A Weekend of Celebrating

This weekend was full of celebrating. It was officially our last weekend in Chicago and there was plenty of partying! Things kicked off Saturday morning with Katherine & Abby's Art & Alcohol party. They threw a great morning bash to kick off the fun day at the Old Town Art Fair. Then off to Wells Street to enjoy art, food & drinks. Check out Meghan and Tom enjoying the festivities (Tom enjoying his funnel cake too much to smile). Later on we hit Pint in Wicker Park to celebrate Ellie's grad school graduation. Little did she know, that we would celebrate again the next day....

Mrs. Donohue threw a fabulous surprise party in Wilmette for Ellie Sunday afternoon. It was the perfect day for an outdoor graduation bash! One highlight were the personalized M&Ms the Donohues ordered in Ellie's honor. Some featured U of C (where she received her masters) and some even had her picture on them.

Congrats to Ellie and thank you to the Donohues, Katherine & Abby for throwing great parties this weekend!

Sugar Bliss

One of the best additions to any party: cupcakes. These delicious treats we all enjoyed at birthday parties growing up - now have stores of their own popping up everywhere. Chicago has a number of popular cupcake boutiques and I have tried most of them. My favorite is Sugar Bliss. I first started enjoying these cupcakes at parties long before there was a Bliss boutique. I am so excited she has opened her very own bakery on Wabash. Stop in for a treat or order them for your next party. You won't be disappointed!

A Fabulous Photographer

I wasn't planning on getting engagement pictures taken. Then someone suggested Amanda Hein. I browsed her site and then spoke with here - I was sold. We are both from New Jersey, but met in Chicago, got engaged here and knew eventually we would end up back east. What better way to remember the city where we fell in love then with some Chicago inspired engagement photos. If anyone is ever looking for a photographer, I highly recommend Amanda Hein. Not only is she a photography genius, but she is by far the kindest photographer I have met too. She shoots all kinds of events and portraits and will be sure to make sure she captures exactly what you are looking for. She even got our dog to look at the camera. Check me out on her blog too!

Last night my good pal Gourmetista introduced me to a fabulous place for all your party needs: Swoozie's. Their website is great, but I was longing to be back at Villanova so I could run over to their Suburban Square location to shop around. Then while browsing the site I discovered they also have a location less then half a mile from my new house in Durham, NC!

I will continue to search around on their site until I move next month, but here is one of the best things about Swoozie: "One Guest at a Time" invites. I personally love paper invites. They are pretty, classy and really send a nice message to guests. With Swoozie invites you don't have to worry about mailing invites only for big events or ones with big budgets. You could have 6 ordered for inviting your girlfriends for dinner if you want! In a world of Evites and Facebook Events it's nice to receive an invite in the mail every now and then. Keep Swoozie in mind for your next bash.

An Absolute Must

If you are a bride-to-be, The Wedding Book, written by Mindy Weiss and Lisbeth Levine is a must have. It's truly the ultimate wedding guide for any bride. I had the pleasure of meeting Lisbeth Levine at a private wedding event in Chicago. We luckily met only a month into my wedding planning and I could not have been better prepared for the year ahead. There were 6 brides and 1 groom chatting with her and we were all planning totally different weddings - she had the answers to everything! Mindy & Lisbeth are brilliant and have shared all of their tips and ideas for the best wedding for each type of bride in their book. If you only buy one book during your engagement, this should be it.

My Favorite Annual Party

Families celebrate in different ways come summertime. Some have barbeque's, family reunions or 4th of July picnics. In our family, we have an annual Rock Star Party. Once it hits June the anticipation and planning begins. I first thought of this party idea while sitting on the beach a few years back listening to the endless conversation amongst my family about music and their favorite "rock stars". That was the start of a party plan turned family tradition. With each summer the costumes get better and so does the party. From Rock n Roll decor to guitar shaped cakes, we go all out once a year. The main attraction is finding out which rock star each family member has come as and then watching them perform. We've slowly invited some friends and neighbors - but just the ones who are as crazy as we are. Here is a picture from last year's party. I can honestly say I would have never imagined I would see my Dad in a full Elvis costume. For anyone who knows my Dad, I am sure you will agree. I only have a few weeks to decide which rocker I will be this year - suggestions greatly appreciated.

I have loved planning parties my whole life. This year I get to plan my favorite party yet - my wedding! Ever since my October engagement, I have been reading great blogs with great ideas. I've decided to start sharing some of my wedding ideas along with all of the other parties I plan and attend! You'll notice a wide range of events - big and small, momentous events to a small get-together, and holidays to happy hours. I hope you enjoy reading and get some good ideas, and remember there is always some reason to celebrate!