Celebrating Friendship

Thank your bridesmaids and groomsmen with a special day

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

By Aleah Valley

Throughout your exciting wedding planning process, chances are your devoted bridesmaids have been with you every step of the way. They’ll stand by you on your wedding day as you get glamorous and say “I do” to the love of your life. Give thanks to them for being the great friends they are by showering them with a day of pampering and appreciation to kick off your wedding celebration.

Send out old-school invitations that give a nod to your vintage theme to set the tone of the party. Encourage your bridesmaids to come dressed in their girly best. Whether hosting in your home, a restaurant, or a rental space, create a few distinct charming environments to wow your friends. Create a lounge for relaxing, a table for a charming tea party, and a salon for beautification.

Add whimsical elements to the room like a crystal chandelier, bright green milk glass vessels, and heirloom silverware and dishes. Decorate the space with your favorite flowers and specific elements that won’t be used in your wedding décor but represent you and your friends. Stage lavender sachets and sweet sentiments as little presents your girls can take home and enjoy later.

Greet them with mimosas in crystal goblets, and thank them for being such a big part of your wedding. Then bring on the “Hollywood treatment” with hair and makeup artists who can doll them up for the day and show them inside tips and tricks to use at home. Over a fabulous brunch, share your favorite memory of each bridesmaid.

Next, surprise them with a hands-on cake decorating class taught by a gourmet baker who will teach professional techniques and insider tricks. Let the tasty works of art serve as take-home gifts.

Get candid and play dress up for the camera and take snapshots, or hire your wedding photographer to join in on the fun and document the day’s activities. Later, you can make gifts of the prints or create small albums as mementos of the festivities.

Not only will you savor these memories with your friends forever, but you’ll show them in glowing bride style just how much you appreciate them. You just might start a wedding trend!

Set the Scene

Concept and design: Valley & Co.
Flowers: Grand Floral.
Photography: Nick Abadilla.
Venue: Culy Warehouse.
Hair and makeup: Char Sanchez, and Jessica Hofmann, Lovestruck Makeup Artistry & Hair Design.
Lavender sachets: Valley & Co. Home Collection.
Cakes and baker: French Gourmet.
Stationery: Ruby and Willow.
Attire and jewelry: Be Beauty.
Rentals: Archive Vintage Rentals.

Celebrating Your Groomsmen

By Nick Valley

The bachelor party has evolved into a more thoughtful event with men finding creative ways to celebrate their last days of singlehood. One of our clients asked how to throw a party for his groomsmen without venturing to the clichéd go-to of Las Vegas. From this request, a well-needed trend of throwing innovative bachelor parties was born.

Send invitations to your groomsmen announcing an entire day of celebration and fun. Skip the club, and create your own space by renting a room or opening up your home. Set up a bar for the night, and stock it with your favorite brews and drinks, then pair with delicious yet simple snacks. Add to the fun by providing hands-on games ranging from shuffleboard to Pac-Man.

Build a beer garden complete with local and international brews, a pretzel machine, and a variety of mustards with tasting paddles, to make it an interactive experience. Order gourmet pizzas. Turn a sampling of bottled beers into take-home gifts. Prepare a toast for your groomsmen thanking them for their friendship and for being part of your wedding celebration. This is the perfect environment to show each one of them how much you appreciate them.

Add to the ambience by renting a juke box and playing upbeat music. Let your friends choose the tunes. (As the night goes on, sing-alongs will ensue.) Choose an open area of your space and set up a lounge for seating and catching up. The key to this is keeping it fun. Place funky items in your lounge such as retro liquor bottles, old globes, and leather suitcases; these simple rentals are little touches that turn a seating area into a fresh and unexpected space.

Invite the rest of your friends to join in later in the night to partake in the festivities. Have your wedding photographer take snapshots of you and your friends enjoying the surroundings and atmosphere you’ve created.

Later in the evening, bring out specialty liqueurs you know your friends enjoy and have a food truck come by for late-night snacks. Dishes such mini burgers, tacos, and gourmet bites from a popular San Diego food truck will be welcomed.

Creating a thoughtful day, to celebrate and thank your groomsmen and friends, will speak volumes to your friendship, and it will be a memorable part of your wedding experience.

Set the Scene