Create My Event - Event & Party Ideas Blog

Tips for a Memorable Reception

A few years ago, I attended thirteen weddings in one summer, and with the exception of a handful of them, went as a guest.  It was a whirlwind of bland chicken, dry cake and tepid punch in paper cups.  To be fair, not all the weddings were that way, but after a while they all seemed to run into each other.  Sound familiar?  Well, your wedding needn't be cookie cutter.  Here are five fun ideas to make your reception different and leave your guests with something invaluable - a great experience and even better memories.

1) Hire a live cigar roller for your reception.  Yes, there are actually people who will come out and roll stogies right at your event.  If that's a little out of your reach, consider placing a cigar at each seat as a favor.  The male guests will give you major brownie points for thinking of them, and as a woman, I can tell you I wouldn't mind one either. 

2) Channel your inner Europhile and serve up steaming cups of cappuccino from an espresso bar.  Baristas can come and mix up beverages just like they do in your corner coffee shop.  The extra shots will keep the energy levels up and the dance floor packed.  For an alternative twist, offer a post-dessert coffee tasting paired with chocolates. 

3) Skip the cake and serve ice cream, or opt for both!  Delicious places like Marble Slab and Cold Stone Creamery offer services where they bring their slabs and supplies and mix ice cream right in front of your guests.  If you prefer the sweeter, lighter options, check to see if your local gelato shop will do something similar.  Yum.

4) Have your DJ teach your guests a dance.  Since everyone will be learning it together, the awkwardness factor is cut way down.  Plus, you may be surprised to see that the guest you could never drag out on the dance floor is eager to get involved. 

5) If your guests will be valet parking, have the attendants place a Bon Voyage gift in their vehicles at the end of the night.  This can be a single flower tied with a thank you note from you and your fiance, a midnight snack of milk and cookies, or whatever else your creative mind may come up with.  Your guests will be thrilled you thought of them and will be impressed with your attention to detail.

Weddings are a celebration.  Have fun and don't be afraid to infuse some fresh ideas into your own reception!

Photo by Rhonda Lewis Photography 

Tips for a Host Bar

Alcohol is easily one of the most controversial topics when it comes to a wedding.  Is a tip jar okay?  What about guests who may not drink?  And how can you keep the budget from getting out of hand?  Here are some tips on keeping your plans from getting tipsy.

1) Create a signature drink.  Whether it's the drink that was poured when he proposed or a crowd pleaser with a catchy name, offer your guests a beverage that's uniquely you.  Served alongside a house wine and beer, it's an instant conversation starter and is a fun and classy way to lower your alcohol expenses.

2) In addition to your signature drink, create a non-alcholic one for guests who may choose not to imbibe.  Often the non-drinkers are left with a choice of flat water and Sprite.  Make sure you have a good assortment for them as well. 

3) Many times people will take a sip or two of the champagne after the toast and then return to their beverage of choice.  Eliminate this waste by skipping the champagne and allowing guests to toast with whatever they have in hand.

4) Ask the bartender to price on consumption rather than per person.  By using this method, you will only pay for what is actually used and bottles won't be opened until they are needed. 

5) If you are having a full bar, ask the bartender to refrain from serving shots of hard liquor.  This will keep some of your wilder guests from getting drunk faster and lessens the chances of a chaotic scene later on.

6) To ensure you have enough alcohol on hand, a good rule of thumb is to plan on two drinks per person.  Some people will drink more and others less.  In the end, this ratio typically balances out.

7) Tip jars can be confusing to guests and are tacky.  As the host, let the bartender know that you will be taking care of the gratuity and ask them to keep the jar hidden.

Photo courtesy David Molnar Photography 

Moving Party

Do you know someone who is moving soon? Whether it's across the country, or across the street, people are constantly looking to upgrade their home, or just live in a new area. While having friends or family move away can be a tearful experience, throwing them a successful moving or "going away" party will create a wonderful memory between you.

Moving parties are not very complicated, and there is no need for an element of surprise. Check to see when they are moving, and pick a date that does not interfere with the craziness that always surrounds a move. This can be a very stressful time, so try not to put the moving party too close to the move date itself. Once you have chosen a good date, get your invitations out as early as possible so that your guests can clear their calendars. If you like sending electronic invitations, Sendomatic's Moving Invitation is a great choice.

