After watching Oprah’s monumental speech at the Grammy’s, the Women’s March yesterday and preparing for our next Take Time to Toast event in a few short weeks, Danielle Gibson Events’ has been feeling all sorts of inspired lately! All of this seemed very fitting heading into our annual Vision Board Party, where we hosted Grace Gulley, author and founder of an online community meant to encourage and empower women to pursue their goals.

During the event, Grace shared her journey of finding and pursing her passion to coach women in doing just that – finding their happy. We’re not talking about the happy that society tells us we need to obtain or that we tell ourselves we need to be living. Instead, Grace invites you to focus on finding that place where you truly feel yourself. Whether it’s a side hustle you’ve been considering for some time or that next BIG move to take your business to the next level, she pushes you to step outside of your comfort zone to take those BIG dreams into action.

To kick off the afternoon, Grace led the group through a visualization exercise. She asked us to sit with our thoughts for a few moments and jot down some of our goals for the future. Did you know that simply putting a goal into words or onto paper makes you ten times more likely to achieve it? Yeah, manifestation is some powerful stuff!

As the group began to feverishly jot down their thoughts (because let’s be honest, this group was full of hustlers!), Grace then asked us to write down a few words of affirmation to assure ourselves we would achieve our goals. Telling yourself “I can,” “I will” or “I am” can be more powerful that you would ever imagine, as we all have a tendency to get in our heads from time to time and let that little voice of doubt creep in.

Once Grace got our brains moving on our vision for the next year we began the vision boarding! Oh, and we dug into some of the most delicious treats from Elaine Bell Catering and Whetstone Wines! These tiny sandwiches packed a serious flavor punch and we definitely ate more macaroons than we care to admit, but hey, it’s all in the name of creativity, am I right?!

Another special guest in attendance was Sheryl of Blushtype calligraphy. See all of these super cute, super inspiring signs below? Yeah, those beauties were handmade by her! Sheryl spent the afternoon preparing custom calligraphy signs for the group to pin to their board.

After an hour or so of open conversations, our vision boards were (mostly) complete and we were ready to share! We love this group shot of everyone with their goals literally in the palms of their hands. It’s moments like this that remind us that we have the power to make our dreams come to life, we simply have to get out of our own way and get it done!

This event was truly magical and it simply would not have been possible without these incredible sponsors. Be sure to check them out on social!

@daniellegibsonevents – event planning and design

@kvenues – venue in Napa, California

@gracegulley – guest speaker

@the_happy_planner – planners

@blushtype – calligraphy

@erinheartscourt – photography

@elainebellcatering – catering

@encoreeventsrentals – rentals

@scarlettandgrace – florals

@latavolalinen – linens + pillows

@whetstonewinecellars – wine

If you’re interested in participating in this same exercise, take 2-3 minutes to sit with your thoughts for each of the items below. Jot down anything that comes to mind. Keep in mind, there is no wrong answer. Your list can be big or small, and it can continue to grow as time goes on. You do you, girl!

1) What are your goals for the next year?
2) Share a few words of affirmation about achieving those goals. For instance, if one of your goals is to run a marathon, you could say something like, “I will run a marathon within the next 6 months.” The key part of an affirmation is using the phrases “I can/will/am going to…(fill in the blank).”
3) Name one thing you can do tomorrow to work towards these goals.

Danielle Gibson Events recently hosted an event with the help of our friends at Confete Party Box, inviting a variety of local vendors throughout the Napa and Sonoma areas. We were thrilled to not only showcase the goodies we received in our Confete Party Box, but also share the afternoon with incredible women in the event and wine industry. At its core, this event was held with the intent to come together to support one another during a time of local adversity.

First, a little background on Confete Party Box! This team launched their curated party boxes after receiving numerous requests from friends and family to assist in planning their parties, and of course, picking out the perfect decor. They quickly came up with the idea to share this experience with anyone looking for party decor for all types of occasions. The best part…it’s shipped right to your doorstep! Does it get any better than that?

Our Confete Party Box arrived just in time for our Halloween themed event and let-me-tell-you! These details were exactly what we needed to dress up our tablescape and festive cocktails. Our box included decorative plates + cups, our favorite glitter utensils, napkins (obviously in the shape of a ghost), drink stirrers and, of course, lettered BOO-lloons (see what we did there?). Needless to say, we were quite pleased with the box and can’t wait to try them again in the future! Be sure to check out their website for the party box that’s perfect for your next event (psst! if you’re hosting a New Year’s Eve event, don’t miss this box)

After fawning over our party decor, including the tasty chocolate treats from Woodhouse Chocolate that were *almost* too cute to eat, we spent the afternoon catching up with some of our favorite “frendors” (see previous posts for definition). We laughed, we indulged in lots of German chocolate cake from Alexis Baking Company and even shed a few tears.

