On a balmy late summer day in Southampton, guests lined up outside the premier social hub in town, Southampton Social Club, for BELLA Magazine’s Annual Cover Party. Their special cover this year featured beloved music group Boyz II Men on their 30th anniversary, and the theme color of choice was a vibrant, celebratory blue evocative of the Hamptons’ Atlantic on a sunny day.
A “blue carpet” setup greeted us as we walked to the back patio: a robin’s egg-colored truck bursting with a sunflower display from Hometown Flower Co., a backdrop peppered with the sponsors’ names, and a copy of BELLA’s latest edition fresh off the print. In addition to guests of honor Boyz II Men, attendees that graced the carpet include Star Jones and Ruthie Davis, and hosts Vanessa Coppes (BELLA CEO, Owner, and Editor-in-Chief) and Ian Duke (Owner of Southampton Social Club). As we moved from the front lawn setup to the back patio, a lively day party scene unfolded before us: picnic tables covered in magazine issues, cookies from Cakes Jagla, and other promo goodies. An open bar stocked with Boyz II Men’s Harmony Rose, Prosecco DOC, Volley, and Lucky Jack as the featured drinks lay in wait, and sponsor tables lined the perimeter with products to purchase and try out. In addition to the sponsors listed, tables were set up by Blaine Plastic Surgery, Celsius Inc., The Hamptons Concierge, BLK Sunflower, LOUMI Skincare, and Slim-Ease, offering products for guests to peruse and test out. Other sponsors include Dune Jewelry, Prosecco DOC, Awaken The Light Jewelry, HV Interior Design Group, ALLU USA, BTL Aesthetics, and Estala Skincare. Finally, the venue included a deck in the back of the patio with greenery and neon signs, for guests to snap summer memories and instagrammable shots.
On being honored with the BELLA cover, Boyz II Men expressed a heartfelt thank you to BELLA, DJ Spin Diesel for DJ’ing the event, and everyone that came out to support the event. Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men member) highlighted their new wine brand, Harmony Rose, saying “We understand what wine does, it brings people together. We want to make sure that sentiment is the symbol of this brand: bringing people together in perfect Harmony.”
In addition to Boyz II Men, we were able to catch up with author Leesa Rowland and fitness competitor Nikki Walter. Rowland, author of The Charisma Factor, spoke with us about her journey from actress to inspirational author. She explained how the message of her book was to find what you love, and pursue it – a parallel of her own life and career journey in the path to fulfillment. In addition to that, Rowland reveals other charismatic secrets such as body language and more in her book. If you want to hear those secrets, head over to grab a copy of her book! Nikki Walter, a six-time NPC first-place finisher, talked to us about her upcoming goals and career moves: she has an upcoming Netflix partnership and wants to get back into competing again in December. For now, she was just enjoying and soaking up the fun of her first visit to the Hamptons.
BELLA’s Cover Party this year was certainly one for the books. We loved celebrating Boyz II Men, the spirit of summer in the Hamptons, and getting to know all the wonderful people there. Can’t wait for next year!
