Lemon and Lime Summer Party

This party not only made us think about our childhood days when we were allowed to drink the soda 7-up, but it made us so happy. This “7-up Lemon Lime” party for Safronia’s 7th birthday is so original, so cheerful and beautifully done. We love the bright yellow and green colors, antique furniture and accessories, unique games, photobooth and all the little DIY details {including the DIY lemonade stand by her dad}. It’s just too cute for words. It looks like a party to remember for Safronia.

VENDOR LOVE
Photographer:  Heather Lynn Photographie
Event Designer:  Mariah Rainier Style
Cake Designer:  jenny cookies
{images via Heather Lynn Photographie submitted via Two Bright Lights}

pucker up

I was driving home the other day and saw sweet young girls selling lemonade on the corner. It brought me back to my childhood when my sisters and I would set-up a makeshift lemonade stand in front of our house in hopes cars would stop and we could add $10 to our piggy banks. For me, lemonade stands represent happiness, youth, optimism and summertime.

Take time to make yourself a glass of lemonade today…or stop by your corner lemonade stand and reminisce on your childhood summers.

Vintage Lemonade Stand by Reverie and photography by Work of Heart Photography

Lil Luna Yellow Vintage Lemonade Stand
{full DIY tutorial by Lil Luna found here}

Even weddings are not excluded from lemonade stands…how adorable is this wood lemonade stand featured on Wedding Chicks

We LOVE wine barrels {and have some serious wine barrel love when we feature Jodi’s wedding}, so we swooned when we saw a lemonade stand made with wine barrels on Ruffled Blog

So, now that you have lemonade stand inspiration and a DIY tutorial, you might as well spread the lemonade love and throw a lemonade themed party…here are some party tips for you.

DRINK
Obviously, I would serve lemonade…both pink and regular. Make both and serve in a large pitcher like this one from Pottery Barn.
Next to the pitcher, line up mason jars set with pink and yellow striped paper party straws.
For the adults, serve their mason jars with lemonade cocktails spiked with vodka

DÉCOR
Lemons in containers of all kinds – glass jars, hurricanes and galvanized buckets.
A lemonade burlap banner
Glass jars or mason jars filled with change and labeled with a vintage .25 cents sign
Lemons hanging from the ceiling or trees outside; hung with yellow and white twine, of course.
Lemonade and Vodka framed sign on the bar for adults
Single bud vases with a pink peony or yellow daisy, or canned good cans wrapped in a festive yellow and white or yellow and pink decorative paper and ribbon filled with a single {or several} flower buds.
Pink and yellow pinwheels
Signs bought at etsy or diy on wood like Poppies at Play

DESSERT
Lemon, blueberry yogurt loaf by sweet pea’s kitchen {this is yummy, I’ve made it}
Pink lemonade cupcakes using this recipe by real mom kitchen
Pink and yellow striped lemonade flavored hard candy sticks

FOOD
Picnic style food served in individual packages

FAVORS
Mason jar filled with ingredients for lemonade or lemonade cookies
Bottles filled with pink lemonade and a custom label from I Do It Yourself on Etsy
For the adults, make a lemon gift bag with a recipe and ingredients for a lemon, lavender martini like these from A Subtle Revelry

And, last but not least, you can’t have a party without the perfect invite. So, Jenna at Fleur de Lis, a paperie, has created this adorable invite for you. Click here to order from our etsy shop for $15.

 {images via Reverie photographed by Work of Heart Photography, Lil Luna photographed by Jacquilyn Avery Photography, Wedding Chicks, Ruffled Blog and Tutto Bella}

