Create My Event - Event & Party Ideas Blog

Poster Programs and Invitations

For your next soiree why not design an invitation poster style?

photo by David Willems

Inspired by a Martha Stewart Weddings feature on unique wedding essentials, I asked a close designer friend to throw together a hip program for my wedding. I requested a jpg of a motif from my wedding invitation suite (it's a cute taxi cab image perfect for my NYC theme wedding) and together with a personalized monogram a hip poster program was created for a unique way to give my guests details about my wedding ceremony.

For your next event or for your wedding, create a gorgeous and one-of-a-kind look by thinking big - step out of your ordinary stock-card frame of mind and think 11X17!

photo by David Willems

Finish the look by folding your poster into thirds the long way and again in thirds until you have a small rectangle. Wrap it up with a ribbon and monogram sticker or use a colorful strip of paper featuring a personalized monogram like I did.

photo by David Willems

For more ideas please check out Modern Vintage and enjoy my latest Wedding special week-long feature.

Tips for Apple Pies

As a citizen of Pennsylvania, one of the largest apple states in the nation, I'm happy to present a few tips for making your apple pie a main attraction at your event this autumn. While it's already difficult to pass up this gooey, cinnamon smothered, comfort food, here's a few resources to make your pie perfect.

1) Combine two different kinds of apples to get the most flavor. Try using tart and sweet apples together. If you can find local apples from a farmer's market, use those for the freshest results. Check this list for apples that do well in your area, or look for flavor combos that are appealing to you: Apple Varieties

2) Avoid apples that get mushy when cooked: MacIntosh and Courtland are two you should steer clear of for baking.

3) Mix just-sliced apples with a tablespoon of lemon juice to keep them from browning till you pour them into the pie.

4) Crust Lattice and edging can be very difficult to make. Try this easy-as-pie method of making faux lattice and edging from Martha Stewart.

5) Try dripping caramel sauce over your finished pie--it's more delicious than you can imagine!

Music For Public Events

Picture - String Planet. They are a great concert band to work with and professional for any event or festival. Check them out at www.stringplanet.com! Photo credit - Jeanie Cunningham. The following story DOES NOT relate to String Planet, this is just a plug for these great musicians...

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I had an interesting situation arise the other day involving a non-profit fund raiser. There were plans for music at this event, both live performance and CD sales – by one of the non-profit's members - with CD sales as a part of fund-raising.

I am only marginally involved in project, so it was very late in the game when I finally became aware of the plans for music. I noticed that there were three kinds of music involved with the event - self-composed, public domain and copyrighted music.

I was fairly certain that the musician did not have a performance license and/or recording rights for the copyrighted music, because they are merely a well-meaning member of this organization and a hobbyist musician, not a professional musician. There were several indications that the copyrighted music was not covered legally.

Music gets used a lot in events both as signature moments and background. Music sets the mood and emphasizes a vibe at events. But event planners need to understand that music at events is, legally, considered a public performance of the work. Don't let the word performance throw you- here the word performance can be either live performance or played on transistor radio – it is the aural reception of music.

If it is music in public domain or self-authored, there is no issue. If it is copyrighted music- which most music nowadays is... then you are at risk for lawsuits and fines. The most famous case of this is the “Happy Birthday” song. A quick trip to Google will tell the tale: “The version as we know it was copyrighted in 1935...The company holding the copyright was purchased by Warner Chappell in 1990 for $15 million, with the value of "Happy Birthday" estimated at $5 million...Warner claims that unauthorized public performances of the song are technically illegal unless royalties are paid to them.”

ASCAP and BMI are initiating lawsuits in record numbers. People in the industry must be aware of this, and plan accordingly.

The definition of performing copyrighted music that is at issue includes playing music "any place where people gather," with the exception of small private groups. As long as it's played outside a direct circle of friends and family, it is considered a public performance. Music may be played through radio, television, CD or cassette player, computer, etc. or performed live. Party planners should also be asking their DJs about their performance license - because they absolutely should have one. It can put your organization at risk if they do not.

