A DIY Tropical Summer Fiesta in 4 Easy Steps

A few weeks ago, we hosted a fun tropical summer fiesta in honor of Cinco de Mayo, and it made me realize what a fun theme it would be for any summer party! The bright colors, pineapple margs, and yummy nacho bar all came together for an evening of early summer fun. If you’re looking for some tips on throwing a fiesta of your own this season, I’ve outlined a four easy ways below to help you do it yourself!

DIY Tropical Summer Fiesta | The ELL Blog

• Bring the color: For our party, I wanted to go with colors that were a little more unique than a typical Cinco de Mayo party. I was inspired by a pack of colorful banners I found at Target, and decided to ground everything with a vintage pink Mexican blanket I’d picked up at the flea market. Next, I added slight levels to the table with an overturned bowl and cake stand to add dimension. I finished it off with a few different tropical elements from around the apartment, like a ceramic pineapple, brass candlesticks, a vintage New Mexico tray, and a few piñatas!

• Incorporate fresh elements: I also wanted to bring some fun tropical elements to the table, and florals + fresh fruit did just the trick. The floral arrangement was actually created from several of Trader Joe’s small wildflower bunches, which even came with pincushion proteas. The entire bouquet cost less than $7! I also tucked a fresh pineapple, coconut, and limes amongst the table decor, too.

• Setup a margarita station: A tropical summer fiesta wouldn’t be complete without a pitcher of homemade margaritas! To add a tropical twist, we made them with pineapple juice, and were even able to repurpose our signature cocktail sign from our wedding (pineapple margaritas were on the menu!) Elliot squeezed over 50 limes to make the pitcher of fresh margs, and it was soo worth it. We used this recipe, and just added in a bit of pineapple juice at the end. The margarita bar also had stir sticks, straws, and lime wedges so guests could dress up their glasses. We also had a bucket of Mexican beers on hand for those less partial to margs 🙂

• Create a build-your-own nacho bar:I love a themed party because it means getting to come up with a creative menu. Obviously chips and dips were a must, and our lovely friends each brought their favs to contribute to the afternoon! We had fresh shrimp ceviche, guacamole, jalapeño garlic dip, and, of course, lots of salsa. As for the main event, we thought a nacho bar would be a fun concept since everyone could build their own plate. We made some overnight barbacoa in the crockpot + some homemade queso, and then set out a bunch of other fresh toppings. My favorites to set out include:

Fresh tomatoes
Green onions
Diced red onions
Sour cream
Salsa
Jalapeños
Corn
Black beans

So there you have it – just add some music and a few friends, and you’ve got yourself a tropical summer fiesta! Hope you find some time this summer to celebrate the warm weather with a marg in hand.

Darling Cocktail Party

2 Comments

A few weekends ago, I had the privilege of assisting the amazing Jill from Layered Vintage and Kara Dykert from Darling Events with the Darling San Diego cocktail party. Along with many other vendors and creatives, we worked to set up an fun and intimate party at Pow Wow Studios. The space was perfect for the event, since the studio is filled with aisles of vintage furniture that can be rented! I was so happy and thankful to be a part of the experience, since I was able to meet so many wonderful people in the creative SD industry. Among the wonderful vendors and helpers were Type & Title (calligraphy), Tend (plants and greenery), Kim from Dainty Lion, MIHO Catering, and The Photo Bus. There were so many others that helped and attended as well, and it was so amazing to meet each and every one!

One of my favorite parts of the event was definitely the Floral Swag Bar that Jill and her team put together. Guests could come to the booth and pick out flowers to put in their hair! The three different cocktail bars were a hit as well, with each having a different signature themed cocktail. I can’t wait until the next Darling event!

The Lofty Wedding Collection

This wedding event was so darling I could barely capture all of it’s loveliness! Located in downtown San Diego, The Lofty Wedding Collection is home to several wonderful wedding vendors, which are all anchored by the Elle Bridal Boutique (how could I not love a shop named that?!).

The boutique was launched by the lovely Krystel Tien, who is also the brains and beauty behind Couture Events, one of my favorite event planning companies in SD. Her feminine touch and eye for detail can be seen throughout Elle. I wanted to take everything she had in the shop home with me! I am a huge sucker for all things Rifle Paper Co and Sugar Paper, and of course she had all of their perfect bridal items. Upstairs from the little boutique is a loft space home to additional wedding vendors (Posh Paperie, Garret Richardson Photography, & Anthology Films), making it the ultimate one-stop shop. San Diego was definitely in need of this kind of wedding shop!

Thursday’s event was held as a sort of “second grand opening” with the addition of some new vendors to the loft. It was such a fun soiree, made complete with peach champagne, Parisian treats, and handmade flower crowns by the amazing Wallflower Inspiration. Twinkle and Toast even made the adorable “You are loved, darling” sign as a raffle giveaway (which I didn’t win, but am still obsessed with).

You could say that this event definitely put me in the wedding planning spirit!