A Create Dinners Wedding: Our Founder Kate got hitched!

Kate and Brian sitting in (standing under) a tree…

The first Create Dinners wedding is in the books! Naturally, it was our founder Kate Pauley’s to Brian Vallario. And as one might expect, it was packed full of meaningful moments and a lot of creative women that we’ll gush more about throughout this post.

The couple chose three words to guide their wedding weekend: Joyful, Thoughtful, and Simple. When planning any event, we cannot more highly encourage defining its purpose. We deeply admire Priya Parker who has a beautiful book on gathering that we love and recommend reading. This helps make every wedding decision easier, keeping the values and vision top of mind.

The weekend started with welcome drinks on a Thursday night at The Ace Brooklyn, also known as the official hub for the weekend. Lots of guests were out-of-towners, so Brian and Kate put together a weekend guide with a map of all their favorite spots so everyone could explore the city in between planned festivities.

With the guides came custom “I <3 New York” bags with local treats like cookies from Milk Bar and Hal’s Chips. With a bride from Texas, hospitality and a warm welcome was a must.

Friday, June 3rd was the wedding day.

Getting ready was low-key, with Shimu on makeup duty, and a stunning bouquet delivery from our dear friend Molly Ford. Kate’s “dress” was actually a top and skirt, hand crafted by Philadelphia based designer Megan Lawrence, owner of The Law. Ellie Patterson captured the entire day — RUN at any opportunity to work with this woman. She’s incredible.

Brian and Kate had their “first look”, made a quick stop by the Ace’s photo booth, and hailed a cab to head to the ceremony.

The ceremony was at 10am in Fort Greene Park standing under Brian and Kate’s favorite tree.

Strings played a slower, romantic version of their song, “Believe” by Cher as Kate walked in with her dad, and they said their vows surrounded by an intimate group of 30 family members and very closest friends. Their dog, Otter, was there too. Both Brian and Kate agree that saying their vows was the highlight of the day, allowing them to share their love and hearts with each other and those present.

The celebration continued down the street at Maison May, an old brownstone turned venue, where additional friends and loved ones awaited. On the way, Brian and Kate stopped by their stoop for a few photos.

A French-inspired brunch included huevos rotos, thick cut bacon, market salad, smashed potatoes with truffle aioli and a ricotta green goddess tartine.

Natural wines, local beers, mimosas, and Aperol spritzes were poured. Speeches were made, happy tears were had, a Brooklyn blackout cake was cut, good tunes filled the room, and the reception truly was joyful and easy from start to finish. In the evening, all went out for a classic NY night, dancing into the wee hours at The Emerson, a staple Clinton Hill dive bar.

To cap the weekend, everyone gathered back at Fort Greene Park for a Saturday afternoon picnic. Everyone laid out blankets, brought their favorite provisions and relaxed.

Naturally, the weekend happened because of a lot of talented creative female entrepreneurs — our heroes and the reason Create Dinners started. All of the incredible vendors who made the day all the more special and perfect are listed below.

Planning: Create Dinners
Photography: Eloise Photography
Florals: Flowers by Ford
Dress: The Law Bridal
Veil: Lady Sycamore Bridal
Rings: Catbird NYC
Earrings: YAM NYC
Brooklyn Blackout Cake + GF Peanut Butter Cookies: Ovenly
Venue: Maison May Brownstone

Additional shout out to the late Issey Miyake for designing to coolest groom's suit we’ve ever seen.

Cheers to love!

'Easy Like Sunday Morning' Floral Workshop

Our "Easy Like Sunday Morning" floral workshop had us up in the clouds.

Thank you to Flowers By Ford and Forager Studio for being incredible co-hosts, to everyone who attended and brought their creative spirits and kindness into the space. Thank you to Magic Spoon Cereal for the epic cereal bar featuring their peanut. butter, cocoa, fruity pebbles, and frosted flavors. Thank you to Coyuchi for giving each of our guests a cozy organic robe to take home so they can channel easy Sunday mornings at any time. Last, thank you to The Qi for donating Floral Tasting Samplers to everyone so they could enjoy their beautifully packaged, calming tea.

Most importantly, thank you to all who joined to celebrate strong women! We’re continually inspired by this community and the creativity and kindness they bring to these events.

Dinner No. 17

The theme was Tumbleweed: “a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that once it is mature, and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind.”

It was somewhat fitting for the time of year, spring—a time of shedding, renewal, and growth. The idea of uprooting and becoming itinerant, of movement—underscored the tone of the evening. After a long winter within shuttered doors, the magnetism of openness and detaching from the familiar to forge new connections was in the air.

The space was spare yet luscious, with gorgeous magic hour light to frame an exquisitely designed and put-together table. 99 Scott Studio in Bushwick was the perfect corner of the city for 16 women from all walks of life and thriving creative paths to come together.

Sipping pineapple fizz cocktails, mixed with June Shine's Midnight Painkiller Hard Kombucha (and some ginger-infused fizzies for the non-drinkers among us), the group noshed on a cheese board with a standout sumptuous pimento and various chiles, talking of subway woes (this is New York, after all), hometowns (some came from Chicago to join us!) and passion projects. Kate Pauley took dreamy individual portraits of each guest, along with candid shots as we mingled.

