Into it. Over it.

Into it: Neutral colors

Let your decorations and location shine with uncomplicated colors - especially when it comes to furniture. 

Image source: http://www.stylemepretty.com/gallery/picture/528051/

(So) Over it: Satin chair covers, of any kind.

We get it - the chairs at your venue aren't the greatest. But adorning them with silk is not the answer! Let's say goodbye to this trend. What say you? 

Save the Dates & Invitations - The How To

Guest Author: Kaylee Page

Save the Dates and Invitations are valuable assets in making a successful event. But they aren’t the same! As an Executive Assistant, I’m often handling both as well as managing the RSVP’ing, adding the details to the calendar, etc.   

With that perspective in mind, here are a few points to consider when addressing both so as to maximize the experience:

Save the Dates are simple.

A Save the Date is simple and has a simple purpose. It’s a notification that an event is happening and that you’d liked folks to hold a date and time on their calendars and anxiously await further details. It’s the first you’re guests will experience of your event so make it count – beautiful and branded – but keep it simple.

Where can you go wrong?

By providing too much information on a Save the Date it can come across like an invitation. By the time you send the actual invitations your guests (or their assistants) will be left wondering, Did I already get this? 

To avoid this confusion, ensure that both the Save the Date and Invite are noticeably different (all while maintaining your brand). The best sure-fire way to do this is to keep the Save the Date text as simple as possible.

Need Examples?

Save the Date: Sponsor Appreciation Event
October 8, 3pm-6pm.

Save the Date: MyIdea Presents Speaker Jackie Maxwell
March 12 @ 12PM.

If it’s a corporate event, maybe (maaaaaybe) you add a little additional details just to wet their appetite and get it on their calendar.

And I’ll just say it: Don’t put an RSVP on the Save the Date! That gets confusing – for everyone. The assistant has to go back and search the email log and try to recall if an RSVP was made.  If there is no assistant to provide a response, the attendee will end up providing their RSVP six times, which is a waste of their time. So keep it simple and easy – there is only one call-to-action with a Save the Date and that’s to… Save. The. Date. 

For Invitations, remember to include:

• Title of Event
• Date
• Time
• Location
• Attire
• Special instructions (parking, bring a suit, food menu) 

A good rule-of-thumb is to imagine your guests are coming to the event without you there. Do they know when and where to show up? Do they know why they are attending? Do they know what to wear? Do they know if the event serves a meal (if not, they may want to eat beforehand!)? Do they need a suit and towel – or pen and paper? Are gifts or donations being made?

When to send a Save the Date

For the social events, Save the Dates are crucially important for summer months, spring breaks (high school and college) and the major holiday seasons. For corporate events, Save the Dates need to go out 3-6 months in advance for high level executive calendars and 1-2 months out for the ongoing events in the corporate world.

Following these simple tips will leave you and your guests informed and excited for your upcoming event.

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About the Author: Kaylee Page is an event planner, a writer, and overall manager of details at Start Garden. 

Four tips for an unforgettable event

Guest Author: Kaylee Page

Whether it’s your first time planning an event or you’ve done it a million times, there are four things to always keep in mind when planning an unforgettable event.

Keep it simple.

"Don’t bite off more than you can chew" is a phrase we hear often. And it’s so true in event planning. If too much is taken on to accomplish, the branding gets sloppy and the logistics of it all becomes overwhelming. Stick to a few things and do them well. 

Try this:  For a recent corporate event, I focused on these three blocks: food, programming, and free time. This allows me to not try and add too much movement for the guests and allows me to spend time creating the experience of each block.

Guide your guests.

Have you ever showed up to an event and didn't know where to get a drink? Have you ever attended an event and wondered when the programming was going to end so that you could just get some food in your stomach? The best planned events provide a very clear and understandable experience for your guests. Your guests want to know what they are attending and why – what’s in it for them? They want to leave knowing exactly what they achieved – fun? education? network?  Make sure to think through the event minute by minute and piece by piece. Where are the bathrooms? Will I guest have to walk in front of everyone to get there? If so, they’re not going to remember much about your event other than how embarrassed they were when the bathroom door slammed!

Try this:  First, signage is always an awesome thing! And instead of the typical handwritten sharpie note taped to the door, use this opportunity to show off your brand a bit. Second, think of one or two of your guests and map out their experience of your event on paper. By doing this, you'll identify the important touch points of your event and where you can make a difference. 

Make them smile.

If you can make your guests smile, you’ve nailed it. Do something unique, crazy, different, fun. Think out of the box and take risks! Allow others into your planning and see if you can get them to smile. An event they've never experience before will leave folks talking for days – and all it can require is making them smile!

Try this:  Put a childhood treat at their seats! Razzles are the best for this. Your guests will smile and laugh reflecting on childhood memories – and will make new memories as an adult as they chomp, chew and smack each piece.

Avoid the horrendous.

It is better to not serve food than to serve less-than-mediocre food. If something noticeably bad, it will be remembered – and talked about. I know this seems obvious but what can often happen as a planner is getting caught up with too many ideas and plans - without the budget or time to make them awesome. The goal is remind yourself that nothing is ever worth it, just for the sake of having it. Let’s be honest, you don’t want your event unforgettable because it was so horrible.

Try this: If you can’t afford good food, make a fancy drink! If you can’t afford linens that match, find fancy plate-ware to distract from the absence of linen. 

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About the Author: Kaylee Page is an event planner, a writer, and overall manager of details at Start Garden. 

Photo credit: This header photo is from Oh Happy Day - and they are great. Here is the post it's from all about pop-up dinner parties.