D'Posh Spotlight: Launch Party for Royale Wines

Who doesn't love Launch parties? cos i know i do!. I love the idea of trying something new, and its even more fun when there is a party thrown specifically for that purpose. Elite Conceptions is a New York based wine company and they had contacted me about planning the launch party for their new wine:Royale Wines. While i was obviously super excited about the opportunity to do a "different" sorta party, the biggest challenge became how to get people excited about this new product and most importantly...how to get them to show up!. Since Elite Conceptions is a New York based company throwing a party in an unfamiliar territory (Maryland) and I'm a party planner with little to no experience with party promoting, we had to map out things we thought would get people out!.
The venue was Kahler Hall in Columbia MD and the main color for the night was BLUE. I tried to play around with the shade of blue on the wine label while accenting it with some white and silver for some contrast. I had servers pass hor'dourves , a dessert table and of cos THE WINE was the star of the evening. As a surprise for our guests, we had a belly dancer come in and thrill the guests, while the DJ played a mixture of Nigerian hip-hop and good 'ol American hip-hop. All in all, I'd say it was a fantastic event even though i never did get to taste the wine...mmmmm.....

Something old.......Something new

Many brides choose to go without a traditional veil and do the Birdcage veil instead. I like!


A bride who isn't afraid to break tradition and follow her own rules is MY kinda bride!


Cute black dresses for the bridesmaids is another way to make a statement.

Gosh it seems like i have been away for too long, I'm sorry about that....but work got the best of me. I have all these special events coming up and will definitely be blogging about them soon!. So lets go straight to today's post.......

I love "Tradition", i am all about infusing your unique tradition into your wedding. There is just something absolutely timeless about the experience itself, something that makes you want to smile. As a true blooded Nigerian girl, i have attended loads of weddings and maybe (yes maybe) even fantasized about how beautiful my friends and i will look on MY day (blame it on the "Wedding Planner" in me). For the Nigerian traditional weddings, i love the aso-oke colors of the Yorubas, the intricate head pieces of the Benins and the wine carrying tradition of the Ibos. Centuries have passed and it just seems like these traditions are going nowhere anytime soon, with new brides staying true to the tried and trusted ways of the brides that went before them
Now, while i am all about staying true to tradition, i also wouldn't be me if i didn't try and modernize it a little bit :-). I love when i see brides take something old and make it modern again. From the aso-ebi the friends of the bride wear to the bride choosing to wear a second dress for her reception, brides are breaking all the rules and getting away with it too!. I love when i see a bride with a splash of color on her wedding gown, or one that is willing to have her bridesmaids wear black or maybe even do away with the cliche of using flowers altogether (GASP!).
Ultimately your wedding is about you and your groom. Whether you choose to stick to tradition and keep it classic or you completely modernize your wedding by going retro glam, its all about what you both love and will totally cherish for the rest of your lives.

Its all in the presentation.......

Spicy gizzard served in a white shell and draped with pearls


Pasta salad served in martini glasses and garnished with cherry tomatoes


Coconut shrimp served on a bed of lettuce and garnished with plantain chips

Pineapple meatballs garnished with rose petals and pebbles

We are going to take a break from looking at some of my past events and talk about food.

Gosh i love good food! (who doesn't right? lolll). I love to make it, eat it and most importantly SERVE IT!. I have always believed that its not always about serving the most expensive food but rather HOW YOU SERVE IT!. I am known for my crazy, sometimes over-d-top, unique ways of presenting food and can have you believing a simple burger is just as fancy as Fillet Mignon.
Why should good 'ol American Mac-n-Cheese just be considered comfort food, when you can make it soo much more. I am always thinking up ways to incorporate things that i know will WOW the guests, "my little conversational pieces" i like to call them. When you present food in a unique and creative way, you can get the average person who usually wouldn't try something new, actually give it a go. So the next time you want to entertain your guests, surprise them by presenting food in a way they have never seen before. Believe me , they won't soon forget the experience.

