When we wrapped up the Summer Series, we were ready to celebrate. We learned so much, worked so hard and connected with so many intelligent women that a party seemed like the best way to wrap it all up, and so, the Brunch Party was born!
Where
About the time we were planning the Brunch Party, Meleya from Gather Studio and Marketplace reached out to us. It felt serendipitous for sure! We loved her space and the idea of having a make and take craft at the party and she was gracious enough to let us come in and let us take over for a few hours.
If you are local, you have to check out Gather. Not only do they offer a variety of make and take crafts (you can view the full calendar here), but there is also a collection of local, handmade items. Everything from home decor to jewelry to bath bombs and lotions. It’s easy to see that Meleya has poured her heart and soul into the space. It’s warm and inviting and exactly the place to spend a few hours creating and catching up with friends. They even offer kids’ birthday parties, which would qualify you for Mom of the Year.
Brunch Party guests had the option to make a macrame wall hanging. It was so fun to see everyone connecting while they created and the finish products were gorgeous.
What (We Ate)
Raley’s was kind enough to sponsor our event. Brittany had this incredible vision for a grazing table and the finished product was beyond what I imagined. You may have caught a sneak peek or two if you follow us on Instagram. Typically, we work super closely on every detail of a project this size, but there was so much to do with this party, that Brittany handled the majority of it. I helped her shop and brainstorm ingredients to add, but for the most part, she handled everything. It was truly her baby, and I was just as excited, proud and blown away as everyone else when I saw the finished product.
Meleya provided a beautiful mimosa bar, which is something you can add on if you book a party at Gather. We also served Bogle wines and sparkling water.
What (We Made)
Meleya lead guests in creating a macrame wall hanging. The finished products turned out beautifully and it was so nice to see women connecting with one another talking about their businesses (we’ve heard rumors a few partnerships are in the works after our event and we are so excited to see it come to fruition), their families and life in general. We are firm believers that spending time away from the demands of daily life with friends, new and old, is the best form of self care and it was so fulfilling to see women doing just that.
Why
One thing Brittany and I have always wanted to incorporate into our events was a charitable element. We often feel an overwhelming sense of privilege for the frivolity that blogging allows us. Throwing parties is so incredibly fun and our favorite creative outlet, but there are much bigger things going on in the world, and we’ve always wanted to find a way to honor a cause near and dear to our hearts. After a little research, we found the perfect cause to support.
Acres of Hope is a spiritually based renewal center serving homeless women with children by providing them with a home and an environment of structured programming. Located in the beautiful Sierra Foothills, Acres of Hope’s unique approach allows residents to live onsite for up to two years while staff and volunteers invest heavily in their lives by providing encouragement, practical life-skills training, job skills, mentoring and spiritual direction.
Brittany and I got to tour Acres of Hope and we were both brought to tears by the stories of strength these mothers exude and the lengths they’ve gone through to make a better life for their children. The work they are doing at Acres of Hope is beyond inspiring and we were so pleased to have 100% of our raffle proceeds go to them.
If you would like to support Acres of Hope, you can donate here, purchase from their Amazon Wishlist, or you can shop or donate to their resale store.
Who (Made It Possible)
Our charity raffle wouldn’t have been possible without the generous donations to our raffle. We are so incredibly grateful to these businesses for working with us and helping us to support Acres of Hope.
In addition, all of the photography was donated by Lush Foto. Olga was a dream to work with and we so appreciate her time and energy she put into attending our event and delivering these gorgeous pictures.
Our raffle prizes included:
Bogle Wines gift basket
A gift basket from Bayabelle
Necklace and earrings from Kendra Scott
Haircut, spray tan and various salon quality hair products from Hourglass Salon
A 10 Day Meal Plan from Roseville Meal Prep, paired with a Trader Joe’s gift card
Custom stationary from Space Pig Letter Press
Rainbow letter board from Felt Like Sharing paired with a tasting and tour to Monk’s Cellar
A gift basket from Steve Wallen Swim School
A blow out and full face makeover from Blo Dry Bar in Rocklin
A month membership to KaiaFIT Roseville
Home Decor Gift Box from Gathered Goods Home
Gift card to Pickled Peach Co.
Gather + Okayest Moms gift basket
All told, we raised $360 for Acres of Hope. We also had some happy guests leaving with some pretty cool prizes!
Swag Bags
Swag bags might just be my new favorite thing to put together! We were gifted some amazing things to pass on to our party guests. Our swag bags included:
Travel bag, Smart Phone grip, and samples from Unite Haircare & Hourglass Salon+Boutique
Limited Edition Okayest Moms stickers from Hyperbole Creative
Crispy treat from Smashmallow
Tinted moisturizer sample from Blo Dry Bar
Hawaiian Cookie Co. cookie from Jen Maselli Travel
Coupon for services from 2 B Organized
Coupon for Monk’s Cellar
Throwing parties is just about our favorite thing to do, and it’s not lost on us that none of this was possible without all the love and support of our readers, friends, Gather Studio and Market, Raleys, Lush Foto and all of our generous raffle sponsors. This whole morning was such a dream come true and we can’t wait to do it all again.
See more of our parties!
Okayest Moms Happy Hour // A full list of Okayest Mom’s parties
[…] tables are the perfect way to feed a crowd and, as we found out at our Brunch Party, they are a great conversation piece too! We are obsessed with how it turned out. Below are all the […]