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Labor Day is just a week away and typically this holiday weekend signifies the end of summer and the end of wearing white.  Therefore, why not go out with a bang with a white theme party?  Here are some party decoration ideas including some finger food ideas for a white party theme.

First, set the tone for a white theme party with an invitation that specifically states what the party is all about.  Last summer I attended a white party theme special event and on the invitation  it specifically stated that you had to wear white to gain entry into the event.  Believe me, when it is mandatory that you wear white and you don’t, it’s obvious!

Next, think about party decoration ideas.  Some quick and easy flower arrangements using all white flowers are a must as well.  Roses, hydrangeas, orchids, mums, daisies are all readily available flowers that you can use for these arrangements.

Submerge a white Cymbidium orchid in a small glass container and maybe add an accent color with the glass beads.  Or, do a reverse color flower arrangement for your white theme party by using white rocks, a clear glass container and submerging a green, yellow or pink Cymbidium orchid.  (Other flower arranging ideas with instructions can be found on pages 59 to 65 in Budget Bash).

Other party decoration ideas include white votive candles, pillar candles of various heights and shapes as well as white taper candles will not only add a nice ambiance to your event but also stay within your theme.  If you can’t rent white furniture or don’t have it readily available, then pick up some large white pillows or bean bag chairs and throw those on the floor to help accent your white party theme.  Of course for your food, rent or purchase white linens, white china or (plastic will work as well) and don’t forget a white dance floor.

Now here are some quick and easy finger food ideas for a white theme party. These selections can easily be found at your local market if you don’t have the time to prepare them prior to your event.

1.  Selection of white European cheeses and sliced crostini
2.  Garlic, plain and eggplant hummus accompanied by sliced pita bread
3.  Artichoke heart bruschetta served on an endive leaf
4.  Brie and pear quesadilla
5.  Skewered tortellini with parmesan dipping sauce

Of course, finger food ideas for dessert can include the following:

• White chocolate fondue or heated marshmallow sauce for dipping fruit
• Vanilla cupcakes
• Frozen bananas rolled in coconut
• Skewered cheesecake bites

(Note the brie and pear quesadilla recipe along with the instructions for the artichoke bruschetta can all be found in Budget Bash).

And let’s not forget your bar menu.  Create a white party theme specialty drink list and don’t forget to include:

• A White Russian
• Vanilla vodka on the rocks
• Kahlua® and Cream

I hope you can use a few of these white party theme ideas along with the party decoration ideas mentioned above for your end of summer party over the Labor Day weekend.  The finger food ideas mentioned are readily available and not too expensive and will help keep your white theme party intact.

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

As a wedding event planner, it is always fun to unexpectedly come across a wedding or special event being set up.  Recently, I was traveling in Spain and our hotel had one of the most beautiful outdoor wedding locations I had ever seen.  I saw that they were hosting this wedding using white wedding décor which of course sparked the idea for this blog that describes various wedding decorating ideas.

First let’s discuss outdoor wedding locations and why this site in particular stood out as one of the prettiest I have ever seen.  Situated on the Mediterranean, the St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort has a stunning view of the ocean from their large lawn where the wedding was held.  They also have a path with bougainvillea archways that is beautiful for bride and groom pictures.

Other wonderful hotel features in respect to fabulous outdoor wedding locations is the grand patio where cocktails were held.  This terrace is located just off of the main bar of the hotel and is beautifully furnished with outdoor furniture.  Therefore, you can save some money and not bring in any of your own furniture (other cost-saving wedding ideas can be found in Budget Bash).

Finally, as a wedding event planner, I felt completely at ease speaking with the catering department as they were setting up the event, and I got the sense that the hotel is very accommodating and understands the task at hand in making the wedding day special for the bride and groom.  In addition, the food and service I experienced at the hotel were among the best I have had at any hotel.

Now for some wedding decorating ideas I picked up while watching the hotel set up the white wedding décor for this wedding.

• Use smaller tents and put them together creating individual spaces or rooms versus one large tent.  Plus the bonus of using smaller tents is that you can leave off one corner and create an outside lounge or dancing area.
• Keep costs down with your lounge by using just votives on the coffee tables or simple white cymbidium orchids in votive glasses. (Check out other easy inexpensive décor ideas in Budget Bash – Simply Fabulous Events on a Budget.)

As a wedding event planner, I really liked the idea that they used sand as filler for the flower vase instead of colored glass or rocks.  This is a great white wedding décor idea incorporating the location with the wedding.

Other wedding decorating ideas include:

• Use different types of flowers and vases on the tables for an eclectic look and a contrasting color such as black for an accent color.

• Cover the chairs with white chair covers to give a clean and uniform style to the event.
• Bring in some fun décor pieces like these 2’ diameter-sized large round candle holders and intersperse them around the reception area.