Now that you have your date and your guests invited, you need to pick some kind of theme for your party. This is really up to you and should be based on the people moving. Try to keep their interests in the front of your mind - remember, you're throwing this party for them, not for the people you've invited. Make sure to keep the weather in mind, too, and prepare to take the party inside if it gets too hot, too cold, or rains.

Plan what food you will provide on the theme you have chosen, and of course, what the people moving like best. If you do not want to handle cooking as well as clean-up, you can always ask your guests to bring a dish that they know the guest of honor would enjoy. For entertainment, a moving party is usually sentimental, so I would suggest a slideshow featuring photographs of your guest of honor during their time in your area. Be sure to bring the Kleenex, leave plenty of time after the party for your goodbyes, and let those moving know they are loved wherever they go!

Creative Guest Book

A guest book is a great way to remember a fantastic party.  Here is a twist on the standard guest book idea that will be cherished by your guest of honor and fun for your guests to make.  Set a blank guest book or just a blank paged book on a table at the party.  Place some scissors, a selection of colored paper, a glue stick, and pens on the table.  As soon as the guests arrive, start taking Polaroids or digital pictures that you can instantly print out. Continuously place the photos on the table as they are available.  Tell your guests to write a little something in the guest book and to be creative!  You will be amazed at how interesting the book will turn out (and you barely had to lift a finger!)

Health Conscious Guests

Health Conscious Guests

A lot of people judge how good an event was based on how much food is left by the time the last guest departs. If people hardly ate anything, it is assumed that the event was a disaster and no one had a good time. I can certainly understand this mentality, since it is definitely annoying to spend hours cooking food to make your guests happy, and then have them barely touch anything.

However, we must remember, we are in a very health-conscious time. A lot of people are on diets and aren't ready to blow a year's worth of hard work at one party, so they may only touch fresh fruit and water. Others may be on a low-carb diet, and will only munch on meat/cheese products and stay completely away from sugar. Health issues such as diabetes may be a factor. Also, age is something to think about: a party full of 20-year-olds may chow down on chips and pizza with no problem, while a party with 60-year-olds will most likely gravitate more towards healthier foods that are more easily digested.

Here are some tips to appease everyone's pallete at a party, even dieters!
- Provide water, juice, or diet soda in festive jugs along with the alcoholic/sugar-filled drinks. At my grandmother's last birthday party we served wine and punch, and thought we had our bases covered by offering alcholic and non-alcoholic. Only until a guest specifically asked for water did we realize we should put out a pitcher of water as an alternative. It was empty by the end of the party.
- Place any healthy foods in the center of the table so your guests won't have any trouble finding them. Things such as fresh vegetables, fruit, or shrimp cocktail are a nice alternative to greasy or spicy foods.
- If you're going to have a main course, try to use spices and herbs for flavor rather than gravy or sauces. Chicken or beef can be very flavorful with just a few spices. You can always have sauces as an option on the side, so that those who aren't dieting can always add it if they want it.
- Salads are always acceptable! Salads are allowed on pretty much every diet, and most people like salads even if they aren't watching what they eat. You can even make a mini salad bar, allowing your guests to choose whether or not they have cheese, croutons, tomato, etc. A choice between regular and non-fat dressing would be a big plus.
- Cake is the universal dessert for parties. If you know your guests will enjoy a cake, you may want to cut it into moderate slices, or even ask your guests individually what size of a slice they would like. If you know most of your guests won't go for a frosted cake, angel food with strawberries is an excellent low-fat dessert. Another idea is to have small individual desserts, such as cookies, tarts, or candies. This way your guests can choose the amount of dessert they get, rather than feeling they have to clean their plate.

The bottom line is, prepare for people with different eating habits. Most likely you will have a party full of different people of different ages, and they will all hunger for separate things. Don't be afraid to make those amazing, fat-filled dishes that we all love at parties! Just don't forget to provide an alternative for those watching their waistline. Food is an important part of any event, so if you keep everyone's taste buds happy your event is sure to be a success!

Last Minute Valentine

Did you drag your feet too long on making dinner reservations for your significant other and the only dinner reservations left are 4pm or 11pm?  Well, have no fear...all is not lost.  Just plan to have Valentine's Day at home.  Here are some tips to make your night special.

