I am blown away by the outdoor engagement party Leslie Saeta of Pasadena recently created for her son and future daughter-in-law!!  Leslie writes a blog, "My 100 Year Old Home," and it is one of my favorite blogs that I follow.  She and her husband live in a home built in 1915 that they purchased 17 years ago from her husband's family.  She loves  that their three boys were raised in the same house where her husband grew up.  

Just a few days ago, Leslie made her backyard come alive with a vintage feel that so relates to lake style living.  I just had to share it with you!  She creatively designed the entire thing herself with many wonderful ideas you will want to hear.  

First of all, she built an outdoor living room for 65 guests.  She reached out to her friend from Barn House Chicks Market to find more vintage porch posts.  She already had four.  Genius idea for creating a venue in your yard!  Leslie found four more posts and it was enough to make a lovely rectangular area for the tables.

Sweet Cream Old Barn milk paint was used to paint the porch posts and they turned out great, chips and all.  She then headed to Home Depot to get supplies to complete her outdoor "room."  She raved about using a HomeRight Pro paint sprayer to paint the boards as it took no time at all in the high temperatures that day.  Great time saver.

Next - building the room, with the help of her son, Michael and his girlfriend Haley.  They couldn't begin until the tables were delivered so that enough room was allowed around the tables for guests.  So last Thursday, once the table came, construction began.  Each porch post had a hole in the bottom, and two metal stakes were pounded in the ground where each post was to go.  The posts were set on top of the stakes.  Then the 2x4 painted boards were attached to the tops of the posts and voila!  An outdoor room!

All she needed was decor, and that's where Leslie is a stand out!   Linens were the place to start.  When she inquired about linens for the table, she was not thrilled with the polyester options, so she headed to the fabric mart in Los Angeles and came up with the perfect fabric, blue and white ticking.  She used 27 yards of 60" fabric at $7 per yard.  A complete steal, especially since she can use this fabric later to cover furniture or make pillows.  Ticking fabric is a staple in any home.

Her color scheme was gray, white and blue, and she was able to gather 65 plates in her butler's pantry that provided a beautiful mix and interest on the table.  She also had enough white napkins, water glasses and silverware to make it happen.

Leslie borrowed some incredible vintage brick molds for her centerpieces that provided the perfect containers for the white flowers.  How unique - just another touch that made this event even more special.  She had collected a lot of clear vases over the years and she combined these with mason jars to hold the flowers.

The lighting Leslie used was Brightech Ambience Pro LED Waterproof Outdoor String Lights and rechargeable solar lanterns by Sonnenglas.  She added blue and white seaglass and charged the lights in the sun for 12 hours.

I think my favorite takeaway besides Leslie's modern mix of table decor is the polaroid photos she strung from the posts.  She wanted to share photos of the bride and groom and used a company called FoxPrint that would take any photos and print them onto a 3" x 4" polaroid format.  She uploaded the pictures from the bride and groom's Instagram and Facebook accounts to their site and the turnaround was one day!  The cost of each photo was 35 cents, so well worth the cost!  Leslie clipped them onto dimmable LED photo clips that light up and provided light for each picture.  Wow - truly a well thought out creative idea.  She also put some of the polaroids in her vintage flower frogs on the tables.  LOVE THIS.

What a memorable and heartfelt way to celebrate such a special occasion.  Leslie nailed it literally in every way!  I know her son and his fiancé must have been thrilled to begin their life together in this place full of family heritage and their own memories added with such a modern and vintage vibe.  

Hear more details about Leslie's party and many other decor ideas on her blog,  My 100 Year Old Home and follow her on Instagram and Facebook.  Thank you, Leslie, for sharing such a cherished family event with us.