Corporate Christmas Party - Mad Men Style

Mad Men Theme Christmas Party

owyhee plaza, boise id

We had a pretty fun time planning one of our corporate client's annual Christmas party again this year, but this time with a retro mid-century "Mad Men" style. I was up to my ears in mustard yellow and awful greens and it was oh so fabulous! Thank you Radion Photography for taking some pics of the event while we finished setting up.

Design Board

Whenever we have our hands on the design elements of an event we provide custom design concept boards for our clients. This is a visual representation we present focused on vignettes and special details ranging from floral, linen, and key furniture elements. This offers a great way to bounce ideas around with the client and fine tune the final comprehensive design plan.

Retro theme can easily get out of hand and turn into an overwhelming eye sore, so we focused on a specific color palette while keeping in mind we still needed to achieve a Christmas party vibe. We had classic black and white Christmas movies playing on the flat screen tvs around the space. White Christmas (1954 film) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946) are great options! 

Mid-Century Retro Lounge

We don't typically carry retro mid-century modern furniture in our rental inventory, however we have made some awesome local connections with speciality mid-century stores that carry unique pieces that will give us access to rent for our clientele! These mustard yellow office chairs were a great option in the color palette.

Just So. Event Floral focused the floral on unique geometric shaped vases and scored on finding some retro magazines that we placed in the lounge area. What's pretty awesome is that the doctors started browsing through them and found some medical articles that they were so excited about that they took the magazine back to the office to share with their colleagues. 

We custom designed the invitations and matching signage for the cocktails and menu.

At each Christmas party we try to feature a unique form of entertainment. Last year the client loved the photo booth experience. This year, they opted for the cocktail lounge vibe and we featured a phenomenal local pianist! He was a great fit and had the guests enjoying music well into the late hours of the night. Thank you Danny Beal for doing such a great job! P.S. The champagne gold tinsel trees were a huge hit and we kept getting asked where they came from - we found these on sale at Hobby Lobby!

Linen

I really had my fingers crossed for doing high end linen options from my favorite La Tavola Fine Linen rentals, but we had to opt for more budget friendly options, which still worked great! However, do note that linen can completely transform a space and take your event from cool to really a wow factor! Even if you just focus on splurging on the cocktail tables!

Yellow Wedding Ideas - Ira and Lucy

Here's a little sunshine for your Monday afternoon! If you follow us on Instagram, you'll see I have an obsession with these dusty, muted tones! The yellow and gray wedding palette has been done a million times, so I suggest opting for a more toned down hue and layering your palette to more than just yellow and gray. Hope you enjoy our yellow wedding ideas board! We adore this vintage chair featured at the Bliss and Bespoke Retreat! The added pop of pink/violet is beautiful!

You can see we incorporated vintage elements and popped in some mid-century modern vibes with  the vase selection. Texture is key! Chiffon, lace, velvet tufting, wood, greenery - layering is the key to quality design! For our groom, how about stepping away from a tux rental and go with a charcoal suit and a dapper bow tie! YES PLEASE! Love it! This look is really quite achievable and works great for the couple on a budget, but design in mind! We love us a vintage accent chair, perfect for those bridal portraits, special seating at dinner and then used again for the garter toss! When we chat with our clients we talk a lot about how to repurpose decor elements to save on the budget! Think about how that chair will make for way cooler pics for the garter toss then a regular folding chair? Just say'n ;)

As you know we are pretty smitten over Maggie Sottero Gowns and think the "Anna" gown in the champagne tone would be so gorgeous with this concept. It's "a stunning fit and flare wedding dress featuring pleated tulle and flaring into a voluminous skirt, is complete with romantic sweetheart neckline and finished with corset closure" You can find Maggie gowns at exclusive retailer, Heartfelt Bridal, just off Fairview Avenue.

As for adding in those modern elements - think color blocking or geometric shapes and lines. Hook up with local invitation and specialty paper designers Paperie + Pen just down the road from Heartfelt Bridal at The Village at Meridian! They have a dreamy paper shop that you will die for! This is a great place to also get thank you cards for your bridesmaids, gifts for your friends and family and a whole lot more!

Spring & Summer 2015 Wedding Inspiration - "Vanilla Butter" Geometry Meets Old World Elegance

Alright my 2015 Spring and Summer couples! I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU to consider swapping peach and coral for this stunning pale butter yellow. Yellow is a color that creates quite the wow factor. Whether a mustard yellow for a more boho vibe, or this pale version that is muted down, rustic and features an old world charm you can't go wrong! I am particularly fond of this weather'd yellow as seen in our inspiration board; it pairs so well with vintage furniture and decor! I know how many of you adore burlap, lace and rustic elements. Consider changing it up a bit! You can still add the vintage elements (old crates, lounge seating and accent chairs, antique'd furniture for cake displays and so many more options!), but you also don't have to be "all vintage". Add in some modern elements with the hot geometric trend - it can still all work together quite beautifully! Let's take your burlap, chalkboard, vintage love and mix it up a bit! We'd love to hear your thoughts! I was inspired by the stunning Carolina Herrara Gown in lemon yellow!

