Loving in Lemon..

Loving in Lemon

Here at House of Lights, we have the gift of being inspired by the little things in life. Whether by live jazz music at a concert, by browsing the home section of Marshall’s or by pinning on Pinterest, we are always mindful to look through the eyes of inspiration. We often combine our inspiration with our love for food. We both love to cook and we also love to eat! If you have noticed from our previous blogs, our adoration for food often translates into our centerpieces. Each month, as always, we get together to create a little magic. In this blog, we will show you how to make a lemon go a long way!

Welcome to our July blog, “Loving in Lemon”

Our nostalgia led us to create,“Rustic Romance.” We filled a tin watering can with strands of wheat and sunflowers. Even though Rima grew up in Palestine and Tashara was born and raised in Alabama, the wheat reminded us both of our childhood. Tashara decided to wrap rope around a few pieces of wheat to make a bouquet. To complete this look, we filled a mason jar with water and sliced lemon. Rima tied rope around the brim of the mason jar to add a little more character.

While Rima took pictures, Tashara exclaimed, “Pennies! I wish we had some pennies!” We pooled our cents together, cut a candle in half, and filled a jar with pennies. We love candles almost as much as we love food!

Inspired by the look of the candle and pennies, we graduated this look and created, “Lemon Love.” We cut a lemon in half and burrowed a hole in the top. We cut another candle in half and wrapped a small piece of rope for extra elegance.

The last look we created is a smaller interpretation of “Rustic Romance” and “Lemon Love.” Give us “A Penny for your Thoughts” on this centerpiece. We filled a small vase with water and pennies and topped it with baby’s breath. To add drama to the mason jar with lemon slices, we inserted a single sunflower.

To switch gears a little, we removed the penny jar and replaced it with a brass candle holder to create, “Sunflower Sensation.” Inside the candle holder is a vase with a lemon and a few pieces of wheat. The few strands of wheat strewn on the plate make this centerpiece absolutely sensational!

We added a few drops of rose water to the mason jar to amplify the citrus lemon scent. Though we love all of the looks that we create, we both agreed that these simple centerpieces stole our hearts. Who would have thought that lemon, pennies, sunflowers and rope could work so well together?
If you’re in the Raleigh, NC or VA area, go to our website House of Lights Events & Design and set up a free consultation! Check out our Contact Us  page for other avenues to get in touch with us.  Let your special occasion shine!

Inspire.Create.Innovate.

Behind the Scenes

Let us show you what really goes on at House of Lights Events & Design..

It is important to choose an event planner(s) that meshes well with your personality. You should hire someone who is amicable, hard working, and trustworthy. House of Lights Events & Design isn’t just an event planning business. We love planning events just as much as we love our lives. To us, event planning is not only a career, but also a lifestyle. And as much as we love our lives, we also love   the event planning process from beginning to finish. We have fun while we plan your event to assure that you will enjoy every moment of your event.

Tashara remembers constantly being warned to enjoy her ceremony and to remember to eat at the reception. Yes, there are people out there who are so busy hosting and greeting that they miss the opportunity to eat! Tashara was one of those brides. We never want that to happen to you! Your reception should be relaxing, carefree, and most importantly, FUN! Choosing an event planner is as important as choosing a venue, decor, or food. Make sure that you have a connection with your planner, so that all aspects of your event will be cohesive.

We have intense brainstorming sessions to create innovative and inspiring ideas.

When we shop for supplies we take it seriously.

Setting up mock centerpieces is meticulously maneuvered with imminent focus and precision.

Being so detail oriented can be exhausting!

At the end of the day, we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Many people say, “Work hard. Play harder.” Here at House of Lights Events and Design, we would have to wholeheartedly agree with those we who affirm this phrase. Planning an event can be stressful. Hiring an event planner can lift a heavy burden off of your shoulders. If you hire House of Lights Events & Design to plan your occasion, you get more bang for your buck by allowing two creative minds to make your special day stress free.

If you’re in the Raleigh, NC or VA area, go to our website House of Lights Events & Design and set up a free consultation! Check out our Contact Us  page for other avenues to get in touch with us.  Let your special occasion shine!

Inspire.Create.Innovate.

Once Upon a Time on the dark side..

Welcome to Part III of our Bridal Series: Once Upon a Time

This will be the last and final part of our bridal series, “Once Upon a Time”. Part I  showed how to be a girly without going overboard with pink frills and thrills. Part II explored how to execute a theme without being too cliche. We coined the phrase, “It is easy to become cheesy!” This blog will show you how to remain feminine and use dark colors. Tashara associates black with sophistication, while some automatically think of black as gloomy and only for funerals. It has even been said that black is inappropriate for a wedding. All of these assumptions are totally incorrect. When used correctly, black exudes class and is perfect for after 6, black tie events.

