This post is part of my Entertaining Series.  On Thursdays I either write about decorating or entertaining, two of my passions.  If they are yours too you may want to come back each Thursday, or consider subscribing to my blog so that you don’t miss a single post. I also post additional pictures and ideas on the Trophy Mom Facebook Page.

Although I’ve been a Corporate Wife for 13 years, we haven’t hosted many corporate events at our home.  This year we decided to change that when we opened our home to the Road Warrior’s Board of Directors for a special dinner at our home.

To make it even more fun (read stressful) we did this two nights before we left for the BVI’s for a family wedding I was also planning and organizing.

Theme: Tropical Dinner Party

There are many great things to love about living in South Florida.

Warm weather in February is one of them.

So, with guests flying in from all over the country, it was pretty much a no-brainer to host an outdoor dinner party by the pool.

Lighting really sets the mood and this rule applies to outdoor entertaining as well.

Paper Lanterns are hot in event decorating right now and you can even get them on Styrofoam bases with candles to float in a pool.

A fishing line with pebble keeps them anchored in the general area you’re shooting for and stops them from gathering together in a tight bunch at one corner of the pool.

If you have kids they’ll be BEGGING you to let them help set up for the party!  I had no shortage of young volunteers for the set up or clean up!

Table Settings:

Our regular outdoor patio furniture consists of 2 large square tables (seating 8 per table).

The dinner party consisted of 25 guests so I rented a rectangular table to seat 10 and placed it in the middle and it worked perfectly.

Don’t worry about all the tables and chairs matching.

Use what you have and rent what you’re short on.  As long as you tie it all in together with coordinating elements it will look fine.

I used Tropical Leaves as placemats on the table along with an assortment of 4 different sets of cloth napkins (in coordinating colors/patterns) from our personal collection.

The dinner was catered by Nobu (Japanese Cuisine) so I incorporated engraved pebbles to hold the chopsticks (Nobu signature table styling) and serve as seating cards.

The engraved pebbles also became a take home favor for the guests.

 The centerpiece utilized Bird of Paradise, probably the most recognizable (and beautiful) of all Tropical plants.  Added to the base of the arrangement was a  mixture of succulents and additional tropical leaves.

A variety of lanterns were hung around the perimeter of the patio.  They light up using battery powered lights so no electrical cords are needed.

 Cocktails:

Don’t forget the Cocktails.   Although we offered wine for dinner, I firmly believe in having a few signature cocktails to offer butler style at every party. Even if you decide to have a full bar, it’s nice to have a signature drink to offer guests.  Rarely will a guest turn it down and it’s fun to try something new, isn’t it?

We served: Mango Martini, Classic Mojito and Cucumber Martini

Resources:

Floral Arrangements: Green Options Miami

Engraved Stones: SJ Engraving

Floating Lanterns: Globus de Luz

Catering: Nobu Miami

Hanging Paper Lanterns: Luna Bazaar

Recently I wrote about choosing to embrace our Big Busy Life.

The writer in me assumed I would blog about it.

In real time.

However, that didn’t happen. 

In short my far reaching goals were faced to accept life’s limitations.

Imagine that.

Some things didn’t get done, while other things did.

Now the tide has turned the other way and I’m carving out the time to share the stories I’ve been holding on to.

I hope you’ll still want to read them.

Upcoming posts on Trophy Mom Diaries:

The Corporate Board Dinner

For our first corporate event at our home I was given the task of planning an outdoor dinner for my husband’s board of directors. In true Big Busy Life style the dinner was just two days before we left for the British Virgin Islands.  Everyone thought I was crazy for agreeing to do this, and perhaps I was, however in hindsight it was perfect. It really forced me to focus on the big picture, enjoy the moment and not sweat the small stuff.

The Destination Wedding

Like most mothers I’ve dreamed about the day each of my daughters would get married.  I never dreamed I’d be entrusted with planning my step daughter’s wedding in the British Virgin Islands but I’m happy to report that no one got voted off the island and I lived to write about it.

Candyland Birthday Party

Less than 48 hours after returning  home from the wedding was Pixie’s 5th Birthday Party, which was based on her favorite board game, Candyland.   As you can imagine this was a fun theme to work with and I have a lot of ideas to share regarding the food, entertainment and decor.

