Archive for Party Quirks
Food and Dining Suggestion for a Date-for-Two
Getting asked to plan for a couple’s date isn’t unusual. There are some guys who have accepted their incapability for setting up a cheesy date, which is something that women love. A guy looking to get the girl to say yes to him has to make the date perfect. Let’s start by defining the formula to a perfect date. My thoughts revolve around these elements: good food, good wine, good company.
My model for this 2-person date-party is from ristorante.ca, a pizza site that recently launched its Ristorante Contest. They have a 12-min dating guide which involves a garden date, wine, guacamole chips and dessert.
Since it’s a picnic date, a homemade mozzarella pizza is the best choice, because the couple can eat these with their fingers. The guacamole dip is for the couple to feed each other some nacho chips. These chips come in packs so are relatively low maintenance. Now for the wine. Hmm…
The thing is, wine makes any occasion meaningful. Like a glass of wine almost always mandates a toast. The thing to consider is how smoothly it goes down. My choice is red wine, which you don’t have to chill; unless, of course, the party planner can provide an ice bucket hidden behind a nearby tree in the garden, where the proposal will be dished.
A glass of wine calls for romance, sophistication and pleasure…the unravelling of complex flavours in the mouth. Yes, a simple glass of wine might elevate us from our daily stresses into higher states of mind allowing for a cheerful and relaxed mood to arise instead.
-anonymous
Your Specialized Employees: Table Skirter and Ice Carver
Party planning is not as tedious when there are helpers to do the multitude of tasks required for a party to be perfect. Cooks, decorators, linen washers, messengers, delivery people and etc. Most of the tasks can be done by the party planner without hiring anyone else, but investing on some key individuals for tasks that are labor and time intensive can be helpful.
Some specialized tasks in weddings are Ice Carving and Table Skirting. While these two aren’t necessary parts of a wedding party agenda, they could help your image as a wedding coordinator. A wedding reception with a professionally decorated table and/or an elegant ice carving will turn ordinary wedding guests into future clients!
The table skirter must be in the reception place earlier than the rest of the crew, even way ahead of you. A long table takes hours of skirting, as skirting involves creating pleats white linen and pinning these on the main table cover. I realize how it’s much easier to buy a ready-made pleated long table cover, but a custom pleated table adds a personalized touch. For this task, you need someone who has an eye for detail and the patience to pleat each portion of the linen perfectly.
An ice carver’s task is also tedious, but he’s allowed to come in later than everyone else. You should hire someone who works fast and has enough creative instinct to sculpt delicately designed ice statues.
Good coordination with these hired ‘talents’ is one of the best ways to make your wedding events memorable. They can complete tasks that seem daunting to an ordinary person.
Businesses That Complement a Party Planning Company
- It has to be low maintenance.
- It has to be in demand
- One must be able to excel on it too without sacrificing much of the time spent on party organization.
So, what business will satisfy all these criteria and efficiently bring in more cash to the party planner?
Catering? - Not if the party organizer has to be on the wheel all the time. This aspect of a party is the most tedious. It demands time for preparation, serving and feedback collecting. If someone in your immediate family or circle of friends wants to concentrate on this aspect, well and good, but if it has to be you, the party organizing side could suffer.
Starting a Party Supply Business
This is by far the best bet for a complementary business! Supplies aren’t perishable, and they won’t take up too much space. They can also be imported. Besides, if you’re the crafts and arts type, this business will be a breeze.
What to look out for:
1. Trends and Themes - One party theme could work now, but it may not in the future. Take note of what’s fashionable and hip in the current generation, particularly when planning for birthday parties and weddings. Remember that your job includes pointing your clients to the best and trendiest themes for their occasions, so your supplies must be up-to-par.
2. Price - Your usual supply broker can be as loyal to you as your friends, but it is not unethical to find cheaper sources for materials. Remember that the more costs you cut without sacrificing quality, the more profit you will reap.
3. Contingency Supply Source - Deliveries go awry, we all know that. Party supplies are not as sensitive to delivery mishaps as food, but taken to extremes, this could very well ruin a perfect party. Look for stores (even competitors) that sell the same supplies as you do and be friends with them. You never know when you might need a helping hand or someone to provide you with the supplies you direly need.
Open House Party Ideas: Dress Up the Floor!
I’m sure I am not the only one that attended a blast of a party in someone’s home. We all remember the endless drinks, the music, the corner nooks where we made friends with other people, the initial “I like your house” pleasantries which were quickly drowned out by the sound system.
Ok, so let’s deal with the more serious kind of house party. The kind that you throw when you invite some co-workers and their families. Or, your boss and his family. Wouldn’t you want to impress them with your hospitality, your house’s design and the impeccable taste that you have?
Let’s talk about focal points. Though your guests may not always take in everything that they see in your place, as they’d probably crane their neck around to look at all your wall decorations, there is one aspect that’s sometimes entirely overlooked: the floor.
Guests spend their time walking around admiring things, while waiting for dinner to be served or while chatting. Inadvertently, your floor is the focal point that they glue their eyes on when there is a feeling of awkwardness, or even boredom.
Don’t panic. Your floor can be the best source of conversation for those at a loss of topics to talk about. You can dress up your floor in Area Rugs, for the effect that you want to achieve. A bit of blending and good choice of materials for rugs , and your house is pretty fabulous with minimal decorations.
Contemporary Rugs are always in style, and you can design your whole living room around a particularly good design. If your aim is to dress the floor to impress, this is the best way to do it.
