I know with the current state of the economy, many consumers have been considering an event planner and unnecessary expense. . . these consumers couldn’t be more incorrect.  Having a planner is extremely important when you are working to achieve a particular theme that will have a cohesive feel among all elements (decor, food, entertainment, etc.) .  Planning events is not all we do, in fact it is a very small portion of all that being an event planner entails.  What are these other duties you may be wondering??  Well, we spend a lot of time out building relationships with other people in the industry to learn about all the great products and services that are available, in addition to getting to know these folks personally so I can match my clients with the professional that can best meet their needs.  I also spend LOTS of time researching, reading, and browsing to create an infinite database stacked with resources both online and locally, so that when a client is looking for something very specific I will know where to find it, and how to get them the best price.  This is why we were such a great fit to assist in creating CLUB JORDYN.

I presented Jordyn and her family with all different ideas for decor, options on renting vs. buying, and the pros and cons of each.  Using our resources, and the help of Cutting Edge Entertainment we were able to transform an empty room most likely used for BINGO and Gin Rummy into a chic, happening nightclub.

On the invitations (created to look like tickets for admittance to a club) the party was scheduled to kick off at 7:30pm; however for the professionals involved in bringing the event to life it started around 4:30pm.  This was an intense setup, especially for the crew of Cutting Edge who was responsible for getting a 4 point truss put up, in addition to getting the lighting correct and sound checks done.

The guests began to arrive around 7:30pm to find two “bouncers” on a red carpet with stanchions.  As the line built up, so did the anticipation.

The guests entered CLUB JORDYN to find fluorescent spandex linen covered tables, color changing centerpieces, glowing straws in signature drinks, flashing balloons, and a dance floor surrounded by some of the greatest technology in lighting around, including a custom gobo from Eventions.

They danced the night away with the dancers of Cutting Edge Entertainment, and enjoyed the food catered by The Gourmet Vendor.  The event was a great success thanks to the amazing team we had to collaborate with.  Thanks so much for every one’s hard work and dedication, and a huge thanks to Erin Duffy for the great images.

www.eventsbymonroe.com

Photos Courtesy of Erin Duffy

The party kicked off at at 9:00pm, but the decorations to promote the event were up far before to create intrigue and excitement. We hung seagulls from varying lengths across the ceiling to cover the entire bar to give it an authentic shore-like feel.

As the drinks started flowing, the fun got going. Drink specials included $1.00 domestic bottles for girls in bikinis and guys in speedos, $2.00 high life bottles, and $3.00 sex on the beach drinks.

Our washers tournament began at 10:00pm, and took place in the 16′x12′ sand pit with an ocean scene behind it. The winner of the tournament won a $50.00 gift card to be used at the bar at any time.

Meanwhile over to the left end of the bar, customers had a blast testing their skill on the mechanical bull, and at 12:00am one lucky lady won $100.00 cash for winning the Bikini Bull Riding Contest.

DJ Dirte Harry of In The Mix Entertainment kept the customers occupied for the remainder of the evening as they danced to their favorite hits with occasional and authentic interruptions of the voice that reminds us of the shore the most “Watch the tram car please”.

It was a great night, and a great time had by all. If you missed out on the fun be sure to make it to our next theme party on September 17th ~ Half Way to St. Patty’s Day!

Images Courtesy of Bucks County Night Out

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At 8:30am on Tuesday morning Pop-Tart World opened to the public in Times Square.  Pop-Tart World is the first of it’s kind. . . a 3000 sq ft cafe/retail store.  Inside pop-tart lovers will find a cafe dedicated to chef created items using pop-tarts and other sweets.  They will also find what they are calling a “varietizer” which can only be described as an enormous vending machine where customers can create their own customized box full of their favorite pop-tart flavors to bring home with them.

Throughout the building there are also tv screens with interactive games, a t-shirt machine where you can create your own t-shirt, and pop-tart merchandise.

I can’t wait to make it out there on my own to see it for myself and get some pictures, but for now here’s a news story done by the Associated Press.

What’s your favorite pop-tart??

Adam and Theresa are one of my favorite couples I have ever worked with.  They are very intelligent, interesting, genuine, sweet, and head over heels in love.  They really are adorable, and so much fun to work with.  I can’t wait until their wedding.  I also absolutely LOVE their engagement story which Theresa has shared.

