Fall 2019 we took time to hit pause, before the holiday season swept us up, to celebrate and cultivate our growing community in the form of a Friendsgiving event. Hosted at San Francisco’s Cerf Club, TTTT Friendsgiving included a sit-down Thanksgiving-style dinner, plenty of wine, and an evening of facilitated conversation to help us all build connections. Our goal was to provide a safe space for attendees to feel heard and supported in the pursuit of their goals and passions.

Cultivating Community

We couldn’t have pulled off this event, the first SOLD OUT Take Time to Toast event ever, without getting clear on our “why.” Take Time to Toast strives to be a source of support for its attendees and to facilitate connections within the community. To better align with these values, attendees were encouraged to think about their own “why” and the unique skills and traits they add to the Take Time to Toast community. Everyone brings something special to the table – a unique perspective, a different career path, opportunities to network even further, and so much love and support. We may have provided the food and drinks, but this group of attendees brought so much more—a willingness to connect, to share their voice, and ask for the help of others.

An Expert Opinion

An entrepreneurial journey is not a clear-cut path to success, every journey is difficult and unique in the obstacles and victories it presents. However, we were thrilled to have guest speaker Alexandra Register, creator and founder of KLSD Design Co., join us for Friendsgiving! Alex spoke on the important role community has played in her success. It is because of her cultivation of a true support system that she now runs a thriving local boutique in a space she was told would never work!

In a season full of gratitude, the attitude of gratitude in this growing community was truly palpable. Let us continue to support each and every one of you with encouragement, food for thought, and future events: stayed connected with Take Time to Toast on Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter. Meanwhile, we hope you always find yourself seated at tables of people who challenge you, support you, and are a positive force in your endeavors.

XOXO,

Shaina

Sponsors

BBJ Linens @bbjlinen

Cerf Club @cerfclub

Chile Pies Baking Co. @chilepiesbakingco

Danielle Gibson Events @daniellegibsonevents

KLSD Design Co. @klsd_co

Kuga Designs @kugadesignsflorals

LaCroix @lacroixwater

Milou & Olin Photography @milouandolinphotography

Minute Media Productions @trevor_schlitt

MTGA Wines @mtgawines

Stag Dining @stagdining

Tournesol Wines @tournesolwine

Vine Country Signs @vinecountrysigns

In a world filled with noise, we held a Take Time to Toast Wellness event at The Assembly, in San Francisco to provide a quiet, healthy space. We wanted to give attendees a chance to hit pause on the chaos of modern life, so we stripped away all the noise, just for half a day, and sat with the silence of our internal voices.

Yoga with Natalie Somers

Yoga Instructor Natalie Somers led our attendees through an all-levels flow class. Yoga is intended to improve the strength and flexibility of your muscles, especially those that aren’t used often. Having Natalie gets our bodies in line with our mind was so helpful to kick off the day! You will only be more successful in your pursuits if you dedicate time to increasing your strength and flexibility (physically AND mentally!).

Finding Your Personal Purpose with Kristin Krajecki

During the personal purpose workshop, each attendee had an opportunity to pause and reflect on where they were at that moment and where they wanted to get to. Purpose brings clarity to your goal setting by aligning those goals with your passions and values. Knowing our personal purpose helps steer our actions. We encourage you to set aside some time to think about what personal purpose means to you and how purpose has shaped your life and goals. Start to get clear on what excites you and what your passions are to help identify your purpose and align your life around it.

Part of self care is your community: who you surround yourself with can bring you energy or drain your energy. We, as humans, are not meant to do this life thing alone. Embrace your community and encourage one another so that you all thrive and grow. Be on the lookout for our next Take Time to Toast event so that you too can invest in growing your community.

Sponsors:

Venue: The Assembly @theassemblysf

Photographer: Milou & Olin Photography @milouandolinphotography

Wine: Ferdinand Wines @ferdinandwines

Wine: Novaolo Wine @novaolo

Sparkling Water: La Croix @lacroixwater

Catering: Mortar & Pestle Cooking @mortarpestlecooking

Florals: Rito Ito Florals @rito_ito

Purpose Coach: Kristin Krajecki @novaolo

Yoga Instructor: Natalie Somers @natalie_somers

CBD Products: Winged CBD @wingedcbd

Skin Care: Lark Skin Co. @larkskinco

4th of July is one of our favorite holidays, and a great excuse to throw a party if we’ve ever heard one. There’s nothing quite like a themed party to get our creative juices flowing, and we wanted to help you find a little inspiration to help you with your own Independence Day celebrations. We’ve scoured high and low to find you some of our favorite ideas for a red, white, and blue extravaganza, and included some of our favorite tips and tricks on planning a party. Here are our keys to a fun, classic 4th of July party.

