Dust off your party dress and get in touch with some of our favorite local specialists to bring together your next soiree in a way that will make your guests feel so special! Dawn Pumpelly, Editor and Owner of The Scout Guide Huntsville, shares her ideas for taking a birthday party at home to an all-new level.

Consider using a planner. Many of us think about using a planner for big events like a wedding, but consider hiring a planner to help you with the details at home. An event planner like Anna Wynn Rodgers of Anna Wynn Event Designs can suggest ways to make your party cohesive and feel elevated. Especially if you as the host wants to really enjoy the party and not run yourself ragged with details, a planner can help develop the party in advance and pull off the day-of activities.

Professional floral design makes all the difference. Using a floral designer helps create a seamless look and feel for your event. Share the colors/theme of your event in advance, and the designer can create a unique tablescape for you. Anna Lee of Old Frond Floral Co. embraces the newest trends with colors, unique looks, and organic designs creating a focal point and a discussion piece for your guests. In addition to the main piece, she used unique and affordable vessels from Please Reply to scatter across the table. These little arrangements can be given to your guests as a little party favor and a reminder of the special night.

Cohesive tableware and tablescape are a must. For our party, we paired disposable plates and “silverware” with melamine chargers from Kimberly Rodgers of Please Reply. While looking fresh and modern, an additional benefit is that the clean-up will be a breeze after this party! Even the beautiful champagne bucket and cake server are melamine and dishwasher safe. We paired these new, modern, easy amenities with our own monogrammed linen napkins to create a fresh, unexpected look.

Choose something unexpected for dessert! Every birthday celebration has a cake, but in our case, Stephanie Hamley of Hamley Bake Shoppe created a combination of unexpected flavors. She topped a chocolate tiered mini-cake with flowers and her bakery-made macarons making it look like it came straight out of a fairytale. Then, she tied together each place setting with more macarons to sample and perhaps take home to share.

Consider personally printed paper goods. While it takes some advanced planning, personalized invitations, menus, gift tags, and place cards by Kimberly Rodgers at Please Reply really convey the depth of care and planning put into an event.

Many thanks to our Scouted Party Specialists!

Anna Wynn Rodgers, Anna Wynn Event Designs (planning)

Kimberly Rodgers, Please Reply (table goods, paper goods, invitations)

Anna Lee, Old Frond Floral Co. (custom florals)

Stephanie Hamley, Hamley Bake Shoppe (custom mini desserts)

Charlotte Wessel (a great friend and hostess for our event)

“Scouted” is a video segment created in partnership with WAFF 48’s “Tennessee Valley Living.” Scout Guide Huntsville Editor | Owner Dawn Pumpelly contributes to Tennessee Valley Living on a biweekly basis where she shared her view of the very best of LOCAL HUNTSVILLE.

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