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Many of the same steps required for corporate event planning can also be translated to corporate conference planning.  We were recently hired by the skin care company, Aesthetics Plus to produce a training day for their estheticians here in Los Angeles.

We started out by asking what the budget was for this corporate conference, then researched venues and selected a final round of three corporate event planning sites that would meet the needs of this skin care company.  Aesthetics Plus decided upon having their conference at the Los Angeles Music Center, a Patina Group venue.  (Other important event planning budget requirements can be found on pages 5-10 in Budget Bash.)

This corporate conference for aesthetician training purposes included a meet and greet, information about the skin care company and the latest skin care product information, product sales and guest speakers to name a few of the corporate event planning elements.  And let’s not forget the all important lunch catered by Patina Catering.

One of the important elements in producing this corporate conference was to create an elegant event within the provided budget parameters.  The skin care company wanted to ensure that for their initial conference, a polished event look and feel was established as a footprint for future corporate event planning conferences.

When I walked into the room this morning, I was wowed by the transformation of the event site by the client’s use of signage and product placement.  They even had a signature chocolate candy bar at each place setting for that middle of the day “pick-me-up.”

To keep the conference moving and stay within the time allotment of the room rental, we decided to serve a box lunch which met all dietary restrictions.  It is important with all events whether they are social or involve corporate event planning that each attendee’s dietary needs are met whether they are vegetarian or not.  We did this by offering a selection of the following:  Cobb salad, turkey sandwich or fresh tomato, buffalo mozzarella cheese and basil sandwich.  Each lunch was served with bottled water in addition to ice tea.

To make sure each attendee received the correct lunch, we not only labeled the lunches at the buffet, but the skin care company also labeled the attendees’ name tags with their luncheon selection.

Finally, it is important for any corporate conference that the attendees can easily find the venue where the conference is taking place.   Aesthetics Plus accomplished this by providing a link on their invitation to the event site’s directional website.  I can’t begin to tell you as a guest how many times I have been either lost or late to an event because of poor directions or a wrong address.  It is always best during the event planning process to ensure the correct venue address is provided, and if possible, an accurate site map as well.

Again, whether you are planning a social event or a corporate conference, many of the same corporate event planning elements are involved.  Learning upfront the client’s budget and sticking to it, ensuring that all guests are comfortable with the selection of food provided at the event and that the guests receive the correct address and most current driving directions in order to arrive to the event on time.

This skin care company met these requirements and provided a great atmosphere for their attendees to learn and have fun in.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra:  make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun and economical for all!

In keeping with the green theme for your St Patricks Day party, I thought I would provide you with some ideas for your dinner table decorations using succulent plants.  However, please note that in this article about St Patrick’s Day decorations, green will be referred to as good for the environment green.

Daily we are reminded about our environment and the importance of recycling, reusing and reducing everything we use.  Florists and restaurants are now getting on board with this mantra as well.  Recently, I have noticed various restaurants using succulent plants as table decorations on their dining room tables.  Bar arrangements and front desk floral arrangements are incorporating succulents as well.

According to Sherene Hulugalle, (who’s flowers are featured in this article), owner of Wisteria Lane Flower Shop, the idea of using succulent plants for table decorations is that once the flowers fade, the succulents can be re-planted and will keep growing.  Also, succulents don’t use as much water and will last longer and their colors will be more vibrant.

Another fact about succulent plants is that they last a long time as long as they are in well drained soil and watered regularly. They can thrive indoors as long as they have indirect sunlight.

Here are a few ideas for table decorations for your St Patrick’s Day party.  Incorporate succulent plants with cymbidium orchids in a flower arrangement as seen above.  The green aspect will be the succulents and to bring a bit of color in, use a pink orchid in the arrangement for your St Patrick’s Day decorations. (Other simple flower ideas can be found in Budget Bash – Simply Fabulous Events on a Budget.)

Using wheat grass is another idea incorporating green table decorations at your St Patrick’s Day party.  Use wheat grass on your dinner table and then place votive candles sporadically within the grass.  At the 5th Annual SAG Awards, we did this type of flower arrangement on the tables.

