Celebrating Our Bespoke Life!
With our motto “Celebrate Your Bespoke Life” we naturally love a good party! I recently hosted a luncheon to celebrate the launch of our brand new pillow collection and to introduce June St. George to Raleigh, North Carolina. I wanted to share some of our favorite moments from the luncheon, along with some of our favorite tips and tricks, no matter what you are celebrating!
The first impression of any party is the invitation! We wanted our invitations to incorporate one of our favorite designs – the Havana! The Havana was the perfect “first visual” to give our guests a sneak peek into the party and June St. George. Emily Brooks transformed our Havana design into a beautiful watercolor background and I selected a blush, laser cut envelope with a light metallic shimmer from one of my favorite resources, Cards and Pockets. It caught the eye in a sea of bills in the mail, just begging to be opened!! Cards and Pockets is a wonderful resource for gorgeous, unique, layerable pieces to make the perfect invitation suite. Our beautiful blush envelopes were complemented by elegant calligraphy by Ashley Curry.
BESPOKE MOMENT:
Your invitation is the start of the party, so think about your look early and use it in the invitation! Don’t forget the envelope – a beautiful envelope sets the tone and helps your invitation avoid the “probably a bill, read it later” pile!
The luncheon was held at our family home just outside of Raleigh during that season known only in the South with the spirit of Fall in the air under the warm Summer sun. Our goal when we moved into this home was to entertain more and with my background in Interior Design, I took on the renovation of the house to create a warm, welcoming Southern home. To show the significant renovations we made to the home, we placed “before” pictures in clear acrylic frames to show our guests the transformation.
BESPOKE MOMENT:
Placing the “before” pictures in a clear acrylic frame is a wonderful way to showcase your personal touches in a new home at a house warming party. Your guests will see the transformation and your unique touches and fabulous taste while you are still free to entertain! Plus the frames can be reused as menu cards at your next soiree.
Our home is filled with heirloom touches – the stained glass front door from our childhood home became the pantry door in our new home, pieces from my parent’s childhood and marriage were incorporated throughout the home, and of course June St. George rugs were sprinkled all around. We wanted our luncheon guests to feel the love, thoughtfulness, and meaningful inspiration we put into the home.
BESPOKE MOMENT:
Fill your home with heirlooms and meaningful pieces! Personal touches filled with memories are priceless. Don’t be afraid to update the pieces too – we lacquered my mom’s childhood piano in forest green for our game room. It is a beautiful piece with a lot of fond memories!
We warmly greeted guest with a bubbling glass of champagne in iridescent champagne flutes. The iridescent flutes subtly change color when the light shines through (like a bubble on a summer day!), which added an elevated touch to set the tone of “new traditional”. Guests could also swing by the “Frose” station, where our bartender poured liquid nitrogen over rose in a silver bowl – it was a fun show and a fabulous drink!
BESPOKE MOMENT:
Don’t be afraid to try something new and unexpected – especially if it has delicious results! A new drink or food that has a visual element can provide a surprise for your guests and can ease their transition into the party by giving them something to talk about!
After grabbing a champagne or Frose (or both!), our guests could capture their own fabulous photo at our June St. George photo area, displaying rugs and pillows from the June St. George collections. Who doesn’t love a good Instagrammable moment? We set up our area using fresh flowers, a custom sign, and a porch privacy screen as the backdrop. We placed two ottomans from my dressing room and filled the space with pillows and rugs for a plush feel. Our amazing photographer Ana from Anagram Photography captured photos of our guests (and the rest of the party!), which meant we were able to give our guests beautiful photos to enjoy!
BESPOKE MOMENT:
We used floral water picks to keep the flowers in place and fresh, even in the summer sun! The privacy screen was free-standing, which means it can be moved around (we picked a place out of the direct sun – no blinding our guests!). We tested our space the day before during the party time to make sure that it would photograph beautifully. Creating a space for everyone to take an Instagram-worthy shot is an updated, beautiful version of a photobooth so it feels on-trend and nostalgic at the same time! Your space can be classic, can fit with your theme or can be whatever you dream of! Having a photographer to take beautiful photos frees you up to enjoy the party and gives you something to give your guests after the party – a sweet reminder of all the fun you had!