I hope you found these wedding decorating ideas interesting and can possibly incorporate them with your white wedding décor.  As I mentioned above, the hotel in Mardavall was spectacular and I would consider one of the prettiest outdoor wedding locations I have seen.

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

Summer is such a great time to entertain.  You have the warm daytime sunshine as well as refreshing nights.  Here are some summer party ideas including a couple of cocktail catering presentations to help you with any special event planning for summer cocktail parties.

Create conversation and interaction with your special event planning.  One refreshing cocktail catering presentation for cocktail parties is to present a new twist on an old idea.  Skewer a piece of cooked shrimp and instead of serving it with a bowl of cocktail sauce serve the shrimp in a shot glass already filled with the sauce.

Other summer party ideas that include shot glasses for cocktail catering are soups, whether they are hot such as lobster Saki shooters (I recently enjoyed at a cocktail party) or cold soups such as shots of gazpacho or cucumber.

For cocktail parties where you may want to serve a refreshing natural and nutritious dessert, why not accompany a platter full of fresh fruit with a shot of a fruit smoothie?

More summer party ideas for cocktail parties include serving refreshing melon balls wrapped with prosciutto or cucumber cups filled with humus, seaweed salad or salmon dip.  (For quick and easy cocktail recipes check out pages 80 to 86 in Budget Bash.)

Lollipop-styled desserts are another cocktail catering suggestion to add to your special event planning summer ideas.  Brownie bites, chocolate chip cookies or bread pudding are all delicious bite-sized desserts you can serve on a stick and tray pass or present on a platter at a dessert buffet.  Clean up is easy too since no silverware or dessert plates are needed just a simple cocktail napkin!

Other desserts that can be served in small individual portions with a creative flair are crème brulee, chocolate pudding or tiramisu presented in demitasse cups with demitasse spoons.

Summer party ideas for your special event planning décor can be fast, easy and inexpensive.  Instead of using a tea-light with your glass votive, drop a Cymbidium orchid in the glass instead.  Or place an orchid weighted down with water and colored glass beads in a small glass vase.

Floating candles in water are always fun for your table décor and you can use colored glass beads on the bottom or add a flower in the container as well.  A great decor idea for cocktail parties I recently read about in Real Simple magazine is to use parchment paper as a luminary wrap with a votive candle holder.  For information and instructions, just pick up the August 2010 issue.  (More quick and easy décor ideas can be found in Budget Bash.)

I hope you found these special event planning ideas for cocktail catering helpful for your next summer event.  Summer party ideas do not need to be complicated or take much of your time.  Cocktail parties are a great way to gather a group of friends for an intimate and casual event, and when you throw your next cocktail party remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Summer is under way and what isn’t a better time than now to throw cocktail parties.  Here are some cocktail party ideas that don’t take much time to produce and won’t break the bank!

For starters, let’s look at the cocktail party menu.  Keep it light and simple.  Slice chunks of various kinds of vegetables, skewer them, place the skewers in a simple marinade of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, season with salt and pepper if desired and then grill or roast the marinated skewers.

Want to mix it up a bit? For outdoor cocktail parties, stick the finished skewered vegetables in a bed of wheat grass and there you have a grilled vegetable garden!  Or place the finished vegetables on a platter and decorate the platter with loose flowers such as cymbidium orchids or Gerber daisies.

I recently attended a cocktail party at Brookfield Properties where the caterer created a great cocktail party menu that included Macadamia nut crusted chicken lollipops.

Other menu items can include European cheeses with dates and figs, sliced toasts and crackers.

Have some fun serving your appetizers by using a shot glass at cocktail parties. Create a conversation piece by serving either skewered shrimp with a shot glass of cocktail sauce or soups such as gazpacho or cucumber served in a shot glass.  Good old-fashioned milk and cookies where the tray includes shots of cold milk with a side of mini cookies is always fun too.

And since it is summertime, for your outdoor cocktail parties it’s always fun to include tray-passed mini-burgers (can be beef, turkey or veggie) and of course the all-time favorite mini-hot dogs.

Other fun cocktail party ideas include creating an all white themed summer event with a white fabric gazebo such as Brookfield Properties recently produced at their cocktail party.  You can rent a 10’ x 10’ canopy and then use sheer fabric to swag the sides of the tent.  You may need to bring in a tenting company to help with the small tent but you can buy the fabric yourself to create the swags.

Add some color to your white cocktail parties with colored glass décor items such as vases and marbles for your buffet display as seen in the first picture.  Flowers too can be fun and colorful yet simple such as the arrangement pictured below. (For more flower arranging ideas check out pages 59 to 64 in Budget Bash.)

