The Reveal

Thank you for joining us for Part 2 of this event! We hope you enjoyed last month's blog post featuring many behind the scenes captures and our design lead up. What a joy it was to CREATE FUN and MAKE SMILES! 

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In a year where fun was certainly not a commodity, ​there was plenty of it

once this party got underway! 

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In the days leading up to the event, the set up and execution of Eleanor’s Bat Mitzvah at the Mayflower Inn and Spa fell perfectly into place. Like clockwork, we made sure that the endless details organized in tidy folders from 11 months of planning were now finally being put into place under the new Sperry tent. We were absolutely giddy to be working together inside this luxurious blank canvas that had every convenience and amenity a planner would want in an outdoor space. If it wasn’t such an open-air situation, I’m sure we could have smelled the new sailcloth. 

Despite an atypically frigid start to October and ongoing pandemic concerns, our team showed up and gave their ALL to turn this space into ​a comfortable, gorgeous, and safe platform for the guests’ enjoyment.

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Multiple massive heaters were carted in to blow excessive amounts of heat into the tent and to compensate for the open sides required for ventilation. Giant white paper lanterns hung low to visually bring down the cavernous ceiling and provide a more intimate setting for this smaller gathering. Games galore were staged on the perimeter of the floor plan. Some games were gorgeously handcrafted works of art and others were the good ‘ole throwbacks that you may recall growing up with when times were simpler. Lawn games illuminated by colored orb lights were strategically placed on the crest of the lawn. A full candy “bar” anchored one corner of the space. Eleanor’s top 12 favorites (individually-wrapped, of course, and served with wooden tongs) were set on plexi-glass pedestals with colorful illuminated bases. Sugar was clearly abundant, and the sweetness of the night was exactly what these girls needed after months of isolation.

​“Girls just want to have fun” was truly the vibe, ​and this gaggle of 20 did so in more ways than one.

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We welcomed the girls with a kick-off spa hour complete with hair braiding stations, a tattoo bar, Shirley Temples, and gilded snacks. A s’mores bar floated between two elm tree trunks and, thank goodness, a roaring hot fire warded off that Jack Frost. A white leather lounge sandwiched between Foosball and Pac-man served as a resting spot to kick off the way-too-high-heels and to slip into fuzzy rainbow flip-flops. The digital photo booth was the rage and made for instant gratification as images were swiftly posted to Instagram and Snapchat. For the table setting décor, we worked with two Fair Trade companies that we love because of what they create and who they are able to help in the process: Aid Through Trade and Thumbprint Artifacts. Custom beaded bracelets were used to adorn the rolled table napkins. Striped square candles glowed around the floral arrangements, adding that appropriate element of graphic whimsy for Eleanor and friends. In my early trade show resourcing I met both of these companies and knew immediately that it was an opportunity to embed their global causes in the minds of these young girls, and we did. Appropriate sleepy-time swag awaited the girls in their downy beds back at the inn. They deliriously nestled into a final late-night photo op with their embroidered flannel PJ bottoms and custom-designed sleepyhead tees.

​The sophisticated yet toned-down décor was all in keeping with the setting and the client’s aesthetic. The must-have “blossom of the season”, dahlias, were abundant in the warmest and most wonderful hues. They seemed to naturally grow out of the toasty cream palette of double-clothed tables that glamorously pooled onto the honed cement floor. We managed to add some pops of fun color for our bat mitzvah who loved “blue” by using tinted vintage water goblets. Amber beeswax votive candles not only aligned with the neutral palette, but also added to the sensory experience. I don’t know about you, but for me, walking into a space and taking in the sweet mellow scent of beeswax is simply divine. Eleanor’s mother archived the most adorable collection of growing-up photos that warranted a timeline staged between the lacquered wood tent posts. The collection of prints was artfully strung on anodized colored wire with peach-ombre silk ribbon. Touches of natural wood-sculpted floral buds added strategically to the lineup softened the geometry of the collage. Eleanor’s beautiful, happy face was sprinkled throughout the sweetest presentation of a well-lived and well-loved life with her family.

The guests enjoyed a wonderful array of appetizers during cocktail hour and a fabulous plated dinner from the new chef and culinary team at The Mayflower Inn & Spa. When I took a moment to look out at the tables to witness people actually joined together for a meal, smiling, laughing, interacting and forgetting about all their troubles, I thought how wonderful it was do the work that made this all possible. 

A thread of elegance tied many more details together for this event, from personalized calligraphy moments at each place setting to gorgeously designed and printed invitations. When you have the leeway and the luxury to make design decisions that take an event to the next level, it is so very refreshing. The joy of creating this evening really outshined the challenges presented in this year. The outcome was all I had hoped for Eleanor, her family, her girlfriends and her guests. 

As I reflected in this contented state throughout the following week, I received the most endearing note from Eleanor. In a charming, sincere and insightful way, she thanked me for all the hard work and acknowledging the additional “corona” issues that added to our management duties. ​

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I especially loved reading these sentiments,

“There is nothing at all that I could have ever wanted differently; it was the most perfect thing and I loved it so much!! ​That was the most fun I ever had in my life.” 

From the mouths of babes, as they say, an unexpected gift for me and one I will always cherish in this year that tested our strength in ways that we had never imagined it would. Cheers to celebrating anyway and for making memories that will outshine the struggles of 2020!

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I'm proud to acknowledge and thank our team of professional vendors and artisans who patiently and diligently worked throughout the year to make this celebration a truly proud moment for Your Event and our client!

It's certainly was one for the record book and one we could not have pulled off without them.

​Hat's off for a job very well done and cheers to this lineup...you are all so appreciated! 

Photography: YMvisuals - Yannis Malevitas Photos & Videography | @yannismalevitisweddings

 Venue & Catering: The Mayflower Inn & Spa, Washington, CT | @mayflowerinnandspa

Lighting • Photo Booth • DJ: Handy Boys Event & Technology Services | @handyboysent

 Florists: Ruth Chase Flowers | @ruthchasefloweres

 Rentals: Mahaiwe Tent Rentals | @maihawetent

​Furniture Rentals: AFR Rental Furniture | @afrfurniturerental 

Elegant Game Rentals: Upstate Jamboree | @upstatejamboree

Electronic, Ping Pong & Shuffleboard Game Rentals: Arcade Specialties | @arcadespecialties

Entertainment: Seeing is Disbelieving

Hair Braiding: Beauty Entourage | @beautyentourage

Calligraphy: Marjorie’s Letters | @marjoriesletters 

 Linen Face Masks & Fabric: TL at Home | @tlathome

...and of course my amazing assistant, Maggie, who marched bravely alongside me all summer and fall with her bright smile and can-do attitude!

....and Laurie who showed up on the scene day-of, rolled up her sleeves and helped in set-up, herding the teens and so much more!

​I  T H A N K  Y O U !