Surprise 50th Birthday Party - 10/17/09

Hi Everyone!

Last Saturday's Surprise 50th Birthday Party was a success! The event was held at a Knights of Columbus Hall in Brooklyn and we were definitely able to bring the overall look of the place up a notch. We started setting up at 11:00am and finished the bulk of it at 1:00pm. We then went back at about 6:00pm to finish the centerpieces and set the food on the warmers. Surprisingly everything fell into place and for the most part I was able to stick to my timeline (the guests as well as the Guest of Honor arrived later than expected, but I adjusted my timeline accordingly). We were done preparing on time and the party exactly when it was supposed to. That's how I like to see things done!

As for the actual event - the birthday girl was SHOCKED! The tears that flowed almost made me cry and I had to look away for a bit. The food was delicious, the multiple toasts that were made all had meaning, and the photo slide show of her life that her sons made was touching. She is truly a loved and lucky woman.

So what was my critique of the event? I think that everyone that showed up had a good time. Note that I said "everyone that showed up". One thing that annoyed me and that I felt was extremely rude were the number of people who RSVP'd, yet did not show up. The hall was paid for 85 adults and only about 60 were there. I don't understand why someone would take the time out of their day to confirm that they were coming and then just not come? In any case, the fact that some people didn't helped solve the "I hope we have enough food" dilemma. Due to the budget we were only able to order but so much so that was a concern, but we were able to leave with left overs which was great. The birthday girl may not have to cook for a few days!

One other thing that I was concerned about was the color scheme (black, white, and silver) as it doesn't really scream "50th birthday party". Originally I wanted to go with an ivory and gold theme, but due to the budget and the red chairs that would need to get covered, we couldn't do it. We decided that the red chairs would look fine with black, and added the white and silver as accents. With the dim lighting and votive candles, no one even noticed that it wasn't a "traditional color scheme". It looked a bit more modern/ chic if anything.

I definitely put a lot into this event since I knew that the budget was tight and so many things were DIY, such as the chocolate chip cookie favors that my friend Sara and I were baking until 2:00am the night before. It was tiring (baking, waiting to cool, and bagging to look like candy wrappers for 3 hours), but it was worth it in the end when all 100 favors were done. In addition to that, her sons made a dedication CD (which I unfortunately do not have a picture of.)

As usual DJ Fame (who is one of her sons!) did his thing and had people on the dance floor.

I want to give a big THANK YOU to all my friends that helped bring this entire event together: Sara, Terry Ann, Calena, and my cousin Sancia. Thank you so much ladies! I really could not have done it without you!

BEFORE

AFTER

Club Birthday Party - 10-10-09

Hi Everyone!

Saturday (October 10th ) I coordinated a birthday party for my friend Calena (the one who wanted me to start this blog in the first place!) at a club in Brooklyn and might I say we had a FABULOUS time! I was given the owner's contact information through my favorite DJ (DJ Fame) and was able to ensure that she was taken care of that night. Our group had about 15 people and since I knew the DJ we were able to receive a free bottle of champagne and a sheet cake! We were able to score seats in the VIP section and only had to ensure that we spent $150 for the night. The funny thing is that even with size group that we had, it was so hard to hit that total! (The prices were that good!). There was good amount of people that showed up at the club that night, but it wasn't to the point where you couldn't move of breathe. The club was called "Brooklyn Crossroads Supper Club" and is located in the Park Slope area. Most of the group got there at about 11:00pm and we didn't leave until after 3:00am! It was that much fun! She was even sweet enough to leave this message on my facebook for me:

"Calena : Elizabeth, thank you, thank you, thank you for planning my b-day party. It was great, all thanks to you! "

Pictures will be posted soon!

Talk to you soon!
XOXO
Elizabeth Joseph

ejosephevents@gmail.com

Caitlin's Wedding Pics - Finally!

Hi All,

I know that I really need to get pictures posted quicker! Unfortunately for this wedding I was also a bridesmaid so I couldn't really walk down the aisle with my bouquet and a Canon snapshot at the same time, LOL! Anyway, I was able to get copies of the pictures from a friend who was also in attendance. Just a recap of the many things that were going on that day, I was running around from about 11:00am until midnight. It all started when I was on my way to meet the bride at the hotel where she was getting ready and got a call from her midway there to go straight to the house where the wedding was being held instead. The groom was freaking out and worried that no one knew what needed to be done and he was already running late getting ready. Once I got there he was able to shower, get dressed and leave the worrying up to me. As for setting up the tent, that was all the catering staff. Caitlin told us what she wanted the space to look like and we made sure that it happened. A hour after I arrived at the house, I received a call from Caitlin's mom. What happened? In her effort to make sure that Caitlin had all the things that she needed to get dressed, the mom forgot her own dress at the house! It was not a problem at all since the house and the hotel were only about a 5 minute drive apart. Once there, mom was able to get ready, Caitlin got into her gown, and we all (bridesmaids, mother of the groom, Caitlin's mom, and Caitlin) were able to make our way to the house for the wedding to begin.

The ceremony itself was short and sweet and Caitlin looked AMAZING! Once the ceremony was over I was back in "event planner" mode and working with the catering staff & DJ to make sure everything ran smoothly (finding the missing cocktail plates, coordinating the first dance, toast, and cake cutting, and making sure that the photographer got all the shots that were requested.) As the evening came to an end, I made sure the bus driver received his tip (the wedding was in Little Compton, RI but guests stayed in Providence Providence which is an hour away; so a bus was provided for transportation) and that important items were packed. I was also in charge of making sure the bride and groom were able sample slices from each cake tier,LOL! (They had a coconut w/ lemon curd layer, lemon poppyseed layer, and white cake with chocolate ganache and chocolate moose.) I think the most important thing to come out of all of this is that the groom now understands that weddings don't "just happen" (which is kind of what he thought when Caitlin first introduced him to me), they actually take WORK!

I also want to thank DJ Fame as he drove all the way from NYC to provide music for this party. Thanks Fame!