Featured on Bachelorette's Desiree Hartsock

We are featured on the Bachelorette's [button url="http://www.desireehartsock.com/watercolor-romance/[button url="URL"]Desiree Hartsock's Wedding Blog![/button] We hope you'll take time to drop by and view the post. We will feature our DIY tutorial on water color linen early Fall! I can just imagine beautiful Fall and Winter tablescapes using more muted tones. Lovely! Thank you again to a great team that helped pull the vision together. Follow us on [button url="https://www.facebook.com/IraAndLucy"]Facebook[/button] for our latest inventory additions, design projects and real weddings!

Jenn's Mid-Century Vintage Baby Shower

“Hi Heidi!

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for everything you and your team did at the shower this past weekend! It was absolutely amazing and beyond what I could have imagined. Talk about the most beautiful baby shower ever thrown! All the guests had a great time and loved the gift bags – the slippers were such a big hit! A special thanks to you for all the background work you did to plan, design and pull off such an incredible soiree. Please thank everyone on your team for doing such a great job before, during and after the shower. I honestly felt like I didn’t have to worry about a thing – which you know is not something I can say very often.”

— Jen

I was beyond excited and overjoyed when Jenn sent me a message asking if I would help Style her Baby Shower! With her sister and mother-in-law hosting the shower, but planning from California, she knew it was a necessary need. It was a task I dove head first into! I was swimming in a sea of adorable! Jenn and her hubby recently finished overhauling their mid-century home and my goodness is it GORGEOUS! I couldn't have asked for a better "canvas" to work with.

I focused on utilizing the elements that their home already featured. Beautiful architecture and minimalist decor. Jenn had her eye on our favorite "Carina" and "Cora" sofa and settee and they happened to match her color palette for baby Ella. Blush, peach, mint, gold and royal blue. It was meant to be! We designed paper geometric ornaments! Arielle worked hours on these and they were so cute!!! I had custom designed copper and glass terrariums made from an awesome ETSY shop to place peony blossoms inside. Jenn's favorite flower. So, of course we had peonies in all of the floral designs AND the guests were gifted with peony scented candles I found at local boutique Blush. (p.s. I think I left my heart in this boutique! I am obsessed with it!) The gift bags also had designer mascara and slide on slippers! Perfect for a winter baby shower and a nice way to ask guests to remove their shoes.

Our Vintage Baby Crib makes for an awesome gift area! I enjoyed making custom signs to fit the theme!

Milo was quite the helper with our soiree! He was the man of the house for the shower and boy did he just love the attention. He really enjoyed helping Jenn open up the gifts.

YES, it's true! You heard the rumors! We had a "Lip N Lash" Bar! Playing off of the glamorous mid-century "housewife" and wanting to pamper Jenn and all of her guests we put together a pamper station where guests were treated to custom professional makeup applications for their eyes and lips! It was such a hit! The girls loved it! Lindsey with Behrens Artistry and her assistant rocked it! Not to mention Lindsey helped Jenn relax pre-baby shower in the privacy of the master suite getting dolled up for her party.

I get so excited about flowers. Here's why! When I design an event I always try incorporate floral elements. I do love furniture, but I love it so much more with flowers involved. It softens everything up and sets a mood that I really believe can't be done quite as well with any other elements. The soft hues and delicate petals seemed so fitting for a baby shower AND it perfectly represented Jenn and her soft, easy going and super sweet personality.  I utilized Tara with An Open Vase for this event as it seemed to suite her floral design style well. She does "pretty" very well. 

April with Open Table Boise is phenomenal to work with! I am so impressed with her food, details and execution! She nails it every single time! I sent her the design board, color palette, theme and she made it happen. It was so easy working with her and was great to not have to stress at all about the catering aspect of the shower. I knew April and her team would work carefully and professional in the newly remodeled space. I seriously couldn't be any more pleased! Jenn was quite excited to get her favorite splurge must have: April's Lemon Tarts! P.S. April, will you please make me some of those chicken salad sandwiches and that to die for soup?!

After a lot of hard work, there is nothing better than hearing raves from your client and also getting to view gorgeous images and film capturing it all! YAY! Thank you Frannie with Ampersand Studios for capturing this special day and the weekend after Maternity Photo Session! Hair & Makeup by Behrens Artistry.

Wedding Show Weekend!

Well, it's 11:00pm and we are finally crawling into bed! Nothing like unloading a Uhaul truck load of furniture in 16 degree weather! But, it was so worth it! We had the pleasure of meeting some truly awesome brides, couples, parents of the bride and fabulous vendors. I can't wait to sit down with these new 2014 AND 2015 couples to learn more about their unique relationships and vision for their wedding day. We received some awesome feedback at the show. It was pretty cool hearing from brides that have been following us on Facebook and came to the show specifically looking to meet us in person! How cool! It's going to be a busy 2014! Thank you to all who came to the Show and visited us! We loved meeting you and can't wait to chat with you more! Be sure to email us or give us call to schedule an appointment! CHECK OUT OUR WEDDING SHOW SPECIAL WE'LL FEATURE THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH!

