{HWTM contributor Tonya Coleman of Soireé Event Design here}, and I’m back with a Girly Circus inspired “Look for Less”, guest post where I share with you my tips on how you can have a fabulous, high-end looking party for less!

GOING CUSTOM: HIGH END VS. BUDGET CHIC
All the rage right now are parties that feature custom items that have been created by designers that match the party’s printables exactly… from the guest of honor wearing a custom-designed outfit to favor boxes to cakes. Today I’ll show you two different takes on the same party theme – a high-end designer version and a Budget Chic version – both featuring custom elements created from my new printables collection: “Girly Circus!”  And be sure to see the end of the post for a fabulous “Girly Circus Party for 8” GIVEAWAY!

DINING TABLES: HIGH-END VS. BUDGET CHIC

When designing a themed party, creating the perfect dining table is your chance to design a FABULOUS wow factor with a gorgeous centerpiece.  They can, however, be very costly. Here I show you how to create a stunning themed DIY centerpiece for less!

High-End Centerpiece

The centerpiece consists of a store bought candelabra and stuffed animals that were inspired by the printables then simply embellished with matching rhinestones.  I fell in LOVE with this “Girls Just Wanna Have Gund” limited edition elephant and hippo that matched perfectly with the theme and added the touch of whimsey I was looking for.  Add in the tricycles, my signature tutu chairbacks and plate inlay printables and a “Girly Circus” table is complete!

Cost of the High-End Centerpiece: $128

BUDGET CHIC CENTERPIECE

Custom doesn’t always mean more expensive!  I purchased the large tin vase at a flea market and the elephants from the clearance section of Michaels for 75% off.  They all were NOT white, so with a little spray paint and rhinestone embellishments we now have a customized DIY centerpiece that matches the party and looks like a million bucks!

Cost of the Budget Chic Centerpiece: $43

BUDGET CHIC TIP

With all the money I saved by DIY’ing the centerpiece, I could add custom designed favor boxes from Piggy Bank Parties that added a high-end touch to the table and also helps keep the paper plates from blowing away!  How fabulous are these favor boxes!  They match perfectly!

Beauty Bar: Designer OutFit Vs. Budget Chic OutFit

A huge hit right now is to feature the birthday girl wearing a custom outfit for her special day that matches the party’s theme.  Here I show you a high end and budget chic option to get in on this trend.

Designer Couture OutFit

How FABULOUS is this custom outfit made by Nevaeh’s Baby Couture!  I provided her with my printables for inspiration and she designed and made this entire outfit to fit the birthday girl perfectly!  Notice how she duplicated even the circus animals from the printables on the appliques featured on the ruffled top!  Gorgeous!  She even custom designed a hair pin and necklace from the printables for each guest to take home!

Cost of the Couture “Girly Circus” Outfit: $250

BUDGET CHIC OUTFIT

You can pull together a custom Budget Chic outfit with a store bought tutu, hair bow and tank top that you personalize with a printable circle iron-on!  Now you have a special personalized outfit that matches your party’s theme for the birthday girl!

Cost of the Budget Chic Outfit: $18

BUDGET CHIC TIP

With all the savings here, you can create an entire “Girly Circus” Beauty Bar complete with enough tutus and tanks for each of your guests to wear during the party.  Be sure to have the birthday girl in a different color tutu and tank top to keep her outfit different from her guests. You can also splurge on this fabulous personalized acrylic tray from A Blissful Nest that you can use after the party!

Once all your guests are dressed up to match your party’s theme, be sure to take advantage of the cute photo ops!  You can use your printable Lolli-tags™ as photo props as well as this custom birthday poster from Moulage Collection that the birthday girl can take photos with commemorating her special day!

SWEETS BAR: HIGH-END CAKE VS. BUDGET CHIC CUPCAKE TOWER

Custom fondant cakes are such a wow factor to any sweets table but they can be quite pricey.  I will show you how you get this wow effect for a fraction of the price using a cupcake tower!

Designer High-End Cake

How fantastic is this custom cake from Danielle’s Desserts that matches the “Girly Circus” printables exactly! The details are amazing and creates a STUNNING wow factor on the sweets table.

Cost of the Designer Cake: $250

BUDGET CHIC CUPCAKE TOWER

You can still achieve a wow factor on your sweets table by using my Budget Chic alternative. Displaying 2 dozen store bought cupcakes on a 5-tier cupcake tower provides the same height as a 3-tiered cake. Dress them up in matching baking cups from The TomKat Studio Shop and top with customized printable cupcake toppers to create a stunning wow factor at a fraction of the cost of a custom fondant cake!

Cost of the Budget Chic Cupcake Tower: $25

BUDGET CHIC TIP

With the money you save from doing a cupcake tower vs. a fondant cake you can add other designer desserts to your sweets bar to match like cake pops and chocolate covered oreos from The Gourmet Pop, marshmallow pops from The Marshmallow Studio, gumpaste toppers from KupcakeSpot, gumball tubes from The TomKat Studio as well as ALL of the other store bought sweets on the table (cotton candy, cookies, marshmallows, chocolate donuts, meringues and rock candy sticks)!  Add in the printables and you have a “Budget Chic” Look for Less!

I hope I’ve inspired you to use some of these Budget Chic tips when designing your next party! And to get you started, I am hosting a Girly Circus Party for 8 GIVEAWAY over on my blog, “The Girlfriend’s Guide to Party Planning!”  The giveaway package includes everything you’ll need to create you own Girly Circus Party for 8 guests from 10 popular party vendors!  One lucky winner will receive:

Girly Circus Party for 8 Prize Package:

• “Girly Circus” DIY printable package from Soiree Event Design
• Budget Chic outfit (tutu, personalized tank top & hair bow) from Soiree Event Design
• 8 marshmallow pops from The Marshmallow Studio
• 8 big top favor boxes from Piggy Bank Parties
• 1 ribbon garland from A to Zebra Celebrations
• 1 acrylic personalized tray from A Blissful Nest
• 8 “Girly Circus” hairclips from Nevaeh’s Baby Couture
• 1 custom birthday poster from Moulage Collection
• 8 cupcake toppers from Kupcake Spot
• 1 cakepop stand from Danielle’s Desserts
• 8 paper plates, cups & napkins, 1 pack of pink/white striped paper straws, 2 dozen baking cups & 8 gumball tubes from The TomKat Studio Shop

This prize package is worth $500!

For more details on the giveaway and to enter click here.