Happily Ever Etter Launch Party

Plum GroveCommunity

Oct 15

Written By Jessi Cabanin

Logo, website, and merch…OH MY!

Listen - we love ANY excuse to throw a party at Plum Grove and what better excuse than the official reveal of Happily Ever Etter’s new Logo and Website!?

This was a big deal, friends - our “coming out” party if you will…and we wanted to do it right! And by all accounts from the 120+ friends in attendance, it was EPIC!

The Logo

Earlier this year while hosting a meet-n-greet with our dear friend, Tahnee at Shoppe the Mill, we had the pleasure of meeting Nicole Ciesla. Nicole and her girlfriends had come out to support the event and we immediately fell in love with them all. Well, we started talking and found out that Nicole was the partner in a Marketing Firm called NiKnack Marketing! After finding out that she was a BIG fan of Happily Ever Etter, we gladly exchanged info, one thing led to another, and BOOM - we were making plans to finally create an official Logo for Happily Ever Etter!

After an initial discovery meeting (that of course included adult beverages), Nicole truly immersed herself in All Things Happily Ever Etter - we knew that we needed to work together to create something amazing! As you all know (or can imagine) we can be slightly high-maintenance…(HAHAHA), but Nicole is unbelievably patient, kind, and understanding, and took the bull by the horns to make magic happen. The result not only took our breath away, it made us literally shed tears of joy!

Because Plum Grove’s tower is so iconic and the feature point of the house (this tower has been standing proudly on this corner since 1885) it cannot be overlooked or forgotten. It speaks to people and gives them all the feels. So when creating the logo, we knew That Tower had to be center-stage! It is now the official symbol of Happily Ever Etter - the icon if you will - AND of course, it’s blue & white - duh!

The Merch & Website

If we’d have known the work that goes into building a website and creating merch…we probably would not have done it…haha! BUT, in the end we’re so glad we did. We love all The Happies :)

Now, cut to Jessi, owner of This Way to Fabulous - the creator behind our website and eComm site. She is a GOD-SEND, friends and completely phenomenal! Our gorgeous website has been her brain-child and she has helped us navigate the creation of our merchandise! She has truly gone above and beyond to make all of this a huge success and we will be forever grateful. If you have not done so already, please check out our “Happies” on the site - we so appreciate your love and support! AND…who doesn’t need more HAPPY in their life!?

The Party

Y’all - we said it above, but the best word to describe this party is EPIC. From the entrance with the red carpet, to the hot shirtless boys holding puppies, to the delicious food, to the dancing…it was definitely a night to remember!! In fact, we’ve had MANY requests to make this an annual event - haha! Uh…maybe not…

When guests arrived at the party, they were greeted with a fabulous rainbow balloon arch, red carpet, and half-naked boys handing them splits of champagne with a straw (side note and great party hint: having your guests suck down a split of champagne through a straw REALLY gets your party started fast!)

There was live music from the amazing Soda Band Chicago, who played some awesome tunes which got people dancing immediately - including our sweet friend, Kelly, who busted some badass moves despite a broken foot and crutches…atta boy, KS!

The beautiful flowers were provided by our new friend Katherine of Fancy Flower Girls. She is an up-and-coming floral designer in the NW suburbs and she (wait for it!) GROWS all her own flowers in her yard! The rainbow bouquets on the sponsorship boards were AMAZING - you must check her out!

The food was catered by our favorite family-owned Italian restaurant, Gianni’s Cafe. This spread was breath-taking complete with our signature dish (which occasionally graces their menu), Pasta Marga’Etter, and a gorgeous rainbow Charcuterie Board created by the GM and our friend, Patrick! Yummy desserts were catered by our wonderful friends at Ambrosia Patisserie, as well as late-night coffee and hot fresh donuts provided by Joe & Dough - our amazing friends Katie & Dominic - who own the MOST adorable food truck you’ve ever seen!

All that said - the evening was really about our incredible friends who made this night possible! This party was not only about giving back to the community but also a way for us to thank all of our insta-friends for joining us on this HAPPY JOURNEY.

Like any good Oscar’s speech, we’re certain we’ve forgotten to thank one or two folks - please forgive us but know we love you all and you’re in our hearts.

The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of “The Video” - that tells the story of Happily Ever Etter - how we met and why we want to continue to make a positive impact on this community!

And an added bonus about the party was that it supported Second City Canine Rescue, a great non-profit here in Palatine. They were so sweet to attend the party and bring 2 adorable puppies that guests could cuddle with and love - they truly worked their way into everyone’s hearts. OH, and did we mention that the aforementioned shirtless hotties were holding the cute puppies!? Is there anything better than that?? We. Think. Not.

It’s no secret that we love this community and its local businesses. One of our goals was to highlight their talents and services with this party as well. They were incredibly generous to us, so we wanted to make them shine too! If you’re in the Chicagoland area be sure to check them out - we have listed them below.

Happy Lives Here

This has become Lucy's new motto! If you haven’t watched our video you can hear her say it at the very end - it’s priceless! If we have our way, dear friends, this truly is JUST THE BEGINNING - we are looking forward to a HAPPY future and taking all of you along on the journey with us. Fasten your seatbelts, lovelies, because here we come!