As many of you know, our beloved wine country was recently victim to some of the most devastating fires Northern California has ever seen. After over a week of turmoil and helplessly watching the devastation spread throughout our neighborhoods, our dedicated local fire departments (from near and far) were able to contain the fires. As anyone in the area can attest, every passing moment felt like a lifetime and every phone call received made our hearts drop. While some homes were spared, there were many in the area that were not and our hearts continue to ache for these friends, families and neighbors. The group of friends attending this event all live in and/or have businesses based in the Napa and Sonoma area. Needless to say, inviting these women to come together after such a monumental event was truly bittersweet.

During the event, Danielle Gibson read an email from a local winemaker, Azur Wines, who perfectly summed up what we all felt as we watched loved ones and strangers around us lose their homes, but also watch our community come together in a way that somehow made our hearts ache just a little less. While many lives will be forever changed by these events, we feel truly fortunate to be a part of such a compassionate and remarkable community.

Danielle Gibson Events hosted this event as part of the Take Time to Toast series, which focuses on bringing together, empowering, supporting and thanking boss babes. To learn more about Take Time to Toast, check out this blog!

Check out more photos below, as well as the full list of vendors that helped make this special event happen.

A huge thanks to these vendors:

@briana_marie for the photos

@lewiscellars for the wine

@confetepartybox for the party supplies

@napaweddingsigns for the pumpkin calligraphy

@balloonspecialtiesnapavalley for the balloons

@packedparty for the disco balls cups

@woodhousechocolates for the chocolates

@bouchon_bakery for the desserts

@theonicollection for the wine glasses

@latavolalinen for the linens and pillows

#bigranchfarms for all of the pumpkins

#alexisbakingcompany for the cakes

Happy Halloween!

The Danielle Gibson Events team recently got together with some of our closest frendors (that’s friends and vendors) of the Napa and Sonoma communities to throw a Halloween Party! We were able to put on this event thanks to some help from our friends at Confete Party Box.

Confete Party Box‘s concept is simple: beautiful parties, delivered to your door!

What a great idea, right? So we teamed up. We were so excited to get our Halloween themed box and the anticipation of what would be inside made it that much more fun. Check out Confete Party Box‘s website to see all the other curated boxes they have. There’s also an option to go custom! What’s cool is that their products are unique and not anything like what you would find at your neighborhood party-goods store.

Lastly, a big thank you to our wonderful photographer, Briana Marie. Below is just a taste of the beautiful images she captured. Stay tuned for more in the following weeks, as well as an upcoming blog post explaining the event and it’s significance in light of the Napa and Sonoma fires.

XOXO, DGE

You’ve waited long enough…a toast to you for bearing with us as we sorted out the press for our rosé themed soirée. We’re so excited to finally share it with all of you!

Take Time to Toast

A toast to the fabulous girl bosses in our lives and all that we’ve done as a team.

Take Time to Toast was an event hosted by Danielle Gibson Events to take time to honor and thank (aka *toast*) the girl bosses that work with us! The concept came from the idea that we all work so hard, but we don’t take the time to toast each other, or ourselves, for that hard work. Being in the events industry, we are constantly throwing parties for clients but never for our own staff. The time has come in our book! This concept should be across all businesses, not just the events world…so Danielle Gibson Events decided to lead the way in celebrating those around us!

This Take Time to Toast event was for eight very special women who partnered with DGE on our most recent corporate retreat. The retreat was a big deal for some high profile clients and these ladies worked their butts off to help everything go off without a hitch. What better way to say thank you than with rosé (both the wine and the color), delicious bites and picture-perfect photo-ops? We had tons of vendors and sponsors that made this event come to life, including our photographer @megsmithphotography, our florist @scarlettandgrace, and our caterer @fogcutter_sf, who created our idea of “bespoke bowls” perfectly. 

Again, thank you to Meg Smith for these perfect images.

Thank you to our vendors:

@megsmithphotography for the pics

@scarlettandgrace for the flowers

@fotcutter_sf for the food

@sixthcoursesf for the dessert

@balloonspecialtiesnapavalley for the rad indoor/outdoor balloon sculpture 

@azurwines for the jerobaums of rosé

@theark_ for our table runner, napkins, napkin rings, and flatware 

@thepeculiar.ink for our calligraphy

@harlowandgrey for the pink and gold splashed cocktail napkins

@theonicollection for the BEAUTIFUL coupe glasses and chairs

@concretegeometic for our centerpieces under the loads of pretty florals

@augustcalifornia for our handbags

@glossier for the makeup station

@katespadeny for the gold pens

@latavolalinen for the velvet pillows and poufs 

@studio.noel for our TTTT stir sticks and photo booth prop!

