unpredictable weather

weather can play such an important starring role in your event. By its very nature - it sets a mood:

sunny and hot - a bright active event

windy and cool - might want to huddle together or take it indoors

gray skies - contemplative wondering

Well in Hawaii - weather can be a very fluid thing - evening and morning showers can still birth a fairly sunny and 80-degree warm day - with gentle tradewinds -- followed by yet more afternoon showers. I'm still wondering what today's weather will bring? Skies are blue, yet showers and gray clouds keep floating by...I'm hoping that the sun does come out and warm things up/dry things up so I can move the picnic tables under our tent for this evening's Mexican Fiesta Grilled meal.

Around the Corner - planning your next celebration

The next celebration is always right around the corner - an informal soiree, a casual dinner party of close friends, a happy hour gathering, or a grand affair for 100s of friends. The key to making that date around the corner a success is proper planning, focus, and ability to stay organized and manage all the details. I recently found a web tool that can allow you to track your event planning in a collaborative environment.

In particular, I've been challenged by my addiction to Outlook which I have in my "regular" job to manage contacts, emails, events, tasks and colleague collaboration. In contrast, while at home - I utilize my yahoo calendar, yahoo address book and often the good 'ol pad of scratch paper near the kitchen phone to jot down to do lists, reminders, and the lot. So for me the missing piece for sure was the digitally equipped task and to do list. I may have found my solution in a new software release by 37signals -- Highrise. This web-based software is a scaleable solution for an online contact manager and simple CRM. Now allowing me to keep track of all those vendors (the caterer, the equipment rental, entertainers & others), what was said, and what to do next. A variety of pricing schedules are available and even a completely FREE option which can be upgraded as your needs change and business grows. Other features include: the ability to enter and review notes from calls, meetings, emails, conversations, etc. in a basic CRM; Set up email and mobile phone reminders to get things done; and customize the page with my logo/brand colors.

It has the feel of a big business tool for the small business and I believe it's a great resource for professional as well as the "at-home" party planner. I'll be managing the planning tasks for the next big event on Highrise as well as the business of keeping our home lives in order. Watchout Martha...

TWO much fun PARTY
yes --it's that time to graduate from ONE to TWO...two years old that is.



so far here are the ingredients for what will be a wonderful pa'ina...

kids, cake, candles

keiki food: chili dogs and nachos, carrot cake cupcakes, glitteratti popcorn

Poi supper for the adults (kalua pig, lomi salmon, laulau, rice and BEEF STEW)

games: playdoh fun station, bubbles, sprinkler, pinata, pin the tail on the inflatable donkey, be a papparazzi photo fun station, shake your own icecream in a bag.

the baby party revisited

at the core of the baby party is fun, food and frolick...say what? well - you need to create an atmosphere that's going to be fun for all your guests - from 0 - 99 years young. Food that's not only yummy but age appropriate too - you may want fare that's gourmet - but thinkabout what the keiki want to eat tooo. And frolick.. what elements of your party atmosphere will keep things flowing, moving, changing and creating dynamic memories?

Here are my tips:

FUN -

Adults - strolling magic, live band, hypnotist

Keiki - clowns, bouncers, balloons, face painting, petting zoo

FOOD -

Adults - bar, buffet line, hors doevres, bbq

Keiki - finger foods, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs

FROLICK -

Adults - change lighting, music, food stations, interactive entertainment

Keiki - make and take projects, party games, physical activities

when your party kicks a$$
every host/hostess wants the ultimate reward - to know that their party kicked a$$ big time... here's the top clues:

folks still talking about the party 2 weeks later, 1 month later, a year later or more....

folks who weren't invited and weren't there still talking about the party 2 weeks later, 1 month later, a year later or more....

some of the photos aren't approved for public distribution (hehee)

people saying they wished they were at your party who missed it

strangers sayng they wished they were at your party

twenty years down the road - people still saying the party kicked a$$

cancellations
they sometimes happen - and well they aren't always clean....depending on who is doing the cancelling - deposits could be lost - lawsuits could ensue...and in general - it's just a stressful time for all parties involved.

take a number
well I will have the honor practically when my own cause de celebre is pau to guide another happy couple down the aisle. their special date is may 2006. i'm excited for the newly engaged as my own bridal meltdown quickly approaches in less than 15 weeks.

surprise
just attended a surprise anniversary party - a very laid back affair that started in the mid-afternoon - - the guests of honor arrived 3.5 hours after the start...surprised as ever and very apologetic for having made everyone wait for them....the hostess with the mostess had arranged fake invitations for them - and they arrived under the guise of attending someone else's anniversary party...food was potluck + byob - so there was more than enough for the 100+ guests. a smorgasborg of local favorites and some special "rare" potluck additions like pateles & dinaguan.

countdown to celebration
there are less than 24 weeks till the big day and my mind is still focused on minutae details of our celebration "of love". How cheesy is that..anyways - what should a bride with six months left be thinking about if she hasn't already?

