I'm a big fan of being in environments that are inspiring. I truly feel that your setting impacts your feelings, your mood, your productivity. Halcyon Brasserie, a seafood restaurant in Montclair, NJ, has an aura of elegance and class and you can't help but feel inspired once you're inside. From the large beautiful works of artistic photography that adorn the walls to the ostrich leather covered booths, its tasteful and elegant. That's the looks alone. I haven't even covered the food.
I was able to host a NJ Blogger Brunch where we had a sampling of their brunch menu. Don't be fooled though by the word sampling. The food came in bite sized portions perfectly placed on platters served by their friendly staff. The food kept on coming and coming from cheese crudites in a tomato bisque, to bite sized french toast bites, to bacon wrapped dates soaked in a maple syrup. Oh and my favorite were the mini breakfast taco's with just the right amount of spice. I'm officially craving it now that I'm thinking about it. The food seemed endless.
The drink menu was just as fun. All of our guests were welcomed with fresh squeezed orange juice mimosas. Then we moved onto a Greyhound, which is fresh ruby red grapefruit and vodka, oyster gazpacho shooters with prosecco, and the favorite of all - mainly because we are social media mavens and love a good subject for our instastories, was Halcyon's deconstructed Bloody Mary Tower. That was a huge hit.
The event was intimate so the owner of Halcyon, Ileana, was able to meet everyone and chat and explain the history of her beautiful restaurant and talk about some of its recent accolades. We all ate, and mixed and mingled by their gorgeous bar area. The event was photographed by Davin of Davin Tes Photography and some of the girls even got to shoot with him outside for some good street style shots.
(Pictured from L-R: Cheryl, Gina, Gina, Christine, Cristina, Tanya, Joyce, Sylvia, Stacey, Karen, Jessica, Karen, Kathleen, Jamie, Jill, Ileana)
Afterwards we all moved upstairs to Halcyon's lounge area. This room is stunning. It has its own separate bar, one whole wall is covered in windows letting in the beautiful natural lighting with scenes from pretty Montclair below. I really wish I knew of this space earlier when I was looking for venues for baby showers, baptisms, bridal showers, everything!! But at least now I know where to go when I need a beautiful intimate space.
While Ana planned a fun foodie experience for the girls downstairs, I really wanted to plan a fun fashion and style experience for the girls upstairs since we all share a mutual love for fashion afterall. We all sat around and listened to powerhouse female business owner, Jessica, of Aris Couture Boutique, talk about upcoming trends for the winter and holiday season. She talked about her jump into entrepreneurship and how by initially falling, she was able to pick herself up, get stronger and build her successful business. Her boutique is in Montclair so its the perfect stop after a good meal at Halcyon. I think the sentiment that Jessica shared that resonated with everyone was to not be nervous about reaching out to retailers. Just do it. They are looking for help marketing just as much as we, as social media influencers, are. It would be mutually beneficial for all. It was just so powerful to hear that from someone on the otherside of the business and I think left a lasting impression on the girls. After her talk everyone started asking questions and talking about their experiences reaching out to other boutiques and it was exactly what I envisioned this event to be - everyone gathering around sharing ideas and stories, growing from one another, helping each other. You don't get this kind of camaraderie virtually.
Afterwards the girls were able to play dress up for a bit for fun pictures or just for fun with clothes from Aris Couture Boutique, they were able to experience our Signature Red Lip Bar by makeup artist, Gina Margaret, and they were able to play with some fun baubles with Christine at our Bling Bar by the Cayetano Legacy Collection.
All of the girls left with HUGE gift bags full of goodies from our sponsors. I mean they had so much stuff the bag was on the verge of ripping it was that full. A huge thank you to our biggest sponsor, Measurable Difference. They gave the girls large matte lipstick collections, hair texturizer, coconut milk face wash, large eyeshadow palettes and so much more. The girls got cute #bossbabe cards and gifts from Cayetano Legacy Collection, coupons and a raffle to Aris Couture boutique and Halcyon and a waterbottle to a new activewear boutique opening in December, Sweat and Strut.
Thank you to my girlfriend, Cheryl for helping the girls fill their bags with all the goodies.
Thank you so much to our sponsors, to Davin and Joyce for the amazing photographs, to Ileana for the wonderful experience and food at Halcyon and especially to my boss babes that came to the event. Its nice to have a community of influencers here in the NJ area that support each other. I was so happy we could all get together. Cheers to many more collaborations and get togethers.
Photography credit - all photos in this post: Davin Tes Photography
Photography credit - all photos in this post: Davin Tes Photography
xoxo, Karen