About a month or so ago I was at my husband’s convention for work and heard a guest speaker who talked about reading. He was somehow {business} related to Mark Cuban and said that the number one thing that stuck out about Mark and made him different from anyone else he had ever met in business … what his reading. He read books on any and everything he wanted to know about and rarely was there a down moment when he didn’t have a book in hand.
This struck me, I’ve always loved to read but of course in a busy life it is often thrown to the way side. I mean if I have 10 extra minutes I’m scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest … right? Well right there I decided to make an effort to read more and to read more in my niche .. events. While right at this moment I’m focusing more on the invitations and decor of events I would like to snowball into every aspect of events {my 20 year plan}.
Cue: Lauren Conrad’s new book – Celebrate.
I LOVED this book, not only was it an easy read and flowed nicely it gave me SO MUCH inspiration!
The beginning of the book outlined different parts of each party / gathering, what she calls “The Prep”
- The Concept – Hello Pinterest Board! She creates a vision board for each party to get a feel for how everything will tie together. From the color scheme to the details – she collects her thoughts and puts them together.
- The Invitations – MY FAVORITE – Ok, I might be bias here but I loved what she had to say about them:
The invitation is the first glimpse your guests will have of whatever it is you are celebrating! …… Upon its opening, an invitation immediately establishes the tone of your soiree while providing guests with the necessary information. It’s a pretty big responsibility!
- The Menu – I really appreciated how she intentionally ties all the menus into the overall theme of the party while also keeping in mind preparation and serving. This girl knows what she is doing.
- The Bar – While not normally a focal point for my events I enjoyed the information she presented.
- The Decor – Hello! Girl after my own heart because … she crafts!! While some of her decorations are store bought or collected at flea markets … this girl crafts a majority of them too!
After going through each step of preparation and explaining the ins-and-outs of them she proceeded to go into how she planned a bunch of parties, dinners and her own wedding!
My Favorites:
The Birthday Party
– A Fun, Girly, Pink Birthday Party for her friend. Highlighting the color pink, lots of beautiful sweets, a CRAFTED happy birthday banner and a cotton candy cake!
The Bridal Shower
– Who doesn’t love a sweet girly tea party?? A paper flower wall to take pictures, shabby chic place settings … all TO-DIE-FOR!
The Baby Shower
– One day I might just copy this whole thing, so precious and beautiful. I loved how the entire gathering wasn’t just “baby” but “mommy” too.
The Clam Bake
– Let me tell you something .. I’m doing this. In fact I just bought a large pot from the Flea Market. Father’s Day Clam Bake … Stay tuned!
I really did love each an every one of her events … but those were my favorite. Lauren Conrad really inspired me to up my game {and sophistication} when it comes to planning and decorating events. I learned so many great tips, and etiquette. I HIGHLY recommend this book if you see yourself hosting any events, parties or dinners in your future.
With my re-found love of reading I hope to bring you more posts like this each month about books that in some way shape or form revolve around the love of hosting.
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