As a designer I love when clients bring ideas and their vision to the table, but allow me develop and expand upon them, to work with different creative teams to bring the big vision to life. That is exactly what happened with Lauren and Chris. On our very first call Lauren said, this might be different but I don’t want a single flower. We’d love to work with you if you are up for the challenge.

With a New Years Eve celebration ahead of us I knew there was the most amazing way to bring their design ideas to life, yes, without a single flower.

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Lauren has a background in interior design and Chris works for a luxury, boutique hotel so I knew we would have a lot of fun thinking outside of the box, and that is exactly what we did. With a palette of black, deep green and mixed metals we added more glass and mirrors than you could image to bounce candlelight off of all of the surfaces for the most wonderful dinner.

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One of the things I love to do is allow time for my couples and their families to see the space they have been dreaming about before anyone else. This moment is one of my top moments of the day and these hugs always mean more than any of my couples or clients will ever know. It’s when, as a planner and designer, I get to breathe out. 🙂 To feel the excitement in the trust that has been given to me is the greatest honor. Seeing these photos takes me back to the moment, let’s do it all again!

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I wish pictures did the atmosphere justice, and there’s so much more to see – the beautiful cake by Becca Cakes to celebrate Lauren’s birthday, the amazing paper items from Tie That Binds (truly amazing) and more. Until the full gallery goes live in our archives I will leave you with this teaser from The Drakes.

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Would you opt for an event without any flowers after seeing this one? We would love to know!

Bravo to the creative teams who helped us celebrate L+C!

Planner & Designer: Christina Leigh Events
Photography: Jessica Collins Photography
Videography: The Drakes
Stationery: Tie that Binds
Hair and Makeup: Lovely Kind Beauty
Entertainment: Divisi Strings
Venue, Catering, Valet: The Club at Carlton Woods
Lighting, Rentals, Linens: Plants ‘N Petals
Cake: Becca Cakes

I can’t believe we are here. Truth be told after having our first little guy I was dead set that the Lord had it written in my story that I was set to be a boy mom. We had boy names, knew what we were going to do and then I heard my doctor, “it’s a girl.” I was shocked and overwhelmed, but had no clue how hard it would be to name a precious baby girl.

If you read this post you know that we like to add meaning to our kiddos names. Blair and I like strong names rooted in family. With Barrett we knew his middle name before his first, so why not start that way again.

Truth be told there are two women in my life that I wouldn’t be who I am today without. Two women who shaped me to my core.
My mom, Wendy Eileene, who taught me that I could be anything I wanted to be, to fight for your individuality and to push through no matter the circumstances. She taught me that it’s not always about the crown, but the journey – and that God’s plan is always worth the storm.
My moms mom and my Grammy, Eileene Marguerite, was the second leading lady in my life. I spent summers in her south Houston home. She taught be how to waltz around her library table, taught me that proper vocabulary (thank you to my nightly hooked on phonics lesson and Wheel of Fortune with bowl of ice cream) was something you had to work for. She taught me how to paint and cherish classics like Anne of Green Gables that we checked out from the library. The biggest lesson of all was that you were always better off volunteering for causes close to your heart, and getting involved in your community and church.

Two women, one name. Eileene it was. The perfect middle name for a precious baby girl.

Next up was a first name. We wanted a name that was timeless, and would fit with her middle name. Blair and Barrett are both B names so Blair had the suggestion to go with a C name so she would have a tie to me. In addition to the C we landed on a 9-letter name (like the 9-letters in Christina) and finished with the perfect sibling pairing; the double-t that you find in Barrett.

Welcome to the world Charlotte Eileene Frederick. You have captured our hearts already and we can’t wait to see how you make your mark on this big, big world. We hope you grow up with a servants heart, a peace to stand firm in who you are and a love for your family – because we sure love you.

If there’s one story that so many know from childhood it has to be If You Give a Mouse a Cookie! Due to my love for blueberry pancakes when I was pregnant a sweet friend gifted me If You Give a Pig a Pancake, and it’s been a favorite in our home since day one. If you ask my little guy which book is his favorite he replies “all of them” so I knew exactly what had to be done!

I knew for this third birthday I wanted cute paper, great food, a fun day and an adorable cake. Step one was setting the theme and starting with the paper. I found Honey Bear Pages I knew I struck gold! Abby was AMAZING to work with and I was so excited when we honed in on the pancake, muffin, donut and cookie as our “theme.” She had the cutest illustrations and we paired the primary colors from the books with the food to complete the look! Seriously, how cute are these!
I love this template thank you for little ones. While my guy can’t quite write his name, he did describe his gifts to me and draw each friend a picture. This is a great way to start teaching littles how to be grateful at an early age.

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Next on board was Alicia of The Sugar Cookie Studio. If you follow me personally on Instagram it is possible you know my love for these cookies. Not only is she insanely talented (take a look at this reel) the cookies taste good! I grew up on homemade sugar cookies and while I know you can’t have professional cookies that soft, these are the closest I have found, but have the amazing structure and designs that I love!