Set the Mood.   Tidy up the dining room.   Lower the lights.  Light some nice smelling candles.  Pull out your good china/crystal.  Set a beautiful table.  Put on some nice music.

Present yourself.  Freshen up with all your fancy products.  Take the time to do your hair. Wear something different (a classy dress, lingerie, etc.).

Let your date have time to freshen up when he/she gets home from work.  This puts both in a place to feel clean and refreshed.

Prepare a menu.  Mention in the small print that this "restaurant" has a No Interruption Policy (that means no phones, cell phones, etc.).  You can also put other caveats in there, such as "no talk about the kids/money/work".  Don't forget to allude to the "dessert" or "after dinner aperitif". 

The meal itself is not important.  You could make a salad and a frozen pizza and it will be wonderful presented in the above fashion.  Don't spend a lot of time worrying or preparing the meal, it may ruin your goal of a RELAXED, STRESS-FREE Valentine's Day.

Be sure to do something romantic after dinner like a evening walk around the block, watching a romantic movie, or looking through wedding pictures. 

You will be surprised how wonderful an "at home" Valentine's Day can be.  Enjoy!

From The Heart

Valentine's Day is one of those holidays that can either be wonderfully magic or dreadfully tragic. If you are hoping for a day filled with love and happiness here are some sure fire ways to get the flame going without spending a lot of money.

1. Create a "Pill Bottle" filled with Love Pills. Start by using an empty pain reliever bottle and soak it in water to strip the original label off. Create your own label with the words "LOVE PILLS, take one a day when needed".. and adhere your label to the bottle using glue or tape. Next, cut small strips of paper and write messages that your love can redeem whenever they want. You can write tame messages like "1/2 hour foot massage" or you can get really romantic and create messages such as "redeem for a long and passionate kiss" or how about "good for love making in any location of your choice"...You get the idea...This is a fun way to put the playful spark back into your love life.

2. Another idea that my mother used when we were little as a Valentine's day gift to my dad is a Love Tree. Search your local area for a decent size branch, (maybe 2' or so). Find a branch with lots of little twigs still attached. Next plant the branch in a small pot with soil. The soil does not have to be great since the goal is not to keep anything alive...Once your branch is planted, create small heart shaped notes out of red, pink and white construction paper. Write messages of love on each heart and tie them on the tree with a red ribbon. Our tree always had messages about what we loved about Dad, like "I love the way you play Candyland with me..." or "I love the way you tuck me in at night..." My mother's notes were more intimate like "I love the way you kiss my temple each day..." This is a great way to show your Valentine what you love about them. There is something so romantic and so simple about this gift.

3. One more idea for your Valentine is to take the same theory from either of the above gifts and bring your messages to the balloon shop. Ask the sales clerk to insert the messages into the balloons before she blows up the balloons. This is a great idea for a romantic proposal on Valentines Day. Be sure that one Balloon is a different color than all of the others and include your marriage proposal in this balloon. While you stand with your "honey" and give them the balloon bouquet, you choose a balloon out of the bunch (not the special balloon), and have your love pop them one at a time to read the messages. If you do this long enough, the receiver will never suspect that the special balloon is the "SPECIAL" balloon. Try not to save it for the last balloon so that she does not suspect the significance of this balloon's message. She will be so surprised to read the final message of love and proposal.

Valentine's Day does not have to break the bank. I think that gifts from the heart are the most romantic way to share your love. Your Valentine will not hesitate to share your thoughtfulness to everyone and you will look like the Valentine hero.

A Valentine's Party for Two

There's no rule on how many people constitute a "party", so have yourself a party for two on Valentine's Day.

Give your valentine something to look forward to by sending him or her a Sendomatic.com invitation to your party for two.  Although there are many to choose from, my three favorites are: True Love because of it's funky tune and graphic, Be Mine for its uniqueness, and Love for its classy, relaxing music.

