The Midsummer Mingle

The summer after we were married, Kirk and I were working on an organic farm in Denmark when the longest day of the year -- June 21st -- rolled around. The family who owned the farm invited us to join in the Midsummer celebration -- and we spent an evening filled with flowers, food, a bonfire, and good company. It was a magical evening, and one I will always remember.

With the Midsummer Mingle we co-hosted last month, this was exactly the kind of memory we wanted to create for everyone who attended. Not an exact replica -- but the feeling, the beauty, the magic of that night. The whole thing was actually Brittany Jepsen's idea (the House That Lars Built). She asked a few friends and colleagues if we wanted to co-host, and we all jumped at the chance. And so, everyone from MerMag, Caravan Shoppe, One More Mushroom, Sarah Jane Studios, the House that Lars Built, and Sycamore Street Press put our heads together to plan and execute this event. We wanted it to be like a big thank you gift to our wonderful creative communities.

Did I mention that we only had 3 weeks to put the whole thing together?! Brittany and her interns ended up putting in the lion's share of the work. But the rest of us weren't slacking either. Looking back, I think it was a bit crazy for me to agree to do this right after getting home from the National Stationery Show! It was worth it, though. Just looking at these photos brings back so many lovely memories...

I wish that all of you could have been there! But of course, many of you live far away. And even among locals, space was limited. We announced the event on social media, and within a couple of hours, the (free) tickets were all reserved. I think we ended up hosting around 300 people. We hope to be able to do it again next year, though! (And next time, we'll be able to start planning much more in advance!)

Shall I walk you through the Midsummer Mingle?

Upon entering the driveway, guests were greeted with a canopy of trees draped with lights and a huge banner and balloon arch.

There was a reception table where the first 150 guests received a crown of flowers or greenery to wear.

Those first guests also received a swag bag with a variety of fun little items. The contents for the bags varied, but I believe they all had those lovely floral notebooks from Minted. (See complete list of swag bag sponsors tagged on all of our IG accounts. My post is here.)

At the end of the driveway, guests could sip lemon lavender tea.

Then, they started up the path through the forest...

First stop, Camp Meta. Meta of One More Mushroom had decorated this adorable little campsite. I loved it so much, I could have moved right in. Guests had their polaroid photos taken and got to take them home along with a cute little paper frame.

Second, guests came to the House That Lars Built's little oasis. It felt like a scene out of Alice in Wonderland! So pretty, colorful, and whimsical. Guests took home cards and paper lanterns.

Sycamore Street Press was the next stop on the forest path. We decorated the whole space in washes of blue and white and asked guests to write down their favorite part about summer and hang it up on the wall or the clothesline. They walked away with an indigo greeting card and one lucky winner got $100 credit to our shop.

Then guests entered into the charming world of Sarah Jane Studios. Flowers, puppets & quotes from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and more balloon arches filled her portion of the pathway. Guests took home paper cut party masks and could enter to win some of her upcoming wallpaper line.

Everyone looked so lovely in their flower crowns and summer whites!

This is where the forest trail ended and everyone spilled onto the back patio and main area of the mingle. We were lucky to have such a wonderful venue. It belongs to Meta's inlaws, and she put in a lot of work coordinating and making sure everything with the venue went smoothly.

There were flowers, food, cake, and drinks for everyone to enjoy.

MerMag's station featured her adorable and adventurous little traveler, Tilda. Guests could pin their ideas of where she should travel next onto the giant hand painted map that Merrilee created.

And Caravan Shoppe's covered porch featured these beautiful hand painted phrases on prints from their shop and little constellation votive candles. (Both of which, guests could take home.)

A delightful gypsy jazz band played the entire time. Sarah Jane found them, and I'm so glad! It was the element that really completed the whole magical atmosphere of the evening.

Throughout the night, we raffled off a bunch of fantastic prizes from our lovely sponsors.

My favorite part was just seeing all the happy faces and getting to chat with so many lovely people.

The hashtag of the evening: #amidsummermingle.

On the lawn, there was a real maypole with a troupe of young girls performing a traditional maypole dance.

And as you left, guests were greeted with this sentiment by William Shakespeare: "Summer's lease hath all too short a date." And it's true, at the end of the evening, I didn't want it to end! I'm just glad we still have the summer ahead of us...

See more Midsummer Mingle recaps over on One More Mushroom, Caravan Shoppe, MerMag, Sarah Jane Studios, and the House that Lars Built.