Black and Gold 30th Birthday

Hi, friends! It's already turning out to be a busy summer, but I'm happy to finally share photos from my birthday with you. I had so much fun planning, but really, it was a group effort - my husband and friends helped put all the details together. We had such a great weekend; any time I can spend time with my friends is the best time. Thank you to my rockstar girlfriends for flying in to celebrate - I love you!

James Roy Photography

Sources:

Gold foil balloons - Party City

Table runner - Paper Source

Mini champagne bottles - Binny's

Straws - Hobby Lobby

Gold ribbon - Hobby Lobby

Black gift bags - Hobby Lobby

Gold tinsel - Hobby Lobby

Cake - Sweet Mandy B's

Sparklers - Pigment

Flowers - Flora Chicago

Glitter candles - DIY 

Glitter 30 - DIY 

Sneak peek and an anniversary wish

Hi, friends - I've been away for a while, busy with work and life, but I will be back! In the meantime, here is a sneak peek of my black and gold-themed 30th birthday, but more importantly...

Happy 2 years, Mr. Smith!

Let's keep exploring.

Midnight in Paris Party

This past weekend, our friends hosted a Midnight in Paris themed dinner party, complete with classic cocktails, music from the 1920s, and a delicious homemade dinner. We stayed up talking and laughing far past midnight and I can't wait to do it again!

And thanks to my talented husband, we have great photos of the night.

James Roy Photography

black and gold party

hi, friends! i'm back from a self-imposed week off from blogging, but i'm excited to be back sharing my idea board for my 30th birthday. i don't turn 30 for another... 10 months, but obviously i'm already thinking about it because i'm crazy i love planning. seriously - i had so much fun planning our wedding and i'm looking forward to planning another event!

along with planning, i also love birthdays. growing up, my parents threw me a true blue birthday party every year until i graduated high school. maybe that sounds indulgent, but i think it was incredibly sweet. i grew up an only child, so the only time the house was full of kids was when we threw parties, so we threw parties a lot. birthday parties, graduation parties, and a pretty epic string of new year's parties in high school and college.

i suppose all the festivities instilled a love of celebrating and the recognition that putting time and energy into planning a party in honor of someone (like james' 30th) is a really special way to show her how much you love her.

my 30th is a perfect excuse to get my closest together again. i'm not sure where it will be (maybe rm champagne salon or gather), but i love the idea of a black-and-gold-themed fete. champagne and confetti will also be making appearances.

bachelorette party details: outfit + decorations

as you probably know, i love anything that has to do with weddings and that includes bachelorette parties!

the weekend was amazing, but i also had a ton of fun planning out decorations and details with her sister leading up to the party. we wanted to keep things low-key, but still fun and girly and settled on blush and gold colors.

the bride-to-be wore blush on our big night out and the rest of us were asked to wear black dreses. since i don't own a black dress appropriate for a summer night out, i went with a studded black faux leather skirt and a plain grey tee. it was the perfect casual, yet edgy vibe for a night out downtown. here's a variation on what i wore:

tee | skirt | necklace | sandals | clutch | lipstick

gold confetti bachelorette party

invitation | favors | placemats | plates | garland

one of my best friends is getting married this year and it has me thinking about dresses, color palettes, and parties.

i love the idea of themed dinner party and there's nothing that says "celebrate" quite like shimmering confetti.