Be sure to place something underneath the wheat grass to keep the table dry.  Also, I suggest you use tea light votive candles to ensure there is plenty of room from the flame to the top of the glass votive candle holder.

Why not add a bit of color to your wheat grass arrangement with succulent plants?  You can place Zwartkop which has hues of purple within the grass.  Or you can also use a pretty ribbon and tie clusters of succulent plants such as Echeveria and then place them on the table.  Surround the Echeveria with black rocks to add texture and contrast to your St Patrick’s Day decorations.

Another idea is to place a row of simple one potted Carmen succulent plants down the center of the table for décor.  Then incorporate a combination of green and white votive candles along with pillar candles.  This centerpiece will bring a sophisticated look to your St Patricks Day party table decorations while keeping within the green theme.

I hope you found these ideas for St Patrick’s Day decorations using succulent plants helpful for your table decorations and until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun and economical to all!

We had our tasting for the PCRM 25th Anniversary Gala on Friday at The Lot, and as the special event planner, I wanted to share with you one of the vegan dishes we will be serving at the event.

As a tray passed appetizer, one of the vegan dishes featured will be this Vegetable Samosa with a Serrano Chili Dipping Sauce.   Of course, as the special event planner, I had to try more than one to ensure the guests at the event will enjoy the food!

Working as the special event planner for the past year on this event, I have learned so much about vegan dishes, the importance of a plant-based diet to prevent heart disease, diabetes and other health-related issues as well as the unnecessary need for labs to use animals for medical testing.

For some more simple yet delicious recipes for vegan dishes, look up pages 98 to 106 in Budget Bash, a book I wrote that compiles my 15 plus years of special event planner experience.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra:  keep it simple, delicious, stylish, fun and economical to all!

Party event planners are always looking for the next best thing for their events all the time, no matter if they are private parties, weddings or corporate functions.  More demands are made daily for party planners to create green events and since St Paddy’s Day is close at hand why not create an easy St. Patrick’s Day themed green event?

Green events are becoming more common and when party event planners are asked to produce a green event the first keywords to remember should be to reduce, recycle and reuse various components of a previous event.  For St Paddy’s Day party décor, dust off those green candles from your December holiday parties.  As party favors, why not give away small tree samplings that your guests can plant and watch grow throughout the years?

Other green event party décor ideas include creating place card holders with corks from previously opened champagne and wine bottles.  Don’t have enough corks?  Then just ask a few neighborhood restaurants to save some for you a few days or weeks before your party St Paddy’s Day party.

Make it easy on yourself with invitations and send out e-invites.  There are many websites now that feature this service for free.

Still like mailed invitations?  Why not use seeded paper and after the party, either you or your guests can plant the invitations and watch them grow into potted plants a literal take on green events.  (Other invitation suggestions and advice can be found on pages 15 to 19 in Budget Bash.)

Caterers are also leaning more towards green events when working with party event planners.  More and more caterers now look to local suppliers and farmers to provide the produce and equipment for their green event and in turn, this action cuts down on the event’s carbon footprint.  Creating a menu with seasonal food is another means caterers are using to help promote green events.

It’s not hard to produce a green event even for novice party event planners: it just takes a bit of thought, product exploration and flexibility.  In fact, here is a fun green-themed cocktail party menu to consider for your St Paddy’s Day party.

Cocktail Party Menu

 Green Vegetable Crudités with Warm Artichoke Dip

Pesto Cheese Tortellini Skewers

Chipotle Chili Cheese Poppers

Stuffed Grape Leaves Drizzled with Olive Oil

 Mini-Spinach Salad Cups

Dessert

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

Green Apple Bites Covered with Caramel

Beverages

Apple Martini

Mint Iced Tea and Green Tea

Many of these menu items can be bought already prepared at your local market or deli.  The recipe for the artichoke dip along with other menus, recipes, party planning ideas and advice can be found in Budget Bash.

I hope you found these ideas for green events helpful for your St Paddy’s Day celebration and until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun and economical to all!

Saint Patrick Day is just around the corner so why not take a healthful approach to what you serve with these easy vegan recipes for vegetable side dishes.  Celebrating with holiday parties is fun and since there will be plenty of green beer to sip on make sure to include some fresh healthful food for your event.

