styling

Inspiration: National Strawberry Day!

Its National Strawberry Day! Here's some inspiration for strawberry themed weddings, bridal showers, brunches and more!

s1Keep your bridal shower menu fresh and fruity with strawberries!

s2

 A strawberry theme is perfect for a summer outdoor wedding.

swedding

Strawberries themes also work well for formal indoor weddings. Place jars of fresh jam on each table setting for charming (and delicious!) wedding favors.

sbrunch

And who doesn't love brunch? Start your day off an a sweet note with strawberry smoothies and parfaits.

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Sweets tables are a growing trend and guest favorite. Whether you're hosting a birthday party, wedding or brunch a sweets table is a must!

Here are some fun and easy recipes to get the party started!

Strawberry Mimosas:

Ingredients: strawberries , champagne.

Directions: puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Pout puree into a glass and top with champagne.

Strawberry shortcake parfait:

Ingredients: 1 large angel food cake (plain), 2 pkg fresh strawberries( frozen is fine), 1 tub of cool whipped topping, strawberry mousse.

Directions: Make strawberry mousse according to recipe, Blend one pkg of strawberries to make puree (I used pulse for this), and the other pkg cut strawberries in half, put aside. Cut angel food cake into three sections. Layer bowl first with one section of angel food cake, (w) topping, strawberry puree, mousse, and a layer of cut strawberries

Strawberry Tart:

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • around 1 pound of fresh strawberries, rinsed and dried
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (room temp is easiest to work with but mine was chilled)
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Remove hulls from strawberries and slice them in half. Put them in a bowl, sprinkle them with sugar, gently mix them and then set them aside. Meanwhile, prepare the crust:

For the crust (adapted from David Lebovitz)

  • 6 tablespoons (3 oz) butter
  • 1 tablespoon oil (I usually use canola but this time I used coconut oil)
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup flour
  1. Preheat oven to 400°
  2. In an ovenproof bowl (such as a Pyrex) mix first five ingredients. Put the bowl in the oven for around 15 minutes (the edges will be brown and the butter will be bubbling).
  3. Carefully remove the bowl (it will be very hot) and quickly mix in the flour until it forms a ball of dough.
  4. Place the dough into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom and spread it around with a spatula. When it is cool enough to handle, press it into bottom and sides of the pan with your fingers. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork around ten times and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

While the crust is baking, place the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla in a small bowl.  After around 30 minutes, there should be some liquid in bowl of strawberries. Drain it into the cream cheese and mix everything together. You can do this by hand, but a mixer or hand blender will be faster and make it smoother.

When the crust is cooled, spread the cream cheese mixture onto the bottom of the tart. Arrange the strawberry slices over the cream cheese and chill. Slice and serve.

That’s it! Enjoy!

{Purple + Gray + Yellow Inspiration} Habesha Garden Romance Styling Shoot at Meridian Hill Park!

  Favored by Yodit Events | Garden Romance Styling Shoot Photo shoot In 2013 I had the opportunity to plan and coordinate over ten weddings, twenty special events and my very first styling shoot! This shoot was inspired by my love for gardens and the 2013 trend of outdoor weddings that was very popular among couples everywhere so what better place than Meridian Hill Park.

A couple of months ago I had the idea to do the "Garden Romance" Styling Shoot with some great vendors at Meridian Hill Park, a structured urban park located in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Columbia Heights. The place is filled with beautiful areas like a cascading fountain, overlooking ledges, gorgeous landscape and much more! I wanted to photograph a young Ethiopian couple so my team and I enlisted in the talents of up and coming models, Alem & Samuel who were great to work with!

Our amazing stylist, Erica Joi from Distinctiv Style knew my color palette and vision and found the perfect bridal boutique in Old Town Alexandria named Ellie's Bridal to pick out a stunning long & lace gown which was very popular all over the bridal salons last year. The gown was also accompanied by long, traditional veil, which we also saw popular with our Favored Brides! The groom's attire was from Savvy Formalwear who has also dressed some of my past clients with great attention to detail and I think they hit the mark with this modern light gray suit and vest combination. The purple tie and handkerchief were the perfect palette addition to finish the look.

Favored by Yodit Events | Garden Romance Styling Shoot Photo shoot

Favored by Yodit Events | Garden Romance Styling Shoot Photo shoot

Favored by Yodit Events | Garden Romance Styling Shoot Photo shoot

Favored by Yodit Events | Garden Romance Styling Shoot Photo shoot

Favored by Yodit Events | Garden Romance Styling Shoot Photo shoot

Favored by Yodit Events | Garden Romance Styling Shoot Photo shoot

Favored by Yodit Events | Garden Romance Styling Shoot Photo shoot

Favored by Yodit Events | Garden Romance Styling Shoot Photo shoot

Favored by Yodit Events | Garden Romance Styling Shoot Photo shoot

Creative Team:

Spring 2013’s Trend: Long Live The Party Dress! @RenttheRunway

Dream Spring 2013 Closet  

Being a self proclaimed "Party Girl turned Party Planner" means I wear  lots of dresses. Since I don't have a closet the size of Oprah's yet, I try to save money & space by finding new ways to look the part. Now that wedding season & summer parties are quickly approaching I thought it would be good to share  one of my favorite go-to spots to find inspirations & trends for my style, Rent the Runway!

Rent the Runway is a company with a mission – to democratize fashion and empower women to feel beautiful every day. And every time I have worn a dress from this online closet on the go I have received tons of compliments.

The online retailer just released a some great Spring 2013 Trends for dresses and accessories for any guest of a wedding or special event leading to the big day such as the Engagement Party, Bridal Shower, Bachelorette Party, Rehearsal Dinner & Honeymoon Looks To Love!

Read RTR's Here Comes the Guest