
I took a look around and used Dear Lillie’s Jane Austen party for inspiration, especially the wrapped books and the book-page bunting. Here’s what I came up with:

We held a silent and a live auction at the gala to raise money for our scholarship fund. I made 125 auction paddles using my Silhouette Cameo and LOTS of paint stirring sticks from Home Depot (thanks, Home Depot!), spray painted black.



Instead, I used my Cameo to cut out 250 Jane Austen silhouettes from black vinyl and just stuck them on plain votives. They were still a nice favor, and they took only a few seconds each!
On the day of the gala, we started with a GREAT BIG empty room:
After about five hours of work, it looked like this:
The venue alternated black and white tablecloths for us, to go with our theme. The table decorations used the white paper-wrapped books and borrowed crystal and silver candlesticks (graciously loaned to me by the Veritas families). As a fundraising event, we needed to be sure to keep our decorating costs down. I spent less than $800 on decorations and favors, which is pretty good for an event of this size!
The table numbers were actually names of Jane Austen characters, printed and placed in black frames. The hydrangeas were gorgeous–and we raffled them off at the end of the evening.
I used book page bunting on the silent auction tables, alternating with book page wreaths (I made five of those–phew!).
Instead of a sit-down dinner, there were tasting stations set up throughout the ballroom. I take no credit for the food, though. My friend Kay (who was in charge of the whole shebang) is a dedicated foodie and amazing chef, and she arranged for local chefs and restaurants to partner with us for this event. Yum!
After cocktail hour and dining, the Logic and Rhetoric School students took the floor for Regency-style dancing, including the very same dance that Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy performed in Pride and Prejudice. They looked amazing!
After the dancing ended, the silent auction closed and the raffle winners were announced. The live auction followed.
I think everyone had a great time–I know I did!
The students took a “Thank you” picture with our headmaster to include in the thank-you notes they send to patrons.
If you or someone you know is searching for the perfect school in Savannah, Georgia, then I have to say that I think Veritas Academy is it! This is my kids’ first year back in school after several years of homeschooling, and it has been such a smooth transition for both of them. Veritas is a Classical Christian school (so they learn some serious subjects like Logic and Latin), yet it’s also covenantal, so parental involvement is of primary importance. The abbreviated school day allows my kids time to pursue their extracurricular interests, yet this is by far the most rigorous school that they’ve attended. Most importantly, God is glorified in every aspect of their education, and I know the teachers are as interested in shepherding my children’s hearts as they are in being sure that they are well-prepared in grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
Thanks for stopping by~

I am blown away on how wonderful the decorations are and how you kept your costs down! Now I wish I could
Thanks, Rosalie. It was tricky to do it on a budget, but fortunately I had lots of helpers, and that made all the difference!
Wow! I’d say you pulled it off quite well! What a lovely event!
Thanks, Pat!
i think i just fell in Love!!! I am from England, so this touched my heart, love it!
now i am trying to think of something i can use it for ahahah!!!!
Pin it for later (I have a Jane Austen board–how nerdy is that?!) and one of these days, the party will come! 🙂
Oh my what a fabulous event and the decorations and centerpieces are magnificent….Christy, you did a most incredible job…the event looked amazing…and surely a success due to your efforts!
Thank you, Shirley! It was such a fun night, and well worth all the hours of work ahead of time.