@snapfiesta for the photo booth

@packedparty for the disco ball cups

@foryourparty for the custom Take Time to Toast cocktail napkins

^^^Be sure to give them some social media love!

In attendance was @annewilner, @allsetevents, @lmmrks, @flutterevents, @rebeccareateguiweddings, @2shaina, and @napavalley_celebrations.

You can give them some love too by clicking on their names!

This event was a huge success and so much fun.                  

Moving forward, we plan to make Take Time to Toast a DGE staple and we can’t wait to partner with more brands and make this happen on a larger scale.

XOXO

One party we love to participate in every year is HandMade Events’ PopUp Party. Nicole and her husband Garrett have been throwing their PopUp Party since 2011 in several cities around the US. Sonoma is our local party of choice and we always have a great team that helps pull it all together.

How to attend?

To attend a PopUp Party, you need to purchase tickets on the HandMade Events website. (usually a few months before) Tickets sell out fast, so buy them when they go live! For $40 a ticket, HandMade Events supplies you with a seat at a table, music, lighting, and restrooms and the rest is up to you. Most people come as a group and delegate the responsibilities for decor, food, beverages, and tableware. Our group has been attending for three years and DGE is (of course) responsible for decor. We also bring lots of wine since my husband is in the wine industry and always wants to enjoy something from his cellar.

Here are some photos of from this year’s event:

We were inspired by boho vibes this year.

Pulling all the pieces together is fun, loading into the party…not so much fun. If you are ever thinking of changing careers and being an event planner, one thing to know…it’s a lot of schlepping!

Table setup!

Ta da! The finished table.

Several wonderful vendors were used to create this look that we would like to thank! See below how you can create this look for our own party.

We started off the night with lots of rosé fun! We opened a jerobaum bottle of our favorite rosé, Azur. We did something most wine drinkers don’t do…poured our rosé into disco ball tumblers from Packed Party to get the party started. If you follow us on Instagram, you know we are obsessed with these disco balls. They are so much fun to drink out of and they always put a smile on everyone’s face…look for our upcoming party where we will be using hundreds of these!

P.S. -A Jerobaum wine bottle is the size of two magnums!

Floral Design

Soulflower was our florist for the event. We are loving pampas grass at the moment and not only does it match perfectly for a white party, but it’s big and makes a great statement without spending a lot of money. It also looks so pretty blowing in the wind, giving the relaxed Bohemian vibe we were looking for. We used potted plants to add greenery to the table to give it an earthy look with lots of different textures.

Linens

La Tavola was our linen of choice for something simple, flowy and organic feeling to keep with our boho theme. We chose the Tuscany Eggshell fabric. The feel of the linen material is perfect with the theme and the eggshell color is a little bit less harsh then a bright white shade. We also had the eggshell napkins to match.

Table Runners

We thought the look of these macrame runners were perfect for the theme. We found them in Cost Plus World Market for under $40! We used two of them for a 16-foot table since they were 6 feet long each. (We could have used three to have more of the macrame design on the table).

Tableware

Pulling the whole look together definitely happened with the help of Encore Events and their tabletop pieces; flatware, wicker chargers, and glassware. The wicker chargers added a great pop of a natural feel to the table while the flatware and amber glassware brought in a stylish flare that’s on point for tabletop design at the moment.

Place Cards

The place cards by Studio Noel were so awesome and different than what we have done in the past. The owner of Studio Noel, Brittni Fisher, is totally killing it with her business! We had so many people ask who made the place cards, so I hope she gets lots of new customers! The place cards were made of wood, another layer of texture that added to the final look of the table.

Votive Candle Holders

We have been using our Concrete Geometric votive holders for lots of events. They have such a great look and are even better when you stack them and create a different design each time. They are neutral so you can use them for almost any table design.

All of the food was homemade by our friends who attended the party. Here are some pics of what we enjoyed: beef tenderloin, gold leaf deviled eggs, tomatoes with burrata, and poached salmon… just to name a few.

At the end of the night, the DJ always makes the last hour so much fun!

Of course, none of these elements would appear quite so nice without the hard work of HandMade Events’ photographer, Allyson Wiley.

XOXO
Danielle

This past week has been a whirlwind for me: from traveling to Kentucky to experience The Bourbon Trail, to Tennessee for a visit to Blackberry Farm, to Highlands, North Carolina for a family visit, and finally to L.A. for a conference to end a week long vacation (work + play, right?), it was a nonstop week.