Big Birthday Celebration - Planning the day

My Mother's birthday is coming up. Not just any birthday, a really really big birthday. My Mom will be 90. Ninety! 

We all have talents in our family and one of mine is organization and party planning. It's fun for me and I really enjoy it. So I have been the main planner for my Mom's big party. 

This thing has turned into the size of a wedding reception. We will have close to 100 guests, catering, music and dancing. 

I went through the instructions from my previous post on Party and Event Planning - Laying the Foundation and came up with the following list: 

• What is the purpose of the event? The purpose of the event is to celebrate my Mom and to make sure she knows she is loved and appreciated. 
• What do I want the tone or mood of the event to be? Relaxed and fun, but beautiful at the same time. Party casual dress, safe environment for all my Mom's friends, and a great party atmosphere.
• What is important to me? That my Mom has the best time of her life. That she is celebrated and knows how much we all love her.
• What do I want for my guests? I want them to be well taken care of. I want them to have a good time. I want to have some surprises, and to provide a beautiful and fun environment.
• How do I want to participate in the event? I want to eat and be able to participate fully in this event. I tend to take on too much leading up to events so I am exhausted at the party. I want to relax and have fun at this one.  

Starting the Planning

Now that I have a foundation for the event I can start planning. The first thing I like to do for a party is put together the guest list. This helps me understand the approximate number of people, which leads me to how much space, food, and drinks I will need.

We have a huge family. Our baseline of guests is 32 right now, and that is just my siblings and their families. My Mom came up with a guest list of 60 something people, so we are up near 100.

I don't hold surprise parties for 90 year olds, so having my Mom included in the initial planning helped to move things along. It also makes it easier to come up with the right guest list, theme, and color scheme. We have booked a hall to hold the event, and my Mom has a caterer she likes. We have chosen a tentative date of June 21.

Guest list:  Approximately 100 people
Theme: I struggled with this one. Was going to do Old Hollywood since my Mom grew up in Hollywood but, I have settled on no theme. I will write about this in  a future post.
Colors: Bright teals, corals, and pinks

Filling in the details

I like to create nice invitations. The invitation sets the tone for the party and lets your guests know what to expect. My niece created a gorgeous invitation which sets the tone perfectly for this party. I hand address the invitations per old Emily Post rules. There is something about receiving a more formal invitation that is properly addressed that creates anticipation. I love hearing the guests excitement when they RSVP. It keeps me motivated.

We have rented a hall, and it is huge. I think we could easily seat a few hundred people there. We will need to make the space more intimate. 
 
I love teals, corals, and pinks and hadn't used these colors for a party before. I found a great palette at The Perfect Palette (I found it on Pinterest and followed the links).

We will also add in a touch of black and gold to make the party shine and make the colors pop. 

So far we are having white tablecloths, teal blue table runners, gold centerpiece vases, black accent vases, and pink and coral flowers on the tables.





I have found a lot of items on eBay and others at floral supply stores. I will post pictures and where to buy in a future post. 

 
The party design is coming along. My biggest concern at this point is whether I should have put in an order for the flowers. I need to plan out what I need for a party of this size. I usually just go to the flower supply and pick out what works with my color theme, but I need a lot of flowers this time. 

Time will tell if I made the right decisions. More in a coming post! 

So how are you celebrating life? Leave me a comment below.
Laureen

Creative Centerpieces

So I am just going to spit it out: I am tired of giant balls of roses on thin vases at weddings. There. I've said it and there is no taking it back. 

I like creative centerpieces, something different, unexpected, but fitting to the event. 

Throw in some unusual flowers, unexpected "vases" and some original designs. 


For example, we threw my Mom a tea party for her birthday one year. Most people would put flowers in tea pots. And while that is perfectly lovely, it just lacks imagination. I put them into vintage purses and had a matching hat with each. 

This could be really cute at a garden party or vintage themed wedding too. 

For my Halloween Party this year, I made real flowers bleed. I made up some fake blood and had it drip from the upper flowers into a bowl with a pure white lisianthus. 

