric to match any of her designs! I ordered fabric in the gray and emerald green chevron print and had a friend turn them into napkins for the table. The napkins really made the table pop!

I created a macaroni and cheese station with lots of toppings options. Who doesn’t love comfort food with a creative flair?! The toppings included favorites such as sun dried tomatoes, chives, bacon, sautéed mushrooms, truffle oil, and many more! A Skinnygirl Margarita is my drink of choice, so naturally, this was the signature drink I served. Kelly created the cutest sign for the beverage area along with white straws with flags in all of the patterns we used throughout the party.

Desserts were served on my coffee table which was near the flower arranging area. Serving the sweets there brought people out of the kitchen and into the living room so we could begin. On the dessert menu was cookies, meringue, small donuts and rice crispy treats.

Elizabeth did such a great job teaching us how to take store bought flowers and turn them into a beautiful arrangement that could last for days! On the way out the door, the girls took home the arrangements they made along with one more sweet. They had the choice to take home cake pops in strawberry or s’mores flavors. We had such fun with this unique theme and I am so happy I branched out and invited friends over for a fun night in!

Photography by Ellenzilla

Little Pumpkin First Birthday Party

Kelly — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:00:04 +0000

I had the pleasure of working with a lovely family recently to help inspire a cute, festive first birthday party for their little boy, Sutton, who’s birthday was the weekend of Halloween. Sutton’s mom is a crafty, yet busy, working mama of two….so she came to me for a custom inspiration board to gather ideas of how to pull together a cute party that the whole neighborhood could enjoy.A traditional Halloween color palette of orange and black was updated with accents in grey, and a modern greek key pattern. Polka dot balloons, paper lanterns and a fabulous dessert table made for a festive party…..don’t you just LOVE the backdrop to the dessert table?! My favorite touches are the little ghost cake pops, the mummy dogs and the vases full of mini white pumpkins.

Photography by Black Frame Photography

Lavender & Grey Bridal Shower

Kelly — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 09:00:07 +0000

Lavender is one of those colors that can take on so many different looks when paired with different accent colors. This fall, I am loving it paired with grey! The combination becomes sophisticated, sweet and I love the touch of shimmer! Perfect inspiration for a bridal shower, birthday party or even a wedding!

Images: lavender and grey mod pattern invitation (whhostess.com), purple macaroon tower and purple candy (shaunayounge.com), lavender water and table setting (sunday-suppers.blogspot.com), purple hydrangea centerpiece (bhg.com), purple candy sticks (amyatlas.com), and party favors (karljuengel.com)

Sip & See: Welcome Baby in Style

Kelly — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:00:37 +0000

Happy Monday, Everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! We are doing something kind of fun today on The Party Dress. I’ve received so many e-mails lately of people asking for “sophisticated” parties – no theme, just pretty. So, I’ve taken one of our new favorite collections from WH Hostess (the damask collection) and put together a string of inspiration boards using the different color palettes. So make sure to check back often today….there will be lots of pretty eye candy to see!

I love the versatility of our damask collection – it’s sweet enough for a baby shower, sophisticated enough for a 40th birthday party, and pretty enough for a bridal shower! Offered as both an invitation or a birth announcement, it comes in 3 different color combinations.

First party up today: a sip & see in one of my favorite color palette’s, grey and yellow. Sip & See’s have grown in popularity in recent years, as it creates a wonderful opportunity to show off your new arrival! You can invite your friends and family for a open house (make sure to schedule the hours to work with your babies schedule!), to have a few sweets, do some mingling and most important, some “oohing” and “ahhing” at the baby.

Images: grey and yellow damask invitation (whhostess.com), white cocktails (newenglandfineliving.com), white dessert table (amyatlas.com), white pitcher, wreath and champagne glasses (brides.com), dining room (styleathome.com)

Dessert Divas Cocktail Party

Kelly — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:59:37 +0000

I’ve been in the mood lately to host a little gathering with my girlfriends. A chance to catch up and enjoy some springtime cocktails. With all of my friends having young children, it’s easier to get together after “bedtime”. Which is the perfect excuse to host a dessert party! I love the idea of a focused menu – no need to worry about appetizers, dinner and dessert – just pull together a well-edited menu of desserts. (my favorite part of any meal, anyway!)

I’m looking for a new color palette to play around with and love the tangerine orange mixed with shades of grey. I’m LOVING the hanging backdrop behind this dessert table from My Sweet & Saucy! This is a simple and inexpensive way to add a touch of drama to your table, and really define the space for your dessert table. You could easily craft this project using scrapbook paper and grosgrain ribbon. Try repeating the patterns from the scrapbook paper by lining your platters and cake plates with the same paper.

If you want to send your friends home with a little something – I have two ideas that are perfect! First, prepare individual bunches of tulips (wrapped in kraft paper with a sticker saying “thanks for coming!”) and present them in a big bowl at your front door for people to take as they leave. Second, these cocktail jelly beans from Beau-Coup are the perfect companion for a dessert/cocktail party!

Images: dessert table and cake (mysweetandsaucy.com), dress (jcrew.com), drink bottles (helennorman.com), tulips (brides.com)

Beau-Coup is a preferred sponsor of The Party Dress. For information regarding advertising, please click here.

Wedding Inspiration: Shades of Grey

Kelly — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:43:25 +0000

I am just getting back in town from a lovely weekend away with my husband….in trying to get my ducks in a row, I realized that I didn’t schedule a post for today! Sorry! So, here is a bit of wedding inspiration to get us thru today. I have been loving the use of grey lately – it’s the perfect compliment to so many colors, and so sophisticated when paired with white for a wedding!

Has anyone seen any great grey combination parties or table settings lately?

Images: wreath (stylemepretty.com), cake (thecakegirls.com), table setting (aperfectevent.com), bridesmaids (loveandsplendor.com), cheese display (toddevents.com)

Divine Dinner Party

Kelly — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:01:00 +0000

This darling invitation from Minted inspired this party idea; ideal for a rehearsal dinner or a dinner party! Love the colors, love the design….just plain LOVE it!

If you are planning a “dressy” dinner party – consider using a palette of metallic silver and pewter mixed with plum. I love the shimmer mixed with the deep hue of one of Fall’s hottest colors. Rich, yet modern-looking. And oh, so sophisticated! Speaking of sophisticated….make sure to dress yourself in a coordinating hue. This ruffled-trim dress from Milly fits the bill!

Since we are hosting a “dressy” dinner party, it’s time to pull out the good stuff. You know what I’m talking about… Dust off that china, polish the silver, and make sure your crystal is sparkling! Add a modern touch to your classics with a few new items from Plum Party Supplies" target="_blank">Plum Party Supplies. I found shimmered, silver napkins that are stunning, and two different types of votive candle holders. Silver and gold metallic glass votives, or silver glitter tea light holders…..you choose which one is more your style!

Serve your guests passed champagne after dinner. To dress up your drinks, add a rim of pink sugar on each glass. Simply wet the rim of your champagne flute and dip into pink fine sugar. To carry the shimmer of the silver throughout the party, serve cupcakes decorated with over-sized pearl or silver sprinkles.

Images: table setting (nancyluichin.com), dinner party invitation (minted.com), champagne (brides.com), pearl cupcakes (le cupcake via flickr.com), silver and gold votive candles, silver napkins, and silver glitter tea light holders (Plum Party Supplies" target="_blank">plumparty.com)