Back-to-School with Teen Vogue

The best way to kick off the school year? A party, of course! And one with Teen Vogue Magazine, no less. As promised, I’ll be sharing all the behind-the-scenes pictures and deets of the Teen Vogue Back-to-School Party held in Austin, TX in this post! But before I get started, I want to say a huge, great thank you to Teen Vogue, their sponsors, and everyone that made this event such a hit. Be prepared for lots of pictures!

{the cutest custom cookies a la Kellie’s Baking Co.}

Let’s rewind a few months. Back in July, I received an email from Teen Vogue Magazine asking college girls around the country to host a back-to-school party on their local campuses. I’ve been a loyal reader and subscriber to Teen Vogue ever since I was in middle school, so of course I jumped at the opportunity! I applied straight away. And by straight away, I mean I was on my way to a beach in California crammed with five other people in a loud, overheated, compact car, emailing on my dying phone. It was worth it. A few weeks later, I got an email confirming that UT Austin would be one of 30 campuses around the country to have a party with Teen Vogue Magazine! I was so excited for the opportunity to host the event. Once we chose a tentative date and location, I reached out to personal friends that I had a feeling would love the event to spread the word.

tassel ballons with Teen Vogue | The Bella Insider

{pre-party with the talented Olga of The Pink Sphere Balloons)

The initial planning process in August was so fun and exciting. I was constantly pinning on my Pinterest party-planning board, browsing through StudioDIY and A Subtle Revelry‘s websites, and looking up party inspiration photos on Instagram to come up with decorations and the perfect set-up. I didn’t have much in mind, but I knew I wanted sips and savories, big, round balloons with tassels, and a pink, white, and gold color scheme with accents of turquoise. I reached out to Olga of @ThePinkSphereBalloons, and she graciously provided five fun tasseled balloons for the event. I couldn’t have asked for anything better!

When classes started to pick up, I didn’t have much time to plan anymore. A few days before the party, I made sure to send out the invitations for RSVP, make a detailed list of snacks and party decorations to buy, and map out the venue space on paper. On the day of the event, I was running around like a crazy lady. The boxes of decorations and freebies from Teen Vogue and their sponsors arrived just in time. There were emails to send, furniture pieces to move, deliveries to pick up, food to put out, and decorations to put up. Plus, I wanted to make sure I looked somewhat decent! With such excitement and build-up of the event came nerves. I’m so grateful for friends that helped me plan, decorate, and organize! (I’m talking to you, Diane, Olivia, Carissa, Chottie, and Miss Emily!) The event space was so much more than I had originally thought it would be! Take a look below:

{the DIY candy station and photo-op spot with lots of open space}

{fun props for the photo-ops: balloons, poms, and photobooth props}

{chalkboard labels throughout the space helped define each area}

{sips, savories, and sweets for the guests}

{a plethora of beauty and food goodies courtesy of Teen Vogue’s sponsors}

{my favorite balloon at the party: confetti with gold tassels}

{DIY party favor bag full of sweet treats}

We split up the ballroom into four areas: the snack bar full of sips, savories, and sweets, a DIY candy station, a photo-op spot (my personal favorite!), and the goodies table thanks to Teen Vogue’s generous sponsors. Everything turned out more than I imagined – especially our photo-op spot, full of photobooth props like parasols, mustaches, and our gold letter “HOOK EM” balloons from Pretty Goods ATX! It really came to show it’s all in the details.

Back-to-School with Teen Vogue | The Bella Insider

During the party, I had so much fun catching up with old friends, meeting new friends, and taking lots of pictures! We had this Spotify playlist playing on the speakers, and I really enjoyed seeing everything in front of me after weeks of planning. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to eat anything at the party, but I was especially excited to try the cute mini custom cookies made by Kellie’s Baking Co. I made sure to save some for later, and uh, they were so good. A serious hit at the event, too! We couldn’t stop talking about them!

{the coolest ladies: @jeanineamapola and @la_vida_kristina}

{STEM gals in formation m/}

{freshman year friends}

{hook ’em horns}

And of course, there were lots of goodies! Every lady who came and stayed until the end went home with fun samples from Teen Vogue’s wonderful sponsors: ASOS, Barnana, Brami, Clean & Clear, Garnier, Hostess, Jimmy Choo, JustFAB, KIND Bars, Land’s End, Maybelline, OGX, Parsons, Pop Chips and Soap & Glory. There were so many things, it was hard to choose a favorite!

{Thank you, Teen Vogue!}

I was on such a high at the end of the night. Seeing old faces and meeting new ones was the best part of the event, and I feel very fortunate and grateful for the opportunity to do so in such a unique and exciting way. You ladies are wonderful! Thank you again to Teen Vogue and their sponsors. And a special thank you and many hugs to SRD Austin, Pretty Goods ATX, Kellie’s Baking Co, and The Pink Sphere Balloons for their love and generosity. We have a lot of school spirit here at UT, but be sure to explore other campuses’ fabulous back-to-school parties by clicking on these hashtags: #WeWorkWithTeenVogue #TeenVogueBTS #TeenVogueContest. I hope you enjoyed seeing a sneak peek of our night! I’ll be needing some major R&R this weekend. Have a good one, y’all!