There is a danger to being in the wedding business. We love what we do, we take sheer joy in the happiness we give our clients. What we also do is think about these events, go over the details, tweak them, dream about them and go over them to our spouse's discontent for days. This can sometimes lead to very little time to spend some of that creativity and love with the spouse we adore. So this weekend as my desk was piled high with ideas, contracts, quotes and details to be settled this coordinator ran off to the lake with the love of her life. The weather is unusually and blissfully warm here this year which meant the lake area was in full bloom, the animals are out wandering and the sunny skies are amazing. This was the weekend to make a grand plan to sweep my guy off of his feet with something special. I set a tablescape in a very rickety picnic spot overlooking the lake at sunset for us to enjoy. I packed a grill, a steak dinner with the trimmings, music, wine and looked out onto a beautiful sunset for us to enjoy all of this in. All of this without my husband having a clue. I drove into camp and carried him off to his evening with me. It was an amazing evening that created a memory we will not soon forget.
I realized during that evening that it had been a long time since I had made a grand gesture that was not for my clients. I have a great marriage to a man I still have a huge crush on but we both work very hard. He doesn't need the grand gesture to know I love him but he deserves it. More than any detail of a wedding, the marriage of my clients is most important to me. So this morning I simply wanted to take a moment to encourage all of you in the planning stages to remember to make time to enjoy each others company as you prepare for a life together. I also want to encourage my fellow workaholics to take the time to make a grand gesture to those putting up with and loving us in spite of our crazy work life. It doesn't have to take weeks or even days to plan. Just a bit of thought and love, as well as time to just focus on them. This is of course why I do what I do, because I want everyone I meet to come together and have what I have in a marriage. A love for the ages deserves a grand gesture on occasion. P.S. I don't know who Jose is but I had a hard time resisting the urge to carve my name there in the bench as well.
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As we come into an exciting new season here, we must stop and thank you for a successful 2014! We are taking vacation for the remainder of the year but look forward to seeing everyone in January. We wish all of you a very Happy New Year.
Cheers from Eclectic Affairs! The holidays are not just on the way but here. There are meals to plan, presents to wrap, trees to decorate, cards to get out, and oh the holiday cheer you must do it all with. Right. So let’s get real, it’s a tough situation but one to be enjoyed by keeping it simple. One dream we all have is to get it all one and to plan a fabulous holiday party for family and friends. One where they simply cannot imagine how you have pulled it all off and still look to put together. People who come to my house are surprised that I can pull it off with five pets, three kids, and a crazy household. Here’s the deal, I send out an invitation through Evite and I start arranging the set up the week before, do a two hour clean up the day before, order take out that night and spend the day of setting up last minute food and the drinks. I keep decorating easy by walking into a party rental place, ordering everything from the tables, chairs, linens, dishes, centerpieces, bar needs to the paper napkin. I pick them up the day before and set it out after that final clean up. This takes all of the stress of hunting around the house for things you can pull together and the cost in minimal. The set up takes about two hours. Sometime between the decoration decisions and the party I sit down and make a playlist of about two hours for the background music. I know that some of you look at that two hour clean down bit and panic because sometimes our homes need more than a two hour clean up. Here’s the deal, call in a service to do it for you. If you live here in Fresno, I highly recommend Stephie’s Cleaning Service. Trust me, if you keep it simple and cut some crazy corners you can enjoy a holiday party. I promise. A moment about the menu, please keep it simple. If possible do an evening after dinner party so you are serving single serve items. Another idea is to simply have a wonderful dessert selection. I keep appetizers simple with a selection of good cheese, bread, fruit and meat. I go to my favorite little places and buy finger foods. I generally do not spend a lot of time in the kitchen for these events. I am a very good baker so I will do two items of my own if serving desserts and then buy the rest from my favorite places. Do not feel the need to prepare everything yourself. We don’t want you being bitter Betty in the kitchen while your sweet husband gets to work the room. Everyone wants to talk drinks and here’s my formula for success. No more than five selections and the same goes for the bar. If you are going to serve alcohol then have one signature cocktail, two white wines, one red wine and a good bourbon for a winter party. This combination has always worked for me and the guys are happy. A very important detail to remember is to have two great drinks available for people who do not want to drink anything with alcohol. I do a cranberry cream and an orange mint seltzer. Coffee and hot chocolate service always and serve them from large electric urns so they are self-serve. You can rent these along with the party items. The day of the event, keep things simple with a schedule. In the morning plate the food, cover and refrigerate what you have to. Next, set up the bar glasses and serving needs for the food. Set out candles everywhere you can safely and be sure the lighter is handy. Walk around the room to inspect and chill the booze. Get dressed, put on some music, light candles, pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy. If none of this appeals to you, then call me. We have professionals who can handle an intimate evening whether it is for twenty people of a few hundred. Holiday Party Full Coordination Special Guest Count up to 30 People $400.00
