Have you been anxiously awaiting this post as much as I have??? I wanted to relish each and every detail of our incredible engagement party from last weekend, so I apologize for taking so long to get this post on here.
Well, first things first: the hostess gifts. I wanted to give each of my girls something personal and something that fit each of their unique personalities. I have seen Lucite trays and gifts popping up all over and I knew I wanted to get each of them a catchall for their jewelry or to put on their vanitiesâĻ I worked with the amazing girls at Nico and Lala and designed 4 different patterns with their monograms on them. I also went to various accessory stores around Nashville and picked out a necklace for each of themâĻI think they really loved the end product and I was extremely pleased with how they turned out!
Meg’s Catchall and Necklace
Candice’s Gift Set
Lauren’s Bright Necklace and Catchall
And Bev’s Fun Presents
Pretty Presents All Wrapped Up and Ready to Go!
The venue: luckily for us, one of Jeffâs work clients and friends owns a condo in the fabulous Encore building downtown. He offered to host our engagement party there and then worked out the details with all my ladies/hostesses. I think the location was absolutely perfectâĻ open for lots of mingling, a full kitchen for food and drink prep, and an outdoor patio area to take in the beautiful downtown scenery. Can you see all the little details that were added?? Pictures of us from our engagement in Charleston, our invitation, the most adorable little âSâ plate for us to keep, and a photo guest book with lots of our engagement pictures for everyone to sign. Jeff and I wanted one of these to have for our pre-wedding parties and it turned out fabulously!
For my favorite part of the party–the food, the girls REALLY outdid themselves! Our guests were treated to pork tenderloin sliders, pesto and red pepper bruschetta bites, the yummiest pecan and cheese wheel I have ever tasted, roasted corn and black bean salsa, BBQ and bacon cocktail hotdog wraps, and homemade strawberry and chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes {thanks Candice!!}… it was out of this world and I was majorly impressed with their culinary skills.
Another important component {via questions from some lovely readers}: my outfit. I had a few ladies email me after I posted the sneak peak pictures asking where I found my dress. Well, sadly this isnât available to purchase onlineâI bought it at my favorite local storeâĻ Blush. This is my go-to store for any type of dress I need for a variety of events. They say the 3rd timeâs the charm and this indeed was the third (yes third) dress I bought for our party. I knew this was the one and then jumped on purchasing some fabulous grey-toned stilettos from Gianni Bini to accent the colors in my dress, and I loved the finished look.
Me and My Handsome Fiance… I Love That Boy!
The best friends and family: yes, we were blessed to have so many wonderful people attend our party and celebrate our engagement. Almost all of our bridal party was in attendance, our closest relatives were able to come from out of town to join us, and a load of our best friends stayed in town to play! Jeff and I felt so fortunate to share this with so many people and we tried to thank each and every person for comingâĻ here are some of my favorite shots from the night!
Our Wonderful Hostesses-_Candice, Bev, Lauren, and Meg
The Girls with My Mom
The Three Musketeers!! 3 Weddings in 3 Years đ
Brittney, Jules, and Me–Love My Incredible Friends!
Me Opening the Engagement Scrapbook my Mom and Dad Made for Us
{and yes, I cried like a baby}
Me and My Gran
Matt, Me, and Jenna–Love Me Some Vaughns!
Me with ALL My Bridesmaids!
Me and My Candice
Jennifer {Jeff’s Sister} and Her Husband Brian
Jeff and Some of the Boys–Obviously They Like to Coordinate Outfits đ
Jeff and I With the BEST Parents a Girl Could Ask For
Our Little Family
Me with My Gran and Papa
Me and My Terrific MOH
Me and Jacqueline {My Work Mom!}
Ashley {Jeff’s Childhood Best Friend, Jeff, and Jay
Jeff, Michael, Me, and Danielle
Jeff and Jennifer
Me and My Cousin Lauren
Me and Jenna
After the party, a big group of us headed to Corner Pub Midtown for some late night fun. Between mingling with some interesting people, having a small dance party, and ordering a few late night snacks for all of us, we called it a night and headed home…such a great time!!!
Someone Having a Little Bit of Fun–Street Cred Jeff
Dance Party
My Little Broadway
Candice, Aaron, and Bev
A Little Late Night Humor
Giving Out the Old Digits–HAHA
Finally, and most importantly, thanks again to all 4 of party our hostesses: Bev, Candice, Lauren, and Meg. It was a GREAT party and everything I couldâve hoped for AND more. You are such wonderful friends and thank you for spoiling us for our engagement partyâI love you all more than you will ever know!!!
It looks like a great party!!! I love your dress!! And I love those catchalls. Y'all did a great job designing!!!
Looks like everything was amazing!!! I'm so glad you had a wonderful time! đ
Aw they did such a great job! That looks like a ton of fun! Love the bridesmaid gifts such a great idea! I have stuff spread all over my dresser with jewelry right now.
what an amazing engagement party! awesome! you look Gorgeous in all the pics!
Looks like such a wonderful party! How did your hostesses do the sign-in book? I've been looking for a good photo guest book for the wedding!
Looks like it was a fabulous party! Love the dress and your hair looked fantastic!
hahaha. I gave that guy my OLD phone number. đ
I LOVE those favors! You did such a good job on those…such a good idea! And that condo looks amazing. I know y'all had a blast! You looked so beautiful! Congrats, dear!
what a fun party! from the hostess gifts to the food and friends! love a good time!
aw it looks like it was such a fabulous time Natasha!! Everything was so lovely…and you deserve it all:)
xoxoxo
Looks like a fabulous time! You were lovely. That dress is beautiful
The engagement party looks like so much fun!!! The hostesses did such a great job!! Have a great week!
Your friends and family are amazing Natasha! What a beautiful party!!! I love the hostess gifts you gave out too. lauren's necklace is gorgeous! The monogrammed trays were a cute idea too, they add a personal touch đ
Love the pictures – you look great & your dress is stunning!
Love, love your blog. Even though I'm not engaged, I am getting so many ideas. Plus your outfits inpire to shop, ah!
What a great party!! I love the individual hostess gifts, just too cute. Congrats!! đ
Where is your dress from??? you rocked it!
How fun!! you look so pretty!!
Congratulations, Natalie! Looks like so much fun and what an exciting time! You look simply gorgeous!!!
Liesl đ
love, love, love, love, LOVE your outfit!!! The dress and shoes look perfect together and on you!!! It looks like you all had a great time. The hostess gifts are phenom! That's so sweet and thoughtful of you to take the time to make sure the gifts were individualized to fit each personality!