Let's get creative!





For my niece's wedding, we used antique brass candlesticks for the base of the flowers.

She also requested no roses, daisies, carnations, tulips, or orchids. Brilliant! Something unique and challenging. I loved it! 


A good centerpiece should use the following criteria:

• Must not block the conversation or the view of the person across the table. 
• Must be creative and unusual. 
• Must not block the conversation or the view of the person across the table.
• Should coordinate with the theme, colors, and style of the event. 
• Must not block the conversation or the view of the person across the table.

Can you guess which is most important to me? While many of the centerpieces I see in pictures are perfectly lovely, there is no way to see around them. You have immediately stifled the conversation of the table and dropped the level of energy at your party. The only time this is okay is when you KNOW you are sitting people at the same table that do not like each other and you are preventing a fight--better yet, change the seating! 

So whether you are planning your Easter table or your wedding, make sure you have something that speaks of you. Something different that guests will remember. And something that helps the guests interract. 

Let's party!
Laureen 

5 Secrets of Wedding Planning

Yea! You're Engaged! This should be such a fun and happy time! But I keep reading articles that tell you to not run out and buy your dress, to spend no more than 20% on this or that, blah blah blah. Hey, it's your wedding, do what you want!--within reason. 

I wrote a post about a year ago about laying the foundation for any event, and it holds true especially for something big like a wedding. Having this information will help keep you sane when all your vendors, friends, and family give you well-meaning advice and confuse the heck out of you. 

Now it's time I let you in on a few secrets to making your planning go more smoothly. To have a successful wedding, here are 5 things for you to know: 

1. This is the biggest secret to wedding planning: there are no standards. Yep, I said it. I let the cat out of the bag. There will be a few hundred weddings in your city on the same day you get married and each one will be different. If you are a fan of flowers, you can spend half your budget there. If you love music, you can spend your money there. If you have always dreamed of a certain dress, you guessed it, you can splurge there. There is no secret to budgeting or planning a wedding. You have a certain amount of money to spend and you can divide it up any way you like.
   
2. First, book the things and people that can only work one wedding at a time. That includes the venue, person performing the ceremony, musicians, hair stylist, make up artists, photographers, and possibly caterers.
   
   Makes sense right? If there are 500 weddings occurring in your city on the same day, you will want to make sure you get the vendors you like. Bakers, printers, and florists (and sometimes caterers) can do multiple weddings at a time so you can book them a little later.



3. Spend your money on what is important to you and focus your energy on booking the best. To me, pictures were important because that was what I had left when the wedding was over. Also, my father had just had a heart attack and I wanted a lot of family pictures. My picture and video costs were 50% of my budget. I wore my mother's dress and held the reception at my house to save money in other areas so I could splurge on pictures. And I hired the best photographer and videographer I could find.
4. If you are DIYing, DIY early and plan to do a test run. You can DIY most of your wedding if you plan in advance and enlist your creative friends and family. If you are going to DIY anything, do it early. I can't stress this enough. Also, do a test run. I did my niece's flowers and tested designs with her at her shower first so she could choose what she liked.
   
   
   
   
   Test runs are especially important if you have never seen the work of the person before or if you need to make sure something comes out before you do it for your wedding day. If you realize something doesn't work, be willing to change. Even if that means telling Aunt Marion she can't make the cake on your big day.
5. Right before the wedding, people get weird. Friends may become jealous that you are getting married, siblings can become envious of the attention you are getting, and other people just start behaving oddly. This occurs at one of the most stressful times in your life. Try your best to not take it personally and remember their feelings are really not about you. Sometimes no matter how much others try to put you first and be happy for you, their inner turmoil bubbles to the surface. Don't let it ruin your big day.

Just remember these secrets as you plan your big day and you will have a happy wedding! 

To your happiness!
Laureen

DIY Weddings - Recommendations from Brides who have been there!