Unless you love to cook and are in the mood to create your own romantic evening at home, taking your sweetie out to dinner is always a great option.  Nobody has to cook, the atmosphere is created for you, and it provides for a couple hours of good conversation time.  If your date is adventuresome, take her/him to somewhere they've never been.  MSN City Guides took a vote and posted The Best Romantic Dining for many major cities in the US.  If your date has a "distinguished" palate and you really want to impress your date, it is recommended that you stick to a tried and true favorite that you know of.   Keep in mind that you don't have to break the bank.  Some of my favorite restaurants are casual (Thai, Sushi, the local Italian joint).  The perks to casual dining is also that you don't have to know which fork to use or know how much to tip the valet....it puts you at ease to be yourself, and ENJOY your company.

Wherever you decide to eat, show up with a flower(s).  It can be hand picked from your yard, purchased at the local 7-11, or could be a whole bouquet from a fancy flower mart, but show your date that you are excited to be with them from the start.

Valentines gifts are too individual for a "one gift fits all" list, so here are some suggestions to get your mind working....   For women, a gift certificate at a local spa is always appreciated, a simple necklace or small pair of earrings, or a homemade gift certificate for a night away with you at a later date.  For men, a gift certificate to a local spa (yes, they really like them!), homemade heart shaped cookies, anything at Sharper Image, or a magazine subscription.

Valentine's Day is a weekday this year, so you can't spend lots of time doing anything much but a nice dinner.   If that is the case, at least try to fit one other activity in before or after dinner.   If the weather is nice, take a walk in a scenic location or drive to a scenic bluff.  If the weather isn't cooperating, grab an pre- or after- dinner drink or snack at a cozy lounge (bring a deck of cards or a travel game), ride on a carousel at the mall, or try to catch a short IMAX movie.

Whatever you decide to do on Valentine's Day, enjoy yourself and your company.  Laugh a lot and be proud of yourself for making this party happen!

Hip Holiday Exchange Party

Looking for a fun way to put a twist on the traditional gift exchange party? Whether you are hosting a party for the bunko girls or getting a group of your closest couple friends together to ring in the Holiday season, this idea is a sure way to spice things up.

Include in your invitation, instructions for each guest to purchase a non-gender specific gift. Put a limit on the gifts so that the gift giving is fun and not a competition. By the way, looking for fresh invitations? Log onto sendomatic.com and find the perfect design for your Holiday fun filled fiesta.

Before your party begins, take some time to write a clever Holiday story of Santa, his crew and the perils of finding the 'Hiding House of Helen and Hubert'. Make sure that your story incorporates lots of left-turns, right-turns, and a few u-turns in between.

Once your party has kicked it into high gear and your and your friends are ready to exchange gifts, have everyone stand in a circle holding their gifts. Begin reading your prepared story and instruct the guests to pass the gift with every twist and turn in the story. Once the story is over, the gift which ends up in each person's hands is the gift that they leave with.
This is a great way to funk up your gift exchange party and get some belly laughs from your friends.
Happy Holiday Happenings!

Garlands That Glow

The Harvest Season is upon us and it's time to start thinking about ways to decorate your home for all of your Fall festivities. Here's an easy way to turn your front door into a welcoming entry this October.

Start by purchasing dried corn husks from your local Mexican food market or at your traditional market in the Mexican food section. Purchasing 4-5 packages of the dried corn husks should cover you for this project. You will also need clear, 2-inch-wide tape and approximately 20 feet of rope light. It is best to measure the linear feet of your doorway or foyer area prior to purchasing the rope. Rope light is made of small LED lights encased in a smooth plastic tube. The tube is flexible and safe since there is no heat generated from the tiny lights within the plastic casing. Rope light can be found at larger local hardware chains such as Lowes or Home Depot.

To begin this project, gather a few corn husks in a small bunch and tape them around the plastic rope. Keeping this first section of husks close to one end of the plastic rope, point the loose husks towards the end of the rope light. Continue taping clusters of corn husks along the rope every two inches, layering the loose ends over the first bunch, until you reach the center of the rope. Begin this process again by starting at the opposite end of the rope until you meet the center of the rope, where the husks meet in the middle.

Upon completion, hang 2 nails on either side of your entry and center the newly decorated garland over your front door allowing enough excess rope to create a gentle swag in the center as the rest of the rope frames the door.

This seasonal decoration for your home will be a welcoming greeting to any guest who drops by during the Fall season. By day your new garland will look rustic and seasonal for fall. At night, the new husk and light combination will create a nice glow to celebrate the harvest season and holiday's to come.