Flora’s Festive Guide: 10 Reasons to Celebrate Life’s Milestones
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Founded to foster a supportive and collaborative environment for female professionals, Babes Brunch brought 40 women together under one roof. Here’s how Flora helped them set the stage with elaborate tablescapes, whimsical decor and personal touches, serving as a perfect backdrop for an event meant to help creatives “express ideas, share feelings, celebrate success, have fun and just be.”
Instead of traditional corporate offerings, imagine a sparkling synergy of simpler times and modern fun. Earthy, desert tones with bohemian touches infused the space with a feeling of warmth and comfort. There was a painted dried floral installation suspended from the ceiling’s center truss, creating an airy, botanical wonderland with rich orange, pomegranate-red and pink accents woven throughout the space. It was homey and welcoming – a far cry from typically stuffy and stoic corporate events.
After guests sipped on marionberry mules and Pear Collins cocktails, they took their seats at long tables festooned with taper candles, floral arrangements, and hand-written name tags presented on each charger with a few delicate feathers. Lounging nooks featured tufted ottomans, creating an atmosphere of laid-back elegance. To achieve the effect of a home with separate rooms, Flora used partitions and signs to distinguish the dining and lounging areas. The result was a well-designed flow that allowed for easy and effortless entertaining.
A special guest of Flora’s owner was Kimberly Gafter, one of the two women behind Cake, a local San Diego bakery. Kimberly and her business partner, Jennifer Duncan, were all-star winners of Food Network’s Cake Wars three times and are a favorite go-to for many San Diego wedding coordinators. Their creations were part of a dessert bar that followed a menu of wild arugula and pomegranate salad, shrimp and grits, savory bread pudding and prosciutto, and grilled watermelon.
Activity stations throughout the Babes Brunch included an herbal tea blending station with Herb & Nectar, a Los Angeles-based small-batch apothecary and tea bar, and a hair braiding corner with Styled by Jordan. A speaking event featured a yoga breakout – just one of the many touches that made this Babes Brunch event stand out from typical corporate gatherings.
“To say last week’s event was amazing is an understatement!” one participant posted on Instagram. “We could not feel more blessed by the incredible vendors we got to collaborate with and the vibrant, creative ladies we were so very lucky to host! This was an event filled with new connections, old friends, creativity, pampering, laughter, fun and so much beauty. Thank you to everyone who came and not only supported Babes Brunch, but supported one another!”