Don't Panic. We'll Help You Plan Your Event!

The Venue of your party can make or break your party or event.
Having it at the appropriate location for your event makes all the difference in the world. The second your guests unseal your invitation, they begin
to assess the entire affair. Besides the overall look of the invitation, (Which is important, we'll get to that later) they form their first impression of the event when they see the location. "Oh, the reunion is at the beautiful theater, that will be so
nice," would be a positive reaction setting the scene for a successful event. However, the reaction could play out as: "Oh, he's having the reunion there? I've been there before and that place looks like a trashy cafeteria." Obviously, as an event planner, your goal is to create the first reaction in your guests' minds.

Your Budget:

The Venue is going to be a very large portion of your budget. Know your limits.  How much can you
afford? Don't spend so much on the location that you have insufficient funds for other import details like food and entertainment.
 Make sure when you're planning your event, that you have a list of possible locations so that if you run into a roadblock with availability of your
first choice location, you're not at a loss. Most venues that are used for large events allow you to reserve it for your particular night for a small fee, that can easily be canceled in the future. The earlier you call, the better your chances of finding your ideal location at an
ideal price.  

Shopping For the Best Place

Hotels

Hotels can be a good bet. Since renting party rooms isn't where they try to make their money, many times you can get a very inexpensive, but very nice, room. Pull up a list of all the hotels in your area and call them and see if they have available "special event rooms". Quality and price are directly related when it comes to hotels.  If you are offered space that seems to be extremely low-priced, be careful. Check out some of the upper-end hotels in the nicer part of your town or city. Also, use your knowledge of the landscape to your advantage. Hotels near water sometimes have beautiful overlook rooms, which can make for a great backdrop. Remember,
it is crucial that you visit all of the locations because you can be easily misled over the phone or from a website. Be prepared to pound the pavement.

Museums

Another commonly overlooked Venue category is museums. Museum buildings can be very beautiful, because the architecture of the building is more
unique than most. Just like with the hotels, renting party rooms isn't their money maker, so you can stumble into a great deal. 

In Toledo, Ohio (near where I live) a perfect example of this, is the Toledo Art Museum. They have a newly constructed glass pavilion that can be rented in the off hours. The pavilion is breath
taking, and although the cost is high, so is the quality. A picture is the only way to explain the place.



The Glass Pavilion, beautiful isn't it? Chances are, if you live in a reasonably big city, you're going to have a museum with something this attractive. (Or close to it, it may be hard to beat this place.)

Theatres

If you're picturing a dark room with pop-corn littered aisles and uncomfortably crowded front-rows, think again.  No, we don't
mean movie theaters, we are talking about performance theaters. The lobbies on some theaters are spectacular. I organized a party in a
theater with a front room and lobby that was glamorous in every respect. The entire front wall was constructed of glass that looked out onto a garden and drive. Guests could gaze out into the bright lights of the city.  The
theater was not having performances that night, so our guests were able to pose for pictures in the grand staircase in the entrance of the theater.



Pictured here is the grand entrance. The room is on the other side of the glassed wall.



A perfect place for a party.

Invitations



As I said before, invitations are the first impression guests are going
to make. In order to have a good party, you have to get people to come
to it (obviously that's pretty important.) You need to have your
invatation be catchy and unique. If your party is themed, the design
should go along with it. I planned a 007 (James Bond) themed party once
and we used an invation that resembled a movie poster with the
silloutte of a man resembling Mr. Bond. It was catchy and simple.
Having a non-traditional invite can be an option. If your budget is
high, sending you guests an invite that is not in an envelope can be cool.
For example they could get a box or kit that contained the invite.
Maybe include somthing they need at the party like a mask, a raffle
tickete, or trinket.

I'm sure you don't need to hear this, but make sure your invitation is
gramaticly correct. I've thrown a party with an invatiation with some
pretty big mistakes and it was incredibly embarassing.

Music



Any event can use music, some more than others. If you're planning a
dinner party you proably don't need a dj. Picking an appropriat
playlist yourself and loading it onto a CD or a portable audio player
and running it over a sound system should be sufficient. If your going
the dance party route, you need to consider either a live band or a DJ.

A live band can be really exciting for your guest. The problem is that
they tend to be more expensive and play one music genre. If some of you
guest don't like that genre, they are going to be uncomfotable. One
thing to consider with the live band is to get a band who plays popular
music, not their own.  There's nothing wrong with original
music, but unless the're a hugely successful band, the music quality on
the orginal tunes is probably going to be sub-par.

The DJ is always a safe bet. The cost between $300-$500 and can offer a
variety of diffrent music types to make your guests happy. DJs work
well for Highschool dances and the like as well.

Food



Whether you're serving a meal or not, your guests will expect you to serve some sort of food item. Drinks are your first priority, and you should
consider having an open bar.  At an evening event, hor d'oeuvres and desserts are sufficient. For a dinner party, obviously, you need to
serve a full meal. The question is, should you prepare it yourself or have professionals do it?

If your party is going to be a small number, a family get together for instance, you could save a lot of money and impress people with you
cooking skills by preparing the meal yourself. However if you find yourself staring at a large guest list, you may want to rule out cooking on your own. Professionally prepared food is prepared in a way that looks very impressive. For example, the cake frosting on professional cakes is nearly impeccable. No offense to your cooking
skills but the pros know how it's done. Having the food contracted out will also save you a lot of time. This way you can devote your time to other
parts of the event.

