At Danielle Gibson Events, we love celebrating Valentine’s and Galentine’s Day! Have you seen this Galentine’s Day party we curated with our Take Time To Toast industry vendors, friends, and followers? Hoping all the pink at our Take Time To Toast parties here and here get you inspired! (They look like they could be a Valentine’s Day party!) Need more inspiration? Check out our Valentine’s and Galentine’s Day Pinterest boards for our hundreds of pins over the years.

Below is a list of our 10 favorite things to do… Enjoy your Holiday!

1. Good Things Come To Those Who Bake

Sarah from Broma Bakery has a delicious lineup of things to bake for someone in your life. Check out her top 10 list just for Valentine’s Day.

2. Call In A Flavor! (Order your sweet goods instead of baking)

A favorite for birthday cakes through the pandemic, Milk Bar is also offering special treats available to ship nationwide.

3. Eat Your Heart Out!

Create a charcuterie board with some heartfelt touches as a happy hour (or dinner?). Here we used heart-shaped crackers and a heart shaped nut dish for our Fantesca Estate & Winery DG Events photo styling project. You can watch our Instagram Reels on how we put this together.

4. Send A Valentine’s Day Message “ON” A Bottle

Fantesca Estate & Winery is collaborating with a local Napa Valley calligrapher Napa Note to offer beautiful custom calligraphy messages on their red wine bottles for Valentine’s Day. (photo styling by us!)

5. Flower Shower

Need a little self-care to pick you up? You can shower yourself or others with flowers by ordering a eucalyptus shower bouquet here or here!

6. I Love You More Than…Chocolate

A modern take on the traditional Valentine’s Day chocolates from andSons Chocolatier. Check out their beautiful box cover here.

7. You Had Me In Stitches

Lingua Franca started as a small line of sustainably-sourced, fair trade luxury cashmere sweaters, all hand-stitched by women in NYC. Today, they have expanded to include several categories of hand embroidered items for you to customize as well as seasonal ready-to-wear collections, several accessories, and even wallpaper! So many “lovely” options to give or wear on Valentine’s Day!

8. Think Inside The Box!

Bestowe, a woman-owned small business based in the San Francisco Bay Area, creates gift boxes for every occasion imaginable and of course, for Valentine’s Day.

9. Did you become a Pandemic Puzzle Person? (PPP)

Heart-shaped, puzzles with your own photo can be ordered through Minted.

10. You Warm My Heart ♥︎

Put some love into your waffles and make them for breakfast, dinner, or dessert!
Mini heart waffles will make everyone happy any time of the day on Valentine’s Day!

Wishing you a happy and healthy Galentine’s and Valentine’s Day from Danielle Gibson Events in Napa, California.

Thank you for those who watched us live! Here is the recording of our event last night. (We jump on right after their winemaker at about 23 minutes in…)

We enjoyed showcasing our Thanksgiving table design and as promised, we have included all the products we displayed! A quick recap for those who could not attend: we just finished sharing our favorite way to decorate the Thanksgiving table LIVE in partnership with St. Supéry Winery for their virtual tasting series. The tasting kicked off with a history of the St. Supéry Napa Valley Estate Rosé then DG Events designing the Thanksgiving table segment and ending with dining tips from Chef Tod Kawachi. Don’t worry if you missed it, we have plenty of photos of our table that will give you all the inspiration you need to decorate your Thanksgiving table!

If you are visiting our site for the first time, welcome! Just so you know a little more about us, we are Danielle Gibson Events and we are dedicated to executing flawless corporate events, weddings and social parties in Napa Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. In the past few months while the events industry has been on pause, we wanted to make sure people were still celebrating safely at home and have taken this opportunity to share our expert tips and tricks in our blog posts and collaborations like this virtual tasting with St. Supéry! 

Whether you are welcoming your quaranTEAM members into your home or keeping this year small with your immediate family, we always recommend having a welcome beverage ready to kick off the evening. It should be something light like a rosé, white wine, or perhaps a sparkling water with a twist and should be served in a wine glass to elevate the experience. Not a fan of wine charms but still want to make sure wine glasses don’t get mixed up? Use our favorite felt wine-o’s to personalize each glass, we recommend stacking your favorite colors so you can easily remember which glass is yours!  

