last year around this time . . .

Toward the end of January 2008, Tim and I were asked to help out our friends Paul & Chelsea, who needed a classy rehersal dinner the night before their wedding on a tight budget with a teeny timeline. The mission? To transform this room into an intimate setting for 40. Here's the before:

This space was actually the room where the bride lived as a young woman, so to transform a room that she knew very well was quite a challenge. Here's the after:

We wanted to darken the room to create a cozier mood but painting the walls was out of the question, so we came up with the alternative solution of tacking up metallic wrapping paper which we snagged on sale at IKEA! We created the warm lighting with several strategically placed theatrical uplight fixtures and topped the tables with tealights to add a touch of glow! Here's a close-up of the settings - notice the neat twisted copper handles on the flatware.
The flatware was rented from a local wedding supply vendor and the rest of the pieces from the settings were purchased from IKEA or borrowed from friends. We had a fantastic time putting this together and wish Paul & Chelsea a Happy 1st Anniversary!