Texas Road Trip

I’m now in Texas where I’ll be alternating between my roles as the Corporate Wife to my favorite Road Warrior, homeschooling mother of 5  and Community Leader at Blissdom. I expect to have some Texas Size adventures and stories for you.

I can’t wait to share the stories (and pictures) with you.

I decided to celebrate the Official Launch of Trophy Mom Diaries with a Spa Party & Luncheon with 30 friends.  For some it would be my “coming out” party as I had never before shared that I had been writing a blog for the past 4 1/2 years, much-less launching a new one.

I wanted to design a  day that would allow guests to interact with each other in a relaxed atmosphere and promote bonding and meaningful conversation. This was important because I wanted guests to share their unique stories and connect on a deeper level.

While it would have been easy to book a day at a spa, I decided that my home would offer a more personal, relaxed and intimate setting for my special guests.

As guests arrived they were greeted and escorted out to the outdoor lanai area.  The tablesettings could only be described as Tropical meets Zen Spa.

 A gift (Trophy Mom T-shirts) was placed on the chair of each guest along with a menu card detailing their spa treatment schedule for the day. 

Although a variety of drinks were offered, including Sweet Tea, the Blueberry Mojito was voted the Official Drink of the party.

The luncheon was artfully catered by Nobu Miami Beach.  Arguably my favorite restaurant chain in the world.  You’ve never had sushi until you’ve had Nobu’s sushi.

We finally got Summer to try something other than Mac N Cheese!

Dessert Buffet

It takes a village

How many people does it take to pull off a spa event like this?  Well for this party it took: 2 estheticians, 4 manicurists, 2 massage therapists, and 1 make-up artist!  Together these professionals made up the 6 stations for the party: Beauty Bar, Pedicure, Manicure , Facial, Hot Stone Massage, and Make-up Station.

Beauty Bar

The Beauty Bar station was an interactive station where guests could choose to make 2 organic beauty products (scrubs or bath soaks) using any of the six recipe cards provided. It really is a lot of fun to mix and package your own beauty products.  Many guests said they went home and immediately used the products they had made.

Make-Up Bar

One of the highlights of the day was having Celebrity Make-Up Artist (and personal friend) Tamara Ogden on hand to help provide quick touch-ups and impromptu personal make-up classes to the guests.  The false eyelashes didn’t hurt either!

All in all it was a day of pampering—-from head to toe! 

Nicole, ever the social butterfly, skipped most of her spa treatments but did indulge in a manicure.

  It really was a special gift to have Rachel (Dr.’s Remedy), Rebecca (Sodashi Australia), and Melanie (Spa Care Group) with us for this special day.  Not only were we spoiled by the luxurious products, but we learned more about the importance of using chemical free products on your skin.  You don’t have to sacrifice beauty for health.

Take Aways

No party would be complete without a grown up “Goody Bag”.  In addition to the personalized treatments they made at the Beauty Bar, each guest also took home a Gift Box from Sodashi Skincare, a Nail care kit from Dr’s Home Remedy, and a 1 year access to Suzanne Bowen’s streaming fitness workouts.  Together these gifts totaled over $600 (retail value).

But the biggest takeaway was that no matter the the method, it’s important to share your stories with other women and take time to invest in those relationships.  While the pampering we each received was good for our appearance, the conversations we had were good for the soul.

…and a blog was Officially launched!

Download:

Beauty Bar Recipe Cards

Credits:

Styling: Karin Katherine

Hair/Make-up: Tamara Ogden

Photography: Bee Photographie, Lemusings of Moi,

Catering: Nobu Miami

Sodashi

Dr.’s Remedy Nails

 Posie  turned 7 this year and to celebrate we threw her

a Very Merry UnBirthday party!

Entertainment

Hand-stamped Muslin Treat bags for pinata game

Eat me/Drink Me

The Cake

Decorations/Props

Resources/Credits:

Mad Hatter Top Hat template part II
Instructions for assembling hat

Accessories:

Drink me Straws

 Invitation

Decorations:

Alice in Wonderland wood cut outs

Alice in Wonderland Die Cut Pocket Watches

Cheshire Cat Pinata

Alice in Wonderland Door knocker

For DIY jobs involving cardstocks you’ll want to refer download Paperweight explained chart