As the end of summer draws to a close I love looking back at what a fun, eventful season it was. One of the highlights was hosting my Summer Sizzle party at The Mills House. I have been dreaming about hosting an event to celebrate the diverse influencer network in our community.

I’ve been to so many brand activation events in Miami and New York and I know the people are here to support an event that would rival any big city. Charleston represents a beautiful spectrum of entrepreneurs and tastemakers in every creative industry – from fashion, film, tv, radio, food, fitness, hospitality, design, art, and music.

I partnered up with Grey Goose, Patron, and Martini & Rossi to host it at the beautifully renovated Mills House. The historic hotel is celebrating 170 years of business and just debuted its extended rooftop terrace. The iconic pale pink building was the perfect setting for a summer soiree. The endless signature cocktails were festive and a hit with the guests. I also wanted to make sure we had a non-alcoholic option and the Sizzle Swizzle by Martini & Rossi hit the spot!

I had to get my girl Samira aka Sista Misses to come from Charlotte to DJ. She was my DJ mentor when I first learned how to use the Serato DJ software. She has an incredible ear for music, mixes beats seamlessly, and knows how to read the crowd. There’s nothing like seeing your friends dancing their booties off while feeling those beats. We even put on a show for some young guests watching us from their hotel room.

I love bringing in an interactive element of art to an event and I really wanted my guests to take something home that they could use in their everyday life. Local artist Julia Deckman custom painted 100 branded bags for guests. They could choose from 2 different designs and any color combo their heart desired.

Everyone loves a photo booth moment so I brought in a beautiful floral backdrop from Wedding Flowers for Rent and Holy City Photo Booth captured all the fun pics and gifs. My dear friend Erika Pena is a fashion designer from Bali and I knew I wanted to wear one of her dresses for the event. All of her clothing makes a statement and are so much fun to dance in. This particular dress can be worn several different ways and even turns into a skirt!

The Iron Rose restaurant inside of the Mills House provided the delectable bites. Everything from tuna tartare, to mini pulled pork tacos, shrimp skewers, to macarons satisfied every palate.

One of my favorite elements to the Summer Sizzle was seeing all of the vibrant and colorful outfits people wore. It was eye candy everywhere because we sure do love color in the south. Charleston sure knows how to show up and show off!

A huge thank you to the fun and dynamic Valerie & Ed Photography for capturing the essence of my Summer Sizzle party. They are my go to for event, lifestyle, product photography because they do it with such ease and finesse. I will be reliving this night over and over again thanks to them.

Community driven events where people can connect and network brings me so much joy. I love incorporating my skills as a producer and stylist to come up with a theme, plan a party, and facilitate a vibe that everyone will be buzzing about for months. I look forward to partnering up with more brands for successful activations that show the diversity of Charleston.