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To continue with the theme I grabbed these adorable little guys from Amazon and paired them with the food. Can we talk about the food!

Kristina from Buttercup is a God-send. We have worked together numerous times (fun fact she and my husband went to grade school together!) and when I found out she was opening her precious storefront just in time for our food themed party I knew I had to try to get on her calendar as soon as I could. The menu did not disappoint. I will let the pictures (from my iPhone) speak for themselves, because I truly don’t think I could put descriptive words together to adequately describe how amazing brunch was!

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I can’t forget the cake! Cristina with Dulce Designs was the mastermind behind the cake again this year! It’s hard to find inspiration for a cake that is children’s book themed, but she pulled it off flawlessly! Honestly, we don’t have a lot of sweets in our home on a daily basis, so when my three year old constantly went for the cookies I knew he was his daddy’s little guy for sure! The cookies were the perfect addition to this super fun cake!

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I had the cutest ideas for favors… but pregnant brain got the best of me, however I still think they turned out really cute! I pulled inspiration from Pig and her bubble bath, grabbed goggles for the pool and of course had to add cookies for everyone to take home as part of their favor. Personally, favors that add clutter aren’t necessary, but I love that all of these have a use or can be consumed! Double win!

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Most of all I can’t believe my little guy is three. With his little sister arriving any day I knew I wanted his birthday to be full of his favorite things; brunch, cookies and swimming! It was a special treat to be joined by our friends and family to celebrate! Cheers to your best year yet little man! Mommy and Daddy love you!

All of the items from Amazon can be found on my Amazon Storefront HERE. The cute figurines and box book set might be my favorite on the list!

It’s safe to say I have always loved beauty. I grew up a competitive cheerleader, then entered the world of pageants and was always taught that it is better to be over dressed, opposed to underdressed, any day. I was taught by makeup professionals, former Miss America’s and even my mother who was a certified colorist.

Fast forward to starting a family and when my OB told me to ditch everything in my makeup drawer, shower and in and on my vanity I made some big changes. I learned all about the ugly secrets, like heavy metals, known carcinogens, allergens and hormone disrupters lurking in my moisturizer, eyeshadow palette and my beloved lipgloss. You can read more about that HERE.

So where should you start if you’re switching to clean beauty? How do you find products that are high performing? Start here! I have your back! Would a former dancer, competitive cheerleader and pageant girl steer you wrong? HINT: The answer is no. I wont sacrifice performance or ease of using a product!

CREAMY CONCEALER – Stick with me. I an a mom, but even before that I always had slightly darker under eyes. When Beautycounter reformulated their concealer in 2020 I became the biggest fan. Plus, it’s now in the most amazing tube (not pictured) with amazing application wand! It’s lighter, yet has more coverage. You can use one shade lighter for under your eyes (and eyelids) to help brighten, the shade of your skin tine to help cover pesky blemishes and even a shade darker to help contour! Who knew all of the things you could do with concealer! Under my eyes I am shade “Fair 2.”

FOUNDATION – I could have gone one or two ways here, but every girl needs a great foundation in her vanity and this one is it. I can’t get over how good it covers, but how well it breathes. It truly feels like you have nothing on, but it is buildable. It also has hyaluronic acid and sign me up for helping to plump my skin while I wear my makeup! I am shade “Light 230.”

BROWS – When celebrity makeup artist Christy Colman said that your brows frame your face I had never thought about it that way before. It’s so true! If you have great brows it lifts your eyes, finishes off your look and gives you a great refresh in one step! What I love about this brow gel is that it’s not sticky or clumpy and literally finishes off your brows in one swipe! I love the shade range, and even the clear for those of you with great brows already. I am shade “light.”

LIP GLOSS – Can we talk about the fact that I am a lip gloss connoisseur. Truly. If there is a brand of lip gloss out there I have tried it. All of the drug store, department store, speciality store and samples one can find, I have tried. Enter Beyond Gloss. Y’all! Not only is it smooth and has great color payout the application (new packaging not pictures above) is a game changer. I also love that this gloss has responsibly sourced vanilla from a women owned vanilla field in Madagascar. Talk about doing good with one tube of lip gloss! If you made me pick a favorite shade it would be Magnolia Shimmer… or Clove… or Rosewood.
You can learn more about responsibly sourced vanilla HERE.

CHEEKS – I’m going off image again and talking cream blush. Keep reading! Don’t knock it until you have tried it. There is no way I ever thought I would be a cream blush fan, but can I tell you why I will always have the option in my possession? It’s extremely easy to apply, a teeny tiny bit goes a long way and it’s multi use! You can use it on your cheeks, lips and eyelids! It doesn’t melt away and it’s not sticky. Have I sold you yet? If you grabbed one makeup item to start with this is my pick. I love “Caramel” for every day and “Hibiscus” for a pop of pink!

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Questions? Comments? I would love to help you find your shade and chat makeup any day! Have you tried Beautycounter? I would love to hear your experience below!