It is important not to overuse a harsh color. Darker colors need to be balanced by lighter colors and softer textures. In our Making Magic in May blog, we featured a centerpiece that we named, “Twilight.” This look incorporated black lanterns and red candles, balanced by a white charger, white rocks and a white rose. During our last work session, we once again tapped into our “dark side” and created a few looks using dark tones and fresh roses.

“A Royal Night”

There is nothing classier (and sexier) than black lace! We used a gorgeous purple cloth and a piece of patterned card stock as a place mat. Three  same size glass vases were wrapped in a piece of black lace topped off with white and pink roses floating in water. To finish this look, we placed two tealight candles in mini globes and sat them on opposite sides of the vases. This centerpieces can be accomplished with any size vase and any color lace.

“A Royal Day”

We created a variation of “A Royal Night,” that we named, “A Royal Day.” This is a simpler version of the prior centerpiece using the same cloth and same card stock place mat. We used a small white porcelain vase topped with green hydrangea. Beside the vase is a damask patterned candle that we used as a spin off of the lace wrapped vases. To substitute for the roses, we used a satin bejeweled brooch to add a little bling! Brooches are a contemporary, yet elegant way to add a unique look to your centerpiece.

 “Red Passion”

This is our absolute favorite centerpiece! We used a gaudy silver lined vase filled 1/2 way with water and 1/2 way with black tulle. We topped the vase with red roses and surrounded it with white rocks and white candles. This a contemporary, yet elegant look perfect for any occasion.

We hope that you have enjoyed this series! We’ve shown how to be feminine without being too frilly. How to execute a theme without being cheesy. Lastly, how to use darker colors and remain classy. Remember that your wedding should not mimic someone’s event, but it should embody who you are as individuals and also as a couple.

If you’re in the Raleigh, NC or VA area, go to our website House of Lights Events & Design and set up a free consultation! Check out our Contact Us  page for other avenues to get in touch with us.  Let your special occasion shine!

Inspire.Create.Innovate.

Once Upon a Time in the jungle..

Aloha!

Welcome to Part II of our bridal series: Once Upon a Time

What’s more romantic than a tropical vacation full of fun in the sun, moonlit walks by the beach and the sound of the ocean or creatures of the jungle singing peaceful melodies? The only thing we can think of is a wedding, engagement party, bachelorette dinner party or bridal shower with a tropical theme! In this bridal series, “Once Upon a Time,” we are showing ways that you can maintain femininity without going overboard with pink frills and thrills.  There is a way to step outside of the box without losing tradition and sophistication, while also maintaining a contemporary, modern atmosphere. Your event should not mimic someone’s event, but it should embody who you are as individuals and also as a couple.

When choosing a theme for an event, it is too easy to become cheesy. That even rhymed, which makes it ring truer. Say it aloud so you can remember, “It is easy to become cheesy!” It is okay to pick up a few items from Party City and maybe even Dollar Tree, but don’t take it too far. It is 100% possible to remain in budget and mix and match quality and “budget acceptable” pieces. (We don’t use the word cheap here at House of Lights). During our rummage through Michael’s, we were obsessed with these large “jungle” leaves. Tashara thinks they would be perfect for a Halloween Adam & Eve costume. Instead of using them for costumes, we took these leaves and created a few rain forest/beach inspired centerpieces. Think of the Lion King and start to hum to yourself,”In the jungle the mighty jungle the lion sleeps tonight…”

Love Me in Pink

This centerpiece has pink, pearls, peonies, and candles; everything you need to remain feminine while also stepping one foot outside the box. We sat the leaf on the charger, dropped a few gold candles and sat the vase on top with one strand of pearls wrapped around the center. We decided to use pink peonies to complement the charger, but any flower will work.

White Romance

See! Any flower will work. Here is another look using a white peony and a wider vase. Reema had the wild idea to put the leaf inside the vase and then fill it with water. We love the look of a vase surrounded by candles, so we used white candles and mixed in white rocks. Two tealight candles floating behind the peony perfectly completes this centerpiece.

Jungle Fever

We were so in love with this look, we decided to try it with different color roses. First, we used peach and pink colored roses. This centerpiece might look plain when looking at it straight on, but the view from the top is absolutely gorgeous.

 

Red-y for Love

Red roses scream romance. When we placed them in the top of this vase, we both gazed in admiration! Isn’t this lovely?

Remember, brides, as easy as it is to be cheesy; it is simple to be sophisticated. Don’t compromise your vision to save a few dollars. Be sure to get what you want while also staying in budget. If you can’t afford a destination wedding, then bring the destination to you!

If you’re in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina and need some help making your event shine, contact us for a free consultation!

Inspire.Create.Innovate

Once upon a time..

Welcome to our bridal series: Once Upon a Time

As far as fairy tales are from reality, inside every woman is an inkling of hope that her romantic story will begin with once upon a time and end with happily ever after. Here at House of Lights Events & Design, we want to help you translate every idea in your imagination into a spectacular event that will remain ingrained in your mind and etched on your heart.

