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Our goal is to make that special day not only memorable for you, but also to take an active role in helping to conserve our planet’s resources through green wedding planning. |
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How to Handle the Stickiest Dilemmas, Scrapes, and Questions that Arise on the Road to Your Perfect Day
by Dr. Dale Atkins and Annie Gilbar, 2005 |
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Great vacations and destinations |
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 Aspiring Event Planners
Our goal is to make that special day not only memorable for you, but also to take an active role in helping to conserve our planet’s resources through green wedding planning. |
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10 Tips for Stress-Free Party Planning
By Donna Duffy
What celebrations do you have on the deck this year? Is someone graduating, getting married, having a baby, turning 50? Chances are just the thought of pulling the event together can keep you up at night. There are many things that can help you make the task much easier. Here’s a list of a few tips that should having you celebrating and loving it in no time.
1. Begin with the end in mind. This is my all-time favorite phrase and helps me corral my thoughts and gain perspective in a flash. What do I want the party to look like in the end? From that vantage point, I can decide whether I’m up for the task, need to ask a friend to help me or should hire someone.
2. Build the foundation before you build the house. It’s important to pull all the elements of the event together and build it from the ground up. What are the key components; the must haves of the event? I’ll need a place for the party, food and beverages, and guests. The five W’s help me to narrow the task to the barebones and the flesh out the party from there.
3. Preference and budget. We all know of the party, wedding, meeting that starts at $1000 budget and starts to crawls it way to double that as we add just one more thing. What do you really need to enjoy this celebration? If budget is an issue, be ruthless with yourself and keep the best of and let the rest go. You can almost ALWAYS find the look for less. We have so enjoyed scouring sales and discount bins for bargains that jazz up the party décor and no one is the wiser. Gotta love that!
4. Be realistic about your guest list. The number of guests, their expectations and your expectations can make for one interesting evening if you don’t put some thought into things. Do you have enough space to accommodate everyone? If you are having the event at home, traffic and flow are major considerations. This will effect parking as well.
5. Food stations can be your sanity. It may be best to have several stations throughout your home for people to congregate and to keep from having a traffic jam at the main table. Drinks and desserts are always good to have at separate tables but you can also set up smaller coffee tables with appetizers and snacks.
6. Writing it all down. Don’t forget to maintain your checklists, budget tracker and timelines. These will help you stay on top of things and keep you headed toward the party you envisioned at the beginning.
7. Know when you’ve had enough and don’t be afraid to ask for help. You have no doubt helped with many a party in the past and this may be just the time to have someone return the favor. Many people are happy to contribute something or lend a hand on the day of the event. Tap in to the resources of those around you who love to cook, decorate, snap photos, etc. Let them help you.
8. Prep, prep and more prep!!! Did I say prep? The more you have done in advance the more you will enjoy the party. If you are cooking, find recipes that can be made ahead or ones that do not require the culinary expertise of Julia Childs. If you’re decorating, buy the decorations beforehand. You can do much of this online and have the stuff delivered to your door.
9. Have FUN!!! Be sure not to take yourself to seriously throughout the whole process—it’s a party, remember? So make sure you turn the music on, be inspired by magazines and HGTV, and let your creative energy FLOW!
10. Call a planner! If the prospect of doing all of this yourself is just too overwhelming OR you really just want to enjoy the celebration and have nothing to do with ice refills and clearing dishes, a planner can make you feel like a guest at your own event.
Hopefully, these few tips will help you get the party started with confidence and enthusiasm. For more tips and ideas, call us and we’ll help you brainstorm so that you are armed with a great plan and strategy for your celebration. Remember—it’s not just the milestones that we should celebrate but the journey itself! Enjoy the moments and the connections throughout each day—surely, they are reason to celebrate!!!
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