Outdoor Glitz

Having an outdoor event under a tent is like having a clean blank slate to work with.  You could transform any space into the venue of your dreams. 

With all the rental decor available today,  your occasion could be one of a kind.  You have the ability from choosing everything from the lighting to what color you want the floor.

Unlike having an event at a reception hall, where tables, chairs, cutlery, food and more is all included, nothing is included with the rental of a tent, therefore, there are a lot of decisions to make and it is important to plan your budget wisely.  Renting a tent for your event and choosing every little detail is a great way to achieve what you are envisioning, however, the costs could add up quite quickly and all the details could become stressful.  Having an event planner helping you with the details will give you more peace of mind, help you choose trust worthy suppliers and help you save money.

When renting a tent, it is important to know what type of tent your event will need.  My suggestion is to go with a high peak tent.  It will make the space seem larger and feel less crammed.  This option is usually more expensive but the high peak pole tents are better for wind resistance and allows for the rain to run off easily. 

I found these pictures online  and found them inspiring on how you could transform such a space into a beautiful and elegant venue.

The first picture is my absolute favourite.  I love the contrast created with the black chandeliers and floors against the white tent and the furniture.  I also find the black floor such a great idea, sometimes we tend to stay away from having a floor in black but it just ties the space in so beautifully.  It's chic, modern and I want an invitation!

The second picture is a marvel.  The pink lighting, the three large chandeliers together with the black and white accent pieces give it a real modern and dreamy look.  It is an interesting set-up as the tent has about 10 private areas on the side.   The drapery is done so perfectly. If you are planning to drape the interior of your tent, you have to make sure that you have a professional company that knows what they are doing.  It could make all the difference in the look you are trying to achieve and you do not want it to look sloppy.

This picture has some serious eye candy.  There is so much detail in the decor, you don't know where to look.  The beautiful sequenced and pink chairs, to the hanging branches and crystals in the middle of the tent. It's spectacular and gives the space a pure glamorized look.

If you are thinking having an outdoor event but you are not sure if would be elegant enough for your occasion, I do hope this post inspired you to think otherwise! 

5 Reasons on why you should hire an Event Planner!

1) Less stress

By hiring a planner for your event, you won't have to stress any longer!  An experienced event planner will make sure your planning is on schedule and will make sure that no detail is left behind.   They know what needs to get done and when!

2) Will help you save money

Hiring a planner will actually help you save money.  Planners already have a list of suppliers they deal with are always there to negotiate the best price for you.  They also know all the questions that need to be asked when dealing with a caterer, venue or event supplier which may help you save lots of money.

3) Recommend quality suppliers

It could get very tiring and stressful going from one supplier to another. A planner will able to suggest some fantastic suppliers to you that will help fit your vision.

4) Your planner will be there the day of the event

Whether it is a wedding, gala or cocktail event, you want to enjoy it stress-free.  Having a planner on-site taking care of all the details and all the problems that come up is very beneficial.  Not only do they have experience in dealing with these types of issues that may arise, but they know exactly who to speak to and what to do to get anything solved. 

5) Will help you keep your budget in control

The most important aspect to keep on track...the budget!  It is so easy to get lost in all the planning and not keep your eye on the budget.  A planner will make sure your budget is organized and that you are aware of the status of your budget.

 

                                       

                                                     Photo: Jeff Leatham Design

Who is planning the Royal Wedding?

Who is planning the Kate and William's Royal Wedding?  His name is Peregrine Armstrong-Jones and he runs Bentley's Entertainments in London, England.  He has organized some of the biggest events in England including the Wedding of David and Victoria Beckham, the Civil Ceremony of Sir Elton John & David Furnish, the Wedding of Elizabeth Hurley to Arun Nayar and the Royal Wedding of Peter Phillips to Autumn Kelly.

He is known for his attention to detail and understanding the protocol for such events.  I am very excited to see what he will be putting together for the upcoming Royal Wedding! 

I could only imagine how wonderful it must be as a planner to be working with such a generous budget (I assume!) but yet having the constraints of the royal protocol and the traditional elements associated with it.

I put together some inspiring pictures of my favorite decor fit for a royal wedding!

                                          Source: http://blog.michelleragoltd.com/manzanita-redux_160/

                                           Source: Jeff Leatham Designs

DIY Spring Decor

Spring is finally here and that means color!  I came across this fabulous spring DIY project featured on Hostess with the Mostess. 

A cheap and easy way to bring color to any holiday, dinner party or family gathering can be done by simply wrapping your vases, glass jars and round containers with gift wrapping or scrap book paper.   You could mix and match with bright colors and patterns.  In this DIY project, fresh moss, wheat grass, and flowers were used to fill the vases. If you want to dress up your paper, wrap a thick ribbon around the top part of the vase.

They also made a recycled table runner, which in my opinion is a fantastic idea.   When else can your boring striped washcloths look so good!?  They used  a polka dotted, striped and plain white terry cloth washcloths that were sewn together and then added hot pink ball trim edging.

There you have a it!  An easy way to bring color and a fresh spring look to your table.  Not only is this great for Spring but you could also play with this idea with any holiday!

Quick Tips to Organizing a Golf Tournament Fundraiser!

Looking to plan a charitable golf tournament?  Here are some tips that may help you!

