a sparkly, rosy dream. a night to remember.
The sweetest January night I will ever have was made even sweeter by the friends and new friends who commemorated my first calligraphy workshop. The joining together of many female power forces made this event something to behold. I will try to capture the details as best as I can so you can feel the magic too.
Serendipity
It was a wonderful serendipity that Kayla Brewer, owner of Voda Boutique was newly starting her workshop series when I sauntered into her shop to pick up a fuzzy pink clutch. After exchanging a few words we both realized we were looking to accomplish the same thing: a night of calligraphy, shopping and wine + snacks.
For me, I wanted this event to be both a celebration of one year of business and a workshop teaching women one of my favorite skills. What we unexpectedly created was an experience of sweet and fun memories.
Small Businesses Matter
Something I have always valued since I first started this adventure, is continued relationships with other local small businesses. Instagram and other social media platforms have made it so easy to communicate with other like-minded individuals, many of whom attended the event in support. When conceptualizing my vision in detail, including other vendors was a no-brainer.
Rachel Linder, of Blue Barn Photography was one of the first contacts I ever made in business. What started out as a random encounter in a David's Bridal many years ago, blossomed into a wonderful friendship and mentorship. Kayla and I have both worked with Rachel in the past, Kayla displaying Blue Barn's prints as decor throughout her coastal-inspired boutique, which also made perfect sense that she be one of the first vendors we recruit. Rachel was not only thrilled, but gracious enough to photograph the event for the night. We used two sets of Blue Barn Prints and stamps as the final hand-lettered take-a-way for attendees.
Party Boxes
I also wanted to include items into a party box for the students to take home as a thank you for supporting me for the last year and for attending the event. Included in the box: earring studs from Voda, sea salt dark chocolate from Videri Chocolate Factory, discounts off services from Pinup Studio and a $10 giftcard to Vita Vite Wine Bar. I included each individual's hand-lettered name on a clipboard and two pens in gold and black for them to take home to practice. Chairs were also donated by a new wedding venue in Raleigh called The Meadows. They were so sweet to both donate the chairs and attend the event. I found that by reaching out to new vendors, or having them reach out to me, I got to develop new relationships that will also develop into working with one another.
All in all, I would say for the first hand-lettering event it was a roaring success and I hope to take what I have learned from doing my first event and make the next workshop even more special. Thank you again to those who contributed, helped set-up and attended in support. And thank you again for letting me get to do what I love everyday.
All photos by Rachel Linder of Blue Barn Photography
