Can you believe we have only been house of fete for just one year. It feels like yesterday that Marissa was begging me to join her for a styled shoot. Our very first shoot together was for the 4th so it seemed appropriate to go all out this year- go big or go home. 

What’s bigger than a 20’ balloon flag? 

We started with the location for this. We wanted to be by a pool and really have that at home, back yard bbq feel- but elevated. We saw this striped plate by Rice with reds, blues and pinks and the inspiration was there. From there we contacted our dream team and started putting together something amazing. 

We added some fun elements we had never done before like Bruno the mobile bar and a cotton candy cart. Our friend and vendor “friendor” nicole or Danville Chrese graciously let us take over her home for the day and throw a pretty fun party, she even provided the most gorgeous snacks. 

In front of the flag each of our kids had a hand painted ombré Adirondack chair, their own cooler with their names and a view of the pool. every thing was monochromatic, ombre and color coordinated- even the outfits! 

We styled the car and cart to the nines with balloons, garlands, and disco balls, making sure you knew you were at a house of fete party! The kids never left the sugar house cotton candy cart- indulging in cotton candy flavored like watermelon and marshmallows. On the other hand, the adults never left Bruno. 

Bruno is out new boyfriend, a bar car by Bubbles and Brews SF. He’s cute, he’s sweet and he had the champagne flowing. Along with champagne we served PBR, pink lemonade and blue kool aid. We also used him as a little dessert bar! This is where we displayed our 1/2 cake inspired by Bees Custom Cakes. When we saw her do a half cake with florals, we knew we needed to incorporate it somewhere. The back of the cake was adorned with sprinkle stars and the front was strategically decorated with fresh florals and cherries by Apis Floral.

The cake wasn’t the only sweet at this fete. The Sugar bug arrived in style with floral USA cookies, hand painted patriotic ladies and everything else perfectly Americana! To add to the cookie collection Soirée macarons brought two tone and star shaped macarons filled with passionfruit and s’mores, but she wasn’t done yet. Her fresh, made on site, pavlovas were a hit. Finished with raspberries, blue berries and mint- it was the perfect compliment to your glass of champagne. 

The pavlovas sat on a clear cake stand on the end of our picnic table. Set for 6 the table was tucked under a shady tree with sparkle stars hanging above. Our inspiration plate was at every seat compliments with a soild cup and a star shape ramekin. Cloth napkins, metallic silver ware and a water color party pennant gave each guest the perfect impression of the party. The center of the table was a favorite element. We commissioned Cami Monet to create a table runner with the star spangled written all the way down in water color. It was just gorgeous and classic Americana. 

In the center we added a DIYed candle holder inspired by Sugar and Cloth. It was so fun to light as the sun was setting and really get the sparkle going. If there we any piece of blank space on the table Danville cheese filled it with the most delicious and gorgeous boards. From gourmet hot dogs to corn on the cob- even a board of all French fries, this was unlike any BBQ I had ever seen and I was thrilled. 

The kids ran around the pool, splashed, ate more Cotton candy than ever and never stopped having fun! Marissa, nicole and I matched in our custom Luna and June sweaters, indulged in a little ice cream and ended the shoot with a pbr. 

It was pure magic and everything was captured by Renee Sheilds and Drake Heslip on video. Here’s to 1 year house of fete- and 245 America! It’s been quite a show so far! 

Happy Fourth of July everyone! You can also find this party featured on Hooray Mag

XO Kelsey

Concept / styling @house.of.fete
Photographer @reneeshieldsphotography
Host / food styling @danvillecheese 
Balloons @thecollectivecreativeco
Mobil Bar @bubblesandbrewssfbay 
Florals @apisfloral
Cotton candy @sugarhousecc 
Watercolors @camimonet 
Table ware @rice_us
Wood signs @againstthegrainhc  
Tags @chalkdesignsbyme
Garlands @pearlandjane
Macarons @soireemacarons 
Cookies @thesugarbug 
Confetti @shopstudiopep  
Sweaters @luna.and.june
Videographer @drakeheslip