“On Tuesday, Sept 29th at 5pm I was done with my day in school and felt exhausted. But I knew I had to get ready for my test in two days. I walked to my car and noticed a rose on the seat and was very confused. There was a note placed on the steering wheel that said “open the glove compartment box”.

In the glove box was a hand written love letter from Adam (something that a hopeless romantic like me loves to get!) stating his love for me and how he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with me. The note gave further instructions to “press play” on the cd player in my car and then head to Adam’s place.

He also said “don’t try to call Adam” because he knew I would! So I pressed play and heard Adam on a make-believe radio station creatively pretending to be the host of a radio show and a listener calling in confessing his love for me and asking for advice on how to propose. So cute! I arrived at Adam’s apartment and walked into his candle-lit living room and saw rose petals on the floor spelling “WILL YOU MARRY…” The “ME” on the floor was missing because he was standing in its place.

He looked very handsome in his black and white outfit and pulled me towards him, got down on one knee and asked “Will you marry me?” So I thought about it for a few minutes…just kidding! Of course I said “YES!!” We then enjoyed a lovely engagement dinner at The Melting Pot.”

Element Photography

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The Hero Thrill Show is a honorable Philadelphia tradition, and has been taking place since 1954.  The show was inspired when 8 firefighters died on duty in 1953.  The mission is to raise money to pay the college tuition for the children of Police and Firefighters who are killed in the line of duty.

From 1954 until 2006 The Hero Thrill Show was produced by the Hero Scholarship fund.  In 2006 the President of the Hero Scholarship Fund announced that they would no longer be producing the annual show.  At this time James J. Binns founded the Hero Thrill Show Inc.  The board of the organization is comprised of himself, the Police Commissioner, Fire Commissioner, President of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge Number 5, President of the International Association of Firefighter, Local 22, every member of City Council, and a number of Philadelphia Business Leaders.

The show features performances by various members of the Police and Fire Departments including the Highway Patrol Motorcycle Drill Team, K-9 Unit, Strike Force Bicycle Stunt Team, S.W.A.T, Bomb Squad, The Marine Unit, The Aviation Unit, Fire Arms Instructors, The Police Academy, and The Police and Fire Department’s Pipes & Drums.  There are also on site displays of police and firefighter equipment.

In addition to the performances there is fun for the whole family including face painting, amusements, dunk tanks, games, etc.  Over the last four years, since The Hero Thrill Show Inc. has been putting the show on the numbers of attendance have been rapidly increasing.  Last year there were 40,000 people in attendance.  This year they are expecting 60,000!

Events by Monroe is now selling tickets.  They are $10.00 each.  If you would like tickets please email us and we can make arrangements to mail them to you.  Tickets are also available from Police and Firefighters.  Last year tickets were sold on www.comcasttix.com, however I have not yet seen them on that site this year.  Don’t miss out on this great event and great cause!

www.eventsbymonroe.com

I am finally back and settled after an amazing trip to Rome.  Last week I came back to a full email inbox and lots of work to do, but I am finally caught up.  I have had several inquiries as to when I will be getting my blog together about the trip.  I will be getting the first post together tomorrow to share with everyone.  I have lots of stories to tell and many experiences to share.

We flew back into Philadelphia on Tuesday March 30th.  My fiance and I got engaged on October 18th.  Since then I have been telling myself (and everyone else) that we would start our wedding planning after the trip.  When I sat down to my computer and glanced at the date on March 31st, I realized we better get on the ball, as our wedding is in just over a year.  This brought on the first wedding argument.

As I have mentioned before, I have an adorably sweet pug named Dutchess.  She is our world, and spoiled as though she is our first child.  I told my fiance how great I thought it would be for her to be at either the ceremony or reception.  She is such a big part of our lives, and I couldn’t picture having such an important day without her.  Unfortunately, Tim does not feel the same way.  He finds it a little ridiculous  that I would want her to be involved, and thinks it will be “too much of a distraction and a hassle”.  (For anyone who is taking his side, please note this is the same guy who fought tooth and nail to have a chimpanzee dressed in a tuxedo stand curbside with the valet to open our guests car doors as they arrive.  We’re talking about an animal that is known for throwing it’s own feces around! )

In an attempt to plead my case I put my event planner hat on and referenced every article and statistic I had ever read regarding the increasing popularity of pets in weddings, but to no avail.  He just won’t budge.  However; if any of you are interested in how to incorporate your fuzzy friends into your big day, below are some tips and considerations.

