The Most Wonderful Time of Year!

I am still having a hard time adjusting to the fact that it is December.  As mentioned in an earlier post I LOVE Christmas so I welcome it, but it just happened so fast!  Right now I am busy preparing for the holidays, and our annual Christmas party.  After planning other people's special events throughout the year, I always have a lot of fun planning one of our own for our friends and family.  In light of up my upcoming event, I wanted to share a few Christmas party tips.

When planning for a Holiday Party, I always start with decor.  It's important to enhance your current space with festive items.  Before you buy a bunch of decorations, take some time in your space to brainstorm.  What color schemes are already in place?  What holiday colors would work best?  What colors would not work at all?  In the interest of planning within a budget, I always make a decor wish list before I commit to anything.  Once I make the wish list, I sit on it for a little while, which helps you prioritize.  I love crafting, so sometimes the items on my wish list involve some type of creation and/or assembly.  Waiting to purchase helps me realize what I have the time and energy for, and what is most important.  One decor item I made last year literally took me weeks.  But it was something that I really wanted, and had been wanting to do for a very long time.  So it was worth it!  Not everything is.  When choosing your decor items, incorporate them into the setup of your space, utilize things you already have.  This will not only help on cost, but will make setting up much easier.

When you have a Holiday Party, remember that  you are not the only one that wants to have friends and family over for fun.  It's important to plan ahead so that you can invite everyone in time.  It's competitive out there!  My rule of thumb for parties is to send your invitations one month out, but during the holidays, it doesn't hurt to get them out a little earlier.  I figure once Halloween has come and gone, it's practically Christmas already, so get those invites in the mail!  When choosing your date, I recommend you don't get too close to the actual holiday.  If you do, you may run into problems with guests that are traveling, or have other commitments.  If you put the effort into planning for a party, you want to have guests there!  Some of my favorite places for invitations are Tiny Prints, 123 Print, and Vista Print.

An important part of any party is food and beverage.  Just like you are enhancing your space with decor, you want to plan for appropriate food and beverage.  If you choose to have your party during a meal time, people will expect to eat there.  If you want to save on food costs, choose a time that avoids a meal time, such as mid-afternoon.  It's easy to get carried away with having tons of different food options.  Consider having a handful of items, but plenty of each.  This can help on cost, and it will definitely help out with your preparation.  Here is a great resource from Martha Stewart, it has party themes with coordinating menus.  Some of her menu items are quite labor-intensive, so if that's not your style, just use her ideas as inspiration for your own creations.  I am frequently asked how to figure out how much alcohol you need to have for a party.  A rule of thumb is three drinks per person, but that doesn't always apply.  I found a little tool called a Drink Calculator from Evite a while back, and it has come in handy more than once.  Check it out!

You may want to have games or activities at your party.  Consider your space when planning games.  Avoid activities that require everyone to be in one room if your space doesn't have the room to do so.  Here is a good resource for game ideas.

I hope these few tips are helpful to you in planning your holiday party!  And remember, if planning isn't your thing, give Charlotte Event Style a call!

~Alisa
info@charlotteeventstyle.com
704.960.2262

Turkey Time!

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week?  This year has just flown by, but I welcome my favorite time of year with open arms!  I just love the holidays, especially Christmas.  Don't hold it against me, but I will joyfully listen to any Christmas songs on the radio before Thanksgiving, it's never too soon!  But let's certainly not pass over Thanksgiving without giving it the spotlight that it deserves.

One of the reasons I love the holidays is because it brings out the joy and kindness in many people.  Sure, we should be kind all year long, but it seems that the holidays always remind us of what's really important.  2011 has been a fast and blessed year.  I am so grateful for my loving husband, family and friends.  Each of them bless me every day!  I am also so thankful for the wonderful clients and colleagues that I have met through Charlotte Event Style.  I don't know how I always get so lucky to have such fun clients!  And if you are reading this, thank you!  I never saw myself as a blogger, and I have a long ways to go to be great blogger, but it's been fun and I hope you have enjoyed my posts.

I also love Thanksgiving because it means lots of delicious food!  It's so wonderful to gather the family at my parents' house for a big meal.  My grandmother who is now a whopping 91 years old taught me to make her sweet potato casserole several years ago, so that is always my dish to make.  Sweet potatoes cooked with butter, sugar and brown sugar; then topped with golden brown marshmallows.  What's not to love?  I love to cook, and am always searching for new recipes.  One of my favorite holiday recipe sources is Better Homes and Gardens online.  Check out their Thanksgiving recipes, decoration ideas and tips. Be sure to check out the planning tips too!

Here is a classic picture of Thanksgiving with my family:  Dad carving the turkey, my mom and I working out the gravy, and my dear sister chatting it up :)  This was the first year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house!

It is a busy time here at CES, as we are prepping for Shaina and Josh's wedding this coming weekend in Chimney Rock, NC.  I cannot express how excited I am about this wedding.  It's going to be beautiful, and Shaina will no doubt be absolutely stunning.  Check out the venue below....need I say more?

~Alisa

info@charlotteeventstyle.com

704.960.2262

Too Many Mouths to Feed?

So you are planning your wedding, which means you want to be surrounded by loved ones to share in the celebration.  Something about a wedding brings out the desire to invite your BFF from kindergarten, your 2nd grade teacher, and your parents' co-workers from three jobs ago; not to mention all of the people currently in your life.  Of course everyone who has ever meant something to you should be there, right? Often the guest list is a sore subject among brides, grooms and their families.  It's hard to rationally decide who makes the cut.   Now if you are working within a budget, and most brides are, that means some tough decisions are going to have to be made.  The cold harsh reality is that every person that attends your wedding is another mouth to feed.  The reception is the biggest part of your budget, and that hinges mostly on the number of guests you have, along with what the guests are offered for food and drink.

I see it over and over, the battle of the guest list.  It's certainly not an easy task.  Need to cut your guest list, but don't know where to begin?  Here's a little tool from Wedding Bee that may be helpful to you:



This is a systematic approach to narrowing down your guest list, and I think it's great.  It asks fair questions that get you to a sensible answer.  If you are in the middle of the guest list struggle, give this handy little tool a try!

Another guest list slicer is an adult reception.  This will depend entirely on your individual situation, but if there aren't children that play an integral part in your wedding, this may be a great option for you.  Sure they are a smaller cost per person, as they wouldn't be hitting up the bar and they may qualify for a lesser meal price, but the little tykes do add up!

Made all of the cuts you can, and still over budget?  There are definitely ways to keep your guest list where you want it, and stay within budget.  It means sacrificing somewhere, but it's up to you where the sacrifice is made:

• Choose less expensive food options
• Limit alcohol by having only beer and wine or a shorter bar time
• Having your wedding earlier in the day allows for less expensive food options, and people typically don't drink as much

Hopefully these tips will lead you down the path to finding the perfect balance of guest list and budget.  Happy planning!

Need help?  Give us a call!  704.960.2262 or info@charlotteeventstyle.com