The Gathering.
There is just something about gathering with an intimate group of women that fills your soul. My friend Mckenzie and I had this vision of bringing some ladies together. Random. Not a group of close knit friends, but a wide array of many women, most who don’t know anyone else, as an effort to meet others, step out of our comfort zones and walk away with some new friends.
Our first event got rained out but that didn’t stop us from setting up in Mckenzie’s garage apartment at the time. It was a hot day and the air conditioning wasn’t working but everyone stayed hours past our end date, so you know its a good time! We had a chosen specific theme for this first gathering that we called “Closet + Create.”
We provided a beautiful setup and all the food (beverages, finger foods and desserts) and then just invited 8 other women (4 each to make 10 total) ) to come and enjoy an evening with us. I made a little essential oil roller ball blend for each guest to take home and then towards the end of the evening, I led a little watercolor session where I taught them how to do a small abstract painting and then they could bring it home. I provided watercolor paper and a paintbrush for each person.
We always start with some mingling and then go around and do introductions so everyone can meet one another right away. We enjoy some food and chatting and then the second part of this particular event was the “closet.” We did a clothing swap and it was a wild hit. We asked everyone to bring gently used clothes that they wanted to get rid of and then everyone could bascially “shop” for free. We set up all the clothes on racks and we all got rid of the things we didn’t want and then went home with some precious “new to us” pieces. It was so much fun (and also gave me the idea to start a continuing “community closet”- more on that to come.)
We provided wine, sparkling water and then water with lemon and mint in it. Options for everyone. We had some jams going on in the background and twinkling lights behind a sheer curtain. The stage was set to have a meaningful evening together. We had a few photographers at the gathering so were able to capture some fun memories as well.
Event #2 happened on a beautiful Sunday afternoon (instead of a Saturday evening.) It was the loveliest of weather and set the stage for the perfect set-up. We had the opportunity to have Northerly trailer photobooth there and it was an absolute blast to utilize that for our event.
The theme for this gathering was “Gifts + Gif’s”. We did a “My favorite things” gift exchange so asked everyone to bring 9 items of the same thing of something they loved. That way, each person went home with 9 different fun gifts. It was so neat to hear what each woman brought and why. It was the sweetest little gift exchange and also a really fun way to network!
We of course, took full advantage of having an actual photo booth on site and had fun with that along with our resident photographer, Mckenzie, grabbing some group Gif’s of our group! ( You can hopefully view those here.)
It was just the perfect day and as we sipped on mimosas, we met other ladies we had never met before.
We felt like that was a huge part of planning these. Being misfits, as we tend to be, we never felt like we fit in with just one group of people. We never had the clan or crew that stuck with us for years and were our go-to people. So, why not blossom unlikely relationships with a bunch of people who don’t know one another. Why not we all be the people walking into a room people where we don’t know anyone else? So, that’s just want we did.
You can view more of that day here. And check out some fun + quick videos of our setup and day here and here and here.
I wanted to give you a few tips and tricks into a way you can make a special gathering like this for your people.
Go thrifting! I’ve been collecting the most beautiful collection of colored glassware for months with weekly thrift shopping trips and its really paid off with an incredible assortment I have been able to use for these gatherings. The clean-up is extensive but its worth it.
Ask local makers and businesses if they want to sponsor any part of your event. Whether its food, decor or some sort of activity contribution. (We haven’t done this part yet but many entrepreneurs would be excited with the opportunity!)
Use the gifts and talents you already have to integrate into the event. I used my skills with decorating, watercolor art and gift-giving to enrich the event. Mckenzie lent her wonderful apartment as a space and her eye for design + fashion + style, her great ideas for themes and of course, her stellar photography skills. We each used what we had to contribute to the event.
Find a partner to host them with. You not only have 2 minds to bring creative ideas to the table but you also share the bulk of the planning, costs, set up and clean up. And you are both bringing different people from your sphere of influence.
If you plan on doing multiple events, invite new people each time to give more people fun experiences and to meet new people. Choose new themes and have fun with it!
Try one where everyone brings a dish or drink to share to take that load off of you! Potluck style is always so fun!
All in all, just make a special space to gather with other humans and enjoy your time together!