And for drinks, here are some cocktail party ideas that are refreshing and cool for the summer.  One cocktail party menu idea is to make your own spa water.  Just add any of the following to water and let sit for a bit:

•    Fresh raspberries or strawberries
•    Citrus such as lemons or oranges
•    Cucumbers
•    Herbs such as mint or basil

If you prefer serving alcoholic beverages for cocktail parties, think about adding to your beverage menu sangria, mohitos or flavored martinis such as lemon, cucumber or watermelon. (For some cocktail party martini recipes, look at pages 87 and 88 in Budget Bash.)

I hope you found these cocktail party ideas helpful for your summer cocktail parties.  Keep your cocktail party menu fun and light and when throwing a cocktail party remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Here are a couple of pictures to illustrate wedding flower centerpieces using pink wedding flowers.  Wedding flower arrangements vary in price and when you are on a budget, it is important to think about what types of flowers to use for your wedding as well as the quantity of flowers in each wedding flower arrangement.

When thinking about what type of wedding flower centerpieces you would like to have at your wedding, try and coordinate the colors of your wedding with your wedding flower arrangements.  One simple inexpensive wedding flower arrangement using pink wedding flowers is the above flower arrangement using a pink cymbidium orchid and submerging it in water with votive candles and pink rose petals surrounding it.

In Budget Bash, I give detailed instructions on how to create this wedding flower arrangement.  It is an inexpensive way to create an elegant look on your table and you can make these type of wedding flower centerpieces on your own.   Plus you can reuse the vase, rocks and votive candle holders again for other events you may throw after your wedding.

Using all pink wedding flowers as your centerpieces gives you the options to use pink hydrangeas or pink roses.  It is less expensive to use all pink hydrangeas for wedding flower arrangements because they are larger and use more room in the vase as oppose to pink roses.  An added bonus using hydrangeas for your wedding flower arrangement is that the flower itself dries so beautifully and you can make pretty wreaths with the dried flowers as another reminder of your special day.

Add some color to your pink wedding flowers by wrapping the inside of the glass container with a tea leaf or other such greenery.  Another idea for your wedding flower centerpieces is to place some contrasting colored rose petals around the vase.  If you are considering an evening wedding, add votive candles to create a romantic soft look to your wedding flower arrangement.

Another idea for your wedding flower arrangements is to use succulent flowers and intersperse them with pink wedding flowers such as cymbidium orchids or roses.  What is great about using succulents is that you can then keep the plant after the wedding and have a living reminder of your special day.  Either re-plant the succulents in bigger pots or your backyard if you have one and watch your wedding reminder continue to flourish and grow as your marriage does!

I hope you picked up some ideas for wedding flower centerpieces using pink wedding flowers.  You can keep your costs down with your wedding flower arrangements by using simple floral decor such as all hydrangeas or submerge cymbidium orchids and surround the wedding flower arrangement with rose petals and votive candles.

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

Recently I produced a red carpet event and thought I would share some of our charity fundraising ideas with you.  The event was for PCRM and like other red carpet events we produce, many hours of planning went into creating this successful non profit event.

One of the main non profit ideas was to make this non profit event stand out among the crowd since PCRM was being introduced to a new audience on the West Coast. Thus it was important for this red carpet event to adhere to the highest level of professionalism in terms of food, service and design.  We accomplished this by bringing in one of the top live TV show producers who in turn assembled a top-rated production team making the television portion of this event seamless.  Here is a link to the highlights of the show.

Other charity fundraising ideas we used to maintain our budget was to create elegant floral arrangements at cost and recycle the glass containers.  We even used one of the floral designs from Budget Bash, which is to submerge a cymbidium orchid as seen on page 61.

Like all other red carpet events, we placed “asks” for sponsors for our bar.  Because this was a vegan non profit event we had very strict parameters in terms of what beverages we could serve but found generous sponsors for our liquor, beer and wine.  Other sponsors such as Candle 79, Millennium and Sublime restaurants were kind enough to let us “borrow” their recipes in which Tal Ronnen and Global Cuisine Catering created our delicious three-course dinner menu.

Additional non profit ideas included our live and silent auction which also adhered to a vegan code to ensure our patrons were not offended from what we offered to help raise funds.  We used lighting effectively as our main design element for this red carpet event as well as vegan friendly drape and linen.  We incorporated our design elements from the save-the-date card as well as the invitation to create our timeless yet elegant room décor.

And what are red carpet events without an after party?  For this part of the event, we quickly transitioned our cocktail area into a night club with a white dance floor, white faux leather couches and a vegan dessert station. Additional charity fundraising ideas included sleek modern-looking informational kiosks to help translate, explain and support PCRM’s mission statement.

I hope you found the video to this red carpet event interesting and that you picked up a few non profit ideas for your next non profit event.  I learned a lot from producing this event especially in terms of healthful eating habits and incorporating aspects of a vegan diet into my everyday routine.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to 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!

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!

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!