Last weekend's Hawaii Bridal Expo was an extravaganza of wedding vendors ready to calm even the most nervous brides. I didn't go - what? didn't go to the expo - maybe the last one before the big day?? nope - been there done that...I'm on enough mailing lists and have already made vendor selections - so the expo was not on my to do list....several other brides in the office did their shopping there and were quite successful though- even taking their fiance's along - getting ideas for cake design, invitations and miscellanea.

here are my top 5 items:
1. bridal attire - scheduling fittings, design sessions, etc.
2. pairing down the guest list - and collecting snail mail addresses or emails
3. making my wine - so it has more time for aging...
4. finalizing - floor plan and equipment rental needs
5. finessing the catering menu and plan

the catering meeting
recently had the catering meeting for my wedding plans - the meeting went smoothly, an informal gathering of the chef, myself and my planning buddy at a local honolulu eatery. The casual dining atmosphere meant we were relaxed and ready for some getting to know you and "everything you want for your wedding" conversation. So what do you have to expect to be asked from/by a caterer and what should you ask?

What they may ask?
1. name of bride & groom
2. date of function, location of function, time for meal service
3. theme/ colors
4. Menu ideas
5. allergies/ special needs
6. beverage service
7. Style of food service - plated, portions, buffet, self-serve food stations
8. will there be outside food? donations from family/friends?
9. what style of decor? florals? ice sculpture?
10. Is there an on-site kitchen at your location - what are the amenities?
11. Is water Potable/non-potable?
12. Is the setting outdoor, indoor, tented?


What you should ask?
1. Be clear on what kind of caterer this is - are they full-service, do they offer a la carte service, specialty, etc.
2. How strict are they on outside food? other kitchens, other food prep/chefs, etc.
3. Who do they take direction from? in our case - He's only gonna jump for me or my planner. No one else.
4. How many staff will they have on-site for your function?
5. How do they deal with leftovers? length of time for food service?
6. do they have a portfolio? references?
7. Given the time of your function when will they be on-site? When will they breakdown, cleanup equipment, etc.?
8. Are they familiar with your location?
9. What types of precautions do they take to ensure freshness?
10. what sort of equipment might they be bringing on site?
11. What are their equipment rental needs - tables.tents.
12. When will they get you a proposal?
13. do they do tastings?
14. How much of the food will be prepared fresh on-site? off-site?

with a bang
just got my AWAD (that's a word of the day) i usually glance at them - expand my vocabulary for the day then delete - but this one really caught my interest. In western realms - there are bells to be rung after the wedded couple leaves the church; in eastern cultures clanging on the glassware is quite common to "force" the couple to kiss or in Chinese Tradition the Lion Dance and fireworks are quite noisy too; more modern phenomena include fireworks & pyrotechnics for evening affairs. Enjoy the AWAD!

shivaree (shiv-uh-REE) noun, also chivaree, chivari, charivari

A noisy, mock serenade to a newly married couple, involving the
banging
of kettles, pots and pans.

[From French charivari (din, hullabaloo).]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus:
http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=shivaree

"We refrained from celebrating their marriage with primitive
gestures,
such as a shivaree, even though pots and pans were readily available
for nocturnal banging."
Julie Salamon; Ten for the Honeymoon; The Wall Street Journal (New
York);
Aug 27, 1986.

"Friends tried to subject them to a shivaree, but the joke was on
them.
The bride and groom were nowhere to be found."
Friends For Life; Capital-Journal (Topeka, Kansas); Mar 21, 2004.

a New milestone
Thanks out there to whoever you all are reading here...we just passed 1,000 unique visitors!!!


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simple soiree
i attended a very simple gathering of friends and "new" friends at a Portlock home last evening...the essentials that made it a great party were - "hostess", "guest of honor", some guests, drinks, food, and an activity. Well nothing really rocket science about that? Decorations were minimal - the birthday girl was decorated - sparkling head to toe in a shimmery body spray and crowned with a "Birthday Girl" tiara; the other party embellishment was a Tiki like pinata hung in the center of the space. Drinks and food were self-service and the entire evening was quite organic - allowing guests to roam and drink and feed freely. The most memorable portion that made this truly a great party - was the ACTIVITY. In one corner of the space, a table was set with a wide selection of glazes, stencils, painting pallettes, paintbrushes and a "blank" coffee mug favor which each guest would get to put their own creative signature upon. It was quite fun and quite meticulous at that as well. The guest of honor chose a "honu" design - her family 'aumakua. My design was more fauna-licious - somewhat a hodgepodge of ferns over the blank template. there was also a great pasta platter piece which the entire group would get to add their touches to for the birthday celebrant to have at the end of the evening. I'm looking forward to seeing the birthday girl again in about a week when she delivers the "fired" treasures...

cause for celebration
most anything can be a cause for celebration. There are the normal expected celebrations: birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, promotions, out of town guests, reunions, holidays. But now - in the vocabulary of party - anything is game - heck people have divorce "parties" these days...

Need to bring some cheer and levity to your life? celebrate - even without "reason". Here are some ideas to get the party started:

Start of Summer/ End of Summer Bash

Wine/Martini/ Beer tasting

Progressive Dinner

Potlucks

Pub Crawl

A car Cruise

Beach Cleanup and BBQ

It's Wednesday (pick your favorite day of the week) party

Worst Singer Karaoke Party

heavy Pupu Potluck

Movie Marathon

Group Crafting/ Scrapbooking

Make a Lei Day

Impromptu visits with Relatives "Christmas in July"

First/ Second/ Third - Pick a day of the week party

Full Moon Party

New Moon Party

friday the 13ths

Scavenger Hunt

Fine Dining Nite