Festive Food & Drink

Let’s just be honest, the food and drinks is always one of our favorite parts of hosting any kind of party (we are from wine country after all). Signature cocktails or festive food can be a great way to incorporate the holiday into your party plans. Pick one or two items to get in the spirit of things, and then keep the rest of your menu simple and delicious. These recipes are a few great examples that we will definitely be enjoying this coming 4th.

4th of July Icebox Cake from Little Sweet Baker

There’s nothing like a sweet treat for the Fourth of July, and this freezer cake is both delicious and patriotic. Layers of soft graham cracker crust, sweet cream, and fresh berries create a refreshing dessert that will keep everyone cool and satisfy their sweet tooth. We’re definitely going to try our hand at making this 4th of July Icebox Cake from Little Sweet Baker.

Star Spangled Ice Cream Sandwiches

When we’re in charge of food, the simpler the better. These bedazzled ice cream sandwiches are as easy to make as they are adorable and honestly, that is a win-win in our book. Check out the full recipe for these star spangled 4th of July ice cream sandwiches from Simply Kierste Design.

Watermelon Lime Vodka Slushie

Is there anything that tastes more like summer than watermelon slushies? We certainly don’t think so. Add a little zest with some lime and kick it up from mocktail to cocktail by adding your vodka of choice. This watermelon lime vodka slushie from The Okayest Moms is the perfect signature cocktail for summer.

Red, White & Blue Decor

Less is more when it comes to 4th of July decor. You don’t have to go full flag, head-to-toe, red, white and blue to create a patriotic ambiance at your get-together. While we love our nation’s colors, taking a slightly minimalist approach can actually make them pop more than if every surface is splattered with cherry gingham and royal blue stripes. These examples are the perfect happy medium: classy, simple, and understated, yet still festive and fun.

Stars and Stripes Flag Pennant Garland

The perfect addition to any modern farmhouse, this stars and stripes flag pennant garland is a classic for the 4th of July. Simple touches like this one can be used inside and outside the house to add a little spark to  your everyday decor.

Custom Linen Napkins

If you’re feeling extra crafty, these three thread rolled hem napkins from Boxwood Avenue are a must. Although Chloe suggests them as a Mother’s Day gift, we think they are also perfect for the 4th of July. Choose a festive pattern and get your serger ready- you’ll have custom linen napkins in no time!

An Outdoor Soiree

There’s something about the 4th of July that makes us feel like we should be eating our meals outside, and this table from Erin of My Texas House is as all-American as it gets. Dining al fresco is one of our favorite past times all summer and an outdoor table allows you to mingle with your guests and handle the grill all at the same time!

Something to Make Hosting a Little Easier

Confete Party Box

This is quite literally a party in a box. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well we are here to tell you it’s just as good as it sounds- maybe even better. From metallic silver star plates to sparklers and striped straws, this 4th of July Party Box from Confete Party Box will make hosting a breeze.

Oh Happy Day Party Shop

If you’re more of the “mix and match” type, or you just like to pick your own party supplies, Oh Happy Day Party Shop is your spot. These colorful party supplies come in every shape and size, for every occasion. You’ll feel like a kid in a candy store shopping through their pages and pages of options!

Sucre Shop

Wooden utensils are all the rage (saving the world one spoon at a time!) and these are some of the cutest ones we have ever come across. What better to celebrate the 4th of July than blue and red striped utensils?! Sucre Shop’s spoons are perfect for scooping heaps of ice cream, or maybe that icebox cake we mentioned earlier.

Let us know what your 4th of July party plans are and where you’re drawing your inspiration from!

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In case you’re new to our blog, or you just haven’t yet heard of our #girlgang empowerment events, Take Time to Toast, let us give you a refresher. Here at DGE, we firmly believe in taking the time to say thank you to our fellow female entrepreneurs, vendors, partners, and friends (don’t get us wrong, we love the guys too! But this event’s all about the #girlpower).

We believe in the power of bringing women together to network, create, and share. Our Take Time to Toast events allow some of the busiest women we know to take a pause and recognize each other for the incredibly hard work that they do.

Our latest Take Time to Toast is our fourth so far, and the second one we’ve held this year. Clearly we love these events so much that we’ll throw one just about as often as we can, but this one was particularly special. This Take Time to Toast took place before a 3-day annual event and our same crew has been working on it together for three years running! This group of women and this 3-day event were what inspired us to start Take Time to Toast a little over one year ago. We felt it was only right to recognize this exceptional group of ladies with their own private Take Time to Toast dinner at the lovely Indian Springs Resort & Spa in Calistoga.

