The very first Supper Club Soiree was held in Mountain Brook, Al. Mountain Brook is a beautiful village in Birmingham with a quaint feel within the city.  There’s nothing like being together, and being together in person with so many of our Supper Club Members was a wish come true!

group photo with colorful outfits greenery backdrop and a fire pit in front of people

pink orange and yellow flowers being arranged on table

painted champagne bottle with canvas style bracelet stack on the neck of bottle

garden party guests gathered outside on large porch chatting

We were thrilled to team-up with Entertain & Celebrate Magazine to bring this event to our Supper Club Members and to host a culminating activity of a photo shoot that will be published in the upcoming Spring issue! Many thanks to Hoffman Media for working side-by-side with us on this amazing event! It was an honor to work with Anna, Sidney, John, and Kristi! Our theme was flowers/garden.

 

We kicked-off our day with a Prosecco Welcome at the rooftop lounge area of Grand Bohemian Hotel. This first event of the day was very special to me as we were all having the chance to meet in person for the first time- after many months of chatting by Zoom calls. With some early morning help from Parker Kennedy Living, the focal point was in place and we were ready to meet and greet!party display of flower market with lattices greenery flowers and straw baskets

It was important to me that everyone felt as welcome and as at-ease as possible. My vision was for each person to see their names as they walked up to the party. The straw baskets with each member’s name was the perfect gift I was looking for and helped set the scene for the flower theme that was carried throughout the Soiree.

flower market party set up with white table cloth greenery flowers and straw baskets

The table with lattices on each side and greenery overhead, created a flower market feel. We added watering cans for extra pops of color and interest.

white lattice with greenery flowers and straw bags with names monogrammed

Customized bottles of Prosecco were placed on silver platters- it was fun to watch as the members realized each bottle was prepared just for them! Our member, Laurie Byrne, created cocktail napkins for everyone to have. The napkins had blue or pink ribbons embroidered with flowers.

customized prosecco mini bottles with white square cocktail napkin embroidered with pink bow

One of our members, Lee Bogle (of The Southern Sideboard), provided cheese wafers, Madeline cookies, and pecan sandies for snacking as the party started. This was a perfect way to start the day!

straw bag with name embroidered in pink yarn tied to a flower market lattice

We then were seated at the table for lunch and were able to have a chance to get to know each other better. This was a wonderful time to get to put names and faces together in real life!table setting with program on placemat and supporting magazine in chair

After lunch, we were treated to Sweet Kaki’s Famous Apple Pie for dessert. Talk about delicious…

apple pie display with pink red and white tablecloths and red pie boxes with lady in pink dress presenting
Photo by Kate on the Daily

I don’t know what the secrets are to making this apple pie so special, but it has such fantastic flavor! Kaki is a friend that I met through a childhood friend of mine. We were thrilled to have Sweet Kaki’s sponsor dessert and our first Soiree! These famous apple pies can be found at local retailers in a variety of locations. She currently does not ship. I find them at Stripling’s Market and at Lucy’s Market.

sweet kakis famous apple pie boxes stacked for display with plaid fabric and three apples beside boxes

 

After we enjoyed every single bite of the Sweet Kaki’s apple pies, we continued with our dessert momentum and learned how to decorate cupcakes from the amazing Julie McAllister (of Jullie McAllister Cakes)! Julie is known for her sculpted cakes that are so realistic that everyone always says, “…that’s a CAKE??”.  Luckily for us, Julie is a member of The Supper Club AND also makes mouth-watering cupcakes ~and she shared her techniques with us. My goal was that everyone could leave the class feeling like they could at least do an “almost homemade” version of cupcakes to use when entertaining or as a treat for friends/family. With Julie’s guidance, we all learned simple tips to make cake decorating easier and felt more confident in our untapped skills.

julie mcallister teaching a class on decorating cupcakes

Julie taught us a classic rose and gave us her inside tips on what makes them work in the best way. And, we went a step further and learned how to create a hydrangea bloom and leaves. We were feeling like pros after a few tries! Julie made the class fun, interesting, and delicious! We appreciated the helpful tricks and tips!