Wine can be perfect for any event which is somewhat formal. Particularly corporate events. Your guest will expect some sort of liquor at a formal party. Beer is typically not served at high-end events, so it is important to have the appropriate beverages. Wine is just right. It can fit any budget too. I am a firm believer in having your party goods customized. Having them say the name of the company or the guest of honor really makes things nice. Personalized wine labels are simple to design and order, and they will be a memorable highlight for your guests.

Decorations



The little touches are what make your party a big hit. In this picture
Hickory Farms printed up custom ribbon for their corporate party and
wrapped silverware with it.



Having personalized and customized things throughout your party makes
it look like you put a lot of effort into getting things together
(which you did.) Having personalized and customized items throughout
your party can really set off the whole event.

 

Decorating your event with some bows can be a perfect addition to the uniqueness of your event. However, you have to do it right. A bow tied
in a haphazard way is going to give your guest the wrong impression.
You can read how-tos
on bow tieing all over the internet. If you're still having trouble with bow tieing, (I am awful at it) you could consider purchasing a bow
tieing machine.
These machines help you hold the bow as you
tie it and are relatively inexpensive.  Bows can be used to decorate tables, centerpieces, chairs, or even parting gifts for your
guests.  The sky is the limit, so be creative!

Wedding Planning

What woman doesn't dream about walking down the aisle in a beautiful gown on her special day? There are so many things that go into planning
a wedding, and it is important that you are aware of every small detail, to make your special day memorable! Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in a wedding frenzy and jump to details such as the dress and the perfect wedding song, but it is crucial to take care of every component of your wedding.

The first thing you need to do is make a checklist, so you know exactly how much planning you have on your plate. The first few things that you need to do may be the most important, because they set the
scene for the success of your wedding day. Finding an available location for the
ceremony and reception is the very first thing that should be on your mind. Once you have a reservation at your chosen venue, you will need to send out save-the-date cards to your guests. A more contemporary idea for save-the-date items is to actually use magnets. This way every
time your guests reach for that midnight snack or are preparing a meal,they are reminded of your special day. Check out these magnets that you can
personalize any way you like.



Invitations and Themed Wedding Ideas

After you have chosen a location and sent out save-the-date items, you
can move on to the more fun components of wedding planning.
 You should first make the decision as to wether you are going
to have a more traditional wedding, or if you are going to have a
themed wedding.  Themed weddings can scare people off pretty
quickly, because we usually associate it with tacky themes such as a
"Las Vegas Wedding" or something of that sort.  Consider
choosing a more subtle theme like a seasonal wedding, where you can
incorporate nature's color palette into your special day.
 It's easy to find decorations, and your guests will be
pleasantly surprised with a change of pace.  



A Winter Wonderland themed wedding is becoming increasingly popular,
and silver and blue are popular colors to incorporate into the
decorations.  For summer or spring weddings, flowers are the
obvious choice when it comes to decorations, and it really brightens up
the atmosphere.  The key is to pick a them and stick to it,
deviating from the theme will take away from the actual ceremony.
 

Graduation Party



Graduation is a big part of children's (and adults' lives). It is an
important event and desearves to be celebrated. I will attempt to help
you out with setting up a graduation party. There are numerous details
you'll need to take care of. The great thing about grad parties is that
there isn't a right or wrong way to do things. As I'm sure you know,
grad parties are very varied.

Venue:
The standard grad party venue is the family home. It is what the guests
expect, they always want to see your home. Fortunatly it is also the
easiest and cheepest option. This is good for you. Of course you have
to have the right type of house for this to work out correctly.



Your house isn't probably this nice, but wouldn't that make for a sweet
grad party spot? Don't worry, a more modest home can work great.

Food is an important detail at grad parties. Much more than at your
typical party. The main activity at grad parties is mingling, and for
one reason or another food is required for a good mingling environment.


There are many types of food possiblilties for you. Should you go
simple? Should you do something exotic? Should you do it yourself?
Should you hire a professional catering company.

Simple food goes well at grad parties. Think ball park food. There is
nothing wrong with sticking to American classics like franks and
burgers. Aptetizers and finger food are always a plus as well.
Mini-hotdogs are always a hit. At the same time exotic, fancy food can
be nice as well. A good rule of thumb is to have one or two "exotic and
fancy" menu items and have the rest of be simpler foods. Trying to have
an entire exotic setup will break your wallet and your mind. An
icecream bar or make your own taco station can be fun and different
foods to have at your party.

You, of course, need a cake. Doesn't have to be fancy, it's going to
get cut up right away afterall, it just needs to be there.

Should you have alcohol?

At a high-school grad party, I would recomend against it. To many
underage kids and families. But at a college graduation party it is
almost a must. Everyone is going to want some champaign to celebrate
with. I would still recomend aganst hard liquior. You're are just
asking for trouble with tons of people and vodka around.

Music wise, just a playlist over you stereo should be suffiecent. Save
your money on a DJ. Must people at a grad party aren't looking to
dance.

Games and Activities:



I have always had a rule: if you don't have corn hole at your grad
party, it isn't a success. Set it up in the back lawn. You would be
surprised how much fun people can have with such a simple game.
Horseshoes and bachy ball are other instant classcics.

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