Spring into Events
Spring is a fabulous time of year with the hint of beautiful summer days to come. As the nicer days approach people start thinking about entertaining more. Combined with fun holidays like Easter, Mother’s day and Father’s Day there are plenty of reasons to get people together and celebrate. So you have joined the band wagon and decided to host a fun gathering for family and friends…what comes next? Do you need a little Spring in your event? No problem! We have lots of ideas to infuse the feeling of spring into your party.
- Take brilliant colored Gerber Daisies in mason jars filled with colored stones to create a simple but striking centerpiece that delights the eye.
- Want something unusual? Try brightly colored baskets filled with colored grasses and cupcakes topped in fun spring colored frosting’s. You can add in foil wrapped chocolates for something extra. This centerpiece is fun to look at and even better to eat too!
- Add lots of brightly colored vases filed with greens.
- Find plastic colored bowls that fit inside upturned straw hats and use them as serving bowls. Bunch floral scarves in and around the hats.
- Fill dainty floral patterned tea cups with green floral foam, add carnations and greens. Take hand written seating cards and superglue to floral wire. Add the name card to the miniature floral display’s and set at each seat.
- Use edible flowers as garnishes on food items.
- Use spring colored table runners , napkins and place mats. (Light and bright)
- Stick with fresh, floral scents either with flowers or candles.
- Keep to light foods like salads and finger sandwiches.
Anyway you decide to add little touches to your event…remember to have fun and keep it light and airy like spring.
Dial 1-800-help-me!
Today was a day like any other…I go about my business and in the course of conversation with some lovely ladies I discover they are two members of a committee planning an event for a local non-profit organization. They began telling me how they had “just gotten together” with six weeks to an event date they have already solidified. One of them starting talking about how many tables they were going to need and the conversation went on from there.
I started asking them questions about the event, basic logistics questions that I handle every day in the course of my work. They hadn’t thought of the simplest things like linens to cover the tables, how many chairs will sit around each table, plates, silverware, serving dishes for the food they were going to make, how much time it would take them to set everything up. The little details that make an event were just overlooked. They didn’t even know to ask each other the appropriate questions.
So, I just kept asking questions until they walked away with a list of things they needed to address in the six weeks they have until the event. I offered suggestions for where they could find items, people they could talk to about donations and generally gave them the benefit of my expertise as an event planner. However, I walked away worried about the community event because I could see logistical problems in their plans. It isn’t my event. I’m not part of the non-profit organization, I haven’t been hired to plan it or even to consult on it but I have still spent all afternoon thinking about what they could do different to make it more efficient and turn a better profit.
The biggest thing I walked away from the conversation with was the reminder that people, organizations and yes even planning committees have no idea how important an event planner’s role really is. Even if we don’t plan the event we offer one hour consulting packages that would often resolve the most important issues of an event. I spent thirty minutes with these ladies and they walked away armed with a comprehensive action item list. In another thirty minutes of focused time we could have resolved timeline issues, set up,tear down and venue logistics as well.
The cost of an hour consultation would have saved them countless planning hours, numerous frustrations and wasted financial expenditures by getting the wrong items or items that could have been found for a better price through a different vendor or even donated. I hope their event is a success and that the non-profit organization truly benefits. I hope the committee learns and grows from this experience and each year goes by it gets better. Who knows, maybe someday they will actually hire an event planner to help them out too.
It Takes a Team
Who here has ever been an employee…who has ever had a boss or company situation you DID NOT LIKE? Have you ever been so upset with an employee or boss that you had their car towed while they were in a meeting?
One Summer Night
One Summer Night…..you hosted the perfect summer picnic. The BBQ rocked (no one needs to know it was inexpensive) and the DJ had everyone jamming. People played old fashioned games like tug-of-rope, egg toss, water balloon toss, and sack races too. It was an event to remember and every perfect detail came from your imagination and was put it into action by a professional event planner.
That is the biggest secret to your party success. You didn’t tell your neighbor, you didn’t tellyour best friend but you discovered that working with an event planner meant you could get creative on a budget. The best part of working with an event planner is that they help you with everything from your son’s birthday party to your parent’s anniversary and that high end dinner party your husband decide to throw for the executives at his firm. You give them the end results you are expecting and a budget and they come up with an event that makes you look like a star hostess. The more you wok with them the better they learn your personal style. It is a partnership made in heaven!
introsPECtives 