D'Posh Spotlight: Tola & Lanre's Summer Wedding

Tola and Lanre's wedding happened to be the first wedding i helped plan and co-ordinate! YAYYY!, and i can't thank them enough for trusting me with the most important day of their lives (did i mention that i have amazing friends??????? :-). To say i was a whole bag of nerves would be putting it lightly. I knew that i had something to prove and i never was one to back down from a challenge.
Tola is another good friend of mine and her husband Lanre has to be one of the funniest guys i have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They are amazing together, feeding off each others energy. I can't help but smile when i'm around the both of them...... i guess it has something to do with the unconditional love that they share.
When the planning process began, Tola had let me know how much family means to her and Lanre. They both wanted to be surrounded by the love of family and friends, but still have an intimate wedding that was unique to them. Turning Kahler Hall in Columbia MD into the intimate setting they both wanted wasn't an easy task, but my amazing decorator (Ayoteju of BCG EVENTS) has got magic running through her fingers. The decor was soo romantic and pretty that i almost didn't recognize it as the same venue we had walked into that morning. Tola's dream of an intimate wedding with lots of family and friends became a reality, a reality that i am soo happy to be a part of. Thanks Tola and Lanre, u both rock!

D'Posh Spotlight: Yuwa is 25 & Fabulous!

Every now and again, i get to do something fun and totally personal for some of my closest friends. So when my dear friend Yuwa was turning the big 25, i knew i wanted to do something special for her. About 2 months leading up to her turning a quarter of a century old (that sounds soo old hehehehe), i had asked her what she wanted to do to celebrate and her answer was ...NOTHING!. Well "Nothing" is never an answer i like to hear...esp when it comes to throwing PARTIES!!, so the wheels went to work in my head and i knew i had to surprise her with something big. Yuwa and I have been friends since high school (15yrs and counting) and she is an absolute Fashionista!. With the help of some of her close friends, i went ahead to plan an intimate and fun surprise cocktail party for the ultimate Fashionista herself. I knew that since i pretty much had full control of this party, i did not want it to be your typical Nigerian house party (not that there is anything wrong with that of cos). I didn't have to look too far for inspiration because my personal assistant came to the rescue when she offered the use of her Dad's art gallery.
Iroko Gallery is located in the heart of Downtown Baltimore and i just totally adore its very artsy feel.. Red roses, red lighting, bottles of vintage wine, passed hor'dourves and a white chocolate fountain with all the fixings set the tone for the evening's festivities. Yuwa was completely taken by surprise when she got to the venue but i on the other hand was just glad that she actually GOT TO THE VENUE lolll. Everyone had a fantastic night and i cant wait to throw another surprise party for the next friend....mmmmm i wonder who that lucky person might be :-)

D'Posh Spotlight: Mary & Mowunmi's 25th Birthday Extravaganza

When Mary and Mowunmi came to me about planning their joint 25th birthday party, i could tell from our first meeting that they wanted it to be BIG!. Mary and Mowunmi are cousins who are pretty much like sisters and they had some specific ideas about what they wanted. Mary and I have been friends for quite a bit and i wanted to make the day special for the both of them...cos after all u only turn 25 once right? :-). Our party venue was the Mayorga Cafe in Silver Spring MD and that in itself posed to be sort of a challenge for my crew and i. While the cafe is cute and charming by its self, it is also not really the most ideal location for a blow-out party for 150 of the most Fabulous people in the DMV area. So the challenge was to turn an otherwise cute cafe into something more sassy without really taking away from its original charm.
We did away with the cutesy colors that might be otherwise associated with "girls" and went with bolder colors that are sure to make a statement. The hues of Reds and Purples were accented with splashes of brown, bringing a new dimension to the room. The night ended up being just about perfect with Mary and Mowunmi having a great time dancing and mingling with their beautiful friends.

Lesson 1 when choosing a venue: Don't be discouraged by what it might look like at first glance. You can turn an otherwise ordinary space into something FAB with just the right amount of Decor and Lighting!. So think outside the box when picking a space and go for something your guests will least expect.

D'Posh Spotlight: Tiana & Innocent

First up is Tiana & Innocent's Tiffany Blue Affair!
Tiana and I have been friends for as long as i can remember. So when Innocent got down on one knee and asked her to be his bride, it seemed only natural that i would be her wedding planner!!!. This wedding obviously held a special place in my heart because Tiana is one of my close friends, but also because she is one of the most amazing and kind hearted people i have ever met. I knew i had to give her the wedding of her dreams and that's exactly what i did. With the help of Ayoteju of BCG Event Decor, we transformed "The Camelot" in Upper Marlboro MD into Tiana's Tiffany Blue paradise. I worked with some of the best vendors for this event and every guest went away feeling like they just attended one of the best weddings ever!. After all was said and done, seeing the huge smile on Tiana's face was what made my day.
Thanks to Tunji Sarumi Photography for the pictures!