What part will they play?

Think about the flow of your day as well as the level of formality.  If you are having an outdoor wedding in a rustic barn-like setting, having your dog serve as your ring bearer could be a great idea.  On the other hand if you are having a very formal wedding at a Cathedral, maybe it is best to wait until after the ceremony to have him join you.  Be sure to ask your ceremony and reception venue if they allow pets.  If they do not, you can still find ways to incorporate your pets.  Perhaps you can leave some extra time between the ceremony and reception to go to a local park and have them included in some of the photos.

Have someone on-site to assist.

Although you want your pet to be there with you at your wedding.  You want to enjoy your day, and won’t want them to monopolize all your time.  Be sure to hire someone that works with pets to take care of them throughout the day (maybe a local dog walker), or ask a family member or friend who is familiar with them.  Whoever will be taking care of them, make sure you let them know not to allow your pet to be fed by guests, or to wander off into flowers that may have been sprayed with harmful pesticides.

What if they don’t do what you expect?

Do you have an easy-going personality, or is it extremely important to you that everything go perfectly as planned during your wedding?  If your dog starts barking during your vows because it sees a bird outside in a tree will it ruin your day?  No matter how well trained your pet is, instincts can not be helped.  Will you be able to deal with some unexpected occurrences?

Take some time to answer these questions to yourself honestly.  If you are going to involve your pets, you need to be sure it is right for you.  There are also many ways that you can represent your pet at your wedding without having them present.  If you are looking for some ideas, feel free to contact us.

Engagement Parties. . . where shall we begin?  I realized recently this would be a great topic to address when my parents decided to host one for my fiance and me.  The RSVP’s were accompanied by questions from querying minds on the etiquette of engagement parties.  It turned out that many of our friends, although many of them are married and have been part of several weddings before, had never been to an engagement party.  Curious minds wondered when should you have an engagement party?  Are there certain situations in which an engagement party would not be appropriate?  Should guests bring a gift?  What is the expected attire? etc. For any of you who may be asking the same questions, here’s the deal along with some details from our own party.

What is the purpose of an engagement party, and should you have one?

Engagement parties are a fun way to formally announce your engagement.  It is also a great way to for the two families to meet and get to know each other.  At this point it is likely that your immediate families have already met, but there is a good chance that your Aunts, Uncles, friends from younger years, etc. haven’t met your fiance’s.  You also may discover that some of them have known each other for years and you had no idea. . . it is a very small world.  At our party we found out that my fiance’s family went to church with my cousins for years.  If neither of these reasons seem good enough, you can have one simply because everybody likes parties

There are however times you should have a party, and times you shouldn’t.  These basically revolve around the timing.  A general rule of thumb is to have the party within one to three months of your engagement, unless you are having a long engagement.  If you are having a long engagement it is acceptable to hold the party up until about a year before the wedding.  If you are having a very short engagement of six months or less, this would be when it would not be optimal to have a party since it is so close to the wedding.  When it is this close to the wedding it can seem like a burden among all of the other wedding festivities your friends and loved ones will be arranging their schedules to attend (the shower, the bachelor/bachelorette party, attire shopping, the rehearsal, etc).

Should guests bring gifts?

Engagement party etiquette does not dictate that gifts are necessary, as the main purpose of the party is simply to celebrate the engagement.  That being said, many guests may bring gifts anyway since they are so excited for you and your fiance.  It is a good idea to register for a few things you want before the party, since guests will want to get something you need; however there SHOULD NOT be any mention of a registry on the invitations.  If people want to know where you are registered they will ask you, or your parents.

Who should host the party?

Traditionally the bride’s family hosts the party, but just like many things dealing with weddings these days, it is not a must.  The grooms parents are also welcome to host the party.  I would not suggest having the maid of honor or best man host it since they will have many other costly duties to fill leading up to the day of the wedding.

Should the party be formal?

The level of formality, style, etc is completely up to you.  It can be a black tie affair or a backyard bbq.  It all depends on what you want, and the budget you are working with.

Who should be invited?

This is again completely your call.  The party can bean intimate gathering, or an all out bash including everyone that will be attending your big day.  The one rule is DO NOT invite anyone that will not be invited to the wedding.

Our Party.