Back to my little non-profit's saga. Unfortunately, people associated with this fund raiser were not even aware of the potential concern. When it was brought to their attention, they mistakenly thought that the musician should be solely liable in the event that someone reported the infringement. This is not so. In the case of fines – which can be several grand per infringement- they will go after the organization that was planning the event. Whether you agree with this or it makes sense- it does not matter. And it does not matter that it is a fund raiser to help a little itsy-bitsy nonprofit. It would be a public embarrassment. Organizations like this need to be “above the letter of the law” and highly professional in order to keep credibility when they solicit support. Donors expect that.

Event planners need to protect the institutions and individuals that they work for. You should be reasonably aware of liability concerns for your client, because they probably have no idea. ALWAYS ask if the musician or DJ has performance license and/or recording rights for the music that they are presenting or selling. Always advise your client of the letter-of-the-law. If they chose to ignore you, you have given them fair indication of any risks they incur.

If you are a constant provider of musical entertainment, you should know of ASCAP and BMI and if you are an organization that requires a contract.

My suggestion for my little non- profit, which was well received, is that the music performed and sold at this fund raiser be limited to the musician's self-composed music.

Perhaps one of the byproducts of this litigation happy music industry will be that local grassroots musicians will have more opportunities for their original works to be performed as opposed to being begged to perform only covers of popular songs.

hostess with the mostess.

A friend just sent over a link to Hostess with the Mostess, a fabulous blog/website with all the latest tips and trends to make your event a success!

Check out HWTM's newest Halloween themes here.

And remember: it's never too late to plan a party!!!

Designer Gown Sales Event

 

If your idea of gown shopping doesn’t involve camping outside Filene’s Basement and strangling fellow brides over clearance designer tulle, you’re invited to a classy alternative to the chaos that is the New York City “Running of the Brides.”

In October Brides Magazine is hosting the “Something Pink Gown Sale” in collaboration with the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation. Half charity benefit, half designer gown sale, the event provides two ways to shop for your gown:

1) PREVIEW SALE

Where: 122 West 26th St
           New York, NY 10001

When:  October 4, 2007
           6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Pay $200 for tickets to the Preview Sale, which allows you first dibs on the goods, admission for one shopper and a guest, cocktails, and a swag bag with goodies from Ralph Lauren, Hanky Panky, Godiva, and Target worth $500. You’ll also be entered to win a $4,500 honeymoon to Maui.

2) GENERAL  SALE

     Where: Lotus Space
               122 West 26th St
               New York, NY 10001

When:  October 5 & 6, 2007
           9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pay $20 for tickets to the General Sale, admitting you and a guest to two hours of shopping.

Proceeds go to the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, and you can purchase your tickets online at www.brides.com/somethingpink.

FOR OTHER CITIES:

You can find their schedule of sales throughout the country by clicking here.

DONATE YOUR GOWN:

“Calling all former brides! On October 4, you can appear live on Good Morning America and help support Breast Cancer Awareness. Brides magazine is teaming up with Good Morning America to kick off a national breast cancer fund-raising campaign that features donated wedding gowns. If you'd like to give your dress to the cause, e-mail donatemydress@bridesmag.com by September 29 for more details.” ~Brides.com

Kuler Your Party

For both the color obsessed and the color challenged, Adobe Labs has developed a web-based color wheel community called kuler. Designed to compliment the Adobe Creative Suite, it offers a public forum to cultivate and swap color schemes. The easy to use program is self-explanatory. Browse designs by Newest, Highest Rated, or Most Popular.

Click “Create” on the homepage to make your own. If you have a few colors in mind, but don’t know how to organize them, try creating a scheme according the one of the Rules provided. Analogous provides similar colors, Monochromatic will give you colors in the same family but in different hues, Triad will give you three harmonizing color families.

Complementary will provide you with opposites, while Compound will serve up opposites and similar but not-quite-opposites. Shades looks much like the paint sample strip you might pick up at the home improvement store, showcasing the same color in various tints. With any of these selected, you can change the location of flags on the color wheel, or move the spindles on the color levels below each color block to change your scheme, much like any Color Picker available in Desktop Publishing Programs and Adobe Software.
The Custom option is where you can make a truly unique scheme. If you discover something fantastic, save it MyKuler, the area designed for your own color schemes. If you’re especially fond of your scheme, and want to share it with the world, publish it, so site browsers can find your distinctive palate. I’ve used this site for several projects, and I’m always thrilled with the results.