Our intimate table was set for nine and tucked away in a particularly beautiful corner of the venue, surrounded by lush greenery and an ambiance that the Napa Valley is famous for creating. As many of you in the industry know, the summer time is always busy for event planners (especially wedding planners), so taking time off to have dinner together is no small feat. We decided to upgrade our pre-event team dinner to a Take Time to Toast celebration, and well, we can’t say we were disappointed in the slightest. After we sat down, we shared updates on how the events season was going for each of us and expressed statements of gratitude to clear our heads before a long event week. It was the perfect way to kick things off and get our #girlboss game faces on. After a toast with our favorite Fearless Rosé, we were ready to come together as the DGE team and get down to business. See below for a complete list of event sponsors of this summery event!

 

Interested in attending a public Take Time to Toast event? Make sure you’re signed up for the Take Time to Toast newsletter so you’ll be the first to know when dates are released, tickets are on sale, and speakers are announced!

Thank You Sponsors:

Fringe garlands – Ellenor Shop @ellenorshop

Toast place cards and stir sticks – Studio Noel @Studio.Noel

Photography – Milou and Olin Photography @milouandolinphotography Giggle and Riot @giggleandriot

Florals – Revel Floral @revelfloral

What is Take Time to Toast?

Take Time to Toast events are devoted to empowering women entrepreneurs and saying, “thank you.” Thank you for sharing your unique talents with this crazy industry, thank you for working tirelessly with us to create something beautiful, and, mostly, thank you for working your tush off without expecting a thank you in return.

These events create an environment where women can toast each other and learn from one another’s experiences. Take Time to Toast is quickly growing into an established (and beloved) tradition around the DGE office and will soon be expanding to include the SF Bay Area event industry, creatives, and beyond.

This year’s Take Time to Toast was an intimate dinner gathering with both old and new friends. The evening included dinner and drinks, inspiring conversation, Instagram-worthy photo ops, and a few Galentine’s Day-themed surprises.

The party focused on vendors and clients coming together to share their best ideas in collaboration. This particular Take Time to Toast event recognized vendors, entrepreneurs, and other event industry professionals by inviting them to have a seat at the table with us, and with each other. We also partnered with numerous sponsors to create magic moments at the event and their contributions were showcased in numerous ways. A couple of our favorites were a bathtub filled to the brim with rosé and Oreos dipped in pink-marbled chocolate. YEAH. WE KNOW. It was as good as it sounds.

Bringing clients, event friends, and influencers into the same room gave us all the opportunity to network and let our creative juices flow. We always feel more inspired after talking with our #girlgang, but the inspiration didn’t stop at casual conversation. We also had two inspiring guest speakers: Temi Adamolekun from Radiant Work Spaces, the keynote speaker for the evening, and Chelsea Hoff from Fearless Wines.

You could feel the love and appreciation as glasses clinked, stories were shared, and smiles filled the room.

Danielle Gibson Events x Take Time to Toast Experience

This Take Time to Toast event took place at Stable Cafe: a converted carriage house located in the lively Mission District in San Francisco. After a warm welcome to the party under a giant balloon garland installation, each guest received a hand calligraphed magnetic name tag by Blushtype, a glass of Fearless rosé, and a custom cocktail or non-alcoholic refresher from Serpentine SF to kick off the night.

Attendees had the opportunity to share some love with their Galentines at the Collaboration Station hosted by Candy Club. Take Time to Toast was the day before Valentine’s Day, so there was an interactive activity with candy and valentines to create and drop in other attendee’s bags. These bags were gorgeously perched on a crate wall and personalized with handwritten names in calligraphy by Blushtype. Cocktail hour was full of new introductions, networking, catching up with familiar friends, and sending little love notes to our Galentines and #girlboss crushes.

Cocktail hour was followed by a seated dinner featuring a three-course meal prepared by Foxtail Catering. Decadent plates of poached egg, seared diver scallops, and olive oil cake with heirloom citrus were enjoyed by the guests. This was not a quiet group, but things sure quieted down when these plates hit the table, which as they say, is usually a sign of excellent food.   

The dining room design was a Galentine’s Day dream. All rentals were provided by Archive and fit the theme of the night perfectly. The room was full of soft pink hues and the lighting was warm and cool all at the same time. There was a beautiful floral installation created and designed by Erin DeYoung, owner of Scarlett and Grace, that hung from the ceiling. Coupe glasses, copper flatware, pink stones as place cards, and tea light candles were carefully placed among the tables. As a guest, one couldn’t help but stare and take photos of the surrounding decor.

During dinner, Chelsea Hoff, owner and winemaker of Fearless Wines, spoke about her journey as a young female entrepreneur in the wine making business. Chelsea also spoke about the rosé she sponsored that we all enjoyed during cocktail hour, and she told her story on how she got to where she is today.