I firmly believe our weddings are some of the most amazing events we put on in our lives. Not only are they a great party, but they are truly a celebration of love. There just aren't many times in our lives when we invite people in to celebrate nothing but love. 

I also believe we can have amazing weddings, to celebrate love, without breaking the bank or going into debt for years. There are many paths to take to do this. Know what you can do yourself and know your limitations. A DIY Wedding can take on many forms.

Two of my nieces were married last year. Both weddings were incredibly beautiful and very different. One was at a gorgeous golf resort in Baltimore, MD, and the other was in an incredible redwood forest in Santa Cruz, CA. The golf resort wedding had a few DIY elements, and the redwood forest wedding was primarily DIY.  I asked them what they would do again, and what they wouldn't. Along with my own experiences, these are the top 5 thoughts on where to spend your money on your big day. 

1. I opted to not make my own favors. I would recommend this for any DIY wedding with over 50 guests since it's a lot of work. I had researched buying bulk mason jars and fresh fruit but it was actually pretty expensive. I just found a seller on Etsy who did her own homemade jams with custom labels for less than what I would have paid doing it on my own. Sometimes it is cheaper to not DIY!
2. Hire a day-of coordinator or ask a friend in the industry (what I did). I just told her how I wanted the whole dining room set for the reception and she made it happen with the staff. She handled it all while I was getting ready for the day with hair, makeup, and photos. This requires the bride to set out the place setting beforehand and know how she wants the tables to look so you can clearly communicate your vision to the coordinator. 
   
   
3. Dessert/cake: I had initially thought I would make a bunch of homemade pies for dessert. We instead found a great local bakery and ordered everything from them for less than $300. Totally worth it in my opinion since we were entertaining family for a week prior to the wedding and wouldn't have had time...not to mention I have 1 single oven. Review your schedule 1 week prior to the wedding and see where you want to spend your time. Do you want to relax and be pampered, or entertain out of town guests? Or do you want to spend the time in your kitchen baking pies and cakes. And then, where do you store them so they won't go bad?
   
   
4. 
   Flowers: I did the flowers for my niece's wedding and I would not do them as a bride. Even if I were going to get married again or renew my vows I would not create my own flower arrangements. While some brides think it seems to be no big deal, it takes a lot of time. For my niece's wedding I was up at 1 AM the day before the wedding to get to the flower market so I could choose the flowers we wanted (and I was shopping at the San Francisco Flower Mart--one of the largest floral wholesale markets in the US!). The Mart opens at 2 AM and when I had checked it on Wednesday at about 10AM the only thing left were greens and wilted flowers. The vendors with the good flowers don't show up on Tuesdays or Thursdays, requiring me to go Friday morning. I then spent all day making centerpieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, and arrangements for the buffet tables and ceremony aisle. It was a lot of fun for me to do because I love doing flowers, I wasn't in the wedding, and was not the bride. The flowers ended up costing $600 for materials.
5. Making your own food is too chaotic. Even if you are a gourmet chef you will not want to be up at the crack of dawn on your wedding day to make food. Nor do you want to be up late the night before chopping vegetables. I have watched brides try to save money by creating their own vegetable plates or a portion of the meals. Unless you are ultra prepared (so that everything else for the wedding is done), don't try to prepare your own food for the reception. Vegetable platters are less than $20 at CostCo. 
   
   
   
   Remember that your sanity is important before your wedding. You want to be coherent and aware of how the beauty of your day is unfolding. Don't overwhelm yourself. There are plenty of ways to DIY your wedding without taking on too much.
   Enjoy!
   Laureen
    

Feathered Thanksgiving Wreath - SUPER EASY!

This year with Thanksgiving being so late I wanted to create decorations that I can easily change out to Christmas decorations.

The wreath I made for Halloween was so easy that I decided to make something similar.

Feather wreaths are so darn easy to make. And they last amazingly well in weather. Mine is lasting through wind storms, rain, and sun. My front door is a bit protected by a porch but I am amazed at how well it holds together.


