What is Fransgiving:
When it comes to celebrating community and friendships, I am your girl! And what better time of year to celebrate our loved ones than during Thanksgiving?
Thus, six years ago, “Fransgiving” entered the chat. I created the name “Fransgiving” as a way to personalize this gathering of your closest friends in celebration of the Thanksgiving season. Whether you’re planning a potluck, catering food from your favorite restaurant, or you’ve slayed away in the kitchen all day, there are no rules for this event, because it really all about the memories. Speaking of memories…
When I hosted my first Fransgiving I was a college student with little to no experience in the kitchen. We ate chicken wings and mac-n-cheese so trust me when I say, there are no rules but surely memories were made! A desire placed in this college girl's heart six years ago has turned into a beautiful event that I anticipate and plan months in advance.
My vision for the event
After quitting my full-time job to pursue my passion for social media (more on that in my re-brand post), I realized I wanted to do something different this year for Fransgiving.
Thanks to my evolving career, I have been given the opportunity to attend influencer events and gatherings at The Square in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was there, on a beautiful Florida Spring Sunday morning, at a bouquet design event that the dream to someday host my own event at The Square was born.
Keep reading for all the details on the dreamiest Fall theme inspired Picnic Table! (Insert emoji heart eyes)
Now, The Square has been through a few re-brands itself. Does the name “Rosemary Square” ring a bell? Or for any Palm Beach natives, CityPlace may sound familiar. It wasn’t until 2019 that I discovered this true gem in the Palm Beach area. If you are visiting Palm Beach, you must add a day in The Square to your agenda. Whether it’s unique shopping, exquisite dining, social gatherings, or Instagram-worthy photo opportunities, The Square has it all and more. I am so grateful for the opportunity to connect with The Square to share my idea of Fransgiving and to collaborate with them on this annual event.
Trusted Vendors
No event is even possible without a team of incredible vendors. Trust me when I say, you’ll want to save this post for reference when planning your next event. From beginning to end, the professionalism and attention to detail made this event what it was!
The first vendor I have to shoutout is Ashley with The Picnic of The Palm Beaches, can you believe this beautiful setup she put together? I was as surprised as all my friends were since I was getting ready while the vendors setup, so my jaw literally dropped because she did so good! If you're looking for the best picnic table, make sure to let Ashley know I sent you!
-Picnic Table: Picnics of The Palm Beaches
-Charcuterie Workshop: Touch of Taste Charcuterie
-Balloon Decor: Beyond Decor.US
-Photographer: Dream Photography by Yisel
Nothing is more intimidating and overwhelming than the very beginning of planning an event. Because of this, I would highly encourage you to start with your invites. An invitation does more than just “invite” your loved ones to your event, it lets your guests know the theme and what to expect from your event. I used a program called Canva to create a quick invite but I am here, as a big sister and friend, to encourage you not to make the same mistake I did.
I will be using and recommending D&S Creations for any stationary and invitation designs moving forward. She put together a Menu card of all the vendors and local businesses I collaborated with for Fransgiving with their social media accounts to make following and tagging each business a breeze. My heart behind these events is to not only be in fellowship with those I love but to show love to the businesses and creators I get the opportunity to collaborate with.
A little something...
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to give the ladies attending my event a thoughtful gift to thank them for their friendship and show them how much they mean to me. For this, I teamed up with Myaflies and Crafty Souzas. Mayflies made delicious mini alfajores. For those who don’t know what Alfajores are, they are sweet Peruvian cookies with dulce de leche in the center. Is your mouth watering yet? They are personally one of my favorite treats!
Crafty Souzas and I teamed up to create a personalized gift that the ladies attending my Fransgiving could take home with them to remember this event. She created acrylic champagne flutes with fall puns such as “Pumpkin, Please”, “Oh My Gourd”, and “It’s Fall Y’all” just to name a few. Each of the ladies were also gifted a personalized cosmetic bag. I was so pleased with how they turned out and the ladies could not stop talking and snapping pictures of these beautiful goodies!
I am so grateful for the opportunity to relive this event through photos and video. When you’re hosting an event it’s easy to get caught up in the hosting aspect that you forget to capture all the handwork that went into making this event happen. From the decor to the food to candid moments between your loved ones, I would highly recommend Yisel and Yochi. This event truly wouldn’t have been what it was without their creative direction.
What are you wearing?
Much like the invitation, what you wear when hosting an event sets the tone for the overall theme of the event. I had no doubt that Altar’d State would provide the most beautiful, on-theme dress for this event, and girl, I was right. I went with a burnt orange floral long-sleeve dress for the day and it matched perfectly with the theme.
Whether you are planning the event yourself or you hire an event planner to help make your dreams a reality, you definitely need support! It’s important to admit when you need help because as much as we want to think we can do everything on our own, we can’t. For that, I have to thank my amazing husband for all the work he does behind the scenes in helping me plan and prepare for such a special event.
Can’t Get Any Cheesier Than This
No party is complete without a delicious and photo-worthy charcuterie board. Trust me when I say, Touch of Taste Charcuterie is your go-to vendor for a stunning array of meats and cheeses. We decided to do a large charcuterie board that showcased a little bit of everything. A unique and personal touch to this classic charcuterie board were the cheese-carved letters spelling out “Fransgiving". As a surprise for my guests, she hosted a private build-your-own charcuterie box to take home. During this activity, she educated us on how to properly select meats and cheeses while instructing us on how to get creative with the design of our boxes. This was such a fun experience for us all!
A little encouragement on friendships...
I am a firm believer that sweet friendship refreshes the soul. If you can’t tell by now, community is very important to me. I began praying years ago that God would bring the right people and relationships into my life. If you are in a season of praying for a friendship that refreshes the soul, my encouragement to you is: send that girl you’re following on social media a DM, ask that girl in your bible study to grab breakfast, be that friend to the wife of your husbands' friend, talk to your classmates or co-workers, dig deep with your entrepreneur soul sister and most importantly, take that step outside of your comfort zone. You never know when you will say “hey” to that forever kind of friendship that refreshes your soul.
Now remember how I said in the beginning that there are no rules? Well, I lied…kinda…there is one rule I’d like to leave you with. The day of your “Fransgiving” will most likely be filled with anticipation and excitement. Between getting ready, tying up last minute details, confirming with vendors and responding to the messages of your excited guests, remember to smile and enjoy this moment. Nothing is more stressful than being pulled in different directions and not being present with the people you love most. Appoint someone to hold you accountable during the event, who will be willing to pull you aside and check in on you or pray with you in the moments of chaos. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
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