Party Like a Boss: #DietCokeinDC Party Recap

Happy Wednesday friends! It's T-4 days until the big one and I'm working like crazy to finish everything up so I can sign off and focus on our family and the true meaning of the season! I hope your Christmas prep hasn't been too chaotic or you're at least trying to wind down like me!

Party Like a Boss: #DietCokeinDC Party Recap

As you probably know I recently partnered with my friends at Diet Coke to throw a fabulous end of summer bash in uptown Charlotte this past September. Well, the party was such a success that we took it on the road and hit the amazing city of Washington, DC. This time we joined forces with my friend and fellow blogger Shannon (Shannon Claire Interiors) and the Like a Boss Party ladies (an already established annual party celebrating DC creatives) and it was a match made in heaven!

Meet The Hosts:

Kerra Michele // Simple Stylings // Jessica Sachson // Teri Clar // Mariella Cruzado // Shannon Claire

I feel like this party has been my baby for the last few months and since it's conception in Charlotte we've been working on creating a fun event where everyone could let down their hair (or put it up!) and mingle with other creatives in the DC area. We wanted it to be a place where people could network and meet new people but to also build community and support each other. A collaborative effort at it's finest.

With the help of the ladies from the Like a Boss Party, we were able to bring that reality to life and replicate the scene from Charlotte on an even bigger scale. The party was stylish and classic and just an all around great time from beginning to end!

The party was held at Long View Gallery, an art gallery and event space, and it couldn't have been more perfect. We paired classic furniture and decor with the contemporary art in the space and it turned out beautifully.

Ice cold Diet Coke's greeted guests at the door as well as the insanely cool boxwood wall, the perfect backdrop for pictures! Y'all know I love a good boxwood wall, so much so that I put one in our dining room. If you haven't seen it you'll definitely want to check it out!

Pink champagne and popcorn drizzled with a Diet Coke caramel reduction made it's way through the crowd before the heavy hors d'oeuvres came out.

The furniture and decor really set the stage with lots of beautiful conversation areas highlighted by the gallery's art. Our colors were of course Diet Coke red and silver inspired by the stylish aluminum bottle, but we wanted to take that a step farther by adding pinks and more shades of red to complete the sophisticated look. And the unique flower arrangements were the icing on top of the cake!

Long stem candles adorned the table full of the most unique food I've ever seen! Creative bites placed on tiny ghost chairs, and mini pallets are just of few of the displays by the incredibly talented Heirloom Catering. I mean have you ever seen anything like it? Thanks Shannon & Heirloom for adding shrimp and grits to the menu, you are certainly after my own heart! :)

The food table was definitely a topic of conversation and with the stunning balloon display overhead it couldn't be missed!

The bar was so much fun to style with the aluminum bottles and our signature cocktail for the evening was a classic rum and Diet Coke with a twist: fresh lime juice and a tonic syrup from True Syrups. 

The musical backdrop was a fabulous DJ set at the back of the gallery mixing the perfect tunes without being too over powering that you couldn't hear each other speak. And the fun and conversation definitely came easy!

Tickled photo booth was there to capture all of the festivities! I don't know what it is about a party and a photo booth to be silly in that is so much fun! You can see the photo gallery of the even here.

You may remember Sarah and Kyle from our Lowe's Spring Makeover! I love these two crazy kids and I was so excited to get to spend more time with them while in DC!

And finally let's talk about the really important stuff: swag bags and dessert! I'm pretty sure I've never seen anything quite so gorgeous as this table full of goodie boxes and the amazing, edible macaron trees from Buttercream Bakeshop! The boxes were filled with a Diet Coke lipstick-shaped USB stick, an OPI signature DC nail polish, a bottle of the simple syrup and more!

It was so great to see all the hard work come together for another successful evening! But the relationships made and the friendships strengthened through these months of planning and anticipation were the most rewarding part for me. It was a team effort for the night to come together and we were thrilled with the outcome!

{Photos by the wonderful Laura Metzler}

This was an incredible night and I'm so grateful I was able to be a part of bringing it to life. The creative community here in DC is special, just like Charlotte, and we were happy to be able to celebrate them! Thank you Diet Coke, the Like a Boss babes and DC for making this all possible! You are all classic in style and taste!

Cheers!

{Thank you Diet Coke for sponsoring this post and thank YOU for supporting the brands that make Simple Stylings possible.}