1) Date and Location

When planning a golf tournament to raise funds for a charity, make sure to book your date and location at least 6 months in advance.  It is important to have enough time to promote your event, fill your foursomes and to get your sponsors. 

2) Organize a Golf Committee

Having a golf committee in place for your charitable golf tournament is extremely helpful.  Every member could have a specific task or you could collectively work as a unit to reach your goal.  Having key people on your committee that are active and have good resources is very important.

3) Create a Budget

Create a realistic budget.  Get informed how much everything will cost you and how much you could potentially make by selling your foursomes and sponsorships.   

Your biggest expense should be paying the golf club which includes; green fees, brunch, dinner, alcohol, golf cart fees, field bar, scorer and other expenses you may incur from them.

4)Planning with the Golf Club

Meet up with the golf club and confirm your number of foursomes, tee time, services that you will need from them, how many golf carts you will need (sometimes they have to rent extra) etc.

You also have to plan your brunch and dinner menu.  When planning your dinner menu, stick with reasonable priced dishes such as veal or chicken dishes. For example, filet mignon or surf and turf will run your tab pretty high and as someone who would be attending a charitable golf tournament, I would be appalled to see expensive dishes being served to me.

5) Sponsorships

This is one of the most important parts of every fundraiser.  If you could get enough sponsors to support your event, you could raise a substantial amount of money.

 Types of sponsorships you could offer:

·         Registration Sponsor

·         Brunch Sponsor

·         Supper Sponsor

·         Golf Balls Sponsor

·         Wine Sponsor

·         Cocktail Sponsor

·         Field Bar Sponsor

·         Auction Sponsor

·         Beat the Pro Sponsor

·         Hole in one Sponsor

·         Golfer's Gift Sponsor

·         Hole Sponsors

6) Silent Auction

A fantastic way to raise extra funds and for your guests to bid on some great items!  Phone local business, companies and restaurants and ask if they would like to support your cause by donating items or certificates for the golf tournament silent auction.  It's a great way for local business to show their support.

7) Volunteers

This is a must! It is very difficult to run an event without volunteers, actually it's impossible!  Make sure you have trust worthy volunteers in place to take care of certain tasks such as, registering all the playing once they arrive, setting up the auction, giving out the golfer's gifts etc.

8)Sponsorship Banners and Signs

Once you have sold all your sponsorships, you need to order the banners and signs. Check if some companies could bring their own signage, it will help you save and some companies actually prefer bringing their own signage. Make sure to order the sponsorship banners and golf hole signs about 2 weeks before the tournament so that you could make the order all at once and get a better deal from your printer, which again, will help you save. 

9) Speeches

Make sure to have the head of the golf committee or another key person thank all the guests that participated in your tournament, thank the sponsors, mention how much was raised and talk about where the funds will be going and how they will be used. 

10) Enjoy and Don't Forget to Mingle

Even though you are organizing the tournament and you may find yourself busy with the details of the day, make sure to take time and mingle with the guests.  You want to create and maintain good relationships with them so they support you again in the coming years. 

Go Green at Your Next Event!

Go green at your next event!  Although there are tons of way to go green, here are just a few ideas and suggestions you could use.  Please feel free to add any of your ideas or suggestions by leaving a comment below! 

1) Invitations

Send E-invites, not only to you save paper but you save quite a bit of coin by not using paper invites.  Another advantage, your guests won't misplace the invitation or accidently throw in the garbage!

2)Transportation

Encourage your guests to carpool with people they know or that live nearby. 

3)Table Centrepieces

You could put a beautiful edible arrangement together.  If apples and roses for instance are in season, you could create a beautiful centrepiece by mixing the two.  Another beautiful arrangement would be roses, cranberries and/or strawberries. 

4) Food

Don't use any plastic bottles.  Use glass or cans instead, they are easier to recycle than plastic! 

Create a menu that will allow you to feast on some fabulous local foods. If you are hiring a caterer discuss if they would be open to use local and seasonal foods in their menu.

Reduce the amount of meat you serve or go totally vegetarian.

5)Party Favours

Give something local!  Some great ideas as favours, especially here in Quebec a jar of honey or jam, a bottle of locally made cider or wine.  Something your guests will definitly enjoy!!!

White Glamour

I found this picture online and found it so inspiring and wanted to share with everyone.  If I had to throw a dinner party and had a money tree growing in my yard...this would be it!   I absolutely love it and would be so excited to create this for a client.

The soft white flower centrepieces with white candles on crystal candle holders gives it a simplicity and yet so elegant.  The fur covers on the chairs warms the setting and gives it a welcoming feel.  My favourite part, if you know me well,  then yes you know it's the  beautiful crystal suspended chandeliers.  Having these many chandeliers could only work if you got them hanging at different levels and helps to have 2 different styles of chandeliers that complement each other and yet different.  It's visually outstanding!!!

I love the color white and love how it's the only color used for this setting.  Any other color added to this, would probably change the whole dynamic and feel...in my opinion, not a great idea....it's perfect just the way it is!

If you are wondering , how would it be possible to have 5 or 6 lighting fixtures set-up in your dining room...the answer is... it is possible there are lots of decor rental companies that offer it.  If you want to wow your guests...having a dinner party set like this is a guaranteed way to do it!  LOVE IT!