Feste Practices
Parties? Fun. Throwing them. Not so much.
I had once blithely volunteered to throw my best friend’s wedding at my apartment. It’ll be small, she promised. Very DIY, she vowed. You will barely notice that we’re here, she swore. Confidently, I told my husband Andrew that I probably wouldn’t even need to take a day off from work.
“I’ll just grab some flowers from the flower market the morning of. I think the rest is being handled,” I remarked casually over dinner. He sighed. I’m always fearless. He is always right.
As the Amazon and Etsy boxes piled up in my living room, Andrew watched me with smug eyes over his laptop, saying nothing.
“It’s going to be great!” I insisted. “Just a few rentals, we just need to move all of our furniture out, just for a few days.”
Cut to the morning of—I’m on a 10 foot ladder, dangling over our balcony on the East River, installing a bespoke floral arch on the rented pipe and drape, while trying to figure out why the catering has been delivered to the wrong address. Andrew was there to hand me floral shears and a Blood Mary. He knew an “I told you so” was de trop at this point.
The wedding was amazing. I was exhausted.
I’m Brenna Gilbert, your cruise director. I throw events for a living. I’ve spent the last 15 years traveling the world, planning events and unreal brand experiences in 15 countries across 4 continents— bringing brands to life for customers in wild and immersive ways. Why was it hard to bring 40 people together in my apartment?
Between coordinating one-off vendors, Etsy purchases from Latvia, opening 1,000,000 Amazon candles in shrink wrapped plastic, there had to be a better way. I was tired of how expensive it was, how shabby the offer is (have you been to a baby shower lately), and how time consuming it can be to throw an event if you don’t have the resources of a global event planner behind you.
That’s why we launched Feste. We want to bring the joy, ease, and je ne sais quoi of great hosting to all our guests, because getting together should be fun.
Feste is a new lifestyle brand, dedicated to celebrating moments big and small. With an entirely new approach to gathering, our shops and lovefeste.com will help our guests do more than set a beautiful table. Because for us, it’s about the feeling, the attitude, the vibe. It’s all about setting the scene. We help create that multi-sensory je ne sais quoi, from what’s in the glass to the rules of the game, through curated kits, à la carte supplies, found vintage wares, and hand-picked local vendors. And with a family of great hosts at the heart of the brand, we’re always eager to lend a helping hand.
What do we bring to the table:
…and the bar, the dance floor, the kitchen, the speakeasy,
honestly, anywhere you’re ready to get festive….
- We make it easy
We’re your one-stop shop, making it easy to DIY, easy to add on cool local vendors or learn the best way to style your bar.
- We make it lovely
There’s some…not cute stuff out there. We offer only an elevated, curated assortment that tastemakers like yourself will be proud to show your friends (and your social following!).
- We make it fun
We love a game, we always come ready to keep it fun, keep it light, and keep laughing, even if disaster should strike. No one remembers the red wine spill. Everyone remembers your awesome dance moves cleaning it up.
- We make it affordable
We make it simple to scale from just a box to a full event, no matter your budget.
- We make it meaningful
We create a place to gather, encourage and empower others to get together. We embrace the offline, feed the need for human connection and at our heart, know that our mission is to bring people together.
Looking for a trick to get that late night red wine stain out of the rug? We got you.
Looking for great inspiration for a theme party your boss asked you to organize? We’re your ace in the hole.
Looking for a party supplies for that bachelorette party you got roped into hosting? Don’t worry, no mortifying headbands here.
Looking for unique party ideas for your kid’s birthday because you can’t go to another Bubble Guppy Event? We’ve got your back.
Looking for help styling your party in a box? I mean, we like to call them scenes, but you’ll get there.
Looking for posh party supplies? How continental. We’re on it. We’ll help you style it up.
Join us weekly for all of our dedicated content, just for you. Like calling your bestie in a pinch.
Love,
Brenna
Having a party of one? Check out this article about how to be festive on your own.
More on the inspiration behind Feste in Lessons My Father Taught Me.