It’s easy and cool to offer shot glasses filled with celery or asparagus soup.  Asparagus soup is one of the many easy vegan recipes that you can do the night before and then after work, simply take the soup out of the fridge, fill your shot glasses and serve on Saint Patrick Day.

How about green olive tapenade on a toasted sourdough baguette?  For holiday parties on Saint Patrick Day this dip can be made a few days in advance and again, just pull it out of the fridge prior to guest arrival and serve either already topped on the baguette or as one of your vegetable side dishes. (Recipe for olive tapenade can be found on page 83 in Budget Bash.)

Other vegetable side dishes your friends would enjoy on Saint Patrick Day are a cucumber salad with balsamic vinaigrette, Waldorf salad, fennel and mint salad or a cucumber and seaweed salad.

Of course, keeping it vegan and real let’s not forget a bowl of edaname either cold or warm with or without salt.  All of these easy vegan recipes mentioned for your holiday parties won’t take much time and some can be made well in advanced, refrigerated overnight and then quickly transferred into fun and simple serving dishes as vegetable side dishes.

Roasted Asparagus Soup Recipe

2 1/2 lbs. thin asparagus, trimmed & cut into 2″ pieces
2 leaks, white & light green parts only, cleaned and finely chopped
2 T. Olive Oil
salt & pepper to taste
2 1/2 C. vegetable broth
Chives for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a heavy roasting pan, combine asparagus, leeks, olive oil , slat and pepper.  Mix to combine.

Roast, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes or until leeks are golden brown & asparagus are tender.

Transfer the vegetables to a blender and add the broth.  Process until completely pureed, taste to adjust seasonings.

Pour soup into shot glasses & garnish with chives if desired.

Waldorf Salad Recipe

3-4 Granny Smith Apples
2 Celery stalks, thinly sliced
4 oz. walnut pieces or pecans chopped
Mixed greens if desired
French vinaigrette dressing

Cut a few slices of apple with the skin on for decoration and then peel and core the rest of the apple and cut into thin strips.  Toss the apple slices in lemon juice to prevent apples from turning brown.

Add the chopped celery, apple slices, nuts and mixed greens and toss with French vinaigrette.

French Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

2 tbs. Dijon mustard
2 tbs champagne vinegar
6 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix ingredients in a cruet and serve with salad.

I hope you found these easy vegan recipes for vegetable side dishes fun to make for your holiday parties on Saint Patrick Day.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun and economical to all!

As a wedding event planner, I wanted to share with you some ideas for you to think about when you are planning a wedding on a budget.  As I tell all my brides, when planning your wedding it is important to determine a budget and stick to it or you will find costs spiraling out of control.

Here is a simple yet elegant idea for you to use when planning a wedding on a budget.   Purchase different types of votive candle holders.  As a wedding event planner, I advise my clients to be on the lookout and pick up candle holders where ever they might find them, or if there is a party or craft store, check out the store’s inventory and don’t be afraid to mix and match color, shape or size.

Planning your wedding can take up to a year or more so that gives you plenty of time to find a variety of votive candle holders.  Go for an eclectic look, you don’t necessarily have to have the same type of votive holder on each table.

Using candlelight can add a new dimension of decor and romance when planning a wedding on a budget.  Also as you can see in this picture below, you can mix and match simple votive holders with ones that are more decorative and detailed.  The simple votive candle holders are in the background with the more detailed candle holders on the table.

Want to add some color to the table? One of the tips I suggest as a wedding event planner is to use rose petals which you can easily purchase in a variety of colors.  You can also arrange individual loose flowers on the table or you can use ribbon and tie these loose flowers together in small bunches. (For more easy and inexpensive flower arrangements, go to pages 59-65 in Budget Bash.)

Finally, when planning a wedding think about bringing something in that has sentimental value or meaning.   Maybe your family has a white decorative table linen that you can use as an overlay on the reception or cake table.  Setting up family pictures at the sign-in or reception tables is another idea especially if you can find pictures that date back two to three generations, all of which were taken on their respective wedding days.

I hope you find these simple ideas useful if you are planning a wedding on a budget.   Again, as a wedding event planner, I stress the importance of determining your budget in the beginning and maintaining it throughout the process of planning your wedding.

Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra; make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun and economical to all!

When planning your wedding, no matter what season you are getting married in, consider white wedding flowers.  I was recently at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City and I saw a spectacular reception table centerpiece using white winter wedding flowers.  As a wedding event planner, I am always on the look out for new and different ways to incorporate wedding floral arrangements.

White wedding flowers always give the room an elegant look and feel.  You have so many options with adding color in other areas of the room as well as your wedding when you use white wedding floral arrangements.  A black and white wedding where the wedding party except for the bride is dressed in black stands out beautifully against an all white decorated room.

When planning your wedding, consider bringing in color in other areas of your wedding reception such as the wedding cake or room lighting.  If you dress your bridal party in black, you can compliment them with a black and white fleur-de-lis pattern on the wedding cake.

Want a winter wonderland feel to the room? Add blue up-lighting to the walls and include a white dance floor with a gobo to illuminate it.  (More special event lighting ideas can be found starting on page 26 in Budget Bash.)

As a wedding event planner, I enjoy seeing other industry work especially when I am traveling.  This past weekend, while I was staying at the Waldorf-Astoria I happen to snap this picture incorporating orchids used as winter wedding flowers.  I am sure these wedding floral arrangements were very expensive but you also have to consider how simplistic they are considering only white flowers are being used.

Common white wedding flowers used in these arrangements are white roses and white hydrangeas.  To give these wedding floral arrangements some depth, it appears that green cymbidium orchids were used as well.  What makes these arrangements using winter wedding flowers so extravagant and expensive are the amount of flowers used with no green fillers.

Looking to emulate these white wedding flowers when planning your wedding?  Start by making the top part of the centerpiece smaller.  Instead of wrapping white orchids from the base of the flower tree to the top, use white birch branches or better yet, wrap white French ribbon around the base that holds these flower balls.  Instead of hanging white orchids from the top of the centerpieces, use clear glass beads.

On my next post, I will provide some more wedding event planner tips on using white wedding flowers to create wedding floral arrangements on a budget.  Until then, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

I was recently hired as a wedding coordinator for a wedding that occurred over the Valentine’s Day weekend and I wanted to share with you the options you have with white wedding flowers for your wedding table décor.

For this wedding, we used white wedding flowers since the wedding day occurred one day before Valentine’s Day.  As a wedding coordinator, I always advise my clients to try and stay clear of major holidays in which flowers are an important element such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or even Christmas.  Wholesale flower costs always increase temporarily during these times of the year.

However, wedding dates are set and as a wedding coordinator we have to work around them and provide our brides with the most for their money.  For this wedding, the wedding table décor consisted of white flowers since the theme was Winter Wonderland.

White roses and hydrangeas were used along with white votive candles wrapped with lemon leaves and white ribbon.  In addition, white floating and pillar candles were part of the wedding table décor. The linen was white sequined and silver napkins were tied with white ribbon.  (For more theme ideas including napkin folding instructions check out my easy-to-read book, Budget Bash.)

The Winter Wonderland theme worked perfectly for this past weekend since Valentine’s Day was the day after the wedding and we were able to avoid using the expensive red and pink roses usually sent on Valentine’s Day.  In fact for added flower décor, we interspersed crystals throughout the centerpieces as well.

We took a cue from the guest wedding table décor and incorporated the same look and feel for the sweetheart table using heavily clustered white wedding flowers along with floating white candles and clear crystals as seen in the picture above.

The place card table for guest seating also illustrated our white Winter Wonderland theme with a white silk table linen and a tall crystal tree wrapped with white wedding flowers.  Clear crystal beads as well as battery operated votive candles hung from the tree to enhance the wedding table decor.  The guest cards were white and for the party gift, white cake boxes were filled with wedding cake for guests to take home.

One of the important roles of a wedding coordinator is to make sure that all the elements of the wedding flow from the invitation to the ceremony and finally to the guest reception.  Sometimes, as in this wedding, last minute changes are made.