rose cupcakes in pink on yellow plate with tube of green icing

overhead shot of lady holding white cupcake sprinkles in hand with other hand on yellow plate with 2 cupcakes on it

pink rose cupcake with green leaves and paper wrapper

Soon after our cupcake decorating class with Julie, we moved right into our floral design class with Supper Club Members, Parker Kennedy Living. This was loads of fun as we began creating our centerpiece flower arrangement that would be used the following day for our magazine photo shoot!

flower arrangement with pink orange coral yellow magenta blooms

Lance guided us on how he visualizes and creates his own arrangements. He shared tips that he learned when he worked for a floral company years ago. And then, he offered one-on-one help for each group as they began making their arrangements.

flower arranging class with students in beautiful dresses and tables covered in flowers

Containers for the arrangements were provided by Parker Kennedy Living and included a mix of vintage, antique, and new items. Members were also encouraged to bring their own vessel for flower arranging if they had something they knew that they wanted to use. David shared his knowledge on the history of the different pieces that they brought. There was such a wonderful variety and each group wowed us all with their creative florals!

flower arrangement with pink roses and small green limes

lady with brown hair in bun wearing apron arranging flowers

lady with short brown hair and wearing red apron pouring water into a green and gold checked vase

flower arrangement in blue and white container

2 ladies making a flower arrangement together seated side by side holding flower stems

 

Our third class of the day centered on table top styling. Gaines Jewelers provided our options for china, crystal, glassware, flatware, vases, and napkins. We were like kids in a candy store when we were able to unbox and see all of the different patterns and colors that were available for us to use!

ladies looking at fine china plates on a green table

pink and green floral table linens and plates with baccarat butterfly

 

table setting overhead shot with green and white table cloth and pink and white plates

colorful china patterns on display on a green table

ladies around a pool table looking at plates and glasses that are displayed

 

Using guidance from Anna Hartzog, editor of Entertain & Celebrate magazine, each group was able to work together to select their table setting pieces and to begin to style their ideas for the upcoming photo shoot.

group of ladies wearing colorful dresses listening to a discussion

We appreciate Gaines Jewelers so much – as they literally packed up everything and drove 10 hours to get these selections to us safely!  We seriously have the best Supper Club Members!

colorful plates on a green table

2 ladies opening tiffany china

The groups enjoyed getting their final plans together for the following day and we were able to see so many creative processes in action, I loved seeing the creative strengths of the group and how everyone helped each other to achieve a fabulous final result.

ladies working with fine china dishes on a pool table

These activities rounded out our daytime activities, and then we took a short break before meeting back for dinner in the cooking school at the Grand Bohemian.

lady in bright pink dress and man in shorts and shirt sitting in chairs talking infront of large window with purple drapes

pink green and orange cupcakes in clear containers on black tray

Our cooking class was designed to be a pasta-making class with 3 different recipes that would be made interactively with the chef and our Supper Club Members. The food was absolutely delicious~ the 3 pasta dishes, the salad and the peach dessert. We had a timing glitch with the hotel adding on a party in front of our party and this set us back a bit on our timing. The good news is that we had extra time to chat and get to know each other even better! 🙂

3 ladies dressed for dinner

3 friends sitting at a table talking and decorating the table

We had special guests join us for the cooking school  and dinner portion of the event~ Smeraglia’s Teddybear Golden Doodles! Who doesn’t love a flower garden more than a pup, right?

lady with blonde hair wearing a blue dress posing with white fluffy dog wearing a tuxedo vest

We had adorable invitations made for each Supper Club Member. Our theme for the night was Oodles of Noodles and Doodles. Our Supper Club Member, Sarah Moore (of Sarah T. Moore Designs), created the cutest invitations for us. I had golden balloon dogs made to go with the invitation and also tied a ribbon collar on each balloon dog. The white ribbon was customized with “Smeraglia’s Teddy Bear Golden Doodles” in gold.

group photo from a cooking class

For place cards, I bundled dried pasta and tied it with a ribbon. Sarah Moore created cards to go into each card “holder”. We opted to put Smeraglia’s Teddy Bear Golden Doodles on each card rather than to put each name. This idea created more of a focus on our sponsoring guests and made the seating arrangements less formal to go with the family-style vibe of the class setting.

