Throw a fabulous holiday party on a budget!

This past weekend we were celebrating 2014's big accomplishments for Nicole White Designs, including a featured spread in Better Homes and Gardens!

 

 

 

First thing to choose is a guest list,  once you come up with a comfortable number then choose a venue that can accommodate your guests. We choose Brio Tuscan grill because of their private outdoor area with 10 tables for our 30 guests.

Come up with a food and drink plan,  we wanted happy hour cocktails and appetizers along with a fabulous dessert table of cake pops and red velvet cupcakes!

 

Finally the decor, our color scheme was black, white and gold. The linens were white so we added black placemats to the tables that I folded into a diamond shape that complimented the round tables. I used gold ornaments and added gold tinsel to our hydrangeas vases.

 

 

Our dessert table was courtesy of Mimi from Divine Cakery. She used gold candalabra style cupcake stands and black and white cake stands (a score from HomeGoods) to showcase her desserts. The final touches were added by using gold gift boxes I found at the dollar store to create height to the table. I used a roll of black streamer on the dessert table to create the black and white stripes. The result was a perfect holiday party that reflected Nicoles impeccable style!

 

 

Dollar Store decorations: $50
Whole Foods Flowers: $40
Styling a party for $90 is almost unheard of but remember to keep things simple and elegant to keep costs down.

What Ive learned during my Internship with Nicole White Designs

 

Follow your heart when choosing a mentor.

When I found Nicole White Designs, I reached out to her for advice and even in her super busy schedule she replied with some great advice. They way she blogs and talks about her projects, you can tell that she puts her whole heart into everything she does...that's something I wanted to be a part of.

 

Check out her blog;

 http://www.livelaughdecorate.com/

 

Admit when you're wrong and don't assume

There are plenty of design terms I had to google while working with Nicole...what the hell is a nesting table? But anytime I didn't understand something and assumed I did, it would come back to bite me in the ass. Over ask if you don't understand.

 

Always gather all your information
There was so many times I would walk out of a store without getting the contact name and would have to call back to get it, or leave a clients home without that crucial measurement. I've learned to take notes for everything and gather all information.

Staying organized is a whole other story...

 

Do business with honesty and integrity

Owning a business and staying in business is about getting referrals and returning customers who want to work with you because they trust you. Build a good reputation and always treat clients and your employees with respect.

 

Interior Designers wear all the hats

I've seen Nicole be the creative genius she is, to a therapist to an accountant all in one day. Sometimes things can zap your creativity and that's why its so important to take time to live your life and recharge.

 

You know you're a design intern when you find this in your back pocket at lunch.

Interior design is not glamorous

I cant lie, I was warned... but I still put on my expensive suede boots and went to a job site, I was useless. You have to be willing to get your hands dirty. Especially starting out in this business, you will have to paint, clean, make home depot runs, anything to make sure the job gets done.

After I learned my lesson, I wear my sneaks and NWD shirt to Installation days!