Absolutely a gorgeous book filled with beautiful inspirational pictures and practical ideas that result in a stunning event. Would love to have a hard copy and highly recommend this book.

This event inspiration and guidance book is aptly named - it features gorgeous events with tips to pull them off - by event planner Alison Hotchkiss.

The biggest takeaway I see is to get away from cookie-cutter events (especially weddings), and feel free to do events where and how you wish, making it unique and special to you. Throw away the rule book and focus on lighting, color, and greenery/flowers to make spaces comfortable, elegant, and special. She is a fan of the long table, which is very dramatic if your space can fit it.

I particularly love this quote: "Every party needs a wow moment." Great tip! As a Californian, I love the many CA featured events.

Beautiful book, images and tips. 5-stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Chronicle Books, for the free digital ARC to read and review.

If you have wondered what a professional events organizer does, then this book is for you! From Weddings to Desert-Chic Dinner Party, Alison Hotchkiss of Alison Events shows you how to get it all done with beautiful photography. I thank Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read and review this gorgeous book.

This is a lovely collection of wedding and event design ideas. Much of the photography emphasized the gorgeous locations and atmosphere of the gatherings. The details chosen for the events—like decor, linens, colors, and floral arrangements are meant to evoke the spirit of the location. I thought the floral design and the layering of textures (like linens and tableware in the tablescapes, and details like the stationary, calligraphy, and letterpress printing of invitations) were the strengths of the collection. This designer seems to favor neutrals like white, cream, tan, beige, and natural fibers—in a very elegant way, not boring—just perhaps not as colorful as my taste generally runs. The book has a lot of tips for anyone planning a big event and great images and ideas for inspiration.

3.5/5

This is a beautiful book with inspiring photographs and directions for successful gatherings and parties. I feel like you would get great ideas and inspiration for a big or small event and ‘Gorgeous Gatherings’ would help make it a success.

GORGEOUS GATHERINGS is an insightful and tasteful look into how to create, design and plan a beautiful and memorable event whether it's for a wedding, a birthday, a proposal or celebration of any kind happening in your own backyard or at a destination venue in a different country. It includes helpful tips and tutorials to elevate your party from picking the color palette down to the smallest details. I liked the thoughtful ways of keeping your guests in minds and creating one cohesive look throughout all the planning. Beautiful and inspirational photos showcasing fabulous vendors. A great resource for hosts and hosts-to-be!

Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

When I think of the word, “gatherings,“ I think of something intimate and cozy. Four, maybe six guests, absolutely no more than eight, are what make a nice gathering to me. This book was less about gatherings than it was about crowds, and rather large ones at that. In that regard, the title was rather misleading. More appropriately it should have been named “Gorgeous Events.“ While, I wasn’t disappointed in the book because there are some wonderful ideas here, some lovely pictures, and interesting and informative text, it wasn’t at all what I was expecting, and, in my case, would be of limited use. I also found the coloration on the pictures to be rather drab. Nothing really drew me in or excited me. It’s clear that the author went to a lot of time and effort not just to oversee the gatherings, but in writing the book, but I just think it could’ve been so much better than what it was.

In its favor, there was a lovely and intimate dinner for two, but just the one, and I was really looking for more of that. I did like the idea of sending guests off with a little token of appreciation, that, in one case, was an attractive little bottle of herb-infused olive oil. I often send guests home with goodies, but herb-infused olive oil, made with my own herbs, is something I never considered, so I appreciated that here. There is a nice list of resources in the back, complete with web addresses, and I found that to be very helpful.

All in all though, while I really wanted to like this book, it just wasn’t for me.

Breathtaking gorgeous book full of wonderful ideas beautiful photography.Whether your planning a celebration or just love gathering ideas this book is a true treasure I will be looking through it often.#netgalley #chroniclebooks

A visually lovely book that explores various locales and event aesthetics while still maintaining a clear point of view. Purely inspirational/ aspirational for me though as this book focuses on high end event planning. Maybe a few ideas or aesthetic approaches that could be translated to a smaller budget. Nice to look at. Will land well with those in a higher income bracket.

The inspiration this book provides is chef's kiss. It reads like a match made in heaven Pinterest board that houses all your gathering and hosting dreams. Truly so beautiful to look at, and the ideas are so practical and easy to perform. You'll be the host with the most - and your gathering will be one to remember.