You need 4 items:

• Styrofoam wreath form
• White Feather Boas (I bought 3)
• Upholstery pins 
• Wired ribbon of your choice

I purchased the wreath forms and feather boas at Save On Crafts. If you have never been to this website, you are in for a treat. This site is packed with everything you need to create any craft, and the prices are fantastic.

Start by pinning an end of the wreath into the styrofoam form. Wrap the boa around the form until you run out of boa. 

Overlap the end of the second boa with the end of the first boa on the form and pin it. 

Wrap the second boa and repeat the process with the third boa until the wreath form is covered. Pin the final end. 

I find it easiest to tie a bow if the ribbon is first tied around the wreath. I tied  the ribbon  around the top of the wreath, then tied a bow. I chose a copper colored ribbon for Thanksgiving. I plan to change it out and add Christmas balls to it after Thanksgiving is over. 

But for now, I have my Thanksgiving wreath that makes me smile each time I approach my front door.

Celebrate Thanksgiving with easy decorations that make an impact.

Happy Thanksgiving! 
Laureen

Setting a Buffet for Ease of Use

I am one of those people that always looks for an easier way to do things. I hate inconvenience and try to be as efficient as possible. Really what it boils down to is that I am lazy. 

I have recently found that a mild irritation of mine is quickly turning into a pet peeve by attending events with buffets. 

Don't get me wrong, I love a good buffet. I like being able to choose what I eat and how much, however most places, including many caterers and restaurants, set things out so that it is very inconvenient for the guests as in the picture above.  So what is wrong with this picture? 

Can you see it? 

All the plates, utensils and napkins are at the front of the line. Guests need to carry their utensils and napkins with them as they maneuver the line for food. It makes no sense. 

Do you really want guests using their utensils as they walk down the line of platters? No! Ewww! Ick! 

Put them at the other end! Allow the guests to pick up their plate, walk down the buffet line choosing whatever sumptuous things you have provided for them. Then when they have made their selections allow them to pick up utensils and napkins. Guests will know which utensils they need at this point and won't grab a knife or spoon if they don't need it.

It makes so much sense! I know, right? Why didn't we think of this years and years ago? 

Well actually, someone in my family did think of it years and years ago and now all of our holiday buffets are set up this way. And I now set up every buffet this way. 

I hope you also find this tip works for you! Let me know what other things you do when entertaining to make it easier on your guests! 

Let's Eat! 
Laureen

Halloween Entertaining and Wedding Design - Latest Trend...Bleeding Flowers!

I love the holidays. For me, Halloween heralds the start of the Holiday Season. 

This year I decide to do a design that can be used for entertaining friends or as a design for a Halloween-themed reception.

I chose the color scheme of black, dark red or burgundy, gold and white. I didn't want to use the typical orange and yellow. 


I also knew I wanted to incorporate fake blood. I had seen a few fake blood recipes on Pinterest and I knew I could make a lot for really cheap. 

You can see the final design above. White tablecloth, black table runner, gold chargers with black and white square plates, crisp white napkin with a red rose at each place setting. 



The design also includes cut crystal wine glasses, and an Eiffel Tower black vase with hydrangeas, roses, and white alstroemeria. There are two glass bowls with a pure white lisianthus floating in them. The bowls are filled with fake blood and the alstroemeria have blood added to the centers so they bleed into the bowls and onto the lisianthus. 

A wide white satin ribbon was added just under the flowers and it drapes down the stem of the vase. The blood drops are also streaming down the ribbon.

Overall this makes for an elegant Halloween table for entertaining with family, or for a reception table. It would also work with round tables instead of the rectangle that you see in the pictures.

In future posts I will give you my tips for making the fake blood, picking flowers, and how to make the flowers bleed. Comment below if you have any questions. 

Time to celebrate! 
Laureen

Halloween Decor: Feather wreath - DIY Level: Easy!