antonia + reggie

When Jessica Strong, owner of  A Vintage Affair Rentals, and Emily of Emily Elizabeth Photo sent these ‘backyard wedding celebration’ photos to us, we were smitten. We love the simplicity of the celebration and its uniqueness filled with DIY details by the bride and groom. They really made it ‘their day’ in every way. Oh, and the fabulous food truck…we absolutely love!
Here’s all the wonderful details from the blissful bride:
September 23, 2011 was the day of my wedding celebration.  I was married to my Love, Reggie Lafaye on May 5, 2011 at the Starhouse near Boulder, Colorado with under 10 guests in attendance. This was exactly what we wished for – a small, sacred ceremony and then a super fun, happy party with all of our friends and family with us to celebrate our love.
My vision was one of celebration basked in the aesthetic of myself and my husband which is very earth connected, but still elegant and creative. Originally I wanted a bohemian carnival feel, like gypsies running through the night celebrating being alive! Had we a farm with tons of land, I think with my amazing wedding coordinator, Paige Domiano of Peekay Soiree, we could have achieved that. But since we chose to have our celebration at our home in the city, we had to tone it down a bit.
We still kept an undertone of carnival to the party. Paige made beautiful, mini hot air balloons that sat atop of the pillars as you entered our home. Our guest book, which people left finger prints instead of signatures, was a hot air balloon illustration done by Bluedetoi, a custom artist on Etsy. Several other ‘carnival’ touches were achieved through custom pieces. We have a local godsend in Denver, a company called A Vintage Affair Rentals, I choose to rent an old gumball machine that we filled with chocolate-covered peanuts. Also our bar was an old lemonade stand, which reminded me of an early 20th century carnival or fair. I also made a numbered checkered board for people to put their drinks on while dancing. That was a HUGE project! It took twice as long as I thought to stencil in all the numbers and paint them opposite colors.
We had home-made caramel corn served in old school pop corn bags, and of
course the FOOD TRUCK! Nothing says carnival more to me than a food truck. And Steuben’s Food Truck did an outstanding job serving over 100 people amazing food.

That aesthetic was balanced by the more refined elegant Bohemian touches, which is my essence. I love the creativity of what a bohemian lifestyle is with a touch of old Hollywood glamour thrown in for good measure. My dress was made by Two birds. Since I wore a white dress to our ceremony I wanted something in color for the celebration. And I wanted that color to be a dark teal. The fabric was so soft and did not wrinkle! Also, it photographed beautifully and I was comfortable all night long. My husband wore a vintage suit of my grandfathers as an homage to him. He recently passed and was a very big influence in my life. 
My best friend Mia and I made my bouquet out of peacock feathers. I wanted something that I could have forever, and have a rich and luscious feel (old Hollywood). It turned out so beautiful, especially since we made it the day of the celebration while we were getting our hair done! Thank God we are both good under pressure. We also made my husband’s boutonniere out of feathers as well.

The flowers were made by another one of my best girlfriends who is a genius when it comes to arranging. We used wild flowers with twigs and feathers. I wanted it to look like someone took a walk in the forest and collected these, and that is exactly how they came across. I found all different shapes of vases and spray painted them. Mostly in black, brown but a few white to give it contrast. They sat upon wood slices, some of which has tiny birdhouses next to them.

The lighting was mostly twinkle and gas lights with a lot of lanterns. I love the feel of lanterns especially when they have that gypsy quality to them. We hung the vintage lanterns from our oak tree and them randomly places the others around the yard. My husband and his father hung a ton of the twinkle lights above the dance floor. It looked amazing! That is where everyone gathered after we ate dinner, underneath the “stars” of the dance floor.
We did a lot of things ourselves but two of my favorite pieces I made were the photo booth backdrop and the party favors. The backdrop was totally tongue in cheek. It was a two wolves howling at the night sky that had a full moon and some extraterrestrial activity happening. Everyone, even my grandmother, was howling’ at the moon! And for the party favors, I wanted something that would be a keepsake, and that would not be thrown away. So I made stainless steel and leather key chains. They were all slightly different but very beautiful. I made a handful of them with fur and leather fringe for some of my girlfriends who like that look. They were made from recycled leather and fur I bought from Ebay and the stainless steel rings I bought at home depot.

Right after dinner and all of the toasts, we went to the front of the house for a group photo. Paige handed out sparklers to everyone and this is where the night turned up a notch. We took photos with all of the sparklers, and then headed to the back for a full-on dance party! I was on the dance floor all night long. It was once of the most incredible nights of my life. I was literally high off of all the happiness and love that everyone felt. It is a night I will never forget. I love and thank everyone who made this such a success.
VENDOR LOVE
Photography: Emily Elizabeth Photo
Catering: Steuben’s Food Truck
Desserts: Watercourse Bakery {mini ho ho’s, Happy Cakes – mini pies, homemade S’mores sticks}
Libations: Mondo Vino
Event coordinators: Peekay Soiree, Paige Domiano
Vintage Decor Rentals: A Vintage Affair rentals
Dress: Two Birds
Makeup by Angela Alonzo:  angela.marie.alonzo@gmail.com
Hair: Love, a Hair Studio by artist  Orleana Lynch
DJ: Eric Halborg of  The Swayback