Well well well. Better late than never, I always say. Actually it’s quite fitting that we’re almost a year to date when it comes to posting about Townes’ Sip & See. As you’ll see, it was very winter wonderland vibes, so really, we’re just in time for the holiday season. This is the perfect post for you if you’re thinking of throwing any holiday or Christmas parties. And if you’re in the San Diego area, I highly recommend working with any or all of the vendors who helped us pull this together. Let’s get on with it.
Michael & I (and the kids and dogs) spent the holidays in San Diego last year and we decided to throw a little Sip & See holiday party for Townes- I mean, he’s the cutest little ham and I was so excited to introduce him to my closest friends & family. So, just like Zaza’s Pineapple Soirée, I want to break down every detail for you, and here they are.
TIPS FOR THROWING A SIP & SEE:
♡ pick a theme.
In my opinion, if you start with a theme, things come together a little easier & end up being more cohesive, lol – of course. To be totally transparent I flip flopped a little with this, it went from circus, to Whoville, to winter wonderland and ended up taking a bit from every category AND I LOVED IT. My vision was white, snowballs, first, puffy, clouds, with a pop of robin’s egg blue. Specific, but what else is new?
Once you pick your theme, the invitations are the perfect way to give your guests a taste of the party. Working with Cindy from Bliss & Bone again was a no brainer. You guys know by now she has done so much for us: wedding invitations, baby shower invitations, Zaza’s birth announcement, Zaza’s birthday invites. She’s incredible. She’s so creative, understands how important details are are ALWAYS crushes it.
We went with a pinstripe & gold invite and a really cool font that just reminds me of the 1940s? Kinda? Anyway, as you can see, it’s all about the details from the high quality card stock, the envelope liner and the wax seal. And yes, yes, only I, Lauryn Bosstick, would put the wrong year on my son’s party invitations. What can you do? LOL.
Like I said, the invite really sets the tone of the party and if you want an elevated invitation Bliss & Bone is your answer. They also do evites & seriously the whole situation is so streamlined & easy. Cannot recommend Cindy and her team enough.
♡ decor that doubles as an activity.
Some of the highlights of this party were the interactive ‘stations’ that everyone could go to. So we had a hot chocolate bar (but like, boozy for the adults), a gingerbread building station, and beignet station where you could order them and watch them get made right there. Needless to say they were beyond delicious.
These little stations are such a good idea because it gives your guests something to do, and the kids had SO MUCH FUN with it too.
♡ party favors
It’s always nice to have a little something for your guests to take home to remember the event.
+ @tajacollection chic, white snowflake candles:
Taja is the best company to use for custom candles. I have them all around my house, I love to give them as gifts, & for Zaza’s birthday we did a pineapple etched square base in kind of a frosted white. For Townes we did a frosted white with snowflake etched on it. The scent was vanilla and to say its mouthwatering is an understatement.
All Taja candles are hand-poured with soy wax & no phthalates, parabens or synthetic dyes. Been a big fan for years so I was so happy to have these custom pineapple candles at Zaza’s party.
+ @beekeepers_naturals brain fuel:
I take Beekeeper’s Naturals brain fuel almost every day. It’s like liquid adderall. Kid parties can be A LOT, so it was fun to have Beekeeper’s products for the adults. The founder has been on the podcast & let me just say, the throat spray is like magic.
+ custom & personalized candy by @lananicoleevents:
Lana is so talented & if you need any inspo for your event, just go look at her Instagram page. She did customized candy for my baby shower & Zaza’s pineapple party too.
For Townes’ she did custom Starburst and sour straws. This is a really fun way to get creative & really personalize your party. It’s such a special touch & Lana is so great to work with.
♡ location.
HUGE shout out to my friends Gillian and Mauricio who own Wolfie’s Carousel Bar. They went above and beyond & were so accommodating. They cared about every single detail, made sure I was involved the whole way and opened up the venue so we could have an incredible, intimate party with family and friends.
If you haven’t heard of Wolfie’s it’s literally an old carousel. If you’re in the San Diego area it is a MUST. They have the best cocktails & food and don’t get me started on the staff. They are so good at their jobs & even dressed up like Whoville characters for the party. It was out of this world and tied the whole theme together from the moment the guests walked in the door.
We decided on a family style menu with seafood towers, pomme frites with garlic aioli (to die for), Waygu beef sliders, French toast & beignets. They even did a custom drink menu with the cleverest cocktails: La la Land, Zaza’s Toy Box, Townes in Toyland.
Another thing about Wolfie’s is they worked so well with Encore Events to streamline everything. Not one single detail went past Brittany and the Encore team. From setting up the hot chocolate bar, the signage, the place settings, deliveries- it was all streamlined by Encore.
♡ pretty rentals.
Fancy Tables by Studio 22 provided the most gorgeous table settings. They were all white but the chargers & appy & main plates gave it this depth & texture. It all fit in so seamlessly with the white balloons, white candles & white roses on the tables. The cutlery the provided was also super ornate & almost looked vintage which was a nice pop since everything else was all white.
They literally have so many options to choose from and I would be happy to work with them again. Just go stalk their IG & see for yourself.
♡ party planner.
As I just said above, Encore Events did such an incredible job organizing everything. They understand the vision, they get the details, they anticipate what’s needed & this party wouldn’t have gone so smoothly without Brittany and her team.
♡ decor.
The decor- my god. The candles, the fluffy puff things, the balloons. Bish Events did this gorgeous white balloon instalment on the ceiling. You guys. It was magical. Bish Events is also a go-to for me when doing any kind of party. They’re so easy to work with and again, I love working with people who understand the importance of details. They put balloons all around the carousel, hanging from the ceiling of each table & made the whole vibe so on point. It really felt like a winter wonderland.
♡ food & drinks.
As I mentioned, Wolfie’s took care of the food & drinks and it was all delicious and so kid-friendly. We also ordered custom cookies from @littlesparkscookies. Jess is so talented and made white & robin’s egg blue cookies with a carousel horse that fit the theme of the party perfectly. She also did some white cloud cookies and everyone was obsessed- her cookies taste so good.
Every party needs a cake so Tara at Tara Heather Cake Design made us a custom banana cake. It was so good and not too sweet, it was absolutely perfect in every way. Super simple with some white snowballs that resembled the balloon decor. Tara went above and beyond and created an extra egg-free cake because our niece has an allergy. This one was light pink with the same white balls on it & they both looked so fab sitting on the dessert table.
There you have it. The party was a total success and everyone had a lot of fun (I think, mommy got a little tipsy). It meant so much to us that everyone took the time & effort to come see Townes around the holidays, which we all know can be a batshit crazy time of year.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED ME WITH THIS EVENT- I had a lot of help from my team & Encore Events. Highly recommend working with them if you need help streamlining everything that goes into planning a party/event.
x, lauryn
+ stalk all my tips for throwing a bachelorette weekend away.
++ check out how to host a Candyland themed party.
photo credit: Arielle Levy | video credit: Chris Tran