I love Halloween. I am a big fan of DIY Halloween. It was always a big deal for us when I was a kid. My Dad was an artist and we would always have our faces painted instead of using masks. Our costumes were always original since we made them ourselves. Halloween was the start of the Holiday Season for us and it meant 2+ months of fun, crafts, and happy times. 

I have already started my Halloween crafts for the year and wanted to share them with you. I love the look of the feather wreaths that are on the market, but I don't want to spend what stores are asking for them. 

I found that by using a couple of good boas, a styrofoam wreath, and some U-shaped upholstery pins I could make one in a matter of minutes. 

Here is the tricky part: these items can be costly to buy by themselves so you need to look for really good deals. I found the styrofoam wreath form online for $3. I saw them at some places for up to $9! Do not pay that much. 



My next tip is to get good feather boas. I found mine at JoAnn's Fabrics and Crafts and used a 50% off coupon to get them. Use the JoAnn's app on your smartphone and there is no clipping or looking for coupons required. When you get them with the coupon they are $4. Some of the dollar store boas are thin and will make for a less expensive looking wreath.

I also found U-Shaped Upholstery Pins for $3 at JoAnn's. Do not get the U-Shaped Hair Pins. Make sure you get sharp pins. 

Instructions:

Take one of the boas and the wreath. Use a U-Shaped pin to pin the very end of the boa to the foam. 

Wrap the boa around the wreath, looping it into the center of the wreath and around. Space the boa so that you can't see any of the styrofoam. 

When you get to the end of the boa, pin down the end. For me, the boa covered half of the wreath form. As shown at right. I like how the full boa makes the wreath really puffy.

There were little bumps at the end of the boa that I purchased and it was easy to pin them into the wreath. Use the second boa to cover the second half of the wreath. 

Pin the ends just as you did with the first boa and the wreath is done! You can add bows, skulls, or other accents if you want. Below is the picture of the wreath on my door.    

I love the look of it and how full and fluffy it is. You don't get the same fullness with cheap boas (although it's not like $4 is a lot). 

I will be showing more crafts and designs for fall and Halloween coming up in the next few weeks. 

And I have big news! I am going to be a guest blogger on a local Wholesale flower Store! Details to come! YAY!

I hope you are enjoying your Autumn. Take a few minutes to create your own feather wreath. Happy Haunting!

Laureen

Invitations with life - seed embedded paper and DIY invitations

I love sending invitations. I like printed invitations because they are so fun to receive and are a physical reminder of the upcoming event. Invitations are the first time guests are getting an idea of the type of party you are throwing. They symbolize the look and feel of the event. The best part is, it is easy to DIY your own invitations.




There are so many ways to make your invitations represent your party by using fonts, pictures, designs and even the paper.

Recently I sent invitations and used a seed-embedded paper that the guests could plant. I included a matching envelope that was seeded too. The seeds were small and didn't impact the printing at all. 

I found the paper online by doing a search and immediately loved it. 

I created the design of the invitation in MS Word. Search templates for Invitation and all sorts of fun ones come up. I always play with a few designs before I find the one I want. I ended up using a plain one so the beauty of the paper stood out. 

Use standard printer paper to layout and test print your invitations. This allows you to make sure the design is working before you use the more expensive paper.  When all looks good, add the invitation paper to the printer and print away. 

If your paper is thicker than standard paper be sure to adjust the feeder on your printer before you print. If pages are sticking and not printing straight, this could be the cause. 

Always plan to print a few that won't be sent. There are always a few pages that give me trouble, especially when use specialty papers. 

Since I printed 2 invitations per sheet of paper, I cut them with a paper cutter. This is the easiest method to cut sheets in half, but you can always fold and cut them with scissors or a razor blade. 

I included a slip that described the invitation paper and how to plant it so that guests would know this invitation could live on. I added a little flower design to make it special and match the invitation. 

I printed the instructions on standard paper and printed 4 per page. Again, I used the paper cutter to cut them apart.

The envelopes matched the paper and to seal them, I used a pressed flower sticker that I found on the internet. It's the little details that really make a big difference. People may not notice each one, but the feeling is there and each detail sets a tone.

