Hosting with Heart: Romantic Deep Reds and Antique Silver

After weeks of dreaming, planning, and a whole lot of love, our engagement party came to life—and I’m still soaking it all in.

We envisioned something intimate, elegant, and deeply personal. A night that felt like us. With a rich, romantic deep red color palette as our starting point, I spent weeks searching eBay and Facebook Marketplace for real antique silver trays and plates—each one full of character—to set the tone for an old-world-inspired dinner party. This, of course, meant I spent days polishing very tarnished silver! Candlelight flickered across the tables, bud vases added just the right softness, and every detail told part of our story.

The evening was a true labor of love. José and I created the welcome sign together and even made custom pizza boxes for the kids! While they enjoyed their fun bites, José cooked the dinner himself. But the stars of the show were our friends and families!

My mom brought my floral vision to life with the large, dramatic arrangements that anchored the space and baked a beautiful spread of small, delicate sweets. José’s mom added her signature touch to the bud vase arrangements that lined the tables—each one carefully curated with style. His sisters, Jacki and Michelle, and Jeff were the driving force behind the scenes, ensuring everything came together seamlessly. José's best friends came all the way from Virginia to share this moment with us, and as soon as they saw how much work we still had left, they graciously offered their expert balloon arch and photo backdrop assembly services! My friend Haleigh got to the party and saw we still needed to get the decor on the tables, so she immediately volunteered. While our family friends, Mayde and Alejandro, helped us add the final flourishes to the dessert table and set up the music with my dad. 

To answer the question that is probably currently on your mind: No, I was not ready by the time the guests started to arrive! But it did not matter. Looking around that night, at the people who raised us, support us, and love us, and at all the little touches we made by hand, it felt like the most beautiful beginning. Not just to our wedding, but to the life we’re building together. 

To our family and friends: thank you. You gave us the kind of night we’ll remember forever.

With love,

Victoria

Outfit Details

Dress: Meshki

Shoes: Asos

Shopping List

A Lovely Yes

It feels so good to be back here, writing again in this space that has been such a big part of my journey. Life has been a whirlwind lately, and while I have been a bit quiet on the blog, it has all been for the most beautiful reason: I’m engaged! 

 This past May, on a sun-drenched day in Puerto Rico—the place that holds so much meaning for us—José asked me to marry him. 

As we begin planning our wedding (yes—there will be plenty of blog posts to come about that!), I’m filled with excitement for everything ahead. Thank you for still being here. For reading, for supporting, for letting me be a small part of your days. I can’t wait to share more soon. 

Dress: For Love and Lemons

Shoes: Dolce Vita

Photographer: Post-Tales

 With love and gratitude,

Victoria