Our engagement party was put together very quickly, but turned out to be great.  Tim’s parents and mine decided in the middle of May that they wanted to throw us a party.  We wanted to keep the date close, and because of it being summer and time for vacations the only date we could have it on was June 13th.

We all worked together to pull it off and it turned out to be a great event.  We rented tables from Select Party Rentals and linens from Choice Linens, which were a great touch.  I wanted to use cocktail tables to keep everyone on their feet socializing.  I made the centerpieces along with the help of one of my mom’s friends.  They were elegant but simple, and went great with the backyard look.  My fiance’s brother created a beautiful banner to help guests find the house, and Cutting Edge Entertainment provided the music.

We handled the food ourselves since we are phenomenal cooks , as well as the bar and drinks.  The food really came out well.  Guests were even asking what company catered it.  For the bar we had the usual(beer, wine, and some wine coolers).  I also created a signature drink which was both simple and delicious.  I mixed strawberry vodka with lemonade, poured it into a martini glass with a triple berry sugar rim, and garnished it with a pink rock candy stick.  Unfortunately I do not have a picture of it because as quick as they were made, they were drank  We also turned the bar into part of the decor by scattering pictures of us across it, which everyone enjoyed looking at.

We also made sure we had tents.  I have no luck with weather, and it did pour for a short time during the party.  Although I wanted great weather, I didn’t mind that it rained because everyone was having so much fun they stayed anyway.  It was a great day, and a wonderful time had by all.  Thank you so much to everyone who helped to make it the huge success it was.

Images by Stephanie Wells ~ Opaque White Design

Have fun!

Happy Tuesday

www.eventsbymonroe.com

I hope everyone had an excellent 4th of July weekend. . . now get ready for the heat.  Recently I worked on the Second Annual Award Winning Taste of Design for the Paoli Design Center along with Mainline Magazine.  I fell in love with the venue from the second I walked in the front door.  One of my favorite tasks as a planner is taking an every day space or business and transforming it into a magnificent event venue.

If you haven’t seen The Paoli Design Center before, you need to.  It is a masterpiece all on it’s own.  The design center is located in (you guessed it) Paoli, Pennsylvania in the heart of the Mainline.  It is the one stop shop for all of your designing needs.  Their website states that visiting the center is “like walking through the pages of a luxury interior design magazine”.  They hit the nail on the head.  “The Paoli Design Center’s open showroom spans 24,000 square feet and provides the most elite collection of the industry’s finest product lines including, lighting, tile, marble, furniture, accessories, home theaters, home security systems, state of the art electronics, hardscapes, landscapes, outdoor environments, saunas, wine storage systems, steam showers and more.”  Comprised of six prestigious design businesses (many of them multiple award winners) The Paoli Design Center is your one stop shop for all of your home design needs.  Scattered throughout the center you will find Audio Video Consultants, Lighting by Design, Baltic Leisure, Closet and Storage Concepts, Volpe Tile, & OuterSpaces Landscaping.  You also need to be sure to take a look at the work of Cassandra Ellis.  She does a great deal of the graphic design work for the businesses of the center, including the invitation for the event itself which you can see above.  She is amazingly talented.

The Second Annual Taste of Design took place on June 10th from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.  The 420 attendees were combination of prospective clients, past clients, friends, family, and local residents.  All proceeds of the event (donations and raffles) were raised to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Chester County.

Everyone in attendance got to experience a phenomenal evening.  Hors d’oeuvres & cocktails were sponsored by Franco’s Trattoria, Carlino’s Specialty Foods & Catering, Crystal Rose Catering, Chaddsford Winery, Cupcakes Gourmet (yum!), Firecreek Restaurant & Bar, & Doghouse Gourmet Burgers.  We were also joined by special guests EuroMotorcars of Devon, Matt Cleave of Studio XI Photography, and the clothing of Van Cleve Collection shown throughout the evening by glamorous models.

Everything was fantastic however; I was most appreciative of the gorgeous weather, which allowed everyone to enjoy the stunning outdoor area created by OuterSpaces Landscaping.  It reminds me of something from Tuscany.  I could sit out there and relax all day

Thank you to everyone who worked to make this event possible, and a huge thank you to Matt Cleave for all the great images!  Through every one’s hard work we were able to produce an incredible evening enjoyed by all.

Studio XI Photography

www.eventsbymonroe.com