SETTING THE SCENE

With the chaos that has been this year, many people have taken this time as an opportunity to renovate their living spaces to make said space even more comfortable for working, learning, and doing a majority of living from home. We took inspiration from this renewed idea of comfort to create our Thanksgiving table this year. As seen from the pictures above, we wanted to welcome the fall season with different shades of warm earthy tones similar to those found in nature during this time of year. When we think of feeling cozy, layering is one of the first words that popped in our head. To execute this idea, we loved the concept of using a monochromatic color scheme paired with different textures, something that you can see above in the linens, ceramics, and florals, both dried and alive. With these pictures in mind, we set out to find you the perfect pieces to create your own Thanksgiving table!  

THE TABLE

First layer: Linens and Accessories

We began our layering with a sable colored linen tablecloth from Hale Mercantile Co., and a waffled natural colored linen tablecloth from Parachute. We love both of these companies as they are dedicated to producing quality, long-lasting products. Fun facts: all of Hale Mercantile Co.’s linens are grown, spun, dyed, woven and sewn in Europe to ensure quality and Parachute’s linens are Oeko-Tex certified, meaning they are made without any harmful chemicals or synthetics! These tablecloths are great investments and will prove to be staple pieces for any future household entertaining.

For napkins, we love to employ cloth (we use them daily) rather than creating waste with paper. There are so many brands selling wonderful designs in all price ranges and for our table, we chose solid colors with interesting texture from Serena and Lily and Food52. 

We opted on adding a woven place mat to sneak in a bit more texture here. There are a plethora of great designs out there today, but we went with this simple design from World Market. For the napkin rings we added a variety of options so that we could have details to appeal to everyone! Whether that be ceramic, felt, rope, and leather, we have you covered! Our leather ties are DIY! 

Dishes

We LOVE to have a mix of place settings because it makes the table more interesting with all the different layers. Not everyone has to have the same plate, the more random the better!

Lulu and Georgia:

Small Wooden Plates

From Crate and Barrel: 

Medium Wooden Plate

Blush Matt Glazed Plate

Off-White Speckled Plate 

From Target – Hearth and Hand by Magnolia:

White Speckle Glazed Plate with Tan Edge

White Speckle Glazed Bowl with Tan Edge

Small White Melamine and Bamboo Bowl

Small Terracotta Melamine and Bamboo Bowl

Large Terracotta Melamine and Bamboo Bowl

Large White Melamine and Bamboo Bowl

Target Threshold™ designed with Studio McGee:

Decorative Wooden Bead Garland

Flatware

We like to keep it simple and classic. We love this gold flatware set from Design Within Reach and our treasured Laguiole steak knives. We’ve had these pieces for years and they always match perfectly with any table. Enough said.

Glassware

For our glassware we wanted to mix heights to give the table more dimension. These short gem tumblers in the color Amber from Food52 come in sets of four and help tie in our neutral color  palette as well. For wine glasses, we used Reidel Glasses to incorporate a more traditional look and it is always recommended to use this type of stemware to get the best smell and tastes out of your wine.  

Lighting 

We like to set the lights low and to bring in lots of candles to brighten up the table evoking a cozy intimate atmosphere. Just like in the case of the glassware, we wanted to incorporate votives and candle holders at varying heights. This set of 12 votives gives you plenty of candles to sprinkle around your table, the more the better! We complemented these more traditional, short votives with this fun duo taper candlestick holder from Lulu and Georgia and a few single white ceramic candlestick holders from West Elm. When using a monochromatic color scheme, you want to make sure to use the colors in creative ways. In this case, we substituted traditional white candle sticks for these taupe-colored taper candles from Lulu and Georgia. 

Paper Goods

Our menu is from one of our favorite graphic designers, Blushtype. This menu/place card combination is the perfect way to elevate your table and the beautiful layers and elements help tie-in our theme in a delicate way. We have no doubt that this will be a standout moment for your guests.

Serving Platters

We continue to bring the layers into how we serve food. We pulled platters that are similar in style to our dinner plates, so that while they bring in different sizes, they still fit in with the rest of our tablescape. This long oval bowl from Lulu and Georgia, shallow salad bowl and serving platter from San Francisco Bay area favorite Heath Ceramics, and a simple mango wood chopping board from Ikea are the perfect combination of looks. Using different shapes and materials keeps the table interesting. 

Florals

For our floral arrangements, we decided to display two options; fresh and dried. We partnered with one of our favorite florists, Erin from Scarlett & Grace, to bring you the best of the best!