During the party, all our guests had the opportunity to use the June St. George website to create a pillow. We had plenty of samples for our guests to use as examples, but watching their creativity shine was incredible! I loved watching everyone interact with the website and answering questions in person – a “live” version of what I do with LiveChat and messaging every day! We believe that creating a rug or pillow is a special experience – it should be fun and reflect what you love!
BESPOKE MOMENT:
Creating a pillow or rug on JuneStGeorge.com is easy and fun! But if you get stuck, you can always LiveChat us, send us an email at letschat@junestgeorge.com , or send us a message on Instagram and we will be happy to help you out!
After designing our pillows, we sat down to a colorful luncheon prepared by premier Raleigh caterer, H&L Catering. We kept the menu light and full of color and texture. Each dessert was inspired by my life travels: a Danish kringle to honor a sister-trip with my older sister Lizzy, French macrons to reflect afternoon tea at Laudaree each afternoon while I studied in London, trying to find my favorite flavor (its pistachio!), and beignets with a chicory coffee shooter to celebrate my Louisiana roots (psst – if you have never tried chicory coffee, try Café du Monde’s….and you might as well pick up their beignet mix while you are there!)
BESPOKE MOMENT:
The menu is an under utilized way to tell your story and celebrate your bespoke life! Whether it is the whole menu or just one course, pick foods that you enjoy and that are important to you. Your guests will love the sneak peek into your life and you know you’ll enjoy the food – no more rubber chicken dinners for you!
The tablescape was so much fun to pull together. We pulled from our personal collection of china (we LOVE collecting china and USING it!) and mixed and matched pieces so each place setting was unique. Cookies using our Havana design (tying together our invitation with the party!) with the guest’s names served as place cards and were a huge hit (and delicious)! Fresh flowers were a perfect touch and added to the light and airy feel of the luncheon.
BESPOKE MOMENT:
Place cards don’t have to be stiff pieces of white cardstock – you can be creative! We used cookies as place cards for an unexpected personal touch and a delicious reminder later that day of the fun they had!
I truly believe in celebrating your bespoke life. For me, that means my designs – from food to place settings to my home to June St. George rugs – have thoughtful stories and meaningful inspiration behind them. When I think back on cruising down the fjords of Norway with my sister, I pull inspiration from the sights, the sounds, the feeling of those moments and create a design full of love.
My hope is that when you see that design and begin the experience of designing your rug or pillow, you begin to weave in your own story – your favorite colors, your home design, your personalization, and your bespoke life. With so much to celebrate, the end result will always be special, meaningful and spectacular.
Our guests were part of a bespoke experience and I hope that as you create your rug and pillow on JuneStGeorge.com, you feel just as celebrated and welcomed!
On the table:
China and Chargers
Personal Collection
Water Glasses
Vintage
Tea Glasses*
Flatware*
We had most of them from Horchow we filled in the rest with Amazon look-alikes:
Blue Table Cloth
Custom
Gray Table Cloth
https://www.matouk.com/products/margot-tablecloth?color=Silver
Chairs*
Chair Cushions (being discontinued so on sale!)
https://shop.visionfurniture.com/Ivory-Skirted-Cushion-w-Ties_p_360.html
Pillows
June St George Havana 14x20
Champagne Flutes*
Blue Rosé Coupes
Vintage
Napkin Slides
https://tinparade.com/collections/napkin-wraps/products/x-wrap-rose-gold-set4
Napkins
https://www.hibiscuslinens.com/collections/private-sale/products/fretwork-dinner-napkin
Vases*
“Place Card” Cookies
https://southernsugarbakery.com/
Stands for place cards*
Photo Area:
Flowers:
Provided by Lihmil Wholesale
Screen*
Rug and Pillows
June St. George and Willa Heart x JSG
Trees*
Baskets*
Custom June St. George Sign
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Special Thank You!
HL Catering created a colorful menu to celebrate the end of Summer and beginning of Fall! They are thoughtful in creating a menu and keep the party running smoothly.
Ana from Anagram photography captured all the best moments from the party! We were so busy during the party, it was fabulous to have someone capture all the best moments creatively!
Willa Heart for the gorgeous prints we included in our swag bag!
Thank you to the most incredible team at Silcox and Jane! You both are so innovative and supportive!
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