The Gown of your Dreams

Image from Martha Stewart Weddings

The bride’s gown is often considered the focal point of the wedding. It’s the bride’s glowing beauty and her groom’s reaction to it that fuels the romantic spirit of the celebration. My personal experience in searching for that perfect gown has inspired this post. Because no matter how many magazine clippings, model numbers, and fabric samples you save, the dress you choose could surprise you.

 

Search the bridal magazines for the style you want, not the dress you want. Many of the gowns shown in bridal magazines are far beyond the budget of the average bride. Some designs look more expensive than they are, and some designs are more expensive than they look. The best way to find your dress is to show some of the styles you like to the attendants of the bridal stores you visit. They can help you find a dress that is so similar in color, shape, and detail that you won’t even notice it’s a designer knock-off. What you will notice is a significantly lower price.

 

Decide on a budget before you go shopping. Whether you’re on a tight budget or your price range is more flexible, identify an ideal cost before you try on gowns. Regardless of your decision, make sure the attendants at the store are aware of the maximum price you can afford. It’s upsetting to set your heart on a gown you can’t afford, and a savvy boutique will do their best to find something beautiful at a price you’re happy to pay.

 

Start searching bridal stores at least 10 months in advance. Most stores expect a dress to take 3-5 months to arrive, and allow 3 months for alterations. The best boutiques will remain on call the day of your wedding, should an emergency occur, but that’s not the kind of catastrophe you’ll want to invoke by ordering a dress too late. Bring shoes with a heel comparable to the one you think you’ll be wearing, a strapless bra, and any magazine clippings you’ve collected of dress styles you like.

 

A quality boutique will provide a quality dress. Pay attention to each store you visit, noting how well they take care of their displays, the customer service you receive, and the fittings of any other brides that happen to occur during your visit. While these elements might not keep you from finding your dress, the stress of unaccommodating staff and an unskilled fitting can ruin the experience. If their fitting process seems less than extraordinary, you can usually take it to another boutique for tailoring. If you find a dress, and the boutique lacks in service and sewing skills, make a note of the designer and style number. A superior boutique that frequently carries that designer will be able to order it for you.

 

Don’t be surprised if your original ideas don’t match your final selection. You’ll try on so many dresses you won’t know which is which—until you find the one that looks fantastic on you. The attendants at a good boutique will know what dresses to show you based on your magazine clippings and descriptions, but what you don’t like about a dress will tell them even more in regards to what you’re looking for. Don’t turn down a style that seems too plain or too flashy on the hanger—it can look completely different when you try it on.

 

Finally, don’t stress out too much. In the same way you know you’re fiance is the one, you’ll know when you’ve found the dress that’s made for you.

Light of the Party

While it’s easy to spend months designing table decorations, invitations, and scouting out the perfect location for just the right ambience, lighting is something most people overlook when it comes to planning their party. Don’t assume that the lighting provided will be adequate—make sure you observe your location at its darkest if you plan to hold your event at night. Look for walkway lights, floodlights, and lamps that might be available. If it looks like you might need to bring additional light sources, take note of the number of electrical outlets and their locations.

If a dim glow is what you’re after, candles are an obvious choice. Buying them in bulk will save you money. If your location allows it, place them on every curtain free ledge you can find: windowsills, fireplace mantles, down the center of long tables and grouped together at the center of round tables. For a customized look, try wrapping cylindrical candle holders with paper, or collect a variety of glasses, jars, and vases from a thrift store for an eclectic impression.

Electric string lights provide an inexpensive solution, but can look wimpy if you don’t use enough. Don’t be afraid to cover every square inch of the ceiling or the walls instead of draping a few random strings. Here’s a great way to spruce them up a bit, from Real Simple magazine. Cut a small slot into the bottom of a plastic cup and slide it over the bulb of a string light. They’ve used clear plastic in this photo, but white paper, or printed Dixie cups might look nice too.

The difficulty with string lights is how to hide the ugly tangle of plugs that stem from the wall. Try twisting tulle around the string. You can create disguising drapes to cover the excess wire.

Or go wireless with battery operated push lights. Place them under tables with sheer tablecloths for a dramatic effect, or arrange them on the walls in a pattern.

