You can say I have a thing for planning and styling parties. Ordinary words like birthday, wedding, baptism, or even backyard BBQ spark up a magic candle in me and the hamster inside my brain immediately starts jogging in its running wheel. As an event stylist for {apple+jelly}, a partnership with another creative soul, Eugenie "Jelly" Saniel, I have collected a piggy bank of insights and tips for successfully designing the party of your dreams. Hope it helps! First, your VISION. Create an inspiration board. Go virtual or old school. Imagine the your dream party. Do a mental walk through and make notes along the way of things you will need. Deal with the nitty gritty from the get go. Do a headcount, note the AGES of the guests. Age appropriate activities, menu and seating may be required. Do a timeline and then break down all the projects so that the tasks won’t be too overwhelming. ...then there’s BUDGET. Be realistic AND practical. Parties are meant to be joyful, meaningful and fun! Unless you have gold bars stashed in the bank, do not bankrupt yourself silly. There are lots of simple and creative projects you can do to accomplish all things beautiful for your event. Gather up your troops and ask for help! You'll be surprised how much savings you can make. Remember that your budget includes (check those that apply): catering, bar, wait service, valet, rentals(location, furniture, chafing dishes, plates...), party favors, invitations, entertainment, photographer and decor. Once you have determined the kind of bash you want to throw and the amount of $$$ you can afford to spend, you can either dial down a notch or go zero to eighty in five seconds. ...it’s all in the DETAILS. It is all the perfect little details that make a picture perfect event. Use what you have. Don’t be afraid to mix and match or even break the rule of being too matchy matchy! Depending on your vision, the quality of your materials and how you layer all the different textures, you can make it work! I usually get materials from different places/vendors to keep it interesting and multi-faceted. Maintain a solid, cohesive style even when you have several patterns on hand. The elements should hug each other not slap each other on the face. ...still on DETAILS. Make sure every nook and cranny stays as picture perfect as possible. Imagine a Great Gatsby inspired party where the tabletops are littered with half naked plastic bottles, looking sweaty from condensation. Sigh. Just don’t. F. Scott Fitzgerald would not be happy. Let's face it, most of us do not live the Kardashian lifestyle. Over the top rentals or stylists may be way beyond our budget. Don't despair, get those creative juices flowing and look for alternatives instead! Scour the internet or local thrift shops that sell decent quality items. You might get lucky and score some pieces that would impress even Daisy Buchanan. If you have absolutely no choice but use bottled water or juice boxes, then do something clever so it could pass as a quirky feature. TIP: A less restrictive theme gives you more wiggle room to expand your choices in decor materials. I find that the more free you are in adding complementary objects to your party, the more unforgettable your details become. ...to Pinterest or not to Pinterest. This is a tricky one for me. Part of myself takes pride in coming up with designs that are uniquely mine and the other, getting inspiration from all the other unbelievably imaginative people around the world. Now here’s the slippery slope: clicking on one fabulous picture opens up a whole new universe of bright ideas! One pin will lead to one thousand and soon, your one of a kind party will look...well, unoriginal. I have made this mistake once out of desperation (after many attempts to illustrate my idea) and another time due to the insistence of a client...it was ok...but I still wish I did not do a cop out. Sure it saves time and saliva to just tell the baker to copy the picture; hue, flavor and all but nothing compares to making it the one and only. The key to this is being mindful of staying true to your style. Get inspirations from the pins; copy some if you must (send a thank you line to the person you copied it from, it will be appreciated) but do all you can to have design elements that add your own personal stamp to it. No shame on this one. I'm saying it makes such a difference when you do a twist of things and not just duplicate the entire picture. Some DIY crafts are labor intensive but it will be worth every muscle pain and eye twitch. ...PHOTOGRAPHS please! Snap that photo while the conditions are pristine. It is almost impossible to do this when the guests are already seated. Set aside time to take pictures of the tablescape, decor , party favors---BEFORE the party. It is nice to have pictures of the details that capture the essence of the event. When the memory gets blurry, it helps to have a visual to hold. Take some more snapshots of faces and interactions once the crowd starts pouring in. ...waiting for the WEATHER report- call me crazy but I check the Farmer’s Almanac if the event is months before any weather reports can cover. Have a smile on your face whether it’s rain or shine BUT always have a back up plan. ...YOU, the event planner. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Delegate. Make sure you have enough time to breathe, fix your hair and savor the fruits of your labor. Grab a glass or a nicely DIY- packaged bottled water and exhale!!! You did it! What counts the most is not how flawlessly ironed the linens are or how shiny the dessert table looks. The success of any event is counted by the number of smiles and the fullness of the heart that each guest experiences by the end of the day (or night). Good luck on the next social gathering hosted by YOU! Please post pictures of your DIY party crafts/ ideas! I would love to see them! Sharing with you some snapshots from my daughter’s birthday parties. Two so far. I challenged myself to stick with a humble budget. Mission accomplished. Twice. Cheers, Apple
0 Comments
|
"you musn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling. - inception"ArchivesCategories |