When I held the party, guests commented on the invitations and how much they enjoyed them. From the invitations they could tell it would be a special day, with natural details and a slight rustic charm. 

The best part? Guest actually planted the invitations. I can't wait to see pictures of the herbs and flowers as they grow.  

Make your parties special by sending invitations. They don't need to be expensive and can set the tone for the whole event. If you take your time and make them special your guests will anticipate the event even more. 

Comment below if you have any questions about how to create your own invitations. 

Laureen

Incorporating children into Weddings and Parties

Children are fun additions to parties. My wedding included 85 guests, 15 of whom were under the age of 8. Kids love celebrations. Many of my nieces and nephews wanted to be in the wedding. It made the event fun and gave it an energy that you don't get when kids aren't involved. 



That means their young palates and ability to sit still needs to be taken into consideration when you are making your plans. If you know there will be a lot of kids at your event make sure you have some foods they will like. It's pretty easy to incorporate fruit, a few vegetables, and some protein that they will eat. 

At a recent party I included a fruit plate of apples and strawberries and made up a caramel apple dip. 

Caramel Apple Dip

1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together until sugar dissolves and all flavors combine. 


 




Cheese plates also make good food for little hands. Be sure to include a taste they are used to like cheddar or Monterey Jack. Add some nuts, seeds, crackers and bread and most children are happy.



My favorite way to serve vegetables is in a glass with some dip in each glass. It keeps little ones from double dipping and is a great serving size. I included carrots and celery but you could also include asparagus, peppers, and snap peas.

 


Another great food for kids are Mac and Cheese balls, also called Fried Mac and Cheese at some restaurants. I cheated and served ones from Trader Joes and people raved over them. They are really good and look nice when arranged on a plate. 


There was plenty of food for young and mature palates. You don't need to serve traditional children's foods make little ones happy and your buffet can still look gorgeous! 


Be sure to include a drink that kids will like. I like to set up a drink station that is separate from the bar. It allows for easy access to beverages without people having to stand in line. And it is more sensitive to those who are working to stay away from alcohol. 

I always set up water with cucumber and lemon. I also have something to drink depending on the season. At this event we had pink lemonade. This gave guests an option and was enjoyed by both young and old. 

It's easy to incorporate items for children when you plan for it in advance. Keep them in mind when you are planning foods and drinks and your party can be fun for all who attend. 


Laureen

Redwoods Wedding - When Dreams become Reality

My niece is incredible. Well, all my nieces are incredible. I have a huge family and 9 nieces. This one that I am talking about is the one that was married at the end of June. 

She was married in the hills of Santa Cruz, CA amongst the redwood trees. The weekend was so much fun. The wedding took place over a weekend so we all spent Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday morning together in the woods. The location was stunning and the event was primarily DIY. 

Here are some pictures from the weekend. 

Redwoods Wedding: Morning yoga before the wedding

Redwoods Wedding:  Bridal Gown and Bridesmaids' Dresses

Redwoods Wedding: Mother of the Bride and Bride

Redwoods Wedding: Rustic Bridal Bouquet

Redwoods Wedding: Boutonnieres

Redwoods Wedding: The Gorgeous Bridal Party

 

Redwoods Wedding: The Groom and his men biding time till the wedding

Redwoods Wedding: Let the celebration begin!

Redwoods Wedding: Groom awaits his bride

 

Redwoods Wedding: Program and Wedding Bench Flowers

Redwoods Wedding: The Minister Greets the Guests

Redwoods Wedding:  The happily married couple

 

Redwoods Wedding:  Reception decor

Redwoods Wedding:  Reception Elegance and Charm

Redwoods Wedding:  Incredible dessert table; cakes and cheese

 

Redwoods Wedding: Cutting of the cakes. I love the lot of small cakes.

Redwoods Wedding:  Bridal Couple and Mother of the Bride

Redwoods Wedding: Tossing the bouquet designates the next bride