Who says a chic Paris-inspired party has to come with runway-style price tags? This sweet & romantic “Springtime in Paris” Engagement Party that Carolyn & Prescott hosted to celebrate their big news was pulled together on a shoestring budget, while still managing to look like a high fashion fete!

Blackberry mojitos, country-style French lemonade, sparkling peach champagne, and French wine… CHEERS! Petite pastries, Nutella crepes, mini Quiche Lorraines with bacon & parmesean, Croque Madames… BON APETIT! I also love the thoughtful details included with this party – like the berets that Carolyn gifted to her bridesmaids {which made for such cute pics!} and the “engagement bling” watch that she gave her fiance because she felt it “was only fair to reciprocate!” =) And I actually think the bride-to-be’s outfit could serve as the party’s centerpiece alone – how about you?!

Read on for more lovely images & creative details…

PARTY DETAILS, as told by the Bride-to-be…

“Bonjour! My fiance and I went to Paris last Spring and totally fell in love with the culture, food and city itself. That is where we got the inspiration to do a ‘Springtime in Paris’ engagement party. My mind went crazy thinking of all the fun petite desserts and cute french party favors we could do for the party. I immediately ordered the adorable berets as a thank you for my bridesmaids and found the perfect European watch for my fiance as HIS engagement bling… since he got me my engagement ring, I felt it was only fair to reciprocate! =)

Once, we decided upon the classic french colors of lavender, black and white, I put together all the finishing touches for the dessert table and my ‘tres francais’ outfit. Believe it or not, we did everything ourselves on a really tiny budget. The tablecloth was a combo of 2 different ones for a buck each from Walmart, the plates were from party city, napkins from Michael’s, my dress from Marshall’s, heels from target and pretty much everything else we collected from our home and trip to paris (like the mini eiffel tower that we bought in Montmartre) and the picture frame of us in front of The Louvre.

All the drinks went along with the Parisian theme including french country lemonade and sparkling peach champagne all from Trader Joe’s. Since, we will be going to the French countryside for our honeymoon, we made sure to include plenty of French wine and champagnes, too. And we also included the MOH’s signature cocktail blackberry mojitos, that actually matched the lavender theme!

Overall, I would say it is just all about the details, even a black satin ribbon tied around a 2 dollar candle can make it look totally classy. You don’t have to spend a ton on invitations, either. We printed our own, did our own calligraphy, so we decided to spend a little extra on the unique stamps and stickers. It’s all about choices, the only place we didn’t skimp was on our dessert bar, but I guess that is to be expected when the BTB is a pastry chef!” =)