Ebony Magazine invited me to share with them my interpretation of a New Year’s Girlfriends Brunch so I invited a few of my best girlfriends Sheree Fletcher, April Daniels, Shamicka Raymond, Tichina Arnold and Tameka Raymond to hop on a plane and join me in Miami as I brought this story to life. I also invited several amazing women in Miami to join us because I admired them, heard of some of their outstanding community work and thought they all were women that could bless the gathering. The afternoon was all about sisterhood, women supporting women and love. I wanted all of these women to leave our time together with a new perspective about their relationships with other women, what love looks like and the art of living well.
From the moment we touched down in Miami. White Glove International carefully orchestrated every detail of our on the ground experience allowing us to enjoy Miami with ease. Private car service, delicious meals and a cultural museum experience were among our fun filled girls trip. The Epic Hotel hosted our stay in beautifully appointed suites and welcomed us with a delightful rooftop dinner at Logia. Hairstylist Chris Curse from Chicago met us in Miami and put together a talented glam squad that helped the ladies perfect their brunch looks. My boo Leo Eley even met me in Miami to help me pull it together while juggling host, designer, party planner and girlfriend. Whew!
This opportunity surfaced during one of the busiest times of the year for me as I was in the middle of a summer tour for the Valentine Cuff and preparing to officially launch the cuffs at NYC Bridal Market, which made it beyond challenging to pull together. I rarely get the chance to design events for myself so when this came up I knew I would be incredibly hands on and wanted to design every single element and pull from all of the creative ques swirling in my head. However, my schedule just did not allow me to do it alone with less than 10 days to pull it together but thankfully I was able to call on some of my trusted colleagues who lent their gifts and goods to help me create the perfect afternoon at The Bath Club in Miami.
The Bath Club Miami
I went to Wildflower Linens two days before my departure for Miami and my friend Youngsong Martin allowed me to go through all of the many gorgeous chair covers in her warehouse and re-mix them to add my own distinctive spin. I mixed and matched styles, added embellishments such as angel wings, strands of pearls, brooches, additional tulle, flowers, batting for extra drama and a lot of love to establish my interpretation of New Years in Miami. Her sewers as well as my own team of sewers worked through the night to finish each look in less than 24 hrs.
While attending the Inner Circle Experience, I met Steve and Jose from Jose Gaterol Designs in Miami. I shared my desire for a random mix of white and neutral tones flowers and accessories. Upon arriving in Miami, I drove directly to their showroom on a Sunday afternoon to design the table. They allowed me to scour their warehouse to find the ideal pieces that would bring my vision to life. I normally shy away from working with other designers because I’m at a point in my career where I know what I want but Jose was an amazing creative partner. He allowed me to find my own voice is his inventory of beautifully designed original pieces and a plethora of other accessories. He got my style immediately and together we gave life to an amazing tablescape. I found some simple, modern tables at Nuage Designs and picked up all other rentals from Panache Event Rentals. I shipped 24 custom Ice and Gold chargers along with linen napkins and custom napkin rings from the Diann Valentine Home Collection to Miami…all of which UPS lost as every single piece was stolen from the shipment on the return.
Ice Spike Chargers from the Diann Valentine Home Collection!
Ice and Gold chargers, linen napkins and custom napkin rings from the Diann Valentine Home Collection!
The Buttercreamery created individual custom cakes in less than 24 hours after I awoke with the bright idea for custom desserts the morning before our brunch.
Grey Goose sent the most amazing Ambassador/Mixologist Guillaume Jubien to serve two fabulous cocktails: Le Melon Fizz and Martini Royale.
My longtime friend Chef Wendell Price delivered a scrumptious meal for the ladies that included Crawfish Cornbread, Lobster Mac & Cheese, Banana Flambe French Toast and Shrimp & Grits to name a few of his tantalizing menu. My girl Sherri McGee-McCovey was on hand to capture the afternoon in the written word for Ebony and eloquently expressed the sentiments of the day. The uber-talented Christine Bentley joined us in Miami and captured all of the stunning images below. A big thank you to Michelle Jones and Gail Seay from Jambalaya Media and Donna Wisdom for working tirelessly behind the scenes with me to bring the entire afternoon to life. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did…
So how did you bring in the new year? Join the Diann Valentine family and share it with us all! Keep spreading the love!
With Love!
Your Favorite Valentine,
