Designer Lela Rose on Party Planning, Bridal Shower Ideas, and Her “Infamous” Tequila Room

"I am constantly designing clothes for the fantasy parties that I imagine in my head," says Lela Rose. For the vast majority of us, this would be the makings of an ideal daydream. But for Rose, the fashion designer and hostess-extraordinaire, this thinking is the backbone of her work. She regularly presents fashion collections filled with beautiful dresses, and on a bridal fashion week day like today, wedding gowns. She also has a reputation for throwing impressive soirees, which she regularly chronicles on her blog and in her 2015 book. Her home even has its own private tequila tasting room—but more on that later.

"Oftentimes I will design an entire party around what I am wearing," Rose continues. "Everything from the cocktails to the food to the table décor will match."

Maybe it's the idea of all that matching, maybe it's the fact that Rose presents her Spring 2019 bridal collection today, but this idea conjures the image of a bridal shower. So what exactly does Rose suggest for that oh-so-specific event? "One thing I never like to do at showers is open the gifts. Instead of watching the guest of honor unwrap presents for hours on end, figure out a more interesting activity to do instead. I always love an old-fashioned sewing circle. In lieu of buying shower gifts, each guest stitches the couple’s initials onto napkins so that the bride-to-be leaves the shower with a one-of-a-kind set of linens."

Rose has incorporated a similar type of activity into her own fashion presentations in the past. For her Resort 2018 collection, her design team hand-stitched custom messages onto straw fans which were then given out to attendees. But that's not the only aspect of her previous presentations that easily translates into an enjoyable bridal shower. "My secret weapon is knowing the importance of a specialty cocktail," Rose says.

"I once centered an entire wedding event around the color blue, in a nod to the old adage," Rose adds. "I used blue and white china, and severed blue foods and blueberry mojitos. The color scheme added a fun flare, as opposed to the traditional white and light pinks you always see at weddings."

Regardless of color scheme, the physical structure of your venue can add a great deal of charm. "One of my favorite parts about my New York City apartment is that it’s on the ground floor," Rose says. "I love using the sidewalk and the street as part of my entertaining. In the past, I've hosted parties with a chicken fryer outside of the front window, where we have passed the food back inside through my front window. I've had bands set up outside using the sidewalk as their stage, and have lined the steps to my front door with hurricane candles."

But, we had to ask, what if it rains? "There is no rain plan," Rose says. "Plan B is for plan A to work. And if you have to resort to a rain plan, well… just wing it. You don’t need sunshine to embrace food and fun!"

While an indoor-outdoor mix is easy enough to incorporate into any wedding-related event, that can't be said of everything in Rose's entertaining wheelhouse. "The most infamous entertaining aspect of my home is my tequila nook," Rose says. "It’s a small and cozy space in my basement where I store my vintage tequila bottles. Thanks in part to its speakers, it makes for a perfect night cap to any party. Just cancel all of your next-day appointments beforehand!"

Sounds like the ideal way to end a party. But if you're still in the market for a Rose-approved shower idea, look no further than her Spring 2019 bridal presentation: "We're serving strawberry lemonade champagne punch in a large beautiful bowl topped with edible flowers," Rose says of her upcoming West Village event. "There will be a chalkboard artist drawing a backdrop of florals in shades of blush, white, and green along with lemon leaf garlands, anemones, and roses to set the stage. A band will be playing New Orleans-style jazz as the guests enter the venue." We'll just have to wait to see what types of dresses Rose has designed to match.

Below, take inspiration from Lela Rose’s past presentations.

Lela Rose Entertaining Advice