Instagramable Event Decor To Inspire Your Next Party

If an event doesn’t have enough Instagramable moments, did it really happen? In recent years, social media has changed and elevated event design from overall décor, to tablescapes and even the way food looks, making aesthetics more important than ever.  

While trends such as farmhouse chic and neon may come and go, there is one element of event design that will never change, and that is the importance of details. The little things are now everything.

Here are five beautiful and very different events that recently took place in Southern California. From babies to bridal and branding, their unique décor will inspire how you plan your next event.

Erika De La Cruz Boss Babe Bridal Brunch

When founder of Passion To Paycheck Erika De La Cruz was planning her wedding shower, she wanted to celebrate the talent of her female vendors. The garden party meets farmhouse chic theme was designed by Brittany Soinski. “I wanted to create the feeling of a feminine floral garden party in the countryside with all things pink! We combined vintage pink coupe glasses and linen runners from Hostess Haven with rustic farmhouse tables from Farm and Field Events to create a romantic feminine look,” she says.

The long communal tables featured a variety of romantic flowers designed by Soiree Floral Designs. The long garlands included lilacs, roses, garden roses, sweet peas and eucalyptus, all accented with Italian greenery. “We used a color pallet of blush, lavender, and cream with pops of gold and green, which looked stunning against the rustic wood tables and furniture,” shares Soinski.

It’s important to keep in mind that location can be everything. The natural landscape of the private San Diego residence where the event was held had shady oak trees and rosemary bushes which provided a dreamy background that’s impossible to replicate.

American Icon Awards

The American Icon Awards, which took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, honored Al Pacino with an award presented to him by Robert DeNiro. Guests included Quincy Jones, David Foster, Katherine McPhee, Wendi Mclendon-Covey, Marlo Thomas and Leila Ali among many others. 

Until recently, the trend for large events was to have a very high vase of flowers on each table. While this looked beautiful, it wasn’t very practical for having a conversation with someone across the table and ultimately created a less-than-intimate vibe. 

For this event, co-founder of The Influence Alexandra Lasky took a different approach. “I prefer using short floral arrangements at my events and client dinner parties. It allows for more engagement with guests at the tables and for great Instagramable moments,” she says. “People feel connected and not separated by overpowering centerpieces. One key floral vendor I utilize are Petals LA, and I also have a passion for floral creation on the side, so sometimes we will craft them ourselves with customized vases reflective of the brand and flowers from the market.”

Rosy Glow Mother’s Day Luncheon

Wild Spirit Fragrances hosted a Mother’s Day Luncheon for their new scent Rosy Glow at the Mondrian hotel in Los Angeles, at the Ivory on Sunset restaurant. Many celebrities were in attendance including Kendra Wilkinson, Kimberly Caldwell and Adrianna Costa. 

The decor of the event reflected the branding of the fragrance with a wild mix of different flowers and succulents on the table. It was a modern take on a traditional mother’s day look with all the accouterments from chic napkin rings to bright straws. 

But perhaps one of the most interesting choices were the millennial pink colored Polaroid cameras. Not only did they match the overall décor of the event, but these cameras were a great way for mothers and daughters to capture the moment for themselves and not just social media. The concept is retro-vintage meets right now.

Amelia Rei Jacaruso’s First Birthday Party

When media personality and mom influencer (among other things), Ali Levine was planning her daughter, Amelia Rei’s first birthday party, she chose a unicorn theme to reflect the uniqueness of her personality.

Levine went all in with unicorn gummy candy, cake, a large piñata, candy bracelets and mini piñatas. All of the table décor was surrounded by gumdrops and rock candy. 

There was even a candy bar designed by Candy Bar Couture. “I wanted to have a whimsical unicorn candy bar and bring it all to life in a couture fashion,” she says. “All different candies across the whole table set the scene. It was so cute and chic.”

 The theme shows that a baby’s first birthday doesn’t have to be infantile to be fun and colorful. It’s about taking an aspect of the child’s (and maybe just a little bit of her mother’s) personality, transforming it into an elevated look and running with it. 

Swirl Boutique Opening

When Swirl Boutique was opening up new outpost in Carlsbad California, owner Lisa Landers wanted the style of the event to reflect her branding. The event was designed by Whitney Eckis who made sure every little detail was stylish and extremely Instagramable.  

The party took place inside the boutique as well as in the store’s backyard, which has a painted wall for taking photos. A craft cocktail bar by Snake Oil offered a variety of libations featuring edible foams with the company’s branding. There were also matching cookies. The food was truly part of the décor.

In addition to flowers, large blush-colored feathers were integrated into the bouquets and tablescapes. A humorous word board added an additional element of fun and branding to the charcuterie and cheese spreads. 

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.