Event Savvy is all about what’s hot in the event industry, and how to plan the best event in town.
Are you looking for inspiration for a shindig that you are hosting this year? Look no further than Pantone’s color for 2012 – Tangerine Tango! Expect to see this color popping up all over the place, from fashion to home decor to events. The feisty reddish-orange color can be combined with a variety of color schemes to create a fresh & vibrant theme for your next party.
As a event planner, my job is to find ways for my clients to incorporate the hot color of 2012 while still creating an event that is unique to them. Here are a few color combos & ideas that I found inspiring…
Citrus Colors: Tangerine, Lemon & Lime
Let’s get zesty! A Tangerine, Lemon & Lime Green Color Scheme are prefect for summer entertaining. I love the simplicity of incorporating the real fruit in to your event decor.
For a summer bash, you can serve Orange Soda as a nostalgic & refreshing beverage. Plus, the soda bottles look super cute in photos!
Tangerine & Charcoal
This color scheme is ideal for a winter or fall event with an urban chic vibe! I love the contrast of the bright tangerine with the dark grey.
Tangerine & Blue
Another great color combo for spring & summer events! This combination reminds me of a whimsical vintage summer party on a lake. I love the idea of creating an effortless event decor by using antique blue glass vases and orange flowers.
Follow me on Pinterest for more inspiration using Tangerine Tango & other fun event themes!
Event Savvy is all about what’s hot in the event industry, and how to plan the best event in town.
Did you or someone you know recently get engaged? If so, congratulations and cheers!
My company, Perfectly Posh Events is hosting an awesome contest that I just had to share with my fellow GPH gals! Feel free to enter or share with a friend…
To celebrate the upcoming wedding season, I will be giving away a Wedding Planning Package to one lucky couple for a 2012 wedding. That’s right, YOU could win a wedding planning valued at $1,300 for your big day!!!
It’s super simple to enter, all you have to do is share your Love Story with me for a chance to be featured on the Perfectly Posh Blog. The Love Stories that are featured on the blog will compete for votes from the Perfectly Posh Blog readers, friends and family. The winning Love Story with the most votes will be announced just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Here are the details…
* Send your Love Story to holly{at}perfectlyposhevents.com
* Love Stories must be submitted by January 14, 2012
* Feel free to be creative & add visual aids to your Love Story!
* Please include your wedding date and location with your submission
* Valid for 2012 weddings only
* Seattle-area weddings are encouraged but destination weddings are accepted. If a destination wedding wins the couple areas to pay travel and accommodations for the wedding planner.
For more information on the contest and to find out about other event and wedding planning services feel free to check out the contest blog post: Wedding Planning Giveaway
I am super excited to read your Love Story! Best of luck and happy wedding planning!
Cheers,
Holly
Event Savvy is all about what’s hot in the event industry, and how to plan the best event in town.
While watching one of my guilty pleasures, Four Weddings, it dawned on me how easy it is to get caught up in the awesome aspects of an event that you’re planning and totally forget to consider if your guests will even enjoy the event. In this particular episode, a bride was hosting her wedding on a boat, with the ceremony taking place on the upper deck overlooking the downtown skyline. To add to the unique atmosphere of her ceremony, she decided to have an airplane fly overhead with a banner wishing her and her soon-to-be husband congrats. A very memorable and surprising aspect to the ceremony, right? Well it would have been if she had considered when the plane should fly overhead.
To the dismay of her guests, the plane continued to fly overhead during the entire ceremony, making it virtually impossible for the guests to hear the touching vows. The bride did an excellent job coming up with a customized aspect to add to her event but where she failed was in the details and considering how the airplane would affect her guest’s experience – she should have scheduled the plane to do the flyover after the kiss when everyone was celebrating & clapping rather than during the ceremony when it caused a distraction & was an annoyance.
Event Savvy is all about what’s hot in the event industry, and how to plan the best event in town.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could host an amazing party while giving back to those in need? Get Hitched Give Hope does just that, plus they can help you save money on hosting your event!
As a non-profit organization, Get Hitched Give Hope hosts a swanky gala at the Four Seasons where the elite event professionals in Seattle have donated their goods and services to be auctioned off to engaged couples and anyone who is throwing a soiree. When you bid on an item for your event the proceeds from your bid go towards helping to grant wishes through the Dream Foundation and the Young Survival Coalition of Seattle. You can score incredible savings on the things you need to host your dream wedding or event while helping to change someone’s life – it’s a win win!!!
