Photos courtesy Girl Friday
When it comes to hosting the perfect summer party, there’s an art to planning the event, and finding the right décor plays an important role in the process. Luckily, local company Girl Friday makes that step easy. While the owner, Carly Van Veldhuizen, has created elaborate, eye-catching displays for big-name clients like the Minnesota Wild and Target, she also specializes in creating décor for homeowners planning special occasions. When planning her projects, she opts for the unconventional, choosing materials like folded paper and 200,000 gold paperclips to construct her creations, which serve functional as well as aesthetic purposes. For example, an archway of vibrant balloons looks grand while simultaneously welcoming partygoers; lanterns and lawn flamingos can help direct guests through or around a home to a backyard party; and paper flowers become statement pieces on poolside tables.
“It’s important to be able to arrive somewhere and feel at peace, to be able to let your hair down and enjoy yourself,” Van Veldhuizen says. “Our goal is to speak volumes without saying a word.”
And even if you’re a last-minute Lucy, Girl Friday keeps plenty of ready-made displays on hand, including their rentable boxwood hedge walls, ready to be customized for any summer bash.