Eventfully Yours

Stylish Surprise!

Signature Soirees had the pleasure of planning a surprise appreciation dinner for Anthony Gibson of AG & Associates Accounting and Management Firm.  This is a person who is so beloved by his family and friends, they threw him a surprise party just because!

Signature Soirees handled every step of the planning from invitations, securing the hotel for out of town guests, handling rsvp's, the seating chart, decor and favors!  We were busy!  The event colors were Ivory and Gold which were incorporated into the invitations and the room decor.

We also worked with some great vendors.  The event took place in Canton, Ohio at The Executive Event Center.  Thank you to Mike, Alisa, Maggie and the rest of their staff for the great service and food!  Lynette Jones of LJ Sweets did the lovely cake with the cute accounting calculator complete with tape shown in the photo below!  Double Take Photography and Design took all the lovely photos seen here and also provided DJ services and a very touching slide show.  Mark, Troy and Katrice, you are the best!

Slumber Party Success

I am knee deep in planning a slumber party for my own daughter next month and wanted to share some of tips for a successful slumber party that even you will enjoy.

• Get your invitations out as soon as possible.  This helps you to get a handle on how many children will be in attendance and allows you to get all your games and party favors in order.
• Be prepared.  Have your food and games ready to go when the party begins.  There is nothing worse than a bunch of little faces looking at you wondering what comes next.  You never want to hear the dreaded, "I'm bored," because once one says it, it spreads like the plague and can unravel the whole party.  Preparedness also carries over to emergencies.  Make a note of any allergies and be sure to get contact information from parents, including cell phone numbers.
• Make things age appropriate.  Know your guests and cater directly to them.  Although you may be partial to Sesame Street, a group of 10 year olds may not appreciate it so much.
• Loosen up.  Join in the fun and you'll be happy that you did.  Getting back a bit of your childhood is always a good thing!

What Your Vendors Need From You

If anything goes wrong at an event, all fingers will point to the planner.  As a vendor or service provider for events, how many times have you heard those dreaded two words, "I thought," followed by a laundry list of items.  These items would have made for a great event, unfortunately never saw the light of day due to a breakdown in communication.

As a consumer, you should receive and sign a contract prior to hiring any vendor for your event.  Once that contract is signed, many clients just walk away and don't make contact until close to the event date.  This is not a good idea for several reasons:

1. This is your event.  Any vendor that you bring on board is there to bring your vision to life.
2. The vendor works for you.  For that contracted amount of time, the vendor is your employee, so like a good boss or supervisor, you need to provide them with the necessary tools to succeed.

What are those tools?  They vary from one event to another, but the one that stays at the forefront of them all is communication.

Most events from weddings to conferences begin planning at least a year in advance.  A lot can change in a year.  Your tastes and needs may change.  If this does happen, the first thing you need to do is reach out to your vendors, especially the ones that will be impacted the most by these changes.  Say your guest count has increased.  You'll definitely have to contact your caterer, florist, venue of your event, because you'll need more food, more centerpieces and more tables and chairs.  These types of changes can change the overall scope of your event, thus meaning a whole new plan may need to be developed.

Here are some things not to do when working with vendors and service providers:

1. Not ask for references. 
2. Assume they know all about you and your attendees or guests
3. Neglect to ask about overtime fees or any extra fees that may apply to your event
4. Make presumptions based on past experiences
5.  Not have consistent communication with them

Ensure the success of your next event by keeping the lines of communication open with your vendors and providing them with the tools, meaning any information or changes that will help.

Make Your Event A Sensory Experience

When planning an event most people don't think about appealing to the senses of their guests or attendees.  What they don't realize is that through their planning, they are taking these things into account. 

Sight - You consider your color choices and decorations very carefully.  Now there are so many choices for linens, centerpieces and lighting.

Hearing - You select music that will entertain and engage your guests.  Whether you opt for a live band, a DJ or a combination of both, you want to offer your guests some type of entertainment.

Taste - You select delicious food for your guests to enjoy.  Attending tastings and making selections that take your guests' dietary needs into consideration.

Smell - Now you can actually add scents to your event.  Check out Scent Events.  They can add all kinds of scents to your event from chocolate and floral, to apple pie and christmas tree.

Touch - Take the time to greet and interact with each of your guests, if at all possible. 

Money Saving Tip - Floral

Looking for ways to save money on your florals for your wedding or other upcoming event?  What I'm about to suggest bucks tradition, so if you are big on traditions, don't continue reading!  You've been warned!

Forget corsages for the mothers and grandmothers!  It is so prom like anyway!  Moms and grandmoms can sport the new style of floral necklaces.  This is just basically a single flower necklace, which could be a ribbon choker with a fresh flower attached or similar to the one in the photo below. 

How is this a money saver? One flower plus very little time in making it equals big time savings in florist fees!  Events that I have done and women have worn these tell me all the time how they feel much more stylish than if they'd worn a corsage.