For more of a backdrop, try setting up a slide projector to illuminate a wall near the entrance of your location, with a photo of the birthday girl or boy, the happy couple, or a company logo. An overhead projector might serve the same purpose. If you’re tech savvy, connecting your computer to a big screen TV can create lots of options. Try a slideshow of photos, or use the abstract art visuals of your music software to create the perfect scene for a cocktails or a dance party. You can download lots of different visuals with a quick internet search.

Check out the Martha Stewart website which has some great DIY luminary tutorials, using candles, string lights, jars, lamp oil, and colored vellum. Whether you focus on finding a location with adequate lighting, or opt for DIY charm, don’t keep you guests in the dark.

Properly Placed Table Settings

If you are anything like me, I like to have a properly set table but can never seem to remember which fork goes where and which glass sits above the knife and which sits above the spoon. I know there are others who are just as unsure of themselves as they set their Holiday table settings so I have decided to write a quick reference for everyone to use this Thanksgiving.

1. Start by placing the dinner plate in the center of each setting, placing any smaller plates or soup bowls on top of the largest plate. You can also use a pretty charger under the largest plate to create a dramatic setting for each place. Chargers are for decoration only and should not be used for food service.

2. Silverware will sit on both sides of the plate(s), starting with the dinner fork on the left, closest to the plate and then the salad to left of the dinner fork. On the right side of the plate, starting from the inside, closest to the plate is largest serving knife, (rounded side facing left), followed by a smaller knife (same position), then soup spoon. Above the plates, place the dessert fork, prongs facing right, then the dessert spoon above the fork, round side facing left.

3. The Napkin is placed to the left of the furthest fork. You may also place the napkin under the forks if space is an issue.

4. Bread and Butter plate are placed above the forks about 1-2 inches, if you have the space. You may also place a butter knife across the top of the bread plate.

5. Glasses are next. The largest glass will be for water and it should be placed above the largest knife setting (a good 3 inches above the knife and slightly to the left). Next place the white wine glass to the right and slightly below the water glass followed by the red wine glass, again slightly below and to the right of the white wine glass. Once you sit down, if your guest is not drinking wine, you may remove one or both of the wine glasses to make more room. This is also a polite gesture in the event that your guest does not want to draw attention to the fact that they are not drinking alcohol with their meal.

This easy guide should help everyone as they begin their Holiday feast preparations. This is also a preparation that you can do days in advance so that you are not rushing to make a pretty setting the day of your meal. A properly placed setting as well as a fabulous centerpiece will get many compliments. Many people notice the extra touch and appreciate the time you have taken to create a lovely setting for everyone to enjoy.

Put Your Best Feet Forward

There's just no excuse for not spending more time with the girls in your life. By the way, with the advent of nail salons on every corner, there really is no excuse for unkept toes or neglected nails either.
Why not use these two no no's as a brilliant excuse to get the girls together and have an impromptu Pedicure Party?
The cost is low for everyone and the fun is fab. Your sure to get the attendance of every invitee if you provide the libations, snacks and salon expertise.
This will be the easiest pre-wedding, pre-baby, pre-anything party you will ever host.
How: I would never have known myself had it not been for the very eager and splendidly curious nail attendant I see at my local salon. She candidly questioned why I never called to book a party? Who knew?
Why: Why not. Who doesn't love perfectly tinted toes? Who cares that summer is over and those soles are sure to be shoved into shoes from here until eternity. Everyone likes fancy feet and frilly fingernails.
When: Book this get together quicker than you can say "Fabulous Feet For Fall".
Where: Your place or mine? Next time you are near your neighborhood salon, stop by to see if they do parties. Some salons will book a day and time at your place. Other salons prefer that you bring the gang into the Salon. Either way, set the date, grab the girls and make a party out of it.
Make it extra splendid and send a special invitation for a 'girly day of fun'. I especially like the online invitions from sendomatic.. There is even a category of invitaitons specifically for girly parties.
Of course, I love this party idea as a "no reason other than to spend time with my friends day", but it also makes a great bachelorette, pre-night on the town activity, or even a great baby shower pleaser for that mom-to-be who hasn't seen those toes in a few weeks...

Have fun with this one, who couldn't?