Our Engagement Party Recap #2 - More Details!

Hello friends! I'm back with more details about our engagement party... Hope you like hearing about it, cuz I sure like talking about it :)

I realized I forgot to tell you where it was! The party was held at Duplex on Third, which is this fabulous restaurant/event space right on the border of Beverly Hills. I actually went there for the first time for my 10 year high school reunion this past May, and when it came time to start looking for a place to hold our party, I knew that Duplex would be perfect - the upstairs is completely private, there's a huge area with round tables and banquets for sitting, two separate lounge areas, a fireplace, a balcony, a private bar... It was great because there were areas for lounging and hanging out, and other areas specifically designed for eating. Plus, it's gorgeous!

The other thing we liked about having it at Duplex is that it's a restaurant, so we didn't have to bring in our own caterer. We did a full open bar and heavy appetizers and the food was delicious. We served mini short rib sliders, veggie eggrolls, curried chicken bites with tzatziki, different types of flatbread pizzas, tuna tartare on plantain chips, kale & feta spanakopita... yum!

We brought in our own desserts - fruit, mini red velvet whoopie pies, and an assortment of tiny cupcakes from Yummy Cupcakes - my favorites were vanilla with pink buttercream and chocolate salted caramel. Mmmm!

Okay, on to the fun stuff... you KNOW I wanted to wear something sparkly to this shindig - no plain LBD was gonna be nice enough for this party! Anytime I have a big event I end up buying no less than 8 dresses and making a gametime decision - did it for prom, did it for both graduations, and now, did it for my engagement party. Good thing my wedding dress was a no-brainer! I bought this, this, and this, but in keeping with the gold sparkly theme, as soon as I saw this dress, I knew it was the one :)

I wore it with my trusty Pour La Victoire nude wedges (my fave, I also own them in black), a new pair of gorgeous Loren Hope iridescent crystal earrings, and this adorable bracelet sent to me by Baublebar when they launched their new wedding line! (Thanks, Baublebar!) I felt fabulous and sparkly all night :)

In case this comes as any surprise, I am NOT that tan in real life. Despite my best efforts to build up a real base tan in Cabo, it had mostly faded a few weeks later, so off I went to Queen Bee Salon for a spray-tan. If you live in LA and feel comfortable standing THISCLOSE to someone while she sprays your whole nude bod, I highly recommend :) My manicure was Essie's Secret Stash - a true, bold pink - and I got my hair done at my favorite place in the world, Drybar. 

As for the makeup... a friend of mine's little sister recently graduated from makeup school and did my makeup as a trial for the wedding! Lauren also made-up Bailey and my mom and it was a great experience - she came to our house and we schmoozed while she made us up and gave us false lashes - so glam! I also highly recommend her for your professional makeup needs :)

So those are some more fun details... I guess all that's left is showing yall more fun pictures, so I'll be back in a day or so with some of those!