Delicious is an understatement. I think that “heavenly” is a better way to describe the cupcakes from Tee & Cakes, a Boulder-based bakery and pastry shop. Imagine melt-in-your-mouth, light and fluffy frosting on top of a perfectly moist cupcake that is bursting with flavor. Sounds yummy, doesn’t it? And the cupcakes look pretty, too.

I brought in these cupcakes for a surprise 60th birthday party I planned last weekend and all of the guests raved about them. Of course I bought a few extras for myself to take home….and both my husband and I lasted no more than 10 seconds before devouring all of them. I am not normally a sweets person, but I could not resist these cupcakes. Seriously. Try one and you’ll understand why!

Cupcakes are a great dessert option for parties and events because they don’t require plates or utensils. Guests can easily eat them while mingling and working the room. And if you’re looking for an alternative to the traditional wedding cake, cupcakes still give your guests that wedding cake fix, but with a slightly modern twist.

Just remember to save a few extras for your favorite wedding and event planner! : )

Brooke Hill
Owner & Principal Event Designer
The Celebration Studio

Deciding which colors you plan to incorporate into your wedding or event is one of the most fun (and often most difficult) choices you have to make. Choosing a color scheme for your wedding or event is important because colors help to set the tone, as well as guide your design, décor and floral choices. Going with champagne and ivory? Chances are your event will feel more formal and sophisticated. Going with fushia and orange? The vibe is likely to more fun and light-hearted.

I think it’s important to choose your colors early on, so that you can incorporate them into your save-the-dates or invitations. This gives guests a sneak peek into your color scheme and sets the mood for the event. It helps the entire event, from start to finish, feel coordinated and pulled together.

For example, I recently planned a surprise 60th birthday party at a private home. The invitation incorporated fushia, orange and white, so I carried these colors through in the décor and florals for the party. Paper lanters in fushia, orange and white hung as decorations, while centerpieces on the tables consisted of alternating bouquets of fushia and orange Gerbera Daisies. Fushia and white feather boas were handed out for the female guests to wear, lending an element of whimsy and fun to the party.

Here is another example of a color inspiration that began with the invitations in a wedding I planned. The couple chose silver, black and fushia for their wedding colors. The invitations were black, white and silver with fushia accents. We carried the color scheme through to the bridesmaids dresses, flowers, escort cards, programs, linens and centerpieces.

And another example of an invitation as a color inspiration. This one was for a rehearsal lunch I planned – we took the inspiration from the invitation which was a postcard of the location. We incorporated the yellow, green and white from the photo postcard into the table settings.

So when you’re thinking about colors for your next wedding or event, consider incorporating them into your invitation – as you can see, it goes a long way towards establishing a cohesive feel for the event!

Brooke Hill
Owner & Principal Event Designer
The Celebration Studio

I absolutely adore etsy.com! Ok, fine…. I admit that I am borderline obsessed with Etsy. But take one look at the weddings category on Etsy’s store and you’ll understand why! It’s a mecca for creative, personalized and unique wedding decorations & accessories. And the best part is that everything on Etsy is handmade, by artists across the world.

Looking for your something blue? No problem. Need custom signs for your wedding? Etsy sellers can create them for you. Hoping to find whimsical dresses for your flower girls? You guessed it – Etsy’s got them! With over 3,000 wedding-related items for sale, Etsy.com is a great resource for wedding inspiration and innovation. Etsy’s wedding categories include: accessories; album; bags and purses; basket; bouquet; cake topper; candle; card; clothing; decoration; favor; frame; guest book; invitation; jewelry; just married; men; pillow; portrait; something blue.

Happy shopping!

Brooke Hill
Owner & Principal Event Designer
The Celebration Studio

Etsy Seller: pnkpanther

Etsy Seller: TheWoodenOwl

Etsy Seller: Lace006

Etsy Seller: EightSeasons

Etsy Seller: juneshin

Etsy Seller: sweetestmoments

Etsy Seller: thebelleandthebeau

If you’re planning a wedding or event in Colorado and are looking for a great Welcome Gift for your out-of-town guests, consider Boulder’s Best Organics. This organic, eco-friendly company sells gift boxes filled with a variety of certified organic items exclusively from Boulder, CO. If you’d prefer items from around the entire state, that’s easy:  the company now sells Colorado’s Best Organics boxes as well. What better way to give your guests a taste of what Colorado is all about?

And Welcome Gifts for guests are not the only way you can incorporate Boulder’s Best Organics into your wedding or event. A few ideas include:

Order the “Blissful Body” sets to hand out as favors at your bridal shower. The set includes herbal soap, thick lotion, silky shower  gel, a soothing candle, and moisturizing lip balm.

Create your own combo box to use as gifts for your wedding party. Combinations can include everything from snack items and beverages to spices, body care, candles and housewares.

Customize the gift boxes and use them as favors at your Colorado wedding or event. You can order gift boxes with a special outer sleeve highlighting your company and logo, or with a thank you message directly on and/or inside the gift box.

The mission of Boulder’s Best Organics is to be the best organic and eco-friendly gift company in the world by offering high quality, delicious, innovative, sustainable, and organically produced products from Colorado. What’s not to like about a company that makes it so easy to give green gifts?!?

Brooke Hill
Owner & Principal Event Designer
The Celebration Studio

MyGatsby.com is a fantastic site that allows you to create unique, sophisticated invitations for weddings and special events – especially for those of you who prefer to DIY! 

MyGatsby.com strives to make the invitation process fun, simple and easy as possible.  The site allows you to create your own spectacular invitation using Envelopments®, or select from hundreds of cutting-edge invitations from top brands in the industry.

My personal favorite is MyGatsby.com’s exclusive Custom Design section that allows you to “mix ‘n match”. Mix and Match invitations come in over 90 paper colors, a variety of layouts and formats, and over 20 ink colors. The possibilites are endless. There are so many options to choose from that every invitation can be created to reflect your unique taste and style, as well as the theme and color scheme of your event. The very best part? You can see online proof immediately at no cost – this allows you to tweak your design and see how it looks over and over again – until you decide it looks just right!

Who knew DIY invitations could be this easy – and look so good!

Brooke Hill
Owner & Principal Event Designer
The Celebration Studio