Temi Adamolekun was the keynote speaker for the evening and is the owner of Radiant Workspaces, a co-working space and social club for women. It’s a place for women to connect, collaborate, and create. As if this weren’t already a slam dunk for what Take Time to Toast is all about, Temi has another business called Pembroke PR. At Take Time to Toast, Temi spoke about her business experience as a woman, collaboration, and what it means to her to be an entrepreneur. Her standout quote was for all of us to stop pretending that “work-life balance” exists and just be OK with doing our best.

Where does Take Time to Toast go from here?

Coming fall of 2018, TTTT will be hosting its first public event. Tickets will be available later this year and sold on a first come-first served basis. To be the first to know about upcoming TTTT events, be sure to join the Take Time to Toast newsletter.

Thank you to our event sponsors:

@daniellegibsonevents – event planning + design

@stablecafe – venue

@foxtailcatering – catering

@serpentinesf – bar service

@megsmithphotography – photography

@fearlesswines – rosé

@chandonusa – sparkling wine

@theonicollection – glassware

@accentsinserts – shoe inserts

@blushtype –  invitations, signage, name tags

@scarlettandgrace – florals

@balloonspecialtiesbayarea – balloons

@archiverentals – rentals  

@radiantworkspaces – guest speaker

@studio.noel – acrylic signs + custom stir sticks

@loveinthemix – DJ Amy Robbins

@teenycakebakery – pink marble Oreos

@candyofthemonth – candy

@happinessplanner – pens

 

What is Galentine’s Day, you ask? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year! Amy Poehler says it best and once again it’s right around the corner. If you’re spending this fabulous occasion surrounded by your #girlgang, we’re sharing a bit of event planning design inspo to curate the perfect event focused around the best of the best — your powerhouse posse, your boss babes, your ride or dies.

Step 1) G-Day invitations + card exchange. If this occasion doesn’t make you think back to your younger years and exchanging handmade and/or handwritten cards with your favorite gals (and maybe your secret crush), well then, here’s your chance to make that reality happen!

We love the idea of providing Galentine’s cards for guests to share with one another throughout the event and this printable set recently featured on Pizzazzerie includes all of the goods, from invitations and cupcake toppers (we’re using them for our card exchange!) to banners and playful icebreaker cards. These individual “cupcake topper” squares can also be used as tiny galentine’s, allowing guests to quickly jot down a little lady love note and place it in one another’s card exchange box. Another fun idea is to encourage guests to arrive with a pre-made card exchange box they’ve decorated by hand, which gets all the feels started prior to arriving for the big day!

Snag these beauties to print prior to your party and let the fun begin. We also love these printables from Brit + Co as well.

Side note: if you don’t follow @pizzazzerie on Instagram, trust me, it’s worth the follow for anything and everything related to entertaining in style!

Step 2) The welcome! At every DGE event hosted at Danielle’s home, the first thing guests see upon arrival is her stylish front door. You know those posts about fabulous doors in Palm Springs? Well this gal is right up there with them in terms of style factor. No matter the season, there will always be some sort of colorful welcome indicating you’ve found the right spot! Be sure to dress up your door or entryway for your guests.

Step 3) Rosé! No explanation necessary here. This step speaks for itself. If your guests aren’t a fan of rosé, kick them out! Kidding, kidding. Always have a back-up red or white, but just keep the wine flowing and there will be no shortage of conversations (and fun).

Step 4) Simple, customizable treats. At one of our recent Take Time to Toast events, we created “bespoke bowls” for the group, allowing everyone to choose their favorite ingredients. As we’re all unique creatures, we understand that everyone has a distinct flavor palate and wanted to allow each guest to choose their own adventure.

If you’re looking for something a bit more simple (and on a budget), we love the idea of a parfait bar with lots of yummy fruits and grains. This Martha Stewart article outlines some great options!

Step 5) Photo booth or backdrop. While we all come to the party for the company, we also come for the photos (or it didn’t happen, right?). Every party should have a dedicated photo backdrop to snap a pic from your phone, or even provide a Polaroid camera for take home photos. Either way, don’t skip this step, whether big or small.

Above are photos from one of our favorite backdrops, but we also love the idea of a DIY backdrop like this one created by the duo at Lovely Indeed with just a few sticky notes. Yes, it’s that easy to create this attention-grabbing background!

Step 6) Party favors. Our most memorable party favors were a variety of beauty products from one of our favorite brands: Glossier. For your party, ask everyone to bring their favorite beauty product (while providing a dedicated maximum budget of, say, $20) and then initiate a beauty swap during the event. We are always on the hunt for new must-have products, so this allows for sharing and gaining a new product for our beauty regimen.

For more design ideas from our event planning life in Napa, check out our Galentine’s Day Pinterest board. Oh, and be sure to follow Danielle Gibson Events and Take Time to Toast on Instagram as we cover our upcoming G-Day event. 

 

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