From Frills to Fail

A few years ago, I had the great opportunity to plan a dear friend’s birthday party.  Sex and the City was the theme chosen for this soiree; as it was a favorite show of ours. Together we planned the decorations and food.  Pictures and quotes from our favorite scenes were placed around the rooms.  The appetizers were placed on their trays and the glasses for our fruity, girly drinks were arranged.  The place looked FANTASTIC!

The party, however, turned out to be the lamest 3 hours in social gathering history!  Why?  Because we got caught up so much with the decor that I forgot about the basis of a party: The people and what they are going to do at the party.  I hadn’t really thought about what kind of party (such as mingling, watching the show, or testing new drinks) we wanted to have so it turned out to be a total Party Planning Fail!  We ended up just staring at each other until someone turned on the tv to watch what ever show was on that evening.  
Anyone planning a social gathering would say that the most fun part of party planning is picking out the invitations and decorations and perhaps planning the menu, and I agree, it totally is!  But the frills aren’t the most important part.  In order to keep your parties and reputation on the “must be at” list, don’t forget about the basis or your event.

Sara Shriftman and Elizabeth Harrison, executive publicists with offices in New York, Miami, and Los Angels, put these two things on the top of their party planning list as well.  They wrote a book, Fete Accompli!  The Ultimate Guide to Creative Entertaining, which is a great entertaining guide with an upbeat attitude and is not presented in the usual boring party planning manner.  They go onto explain that after you have decided to plan a party the first step is to decide what your party is for and also what kind of party you want.  They explain these decisions as being important because you might not want to plan a night of dancing until 5:00am if you are celebrating a promotion with your boss, and perhaps your boss’ boss.

Although it may seem obvious not to make that type of mistake, it is rather easy to forget these often overlooked elements. If you just plan the “fun stuff” all you are left with is a decorative room filled with food and bored people (and trust me, it’s not fun!)  Take a moment and just think about the basis of your party, and everything else will fall into place around it.     

- Classy Event Organizer

Books and Brainstorms

I am currently at the end of day two of my blog journey.  I’ve done a lot!  First, I went to the library which is one of my favorite places to get inspiration (and all the books are totally FREE).  I picked up a ton of books to use in my research that they weighed about a ton as well.   

Second, I started brainstorming about past events I’ve held or been able to take part in; including my childhood birthday parties. (I still have my party planning notes!) Even in the last year I’ve been able to have lots of events to plan including having friends and family over to my apartment.  These events have given me wonderful experiences like having to figure out what to do when the sink gets clogged and I needed to do dishes before anyone can eat dessert because there weren’t enough plates or forks!

While thinking back to these gatherings, I’ve noticed that a lot of “fails” would have been avoided with proper preparation before the actual planning of a party.  Doing a bit of research to get some inspiration is always a good idea (hence all the very heavy books!).

I am so excited to share my thoughts and findings.  I’ve uncovered some tips on party etiquette that range from classical times to modern day bachelorette parties.  I didn’t realize that there were so many theories on how many chairs to place in a room and so many different ways to set a table!  Not only will I share my view on these interesting findings, but also how to use them in an event and perhaps stay in budget!

Enjoy!   

- CEO

About Me

Hi, I’m Jessica, an accountant by trade, but with a huge passion for party planning. Ever since I was a young girl I have always had more fun planning an event (no matter how big/small, informal/formal) than I had actually at the event.  After many years of trying to find an outlet for this passion, I have decided to put it to good use by sharing my Classy Event Organizer (CEO) skills, ideas, utensils, and things I’ve learned with others.

According to Dictionary.com a Classy Event Organizer means:
- Classy – adj.  of high class, rank, or grade; stylish; admirable smart; elegant
- Event –   n.  an occurrence, especially one of some importance
- Organizer – n.  a person who organizes or schedules work

I believe that by being a Classy Event Organizer (CEO) that I can skillfully organize an event (such as inviting friends over for dinner, office lunches, and the good old fashion birthday party) with the style and class that one deserves.  During any event I always keep in mind Coco Chanel’s famous quote “A girl should be too things:  Classy and Fabulous.”

I hope you enjoy!

- Classy Event Organizer