HOW TO HOST A LADIES HOLIDAY BRUNCH

Every holiday season I adopt a family with a child on hospice and gift them their wish list. Contributing to a charitable cause is something that I have vowed to continue and is more important than ever, as I want to lead by example for my son and exemplify generosity for Landen to make his own philanthropic choices someday. 

It just so happens that I started my business after teaching myself how to make Sea Salt Caramels and gifting them for the holidays and they quickly became our most highly requested item on the menu! 3 years ago, I asked myself how I could love on my community and encourage them to give back too. Thus, the Annual Ladies Holiday Charity Brunch was born! I just ask every guest to bring a gift and in exchange, I spoil them and they go home with a box of our caramels!

I am going to share with you how I plan and execute this event and hopefully this will encourage you to host a Ladies Holiday Charity Brunch in your community!

STEP 1: Come up with your theme!  Sure- its the holidays. But the options are endless. You can do a Winter Wonderland, Classic holiday colors, or Flannel! I wanted the party to feel warm and cozy....think "hot cocoa by the fire" so our theme was all about dressing up in your best flannel! Every aspect of the party should tie back to this theme in some way. Let me show you....

Party Invitations: These lovelies were designed by Phenix Paper Co. and had the perfect hint of flannel with instructions to dress "Flanneled Up!". Send invitations early, as people are extra busy this time of year. I prefer a virtual Save The Date followed by a mailed invitation- who doesn't like getting mail!?

STEP 2: Sourcing your decor

Decor & Rentals: We used our Fav local rental companies for various items: Yay Parties for the furniture and Balancing Balloons for tableware! How cute are the warm and cozy blankets!

STEP 3: Create your menu

Food and Beverages: What can you make ahead of time? We prepped an egg casserole the night before and threw it in the oven the morning of the event- 45 min later...DONE! Offer a simple Arugula salad on the side. 
 
 A mimosa bar is a must! Add fresh cranberries to garnish champagne and offer a variety of sweets to nibble on. I opt to make an easy Spiced Bundt Cake (TIP: make the week before and freeze) and buy the rest! The peppermint bark from Trader Joes is such a great dessert to snack on. Don't forget non-alcoholic beverage options. We LOVE Rachel's Ginger Beer in Seattle and they have the best holiday flavors. 

The goal was to keep it cozy! My house is tiny but I didn't want to be limited to the amount of amazing women to invite. We rented an outdoor tent with heaters and created a cozy place to sit (or stand) with blankets. Notice the flannel on the tabletops? We used blankets and scarves!

STEP 4: Activities that are fun and offer convenience

Activities: we hosted Stella & Dot to allow the ladies to conveniently get some last minute Holiday shopping in. WIN WIN!

The main activity is for each guest to decorate their caramels! We provide chocolate and all the fun holiday sprinkles & candy canes to make them their own. The guests LOVE this so i've decided to make this the main activity of the event ever year. 

My friend makes these amazing candles! And they just so happened to have the most appropriate title for the theme of the party. Guests were also provided the option to buy these as last minute holiday gifts and each went home with one as the party favor!

And look at all of the holiday gifts we raised!! Over 40 gifts provided to children on Hospice. I love my family and friends and look forward to spoiling them every year by hosting our annual Ladies Holiday Charity Brunch! 

This year- we are offering our Sea Salt Caramels for sale and donating a percentage of proceeds to the Confetti Foundation which provides birthday parties for kiddos in the hospital. If you would like to help- please visit our store starting November 27th! WARNING: We sold out just 48 hours after launching our site a few weeks ago so get em' fast! 

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Thank you to the amazing team of vendors that helped make this event possible!

Photography: Kelly Lemon Photography 
Styling: Rock and Stone Weddings 
Signage: The Upstroke
Invitations: Phenix Paper Co. 
Rentals: Yay Parties for the furniture and Balancing Balloons for tableware