Event Savvy is all about what’s hot in the event industry, and how to plan the best event in town.
It’s that time of year again…wedding season! This month’s post will be dedicated to all the brides-to-be who are just starting the planning process.
As a wedding & event planner, I am often asked what my number one piece of advice is for couples who are planning their big day. The best advice I can give is to keep focused on what is important to you and your fiancé. Yes, it is usually a good idea to consider the opinions of others, especially if they are contributing financially to the wedding, but when the final decision is made it should be one that reflects your desires as a couple.
The very first thing you should do before you get started with the wedding planning is to sit down and have a chat with your fiancé. Determine what the five most important things are to the both of you and use those five things as the cornerstones for your wedding. Reflect back on those five things when considering anything wedding related: design, theme, venue, the season and of course the budget. For example, you can create a customized budget based on the five areas that are essential to creating your dream day. A couple who values memories should spend more money on a photographer and videographer whereas a couple who loves to party should spend more on the DJ.
After you have determined how much of your wedding budget will be used for the five most important categories, you can start filling in the blanks with the remaining amount of your budget. It is ok to spend more on the important categories and less on the categories you do not care about, even if it doesn’t align with the “recommend” amount on a standard wedding budget application. Wedding budget calculators are usually designed as a “one size fits all” and do not always take in to account your personal preferences and the local price to achieve your dream, therefore I do NOT recommend using them to create your budget.
Remember, at the end of the day your wedding should reflect what is most important to you as a couple and should be an event that you can look back with fond memories 20 years down the line.
Event Savvy is all about what’s hot in the event industry, and how to plan the best event in town.
Are you crafty and love adding your personal touch to events? Are you a DIY bride or party hostess? If so, you will absolutely adore Seattle’s first DIY event design center at Herban Design Studio, located at Herban Feast in Sodo Park. The newest addition to this amazing event venue is a DIY gal’s dream come true!
Featuring workshops, supplies and of course the space to create your masterpieces. From centerpieces to favors, you will find everything you need to create the ultimate event while adding elements that are uniquely you.
Feel like you might need some extra hands? The design studio is available for rentals for your bridal party to gather for a DIY party before the big day. As an added bonus, treat your hard working recruits to nibbles and sips from Herban Feast catering!
Interested in attending a workshop? Here is a schedule of their upcoming events …
Wednesday, April 13th from 6pm to 8pm – Creating Unique Boutonnieres
Wednesday, April 27th from 6pm to 8pm – Creating a Botanical Terrarium
Saturday, May 7th from noon to 2pm -
Wednesday, May 18th from 6pm to 8pm – Creating a Botanical Terrarium
Wednesday, June 8th from 6pm to 8pm – Creating Unique Boutonnieres
For more information, contact info@herbandesignstudio.com
Don’t forget, those of you who are attending the Swap Till You Drop event on Sunday will get an opportunity to check out the DIY design studio. Let me know what you think!
Event Savvy is all about what’s hot in the event industry, and how to plan the best event in town.
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I am excited to share some tips to incorporate into your “green” event planning for an Eco-friendly bash. For those of you who are concerned that the look of your event will change, don’t worry you do not need to sacrifice style when you decide to go green. The main goals of planning environmentally friendly events are to reduce waste, recycle and use Eco-friendly event supplies.
Invitations
Depending on the event, you might be able to do away with paper invitations and invite guests online. I am a big fan of Greenvelope (http://www.greenvelope.com/) and Paperless Post (http://www.paperlesspost.com/) for elegant invitations online.
However, if your event requires the traditional invitation consider working with an invitation designer who uses post-consumer recycled content, soy based ink and/or “tree free” alternatives. Kerri Efendi (http://www.kerriefendi.com) is a local invitation designer who is known for her custom Eco-conscious designs, plus her work is beautiful! Another invitation designer to check out is Smock (www.smockpaper.com), in addition to designing your invitations they will donate a portion of proceeds for different environmental causes.
Photo compliments of www.elizabethannedesigns.com
Food
Create a menu that features organic local cuisine that is in-season. You will not only reduce your carbon footprint by not shipping food in that’s out of season but you will most likely end up saving money as well. Serve beverages from containers or pitchers rather than individual bottles or cans. The same concept applies to condiments; serve in bulk rather than individual packets. If you a hiring a catering company, consider one that practices sustainability, such as Herban Feast (www.herbanfeast.com) in Seattle.