making pasta in a cooking class

For the centerpieces, I used tulipieres from my own collection (but purchased from Parker Kennedy Living). Anna and I put flowers in them and placed them on the tables along with placemats from Lucy Grymes. The placemats and flowers were beautiful together! The Tobacco Leaf pattern by Mottaheda was a perfect Italian print for our Italian meal.

ladies sitting at a high top table chatting before dinner

Laurie Sugg, of The Fab Foo, had the fab idea to gift each Supper Club Member with a vintage or antique Foo Dog from her shop! This was such a special touch that added to the fun of the evening. Each place at the table had a different foo dog and everyone could take it home with them at the end of the night. Such a thoughtful gesture by The Fab Foo!

ladies chatting at a table in art gallery before dinner

 

I had originally planned a nightcap for our group but, because of the delayed start to our night, we pushed it to the following morning. We had a cocktail and a mocktail option for the members late in the morning after breakfast. I will tell you all about it a little further down…let’s talk about breakfast, first!

2 ladies with a breakfast cart posing for the camera

Lee Bogle, of The Southern Sideboard, created a breakfast cart selection for The Supper Club Members to enjoy in their rooms before the photo shoot began. Lee, Julie, and I delivered breakfast door to door to each guest! It was such a fun way to start my day to get to see most everyone as we knocked on all of the doors! I hope our members enjoyed the special room service that day, too! The Southern Sideboard specializes in meal deliveries and catering, and so this was right down her alley!

lee bogle serving breakfast on a bar cart for room service

 

Coffee was served for everyone and it was time to get to work on the photo shoot with Entertain & Celebrate! Each group went one at a time and worked one-on-one with Anna, lead-stylist Sidney Bragiel, and photographer John O’Hagan. The process is tedious but so interesting to watch. I always have so much respect for what goes into a photoshoot for a magazine after working with Entertain & Celebrate. There is definitely an art to creating a beautiful experience for their readers!

photo shoot being set up for a magazine on table settings

ladies working on a flower arrangement and tablesetting

ladies looking at a computer together

blonde lady in citrus dress and brunette lady in white shirt and bright pink skirt

2 ladies in dresses showing bracelets on arm

You may notice that several of us at The Supper Club Soiree wore dresses that were alike or similar. We have a wonderful member who started her own clothing company, Kate Leigh,  and she sent dresses for us to enjoy! We had a lot of fun trying on the different styles, patterns, and colors- and we may have even taken a few home with us! 🙂

2 ladies taking a selfie because they are wearing the same dress in different colors

While one group was working on their photo shoot, the other groups were able to record podcasts with our members, Patricia Mae Maristch of The Preppy Podcast and Angie Avard Turner of The Angie Avard Turner Show. Those episodes are so special to me and I hope you will go have a listen! We also had a chance to enjoy a mocktail and cocktail demonstration! Look at these delicious drinks!

orange and lime slices to garnish drinks

Andrea Wightwick, founder of Hapsy, put together a beautiful display of her mocktail recipe. Andrea discussed the benefits of Hapsy oil and had samples for guests to see. The drinks were served in vintage barware from The Fab Foo.

hapsy cbd oil on display on cake stand and surrounded by citrus slices

This cranberry mocktail will be perfect for the holidays, just saying. 🙂 Look at how gorgeous the colors are with the cranberries and citrus together!

sliced oranges arranged in a spiral design on a plate beside cranberry drinks and limes

We were also treated to another cocktail demo by Morgan Weinstock of Jackson Morgan Cream. This delicious drink would make a fabulous after dinner drink or dessert. Morgan showed us her favorite way to serve the recipe and gave us tips on presentation.

jackson morgan cream drink in a cup with striped straw

This was a perfect way to “cap” off the Soiree! Cheers!!

Lastly, I was thrilled to get to have a bonus dinner with some of the ladies that stayed the night after the Soiree. It was such a treat to relax and go to dinner with them and get to enjoy just being together!

ladies sitting on an orange bench at a hotel

I can’t wait to do it again! I will be back to add in more details and spotlight those who helped make it all come together so well. Cheers to all of the Supper Club Members- you all are amazing! If you’re not a member and want to be, come join us. We are saving you a seat at our table!

Cheers,

Lydia xo

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