In an era of postponed celebrations where “Sweet Seventeen” is the new Sweet Sixteen, Marleigh’s milestone birthday bash was nothing short of spectacular. After multiple postponements and the collaboration of an amazing team of vendors, Marleigh’s celestial Sweet Seventeen was a sensation!

“Marleigh’s event was a perfect example of how collaborative design elements create a true “wow” effect. From Holly’s stationary, to Surroundings’ florals, to Total Events decor and Katie and her team’s finishing touches - it all came together for a gorgeous event. Elario Photography captured it all beautifully!”

— Melissa Carrier, Owner of Total Events

Held at the timeless Kenmore Ballroom, the celebration combined ethereal elegance and whimsical youth. A sense of magic saturated the ballroom with the gold and silver metallic accents contrasting the navy blue and gem tone hued decor. The modern and architectural-inspired stationery and signage incorporated a girlish quality into its design. And altogether, these various elements were curated to create one cohesive event by Katie O’s remarkable team!

Katie and Casey provided some insight into the behind the scenes logistics that made Marleigh’s Sweet Seventeen go off without a hitch!

What inspired the celestial event theme?

There was not a definitive theme right from the start as Marleigh did not want a "theme" to be very obvious. We knew the event would take place in January in the evening and our birthday girl was very open to ideas! We worked together to brainstorm her interests, her style and what would make her "eyes light up." After we created a few design concepts including "Moody, Dreamy Sparkle" vs. "White Bright & Modern" we landed on the idea of a "starry, celestial, moody vibe." This allowed us to play with deep navy, purples, interesting lighting and silver holographic to make it stand out.

What was your favorite part of the event or planning and design process?

We loved collaborating with both Total Events & Holly Winnie Calligraphy to take all of our concepts and crazy ideas and bring them to life through the decor and special accents. The ceiling installation over the mezzanine was a focal point that really brought the space together. Hosting the event at the Kenmore Ballroom was a perfect fit as it allowed for Marleigh and her friends to have their own space upstairs, while her parents and their friends were downstairs. We loved the keychain favor board, custom drink pouches and the decals on the bathroom mirrors by Holly Winnie. There were unique touches throughout the entire ballroom that we created to make guests feel a "wow" around every corner.

Any challenges that your team had to overcome?

Covid was the biggest challenge as this event had a total of two rescheduled dates. We planned to celebrate a Sweet Sixteen in 2020, then moved to an alternate date for the "Sweet Seventeen" in 2021 we felt comfortable with but had to move it again to a 3rd date in 2022- we are just happy it didn't have to be a "Sweet Eighteen!"