The dinner itself, by Gretchen Brinson and Kathryn Gaines, was Southwestern-inspired, formidable and hearty, including hatch green chili roast pork shoulder, beans with poblanos and herbs, fry bread, and a crispy cabbage, corn, and cactus salad. And wine. Plenty of wine.

What would a get-to-know-you meal be without a reading of poetry and some probing questions? After a recital of original work by Bryn Bottalico, who evoked the freedom of the untamed and at-times unorthodox tumbleweed (“Beautiful, destructive, intense—a walking wildfire”), each woman had the opportunity to answer discussion questions written by Miyuko Ashida.

Two of the most popular: “What is something you’ve fought hard for in your life?” and “Tumbleweeds are known to detach themselves once grown and move across the land. Do you have any experiences where you left your comfort zone and dove into the vast of the unknown?” The former had us embracing self-love, peace with oneself, and a defining and cultivated spirit of fearlessness, while the latter brought up stories of risks taken, cross-country moves, international moves, businesses started, and careers changed.

Aly Rumel had curated a lovely art board inspired by the evening’s theme, and the group admired the unique textures and colors of the group’s contributions. We briefly went around and discussed the personal significance of each item, learning just a little bit more about one another in the process.

As the sun set, into the garden guests went, for music by Gabrielle Macafee, who strummed her guitar and wowed us with her powerful yet ethereal voice (Nancy Sinatra, Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga were amongst the musical selections). We swayed along to the familiar tunes while gorging on a decadent dark chocolate ancho chili cake with a hint of lightness from orange sabayon.

Goodbyes were said, IG accounts followed, hugs were given. All in all a magical night. Stay wild, tumbleweeds.

xo Shakthi

GUEST LIST

KATE PAULEY
Art Direction + Photographer

ADRIANNA VAREDI + 99 SCOTT
Host

GRETCHEN BRINSON
Chef

KATHRYN GAINES
Chef

SARAH SAUNDERS
Florist

ALEXA ATAMANCHUK
June Shine

ABENA ANIM-SOMUAH
Stylist

ISABELLA TRIAS
Menu Design

MIYUKO ASHIDA
Conversation Questions

SHAKTHI JOTHIANANDAN
Event Blog Post

ALEXA GRAMBUSH
Artwork

AMIE KESLER
Carolyn’s Krisps

ALY RUMEL
Artboard

BRYNN BOTTALICO
Poetry

EMILY BRADLEY
Soluca Collections (Plates, Cocktail Glasses, and Knife Rests)

GABRIELLE MACAFEE
Live Music

WILL & BEAR
Hats

Women's History Month Floral Workshop

Women are simply amazing, and though this is something we think about often, March (Women’s History Month) feels like an especially appropriate time of year to celebrate that fact.

This floral arrangement workshop with Flowers by Ford was one for the books, with over 40 women gathered together in Blank Studio NYC for an empowering few hours together.

Upon arrival

Everyone was handed spicy palomas made with Mike’s Hot Honey, Topo Chico, and Madre Mezcal — a combo we’re still swooning over. Chips, dips, and salsas were set out for everyone to munch on, alongside Mexican Chocolate Cookies made by one of our all-time favorite female-owned brands, Lark Fine Foods. Every one of their cookie flavors is to die for.

Then it was workshop time!

Guests made their way to their seats, and we surprised everyone with a toast from Tayshia Adams, host of ABC’s The Bachelorette. She spoke about women, how resilient and strong we are. We then did a raffle drawing, where two lucky guests won self-care packages put together by Daughter of the Land.

The rest of our time together was led by Molly, who never fails to turn a few simple stems into works of art.

It’s pretty empowering to sit on the sidelines of one of these workshops and watch the particiants' eyes light up as they watch their own hands create something they never imagined they could. All it takes is a little instruction and encouragement sometimes.

We’re already excited for next year’s Women’s History Month activity. Cheers!

Floral Workshop x Abby J Concert at Cherry On Top

Hi! Kate here.

Another Create Dinners x Flowers by Ford floral arrangement workshop is officially in the books! However this time, we had a special Cherry On Top (which also happens to be the name of our event venue)… a private concert by Abby J.

If you haven’t been to Cherry On Top, I cannot recommend visiting enough. As it gets later and darker, the red lights in the space turn up and you almost feel as though you’ve been transported to club in Paris.

As guests arrived, they were shown to the bar where they could choose between a red, white or champagne welcome pour. Cherry On Top also put out cheese boards, spreads, and fresh breads for everyone to partake in. We all mingled for a while and then after an official welcome and introductions, Molly led everyone in floral arranging. The flowers this time were bold red anthuriums, pink and red roses, and snake alliums. The end results might be my favorite to date.

After flowers, we were grazed by the angelic voice of Abby J, accompanied by her bandmate Cass. It was a packed room with NY energy and good vibes all around.

Thanks to everyone who came out and we can’t wait to see you all at our next workshop in a few weeks!