come fly with me

i've been waiting to share the pictures from my sister's engagement party with you and i think these cold, dark days of winter could use a shot of color, so here we go...

when we started planning the party to be held at my parents' house, we decided on a black, white and yellow color story with a 60's mod vibe. with black linens, white serveware and yellow accents, it was a really fun look. we had my favorite cocktail napkins for pre-wedding celebrations...i've used them for showers too and they always get smiles -- they capture that OHMYGOD feeling when a wedding is coming up, but they seem to be unavailable now! these are a cute alternative.



we played standards and lots of cocktail music by gilberto and getz inside and outside, which set the perfect mood. you know that moment when a party becomes a party? it was this song that did it, along with the setting sun and twinkling lights we strung all through the backyard. the yellow lava lamps (sadly not pictured) helped too.

in addition to the standard bar, we served the love potion, a tangy citrus tequila cocktail (otherwise known as a margarita) because we wanted peoples' glasses to act as moving points of color throughout the party. it worked! and of course, we had the servers circulating with fresh-poured glasses throughout the night.

we served classic fare reminiscent of a 60's cocktail party, some passed, some tabled - pigs in a blanket, cocktail meatballs, cheese and crackers, italian meats and deviled eggs which my dad expertly whipped up that afternoon. then we added in my family's favorite wings and a mashed potato bar, replete with crumbled bacon, sour cream, cheese, scallions, gravy, crispy fried onions, jalapenos and some other goodies.



the piece de resistance was definitely the cake and cupcakes, made by the amazingly talented christina barry. people were DYING over them, and with good reason. the adorable cupcake wrappers from etsy sealed the deal and the fact that it was all right in front of a hanging trio of big black and white photos of the happy couple made it even sweeter.


it was almost a shame to cut into the beautiful cake. almost.

even though we had meticulously planned every detail of the party, there were a few things we didn't plan that made the whole thing feel meant to be. look how the wrapped gifts, one partyer's colorful top and some fancy footwear pulled it all together!




love when things like that happen!

most photos courtesy of danielle barbieri