Hosting a Winter Wonderland Party

Our dear friends are getting married this year! The bride originally wanted a winter wedding but instead they are getting married in August (exact opposite, right?!).

So we decided to throw them an engagement party with a winter wonderland theme.

The idea was to have everything light and white, including the food. Theme colors included white, silver and Tiffany blue. I re-purposed a lot of household items/decorations to take this party over the top.

First up, the food table. A simple white tablecloth was used for the color scheme and also easy clean-up. Thankfully, all of my entertaining dinnerware is white so that also helped with the color scheme. Small, sparkly blue and clear diamonds helped bring some color and bling to the table. Icicle lights were hung to add a pop of light and tied with pom poms at the end. Silver Christmas ornaments were also used to add some sparkle.

TIP: Add height to your table by using dishes and platters that are elevated or use white shoe boxes turned upside down to double as a stand. Add a placemat on top of the boxes too!

The candy bar incorporated the blue color scheme from the napkins and was an easy, no-cook dessert!

Now onto the food. There are not many foods that are white but here's what I went with for this cocktail party:

• Rice Crispy Treats - a great hit and completely gone by the end of the night
• Queso Blanco with tortilla chips
• Popcorn cups with parmesan
• Candy bar with white and blue candies, including organza bags
• Cheesecake
• Spinach and Goat Cheese Tartlets
• Garlic knots

But a party is more than just setting out a food table. We added a fun element with a homemade photo booth. We used a black and white backdrop that was purchased from a party store but you can easily use a large piece of fabric and pin to the wall.

I also designed, printed and cut out mustaches, hats, bow ties and cards with sayings on them to be used for the photo booth. These can easily be customized depending on the theme of the party. Simple silver and white balloons were scattered around the backdrop to help frame it so it's not just pinned to the wall. This was a fun addition to the party and everyone was able to use their own cameras and phones.

The happy couple!