Décor
Try to select décor that can be reused at other events or used for another purpose after the event. For example, locally grown planted flowers that can be used after the event rather than cut flowers that will go to waste. Plus, potted plants are usually less expensive than cut flowers. Get creative with how you decorate the pots, with ribbon and post-recycled fabrics or by painting them. If you decide to go the traditional floral arrangement route, be sure to send the flowers home with guests or donate them to a hospital. Be sure to compost any leftover flowers.
Favors
Do not forget to send guests home with earth-friendly favors! There are countless options, from reusable cups to handmade soaps to seeds that can be planted. You can always choose to send the décor items home as favors, just be sure that the guests know that they are allowed to take them home and provide easy ways for the items, especially flowers, to be transported.
Photo compliments of 100 Layer Cake
I hope you have fun planning your glamorous green event! What are some creative ways that you are adding Eco-friendly elements to your party?
Event Savvy is all about what’s hot in the event industry, and how to plan the best event in town.
At the beginning of each year the event industry is abuzz with what the “trends” are for that year. Often taken from fashion, movies, and music, trends can be found everywhere. For example, with the popularity of Boardwalk Empire we can expect plenty of events that pay tribute to the roaring 20′s. Last year, Alice in Wonderland was a major trend for events and we can definitely see that carrying over into 2011 as the media shows start showcasing the Alice in Wonderland theme weddings and events of 2010.
Here are a few event trends that can be easily incorporated for any type of event this year, from a wedding to baby shower to summer picnic. For more event inspiration in the year to come, keep an eye out for what movies are big and what is happening in the fashion industry. I wish you a year filled with fabulous events; cheers!
Colors
Since event and wedding magazines feature events from up to two years prior, a color can take up to three years to really become ”big” in the event industry. There are three steps to the typical color cycle, which usually starts with fashion and ends with events. First, you see the color trend in fashion and start wearing it. Second, you start incorporating the color into your home décor and start living it. Third, you entertain with the color and feature it at celebrations because you are familiar with it. Therefore, when looking at Pantone’s color predictions we should look back from 2009 through 2011 in order to get a sense of what colors will be “hot” for events in 2011. For example, Slate was one of Pantone’s 2009 colors but was big in the 2010 event scene and will most likely be a major color for 2011. If you want to be cutting edge, go with the Pantone’s colors for 2011 but if you want to be current you are safe choosing from Pantone’s 2009 and 2010 color collections. I like drawing inspiration from all three years!
Pantone Spring 2011
Pantone Spring 2009
Having trouble choosing a color? Try using Preston Bailey’s fun “color palette picker” for inspiration.
Food Trucks
Mobile food has taken over Seattle and we are now seeing them trickle into events. From weddings to corporate events, food trucks can add a fun and unique touch, plus it’s usually pretty affordable. I adore having Molly Moon’s serve their amazing ice cream at weddings and birthday parties. The guests always love it and you should see how excited kids get when an ice cream truck pulls up at a wedding.
Here are just a few food trucks that I recommend for events. There are plenty more out there, so do your research and select the one that best fits your taste.
Dessert Bars
Desserts are no longer limited to cake, cupcakes, chocolate fountains and candy bars. Expect to see creative versions of “dessert bars” that highlight the guest of honor’s favorite sweet of choice. Are you a sucker for pie? Why not have a pie bar featuring all your favorite variations of pie. Love sushi? Tallant House creates some amazing dessert sushi bars that not only taste amazing but they look amazing as well. Your guests will love the personalized approach for the final course of the evening.
Social Media
Increased integration of social media with events of all types will continue in 2011. It has become common and often expected to have a hashtag and app for an event. As the event organizer, if you do not have one then your attendees will most likely create one and it might make you look “not with it”. Social media should not replace real-life events but rather enhance them and the community that is built both online and offline, you might as well embrace it and take your events to the next level!
What type of events are you planning for 2011? Share with me the trends that you will be including!
Event Savvy is all about what’s hot in the event industry, and how to plan the best event in town.
When you are planning an event, whether it’s a small gathering with your girlfriends or a large holiday party, it is important to keep in mind the six key elements of an event. Each element plays an important role in creating the ambiance of your event, which is the mood and feeling that your guests experience.
To help you remember the key elements, simply learn the 6 A’s of event planning:
Anticipation: The anticipation that you create before the event will not only ensure that your guests will attend your event, but it will start setting the mood for your party before it even starts.