Even though the original theme was a black and white art deco theme used on the invitations, we were able to coordinate the new Winter Wonderland theme within two days of the wedding.  We did this by substituting the colored flowers for white wedding flowers, exchanging black and white linen for white sequined linen, black napkins for silver and black chiavari chairs for crystal clear chiavari chairs.  And no one ever knew!

I hope you found this article about white wedding flowers and wedding table décor helpful for your wedding day.  To learn more cost-saving and helpful wedding planning tips, simply pick up your copy of Budget Bash – Simply Fabulous Events on a Budget and remember to keep in mind the Budget Bash mantra; make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Amuse bouche is a fun way to start your Valentine menu for your Valentine Day dinner.  Your amuse bouche can be anything from a soup served in a shot glass to a bite-sized beautifully prepared vegetable.

In keeping with this weekend’s Valentine menu, why not keep it red such as tomato soup or a stuffed tomato? There are many variations of stuffed tomatoes that you can prepare as an amuse bouche for your Valentine Day dinner.

One stuffed tomato recipe is to sauté onions and celery.  Then add herbs and breadcrumbs with a bit of water to create a paste.  Using medium tomatoes scoop out the center and stuff the tomatoes with the stuffing.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30 minutes and serve.

Other amuse bouche stuffed tomato mixture ideas for your Valentine Day dinner can include goat cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese or bacon.  The possibilities are endless for a Valentine menu.

To learn more cost-saving and helpful party planning tips, recipes, along with other menu ideas and party décor tips, simply check out Budget Bash – Simply Fabulous Events on a Budget.

Enjoy your Valentine’s Day and remember to keep in mind the Budget Bash mantra; make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

A couple of weeks ago I went to an intimate dinner party and thought the presentation would be great for a Valentine Day dinner.  These Valentine’s decoration ideas would work for just the two of you or an intimate party of four or six or even more.

Like all other special events, when we arrived we were treated to wonderful hors d’oeuvres and specialty martinis.  In fact, one way to incorporate Valentine’s decoration for your Valentine Day dinner is to serve a cosmopolitan martini as the specialty drink of the evening.  Re-name the martini a Sweetheart-tini or maybe a Romantic-tini.  The ingredients and color make this drink a perfect match for the holiday. (For other specialty martini recipes check out pages 87 and 88 in Budget Bash.)

What I loved about this dinner was the décor.  In fact, many of these décor ideas are simple tips that can turn any dining room into a romantic setting easily and inexpensively.

Valentine’s Table Decoration Ideas

Why spend money on a specialty tablecloth?  One Valentine’s decoration idea is to simply purchase red velvet or red satin fabric and drape it over your table as a decorative overlay.  Or, create a table runner with either one of your fabric choices.

Other table decoration ideas for your Valentine Day dinner include creating a simple yet fun and whimsical floral centerpiece using red fruit and flowers.  This centerpiece includes crab apples, red roses and strawberries.  Please note that strawberries attract small insects so you don’t want to use them in your outdoor centerpieces and probably it is best to use them at a small indoor dinner party where the centerpiece is just on the table during the dinner.  (For other do-it-yourself floral centerpieces check the floral décor chapter in Budget Bash.)

At this dinner party, the hostess provided at each place-setting romantic love inspired quotes.  She used red and black construction paper, rhinestones and red ribbon for décor on these notes.  The quotes were printed on the red construction paper and then pasted onto the black paper as a background.  Then the notes were decorated with the ribbon and rhinestones.  Of course, you can always use these quotes at other parties you host as well.

Simple table decoration ideas for Valentine’s as well as other holidays include red votives on the table as well as hanging votives from your dining room chandelier (if you have one).  Many craft shops sell these pre-made hanging votive holders and all you need to do is place a red candle inside!

Add Valentine’s decoration accents to your table such as the red butterfly as seen in the first picture or maybe mix and match your china, flatware and glassware.  You can always pick up some inexpensive gold chargers and then re-use them during the December holiday season.

I hope you found the table decoration ideas for your Valentine Day dinner helpful.  To learn more cost-saving and helpful party planning tips, recipes, simply pick up your copy of Budget Bash – Simply Fabulous Events on a Budget.

Enjoy your Valentine’s Day and remember to keep in mind the Budget Bash mantra; make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!