Guest Count up to 150 People $1000.00 Ah, a beautiful beach wedding on the perfect Summer day. Doesn’t it look relaxing? If only it were as simple to pull off as this lovely couple makes it appear to be. So today let’s talk about the reality of bringing that to fruition. Let’s start by talking about the fact that you can’t just decide on a location and set it up. You must have a permit or risk a ticket and an escort off the sand. Make the call of the City Parks Department and avoid the stress Okay, enough about that. Isn’t it funny how every time you think you want to walk out in the sand you suddenly feel bogged down and heavy? You think, man the walk out here didn’t seem so bad. Now think about your guests? Think of age and disabilities combined with the distance from solid ground to the ceremony site. It doesn’t have to be set up right on the water and I actually advise clients not to do this. The ocean is unpredictable and the tide is quick at times. The selection of the ceremony is also important in terms of your entrance. The closer it is to water, the further it is from the solid ground you have to trek across in your gown. You won’t feel stunning if you are sweating and breathing heavy when you get there. Chances are it will be very warm outside and the guests will be parched as they await the glorious moment of the nuptials. Be sure to have containers of iced drinks as they enter and maybe an usher to offer them for those who may not notice them. It is also not a bad idea to have ushers hand out cool damp cloths with lemon rolled in the. On a very hot day these are a hit! Now everyone is seated, hydrated and comfortable. They are no doubt looking around the scenery and the set up you have fretted over. The wonderful thing about a beach wedding is that the scenery, décor is mostly natural and already in place. I have seen people on our coastal area use succulents and coastal native plants sparsely to add to the natural beauty. Just keep in mind you don’t have to fuss too much with floral here. Sand, wind, wildlife and the occasional straggling beach visitor are just going to be a part of things. Accept it, prepare for it and then enjoy the day in spite of it. The wind is a definite consideration when decided on attire for yourself and everyone in the bridal party. Your dress will be full of sand when the ceremony is over but a quick fix is to have someone blow it out around the bottom with a blow dryer. Most importantly, take time for yourself and your groom to take a beach stroll once the guests have headed to the reception. You have planned this day for months. You have just married the love of your life. You should have a few moments to enjoy the scenery and to linger in the moment of being newleyweds. Please contact us today for a free consultation to lay the worry of all of these and other pitfalls or worries on us. We have a team of professionals to bring your vision into reality. Be sure to stop by and see us at our booth at the International Bridal Show! Enter to win one of our three prizes while you are there, including an engagement photo session with Melissa Pointer Photography. Doors open at noon and there will be an amazing selec
Be sure to purchase tickets for the International Wedding Festival coming up on March 2nd at Fresno Golden Palace. There will be a host of vendors on site to meet and help you create the vision you have for your special day. Holiday Party Special Whether you are looking for a full event planning for your holiday party or just a day of baking, we have it! Holiday and New Year's Party Full Coordination So you are thinking of having a wonderful holiday party for Christmas or New Year's but aren't sure where to start or have the time to pull it together? Let our team of experienced professionals take care of every detail! This season we are offering a special which includes our expertise to choose the look and feel as well as set up and clean up after the event. This is for up to 25 guests. All you have to do is relax and enjoy your guests. Dates are limited so contact us today! Holiday Baking Party This is a fun way to enjoy some time with friends and family while getting the holiday baking done as well. You choose three holiday treats you would like to learn to make and we supply all of the ingredients. We set up, clean up and supply recipes of everything we prepare with you. Some of our clients make it a girls day, a day with the grandchildren or a family affairs. You simply invite friends or family, give us the recipes you would like to learn and enjoy the day. The cost per person is $15.00. Contact us today to book your date! Custom Proposal Special The proposal, a moment you want to be unforgettable. Let our experience create what you have envisioned that moment to be. Whether it is a spectacular, glittering cityscape atop beautiful San Francisco or Los Angeles, a secluded setting on the beach, in the mountains or a family setting. Let our experience create your vision. This package includes an in depth consultation to learn about the two of you and discover what you have envisioned that moment to be. Next we move on to proposal design to actually create that vision. Finally we are on site to coordinate and carry out that vision on the day of the proposal to make it a day for you to enjoy as well while our experienced team handles every detail. This package is normally priced at $350.00 but will be $195.00 through New Year's. This package will only be in place for a short period of time and dates book fast during this season. Please contact our team today to schedule your date! We enjoyed every moment of being a part of this beautiful wedding for these two wonderful people. Kyle and Carolyn, we wish you a lifetime of happiness and joy. The key to great memories is of course the choice of photographer on a wedding day and they chose one of the best, Morgan James Photography as always did an amazing job of capturing the day. We also had the pleasure of working with the wonderful Lanny of The Linen Shoppe and Mariah from Simply Flowers. The beautiful cake was created by Eddie's Bakery and the delicious food was provided by Pardini's Catering and Banquets. The fabulous location was The Grand 1401 which is a stunning building like no other in the area. A special thank you to Liz at The Grand for all of her hard work and help throughout the planning. It was simply a pleasure. The Eclectic Affairs team thanks you for trusting us to be a part of such a special day. I am always looking for ways to ease the journey of planning for my clients and also for vendors who like me will take their day as serious as I do. I found a wonderful tool and the wonderful lady who created it a couple of years ago and I haven't looked back. "TheOne" Complete Wedding Planner and DreamBook are filled with a complete list of experienced vendors, pages for every notation you need to make and a place for every wonderful idea you clip and want to hold onto. Behind this wonderful product is a team of people who can help you find every vendor you need to complete your vision. Once you register at TheOneWedding you will have access to a fantastic list of planning tools, idea galleries, advice, contests, vendors and so much more. Cynthia Carreiro is the creator and just the most wonderful help you could have. She only works with the best in the business and has an unlimited amount of information and passion for what she does. So as you dream and begin to plan the most spectacular day of your life, I encourage you to pick up these wonderful tools and register at TheOne. It should be the first step you take and I assure you it will be in the right direction.
TheOne Wedding Website One of my brides Melissa Pointer put together a fabulous wedding, on a strict budget and it was fantastic. I am very excited that she was just selected as "Bride of the Week" by Colin Cowie. Read all about it here. Congratulations Melissa, it was a fabulous wedding thanks to that wonderful eye of yours. |
Author_I have planned just about every size and type of event you can imagine. Along the way my talents as a caterer and baker have integrated into my business as well. I have shared my love of great meals and desserts by teaching small groups in evening dinner parties. I am passionate about every piece of my business and the happiness of my clients. Archives
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