Events Blog

Unless you have specifically noted, either verbally or on your invitations, "no children" under a certain age; it's probable that you will have at least a few young guests at your wedding reception.  Unfortunately having young guests sometimes means having the issues associated with them (outbursts, taking over the dance floor, etc.) To prevent the possibility of problems plaguing your peaceful event, we suggest a few simple ideas to help make the event enjoyable for both you and the youngest guests on your list!

 

 * Special Seating - we like to call this the VILP section; very important little people.  If possible, keep child seating away from the main dinning room, but don't make them feel like outcasts or they won't want to sit there!  Decorating with special table linens, centerpieces and even giving them special seating cards will entice them to stay at their own VIP tables.  Special non-alcoholic drinks in fun, bright colors and cool party favors can't hurt either!

 

* Menu - for most young children, eating something new is not an easy task.  Therefore, why force strange food on them at your event?  Asking your caterer for a kids menu will save you from having hungry, cranky kids and will save you money.  Most caterers will gladly offer you a kids menu selection, which is much cheaper than your general guest selections.  Entrees range from hamburgers, chicken fingers, grilled cheese to hot dogs & fries.  These selections keep kids happy and satisfied.

 

* Games & Activities - idle hands and minds can cause nothing but trouble, so keep them occupied!  Why not include games and activities on the table for kids to use.  Covering the table in white paper and giving them crayons is always a fun idea, but doodle books, mazes & word finds are also fun. Make sure your games don't have too many small parts; that's just asking for a mess! It's also great to have the games go with the event theme if you can.  For example; if you theme is a beach wedding, why not give each young guest a beach pail with their name on it, filled with activities!

 

* Supervision - while it's great to give the kids enough activities to keep them busy, it's not a great idea to leave them on their own too long at your event.  To ensure that everyone enjoys the reception to the fullest, hire an "non-guest" to supervise the children during the reception.

 

With their very own seating area, special menu, activities to keep them occupied and adult supervision, your young guests will be happy and your event trouble free! Knowing that the kids are enjoying themselves is going to allow your guests to have a lot of fun themselves - giving you an awesome reception!

 

We Can Make Your Wedding A Recession-Fabulous Wedding!

 

Times are tough.  The economy is sagging, jobs are hard to come by and most families are cutting back on costs in ever direction. One thing is for certain though, people are still getting married! This weekend all eyes were on Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphries, as they tied the knot in a lavish, exclusive, celebrity packed ceremony.  Sources say that the guest list was over 400 and that the bride had 3 different dresses to showcase during the event.  This sounds amazing, storybook and even has a fairytale element to it. However, for most brides, especially in today's day and age, a wedding even half this size and scope is way out of the budget.  Currently, the average US couple is spending around $27,800 on their nuptials.  This number varies slightly per state and can adjust slightly in urban areas like South Florida, but is still pretty close to this average anywhere your planning is taking place.  When the cost of most celebrity bridal gowns exceeds your entire event budget, how do you make your wedding celebrity fabulous? By becoming recession fabulous of course! With the right planning and resources, couples can have a celebrity-inspired event, without the celebrity price tag. By following a few simple techniques, we have cut costs for many of our events without cutting the elegant look or feel of the event. Here are my top 3 favorite ways to make your event "Recession-Fabulous"!

 

1. Cut costs from your bar - it's the easiest way to cut out the largest amount of money with the smallest overall effect on your event.  - One of the most commonly used trends these days is the signature drink.  Couples are pairing drinks with their theme, using attractive and exciting colors and infusions or just trying to share a favorite and meaningful recipe with loved ones on their special day.  By using just a few signature drinks and limiting your bar to beer and wine, you cut out a bundle of cash and guests don't really notice anything missing. The most commonly used liquors are vodka and rum, stick with drinks that use only one of these and cut costs even more.

 

2. Sorry flowers... you've been asked to sit this one out! Candles, candles, candles! This is my personal favorite money saving technique.  Face it, everyone and everything looks better by candle light!  You've seen the use of obscene amounts of candles in movies and it looks great, why not steal this look for your event? More and more I am suggesting to brides to limit the number of floral arrangements that they have.  By using floating candles, candles of varying sizes in glass containers or even rows of tea light candles, we have been able to create dramatic, beautiful centerpieces.  These pieces are cost effective and most importantly give your event a warm, rich, chic feel without the chic cost.

 

3. If you must have flowers - go for a solo... Some brides are more traditional and others just love the idea of bunches and bunches of pretty smelling buds at their event, so they don't want to stray from using Flowers.  To those brides who are cutting costs but don't want to cut the petals out completely, I suggest using one type and color of flower on the tables and in bouquets.  Using a solo flower or what I like to call a "spotlight flower" allows us to purchase for you in bulk, giving you a better price.  In addition to the bulk purchase, bunching one type and color of flower together gives people the idea that there are more of them and it also allows flowers that normally would not look so elegant, like a carnation for example, to take on a whole different chic look and feel.  Most celebrity floral arrangements that you have seen in pictures or on-line can be re-created using a less expensive flower, giving couples the celebrity look without the sticker shock.