Impress The Guest

Black & White Birthday Party

2010-01-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

When your children turn 4 and 2, you don't normally have a throw down birthday bash. However, Impress The Guest is not your normal event planning service. Saturday was a chance for my closest family and friends to see what it's like to live in the event planning world. I believe that size and price should not be the qualifying factors when you plan an event. You should always think to yourself, what do I want to remember when it's all said and done. For me, I wanted to see my husband and his friends taking a moment out of their busy lives to laugh at each other. I also wanted to see my mom catch up with life long friends like my favorite Colonel Allen and his adorable wife Jane. It was also most important that Katrina Trotter Photography was there to capture the smiles on my children's faces when they danced with their friends, blew out their candles, and gave kisses all night! Also, nothing brings a happy group together like delicious food. Sweet Treasures and More Catering delivered an incredible spread that at the end of the night, everyone was raving about! No one can deny how delicious it was, and it felt like we are all at home eating with the family!

I also believe that in every experience there is something to learn. Although we've thrown parties before, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly time flies when you're preparing an event to run like a machine. Have you ever looked at your watch and it was 9am, then shortly after that you look down again and it's 5pm? That's what it feels like!! There are boo-coodles of details that need to be examined and what makes it so tough is that usually it all has to happen at the last minute. I could have spent 3 days setting up for this party. Once I get in the party planning zone, it takes a stun gun to shock me out of it!! Well, that or a deadline. Anyhow, here's what I learned. Always tuck your drink stock under the table or behind to keep it close to the display. Why walk back and forth and back and forth to replenish through the night, when you can just pick it up, pop the top, and pour? Again, I knew it before the madness, but during the event it's hard to think clearly when one part of your brain is trying to recall 80 names, while the other part is constanlty checking to make sure that no one is in need of anything. Simple details become the hardest when you feel like your party is in overdrive. In the end, I think I may have been the only one that noticed that the candles were cream not white, the stage display was not symetrical, and that a tiny portion of the most amazine black and white cake ever was missing thanks to my 2 year old! Really, none of that matters to anyone except the party coordinator. It was a true pleasure to be able to do such a thing for my children and wonderful husband. I know they enjoyed it tremendously and made some great memories; however, none of it would have been possible without all of the help received by my wonderful family and friends!!!! Thanks so much to Harriet, Janet, Dot, Katrina, Freda, Kim, Shai, Mickey, Glenn, John, Charles, Brian, Jason, and Lance.......who puts up with me!!! Love you all! http://www.impresstheguest.us

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,
When you want to kick off the new year right, you can't go wrong with the Hunter Lawley Band to rock the joint; Sweet Treasures & More Catering who will put heaven on a plate; Katrina Trotter Photography to make you feel like a celebrity, Excalibur Limousine to cart you around in style, and Steve Sikorski - The Bartender in Charge!!! Let's not forget AZTEC Tents & Events for keeping the rain out and the heat in!

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs Bill Ballard on their recent nuptials!!! Mrs. Gaylyn Ballard had a wonderful idea to throw an amazing New Year's Eve Party to celebrate their recent New York wedding. So, her sister Carmen (Aura Salon & Spa - YOU MUST GO THERE!!!) put me in touch with her to decide what could be done in such a short amount of time. Well, after a few phone calls to some of the finest vendors in Birmingham the ball started rolling. The planning, organizing, and detailing of it all was more fun than work. This is only because the people that I worked with really enjoy what they do and know how to do it right. I am so proud of the way that they kept up with the guests and the demand of the evening. Everyone at the party seemed to enjoy themselves so much, and how could they not? The Ballard home is gorgeous and so warm and inviting. It wasn't hard to turn it into Birmingham's favorite New Year's Eve hotspot!

It was such a pleasure working with these entertainment professionals!!! I recommend them to everyone! You will find yourselves in fine company with people who take care of your party needs like they do!! :)

Mt. Laurel Harvest Festival

2009-10-05T22:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
A great event involves many things: planning, communcation, organization, follow ups, crazy little details, hard work, and more. However, there is one aspect of the process that will make or break your event and that is..........TIMING! Without the knowledge and experience of true timing in a situation involving multiple groups of people, any host is doomed to fail! That's why, I absolutely must acknowledge what a well organized event the Mt. Laurel Harvest Festival was. I specifically looked for hangups, complications, and turmoil....couldn't find it anywhere. From the greeters to the vendors, to the runners, and even the restrooms it was all a very well thought out and organized event. All of these aspects made for a terrific atmosphere for those who attended. I met some of the nicest, most warm people there who genuinely cared for the town and the businesses in it.

I have always said, that it's not the people who attend the event that make me nervous, it's the ones that go back and examine all of the pictures! They are the ones that will see the mishaps, the hangups, and that one bridesmaid with the spray tan gone wrong. As an event coordinator it's all about the details, but without the timing the details don't matter. I applaud Mrs. Peters and all of the event coordinators like her that make it look so easy! I know how hard you have to work to be that successful. More importantly, how wonderful is that we can have fun filled events in our communities that benefit charities, involve the neighbors, and bring smiles to our children and friends. Way to go Mt. Laurel!

Up & Running!

2009-09-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

Impress The Guest is quickly becoming fully functional! With the wonderful help and support from my dear family and friends we are getting ready to rock & roll! All website and email support is up and running, while the Mt. Laurel Harvest Festival is quickly approaching. I hope that you all will come out and see what the fuss is about! Have a very pleasant Friday!!!

Starting From Scratch

2009-09-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

Typically, all event planning looks good on paper. So many ideas and plans go into the overall concept of it all, but rarely to things pan out perfectly the day of! This is why I have created Impress The Guest. My job as an event coordinator, designer, director, etc is to remove the stress, heartache, and sometimes tears that go along with doing it yourself. It really is nice to have someone who is emotionally removed from the event, whose only focus is to make you happy and work every detail --- from concept to clean up!!! (That's my motto) :) The next question on most minds is....... "How much does she charge?" You will be shocked at what I consider a fair price per event when compared to many of the larger companies. Starting out, I have no overhead, I work within your budget, save you money, and can divide the 100 + hours it takes to plan your event down the penny! Aside from creating an amazing atmosphere for your guests, I am quite affordable and always looking for new and exciting opportunities to plan! Visit my website www.impresstheguest.us for more information, or email me for a consultation erin@impresstheguest.us