A Party Planned by Planners for Planners -

Bella Design and Planning was asked to plan a very cool party for our industry peeps. Our last blog was about the team who made the magic and now here is the magic.

Over the course of 3 days guests attend speeches and workshops having to do with all aspects of the wedding industry. But what is really special about Engage!14 is the amazing opportunity for networking and building relationships. Every day at Engage!14 guests are treated to meals and of course parties for engaging each other in conversations. So you can imagine how important it was to plan a stunningly perfect party for people who not only know parties, but eat, sleep and breath parties. We had a slight advantage to start, the site of this year’s Engage!14 was in our own backyard, at Beaver Creek Resort. The weather was just as picture perfect as it could be. The sun was shining, the sky was bright blue and the grass and trees had finally emerged out from under the cover of winter to the greenest green anyone had ever seen. So Colorado just provided what it always does, nature at its finest.

With the location set, we had to choose the style of the welcome party. We wanted the style to reflect our Coloradan mountain culture. At that point, the style came naturally to us, “boho chic.” Now, the colors were a tad tricky. The official color of Engage!14 was pink which we love but we didn’t want to get over zealous with and turn pink from elegant to “sweet 16.” So we used pink subtly next to mountain inspired browns and contemporary styled whites. We set-up our white tent in the heart of Beaver Creek’s shops and restaurants. We arranged modern white sofas, chairs and ottomans throughout the tent. To create mountain flair we added some stylish cowhide ottomans. We tossed burlap pillows, fur rugs and furry blankets around the tent to make it cozy. There were fireplaces, cowboy hats and a bull-riding station to finish off that rustic feel.

The entrance to the tent was an archway of flowers and antlers with white abstract book shelves full of colorful flower arrangements in various greens and pinks. We had a gobo of the Engage!14 logo shining on the ground. Through the arch, guests were greeted by a Veuve Champagne tower.

The band, Rhythem Collective out of NYC, was styled in boho chic so that they looked as hot as their sound! Elan Artists provided all of the crazy cool music.

Epicurian Catering, an incredible local caterer, set up food stations with Colorado inspired selections. They offered wood-fired artisan pizza, locally crafted cheeses and beer and of course a sultry meat station with the freshest meats from the area. We even hired the best bartenders out there! The Grand Bevy, from LA, flew in expert mixologist specialists who concocted only the most divine cocktails.

Towards the end of the evening we passed out welcome gifts of thank you cards by our stationery company Richard’s Notebook in carefully crafted boxes on silver platters. And after the last person on the dance floor had no more boogie left in them and started toward the exit, we had a devilishly delicious boxed cupcake waiting for them. Now here are the photos to see for yourself what a party planned by a designer looks like when your guest list are all planners and designers themselves.