The fresh florals can be described as a full and lush look with a mix of terracotta, peach, buttery yellow, and burgundy tones. This design has depth with flowers tucked in and arching out to keep the guests looking closer to see what they can find within the design. When shopping at a local grocery store like Trader Joes, look for these flowers to complete your look: Garden Roses, Lilies, Mini Carnations, Mums, Ranunculus, Shrimp Bush, Zinnia, Pepper Tree, Eucalyptus

The dried florals are a bit more edited than the fresh version, with multiple small pieces that can be nestled amongst your serving platters. The look has a variety of heights and dried textural elements so the guests have multiple views depending on where they are sitting. Some bud vases are filled with all one type of flower paired with others that are more designed. The whole table could be made using the “mono-flower” vases (the one flower type look) for a more modern streamlined feel. 

Before you set out to create your tables, we want to say a special thank you to our film and photography team, Olin and Josh from Milou and Olin Photography and Giggle and Riot for capturing our table. They are an incredible addition to any event, and we recommend them to document your special moments big and small! 

That’s it! Share photos with us of your finished tables on social media by tagging @daniellegibsonevents. Don’t forget to enjoy a glass or two of St. Supéry Rosé and some Spiced Butternut Squash Purée.

Want to see more decorating ideas for the Holidays?

See our 2019 Friendsgiving at Cerf Club, San Francisco
Check out our Pinterest Board to get inspired for your
Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving!

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The holiday season is upon us, and like many of you, we have mixed feelings. Our melancholy for lost plans is a feeling we need to acknowledge, but we are also thankful for the chance to remember amazing past events and to challenge ourselves to continue to create this year. For example, our Take Time to Toast Friendsgiving would normally kick-off this time of the year serves as a perfect opportunity to design a Insta-worthy event and catch up with friends in our industry. While we may not be able to see you in person this year, we still want to connect!  

We have partnered with St. Supéry Winery of Napa Valley for their virtual wine tasting #Injoy at Home Entertainment Series to do just that!

For the November 5th segment, Danielle Gibson Events will be streaming LIVE from Napa Valley with St. Supéry Winery to show you the latest trends for your Thanksgiving table. The virtual tasting starts with education behind the St. Supéry Napa Valley Estate Rosé and dining tips from Chef Tod Kawachi and ends with our Thanksgiving table segment!  We are including EVERY resource in our next blog so you can shop all the items of our table design!

SIGN UP HERE to join this free virtual wine tasting (Thursday, November 5th at either 3:00pm PST or 5:30 pm PST) Don’t forget to purchase Rosé wine so you can sip while you follow along!

Want to see more decorating ideas for the Holidays?

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Dream up a party with us on Pinterest 

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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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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Do you ever look at those incredible holiday tablescapes on Pinterest and think, ugh (!) why doesn’t my table look like that? Well friends, Danielle Gibson Events has good news for you. As we (and our gal, @targetdoesitagain) recently discovered, Target launched their Hearth & Hand collection earlier this month and everyone is swooning over these beauties. Whether you are looking for the perfect holiday decor to dress up your dinner table, or everyday items to decorate your home, they’ve got you covered.

One of our favorite things about the Hearth & Hand collection is the story behind these subtly stylish pieces. This line was created by Target in collaboration with Magnolia, a home and lifestyle brand by Chip and Joanna Gaines. If you haven’t already heard their story, learn about it here. This power couple is truly killing the game with their eye for design and strong desire to create community inside and outside the home.

Within seconds of strolling down the aisle at Target, our minds started reeling with ideas. We could immediately picture these X-Patterned Glass Goblets, filled with our favorite chardonnay from Lewis Cellars. Or these Embroidered Placements (which come in numerous colors and patterns) styled alongside these Plaid Napkins. Needless to say, the combinations are endless and we had to resist the strong urge to buy everything in every color!

We were so inspired by this couple and their line, that we threw a holiday party in their honor! Check out the details below on how to style your upcoming holiday table on a budget, including a few staple pieces that can absolutely be used year round. Grab these goodies soon, as they are sure to sell out!

Psst! Be sure to tag @daniellegibsonevents in photos of your favorite holiday decor to share your style inspo and creations! We love hearing from you 🙂

A very special thanks to these vendors:

@target / @magnolia (Hearth & Hand collection – placemats, plates, bowls, napkins, water goblets, place card holders, floral vases, blankets, and pillows)

@megsmithphotography for photos

@robinsonpaperie / Robinsonpaperie for calligraphy

@tinyprints for place cards paperie

@lewiscellars for wine

@whetstonewinecellars for wine

@tankwinery for wine

@estateeventsmw / Estate Event by Meadowood for food

@soulflowersf / Soulflower for florals

@westelm /West elm for chairs

@restorationhardware/Restoration Hardware for chairs & chandelier

@designwithinreach / Design Within Reach for flatware

@riedelusa / Riedel for coupe glasses