FULL DESIGN + STYLING // starts at $2200 and includes:

Event Design is all about creating an atmosphere, an environment that tells your unique love story. When you view swoon-worthy weddings on Pinterest or on your favorite blogs and magazines, often a designer was involved! It’s about pulling the entire look of your wedding or special event from the invites to your after party all together for a seamless and one-of-a-kind event.

Floral:

• Flowers and design elements are hand-selected and customized to perfectly fit your vision.
• We will connect you with top industry botanical stylists and guide you through the process.

Style:

• It’s important to us to learn about you…what is unique to your love story? We will take time to sit and chat with you and help you develop a theme, style and color palette to create a cohesive look.

Decor:

• We’ve got it handled! Steaming drapery, hanging chandeliers, arranging furniture and place cards… Ira & Lucy designs tablescapes, floor plans and lighting design and can assist you with linen and chair details, staging and prop rentals. The Best Part is you have immediate and preferential access to the leading Vintage Rental business in Boise!  We’ve got your hard to find rustic glam, shabby chic and vintage elegant props ready for your special occasion!

For the couple wanting a designer’s touch on all areas of their wedding, this is perfect for you! Let’s work together to determine the dream vision! INCLUDED:

• color palette, textures, font/typography
• custom mood/design board
• two site visits
• design/style of all areas of your wedding (ex. Dessert table, lounge, guest book table, beverage station, centerpieces,
• cake table, head table, ceremony etc.)
• act as lead in organizing, implementing and directing all vendors and décor
• custom designed creations such as ceremony backdrops or chalkboard typography
• we will work very close with your photographer to ensure that all the details you care so much about are captured
• we will work close with all vendors to ensure your vision is communicated
• styling the visual elements of your day / full set up
• end of night tear down
• unlimited phone calls during business hours / 3 in person meetings / custom design creations: $50/hour + supplies

For more details on our EVENT DESIGN services head over [button url="http://iraandlucy.com/event-design-2/"]here[/button]!

2014 Wedding Show Memories

 BEGINS WITH THE INSPIRATION BOARD THE BEFORE

As if I wasn't feeling anxious enough! 10 minutes into the start of the first day a camera crew showed up to interview us! I don't even remember how I answered the questions! I just kept telling myself to act normal and ignore the boom microphone hanging above my head. P.S. don't you just LOVE our new lamps!!!?

Anyone recognize our newest coffee table?! Meet "Serena"! "Katherine" the hand painted vintage table created a darling cake table! This became multiple bride's "must have" item!

There are always adjustments to the plan, but I'm still very pleased with the outcome of our booth! I'm already thinking of what we'll do next year! This year we heard some 2014 trend interest: color mint and gold (swoon!), gold gold gold everything, adoration for our gold "Madeline" chairs, our vintage blue lounge furniture, floral in all white, chandeliers and more chandeliers, 1920s styled weddings, and rustic elegance! Oh we can't wait to help our couples design their weddings! Did I mention we met quite a few awesome grooms!? My hubby was very involved in our wedding and it's so fun when I meet couples with the groom so involved!

Yes...we were the last ones out! Not only did we have our booth, but we also helped supply vintage props for 5 other vendor booths! Vintage made quite the appearance this year! Yay! I owe a MASSIVE THANK YOU to some incredible friends who helped me make this all possible!

My hubby Jonnathan who stands beside me day in and day out as we dream and jump into adventure together! Tara with An Open Vase who specially designed gorgeous flowers for me and came every single day to ensure they were perfect! Lindsey with Behrens Artistry who not only makes me feel beautiful, but has become such a special friend! Frannie and Nichole with Paperie & Pen who designed the paper details for our sweetheart table and helped me feel more confident and special with their daily check ins and uplifting chats! Arielle our newest Ira & Lucy team member! She is incredible with brides and has a great eye for design! Greg Marsh who designed a custom cake for our booth and featured our vintage props in his booth! LeAnn with Heartfelt Bridal. One of those rare people that you just connect with and adore so much! Daci with Wedding Gowns by Daci who also featured our vintage props and has become a good friend. Will, Becky and Frances I love getting to know you better and am excited to work with you more! Natasha and Lance from Meridian Floral and Event Rent who have also become great friends, so supportive and encouraging and always reliable! P.S. you have to have Natasha's chicken soup! It's to die for! Brianne & Tyler, Stephanie, Kate, Judy and Will thank you for your friendships, unconditional love and support! xoxo Hugs to Tana, Brandi, Danielle and Kristin!

[button url="http://iraandlucy.com/contact/"]Contact us to schedule a consultation[/button]! Let's meet over coffee and chat!