An invitation is your guest’s first experience with your event. Be thoughtful in how you invite guests and make sure it aligns with the ambiance that you would like to create for your party. For example, I recently mailed hand-made invitations with satin ribbon to my birthday celebration because I wanted to create a “classy” ambiance. Plus, its rare to receive anything in the mail now-a-days so I wanted my invitation to standout from the typical evite. What can you do to make your invitation, annoucements and buzz standout in the crowd?
Arrival: How you prepare for your guests arrival and how you welcome them will set the immediate ambiancefor your celebration.
Do not underestimate the importance of planning travel logistics and the experience that guests have gettingto your event. If your event is hard to get to and you do not plan a more relaxing way for guests to arrive, do not be surprised if people arrive frustrated in an a sour mood. It’s easier to start the party off on the right foot than try to change every one’s mood after they arrive.
What your guests see and experience when they first arrive will be their first impression of your actual event and you want it to be lasting one…in a good way. The entrance is your chance to awe your party attendees and get them excited for what you have in store for the rest of the event. What can you do to start building momentum from the moment your friends walk in the door?
Atmosphere: Going beyond decorations, atmosphere is everything that surrounds your guests. Including what they see, smell, hear, taste, touch and feel. Yes, I did just list off the five senses 
The environment that you create at your celebration should engage and entertain your guests senses. Do not just focus on sight (decoration), be sure to include ways to engage other senses by strategically selecting which music will be playing, the temperature in the room, how the room smells, etc. Now is the time to let your creativity shine and create an atmosphere unique to your event!
Appetite: Sometimes throwing out a bag of chips just is not enough, try to satisfy all the different taste buds by providing a variety of flavors.
Food should not only taste good, but it should be visually appealing as well. Similar to atmosphere, you should try to engage multiple senses when preparing your menu. Think about taste as well as sight and smell. The food that you serve can help to create a specific mood for your celebration, and you want it to be a positive mood.
Amusement: Entertaining your guests is usually the purpose of throwing a party. However, amusement can take many forms and does not necessarily have to be in the form of a show or performance.
Consider including lighting and visual effects as part of your entertainment. I like to keep guests on their toes by introducing forms of amusement throughout the evening, especially when they are not expecting it. Surprise can play an important role in entertaining your guests. Are there creative ways that you can keep your guests engaged and enjoying themselves?
Appreciation: Your guests choose to take time out of their schedule to come to your celebration. Be sure to let them know that you appreciate them attending your event!
Party favors are a popular way to show guests that you appreciate them. If you do not have the budget to spend on favors or it is not suitable for your event, a hand-written “thank you” note works wonders.
In the words of event designer extroidinaire, Preston Bailey: “you are creating an entire experience, not just an event” .
Happy planning!
Holly
Event Savvy is all about what’s hot in the event industry, and how to plan the best event in town.
‘Tis the season for event industry open houses, trade shows, and showcases in Seattle. If you are planning an event, special occasion or wedding these happenings provide a great opportunity to see what’s hot in the local event industry, meet vendors, and sample products/services. The second week in October features two major industry events that you should mark on your calendar; Northwest Event Show and Urban Unveiled.
Photo compliments of www.nweventshow.com
A tradeshow designed for event planners, featuring over 250 vendors for every type of event imaginable. “The Northwest Event Show showcases venues, caterers, attractions, entertainers, interactive games, decorators, innovative ideas and trends, technology and more.” My favorite part of this event is sampling the delicious food and beverages provided by some of Seattle’s best venues and caterers.
Photo compliments of www.nweventshow.com
Registration is FREE and if you register by October 1st you will receive a parking credit.
Who: Anyone planning an event or party
What: NW Event Show
When: Tuesday, October 12th from 11am-5pm
Where: Washington State Convention Center
Photo compliments of www.urbanunveiled.com
Without a doubt, Seattle’s most stylish wedding showcase for the sophisticated bride with a passion for the unique. The atmospherefeels more like a cocktail party than a wedding show as you mingle with premier vendors, sip signature cocktails and indulge in gourmet food. Finish the evening off as you are treated to a private runway show by Luly Yang featuring the latest in wedding fashion.
Photo compliments of www.urbanunveiled.com
Who: Those who are planning a wedding or stylish celebration
What: Urban Unveiled
When: Thursday, October 14th at 6:00pm
Where: Benaroya Hall
Photo compliments of www.urbanunveiled.com
I hope you are able to attend one or both of these events! It is extremely important to meet your vendors face-to-face before booking their services, however setting up meetings with all your potential vendors can be time consuming. These two showcases are designed to save you time and money while inspiring you to create the best event possible. Happy Planning!