On Saturday, we attended a Business Alliance Rally hosted by Women’s Power Networking and left feeling inspired and motivated! As we browsed the aisles of Michael’s, Reema came across two love birds that we could not get enough of. These two doves sparked a flame of romance and ignited us with passion to design for love.

This series of blogs will showcase our centerpieces created for both sides of the spectrum. We have looks for girly girls with pink and pearls on the brain and looks for those women like Tashara who have a darker idea of love and equate black with sophistication and romance.

First we will cater to those easy going girly girls who are satisfied with simple centerpieces and a little bit of pink here and there. First, we must show the two love birds who changed our lives! Of course, we had to name them. Tashara suggested that the groom be named Frank & Rima couldn’t resist naming the bride Sinatra. Meet

“Frank & Sinatra: Love Doves”

Isn’t this the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? The two lovebirds have one wing, which takes “two become one” to a whole new level. This centerpiece would be perfect for engagement parties or a bridal shower. We filled a bowl with water, dropped in Frank & Sintra and pink peonies. To create atmosphere we surrounded the bowl with white candles. Frank & Sinatra started to absorb too much water, so we had to remove them before they drowned. We couldn’t get enough of the floating peonies, so we added a one more to create

Pink Peony Serenity

The addition of the white peony mixed with the white candles overwhelmed us with peace and calm even with Kanye West playing in the background. We followed the spirit of simplicity because sometimes, too much is just that. We used three small square vases, pink and peach roses, and two white candles to create a simple set up that took our breath away.

Simple & Pure Joy

If this look is too plain for you, consider putting down a ribbon (or table liner) to sit the vases on. We love the look of fresh flowers, but if you’re one of those contemporary women like Tashara, we can cater to you too! Reema came up with a genius idea to incorporate pearls and a wine glass to create a centerpiece perfect for a bridal shower, an engagement party or a bachelorette party.

Oh my, Pearls!

We laid a wine glass on top of a rose colored charger and inserted a pink feather underneath to show a little pizzazz. A string of silver pearls were strewn atop the glass and inside a single gold candle rests on a bed of petals. Reema is a fresh flower fanatic, so she added a rose and baby’s breath to show the diversity of this look. Ivory pearls were incorporated to complement the rose.

Are you feeling the love? Did you suddenly get the urge to plan a romantic night with your special someone? Let us know how you feel about these looks!

If you’re in the Raleigh/Durham area of North Carolina and need some help making your event shine, contact us for a free consultation!

Inspire.Create.Innovate.

Making Magic in May!

Let us show you how to make some magic happen..

There are always events in the art distract of downtown Raleigh on the first Friday in May. We went to an incredible jazz concert hosted by The Art of Cool Project.  The Groove Supreme  performed and they were absolutely magnificent! We were so inspired, we decided to keep the creative juices flowing and make some magic! We used flowers and fresh produce from Lowe’s Food, a unique chain of supermarkets based in Winston Salem, North Carolina, to create some fabulous centerpieces! Who ever knew veggies could be so versatile? Our Green with Envy collection was made with asparagus, artichoke, limes,white roses, baby’s breath and green carnation. The “bouquet” is wrapped in tulle.

Green With Envy

We switched gears from all of the green and tapped into our dark side. Plums, white roses, rocks, and red candles were used to create a darker inspired centerpiece that we call..

Twilight

We wanted to do something completely opposite of what we usually create, so we decided on small bird cages for a lighter aspect. These are simples centerpieces perfect for baby showers and kid’s birthdays. Introducing..

Oh, Baby!

We were so in love with Green With Envy that we decided to go back to the veggies! This magical centerpiece was made with white rocks, olive and cream candles, asparagus, limes, white roses, green carnation, baby’s breath and a lemon to complete the cornucopia inspired look that we named..

Vanilla Sky

As a parting gift, we used the left over flowers to make little arrangements to place in our apartments. We also put the same flowers in mason jars for a more rustic look.

If you’re in the Raleigh, NC or VA area, go to our website House of Lights Events & Design and set up a free consultation! Check out our Contact Us  page for other avenues to get in touch with us.  Let us shine the light on your special occasion!

Inspire.Create.Innovate.

House of Lights is here!

Hello World!

Welcome to our blog! We are so excited to be able to share our adventures and creations with you. As stated in our What is House of Lights?, we are an event planning and design business based in Raleigh, North Carolina. We are here to assist with all of your event planning needs. Our goal is to inspire, create, and innovate through artistry and photography. We will use this blog to keep you updated on upcoming events, showcase photo shoots of our newest creations,  give advice on planning, and share our ideas.

House of Lights is here! If you are in Raleigh, North Carolina or surrounding areas, contact us for all of your event planning needs. Let House of Lights make your special occasion shine!

Inspire.Create.Innovate.