I was perhaps not the right target audience for this.
I found the tips and advice highly valuable, however I did not find the colours, the design and the photos (the overall look) impressive or high quality at all times.
Yet, hope the right audiences and this book find each other. I wish them the best.

Gorgeous photographs and great inspiration for your gatherings make this a great read! The tips and tricks for making a gathering successful will be helpful to you whether you are a beginner at event planning, or more accomplished.

Thank you Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the ARC!

Gorgeous book with beautiful images and inspo on how to arrange and throw a good gathering. Alison's expertise shines through every page. I definitely will be going back to it for references for my own gets togethers and will for sure be buying a physical copy for myself and my mom. Perfect coffee table book material - pretty and most importantly useful.

Alison Hotchkiss’ 𝘎𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 is a beautiful collection of event photography and planning ideas and tips. The parties shown are elegant and stunning. However, I feel like unless you are a professional event planner, this will simply be a very pretty coffee table book. The examples on the pages are definitely luxury events that would be difficult for 99% of us to draw inspiration from. An attractive book, but not a particularly useful one for many. Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pros: I have never been a guest to the types of luxurious celebrations featured in this book, so I felt like I got to be a nosy fly on the wall when reading. I am so impressed by the creativity of those who can plan and make a gathering beautiful because that is a skill I completely lack. I appreciated that this book features gatherings from many different places--both in the US and abroad. The photography beautifully featured the stunning gatherings--the attention to detail and thoughtfulness given to each gathering was obvious. I also loved the tips and tricks and how-tos peppered throughout the book. I think this would be a great gift to give to a bride-to-be who is beginning her wedding planning.

Cons: None that I can think of . . . except I got wanderlust while reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read this book.

I enjoyed the photos in this book; the author certainly has a very particular style that incorporates beautiful, unique, and sometimes obscure places with muted tones and sophisticated details. But as I am not an event planner, the way I’d use this book is simply for inspiration or to show as examples for something I’d like to incorporate into an event, run by someone else. And honestly, the examples shown would probably be outside of my real life budget! The backdrops and decor in the photos were almost always installations, certainly more of a project than I could ever take on as a non-professional. Nevertheless, this book provoked ideas!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book!

A BIG THANK YOU to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Gorgeous Gatherings: Designing Unforgettable Weddings and Luxurious Celebrations by Alison Hotchkiss. This is a comprehensive guide that seamlessly blends stunning imagery with practical advice for creating unforgettable events.

As a highly respected wedding and event planner, the author draws upon her extensive experience to take readers across the globe, from the coast of Japan to the beaches of Mexico, showcasing celebrations inspired by some of the world's most beautiful destinations. She provides insights into the process of designing bespoke weddings and events, from selecting the perfect color palette to crafting personalized details that reflect the essence of each location.

It’s the perfect balance of inspiration and achievable how-tos. The professional photography and lavish tablescapes are sure to impress readers, but practical tips and step-by-step guides for replicating aspects of these spectacular events at home are also provided. Whether it's constructing an elaborate floral chandelier or crafting memorable send-off gifts, this book empowers readers to infuse their own gatherings with creativity and personal style.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 22 October 2024
#GorgeousGatherings #NetGalley

Gorgeous Gatherings by Alison Hotchkiss is full of inspiration and backed by experience. Ideas focus on selecting the venue, making full use of the space, decorating, making a guest list, menus, parting gifts, and more! The pictures are helpful suggestions along with written descriptions to explain how many of the looks were created. I love that these ideas are shared from experiences all around the world for all types of occasions. Inside tips on international events is where the experience comes in handy, and ideas and tips are freely given. Birthdays, engagements, weddings, and other special occasions are all covered.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

I probably won't ever be planning an event like those displayed in the book, but it's so fun to look. I have such appreciation for the amount of detail that goes into creating the experience of a gorgeous celebration. I enjoyed flipping through the book multiple times to notice different details each time.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #ChronicleBooks for a free copy of #GorgeousGatherings by Alison Hotchkiss. All opinions are my own.

Is it too early to renew my vows?

"Gorgeous Gatherings" is a visually stunning guidebook that showcases beautiful celebrations and offers practical advice from a top event planner on how to create unforgettable parties, with tips ranging from mood boards to choosing a tent to handling inclement weather. Whether you're a bride-to-be, in the event planning space, or a seasoned hostess, you'll enjoy the inspiration for creating memorable events.

Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.