The main course – A venue made yummy ! Part Uno

The venue naked

One of the most important elements of an event is the venue. It can truly make or break the entire experience. Today we’ll be gossiping on transformation and some of the important elements you need to create or recreate the main course, the venue you’ve chosen for your special event .

1. Location : Your venue and its surroundings should make a statement. Have you chosen a rustic theme, a vintage look, something ultra modern , beach chic or Royal – Classic. Most times we neglect to look at this main course as the opening feeder for the overall event meal – And I’m not talking food either. You should never choose a venue that will be considered rustic for a modern event unless you plan on making an investment in the complete transformation. Parking is important and should come into consideration for your guests. Either a convenient parking lot adjacent to the venue or a parking deck that you can make arrangements with.
   

   Khalilah O. Eco Chic Event Stylist . Setting up chairs in a half curve style for #Innovate Raleigh

   In the event you can’t find either I would notify guests before the day of the event in the invitations so that they understand to pull in wherever they can when they arrive at your destination.

2. The exterior: What does it look like insider – Are there pre installed fixtures that can not be moved, artwork not that becoming or even worst – Is it just ugly? In the event you find yourself in any of these 3 situations the best way to hide , shield or cover is draping. You can choose between the standard pipe and drape which consists of 2 uprights, 1 crossbar and 2 bases which can be rented from a local party rental company  that offers  off white or black options.
   

   Drape install

   If you have a larger budget you can install sheer draping as high as you need it and  it will offset a beautiful feel when your guests arrive so those flags, that statue of the monkey and those terrible walls will be no more.

3. The tables and chairs: If your lucky enough to find a venue that offers table and chairs  1st things 1st – Cover the tables with linen. Floor length which we suggest in a basic cotton start at 14 dollars a piece and the prices increase as the design and material changes . Make sure you get the proper size for the tables your venue offers and that it works with your overall look. White linens require way more work than a colored linen or one with nice details. Chair covers have changed and you no longer have to opt for those shiny mess of a thing . Instead consider a stretched cover for a more modern look, a sag made out of coordinated material on each or every other chair or you can opt in for a band or sequins option similar to the one pictured.
   

   THis DIY project will add lots of umph to your special event if it works with the style your going for

   I understand that tables and chairs can be pricy and so can getting them to look the way you would like them to so make sure when your checking out a space you consider some of these options with your budget.

4. The loo: The bathroom ! Worst than anything I’ve seen is a nice looking event space , transformed and a scary bathroom. You know – sketchy toilets that are rusted , dirty to the point the new color is the new look or its just not welcoming . Remember your guests will be enjoying themselves, celebrating with you and the whoe loo thing can be a deal breaker and cause them well – to talk…..If the loo isnt in good shape- Pay attention in this area . Ask your planner/designer about talking to the venue about an acid wash …It usually cleans everything , add floral, personalized hand towels and tissue, mints and other items you would find in a hotel bathroom . If you have it in the budget – add an attendant to tend to guests while their in.
   

   Florals always add great additions to any room . You can go big for a few a then opt in for some petite table top arrangements

   Your guests will appreciate the extra effort and it is that effort that will detract them from any issues that you may have noticed.

5. The seasoning : Every meal needs to be seasoned to taste good and in that same aspect – A venue can be made yummy with a few bold and beautiful accessories. 

The 1st is the lounge area. Not an everyday addition but definitely one worth the investment . Opt in for one in white or make it your pop of color ..

Lounge furniture in white always setthe stage for a wow factor. You can choose between styles or go commercial with a standard straight line sofa with coordinated florals and tables

The ILM area proudly has 3 companies that offer lounge rentals – all different styles, price range and one perfect for you. The coordinated pillows, tables and whatever else you would like can be added to give your venue  a wow factor . Decide early what your style is – Call them with it and your colors and they will work in providing the perfect piece or pieces for your special event.

The 2nd Game on …Brides these days that are opting for outdoor events are adding fun games – everything from Cornhole, Bocce, Cricket and Giant Checker/Chess games and even Connect four.

The 3rd : An action station : YES interactivity – A live donut machine in operation , a cigar roller , Meat and drink pairing . Your guests will love the excitement of this surprise element and eat it up!

The honest truth is some planners/designers dont want to do events in certain venues because of the look of it and the feel , and well, um the location – Its not portfolio friendly but the reality is that we all have done events in places we would rather not share and the work invested in transformation is sometimes not enough not to critique yourself so before you choose your main course , remember our check list of things to look for .

If your still hungry : Check back in tomorrow for our Hot and Not so Hot list and enjoy the photos of this transformation .

Attendees

You can see complete behind the scenes here: http://www.wedpics.com/album/MTI2MDc=

Until next time if you heard anything through the grapevine about any thing events – TELL US !!! We want to know !!

 

xx

Happy Planning

Mob Mentality

If you were in Wilmington last weekend you missed a few fabulous events ! Of course I’m sure your thinking about the flawless wedding we threw but in all actuality it was The Wilmington Cash Mob event – Sounds simple …err?  Well not really , it’s sort of a big idea, big concept and a big boost for a locally owned business in the Wilmywood area.

The Wilmington cash mob according to their facebook page is a group of people who want to make a positive impact on local businesses by shopping there with an organized group on a particular day…When more than 50 ppl showed up boy and WOW was I proud to be an honorary Wilmingtonian !

The crowd at Gravity Records

First on the Hit List – Gravity Records , owned by the awesome Matt Keen located at 125 South Kerr – Lots of great stuff. I managed to score some old school Madonna, Michael Jackson and even some Jay Z…then I left the rest of the hound dogging to the hubby in the Elvis section.

Alafeez Olokunola shopping

If you wanna know whats happening at Gravity – Here’s the deets:

Monday: Choose your tone adventure (any 1 of our daily specials)

Tuesday: Buy 2 get 1 FREE all used merchandise

Wednesday: 20% off all used merchandise …

Thursday: Buy 1 new item get 1 used item FREE Friday:

Manager’s Choice Saturday: We don’t roll on Shabbos (We’re open but no daily special) Sunday: 20% off all new items

The Big Guns

The Lady in the table

If you’re looking to bring out the big guns for your next special event we want to give you some ideas we found and loved !

• The Woman in the table Looking for a new way to serve specialty desserts at your next event? Consider this custom designed dress linen perfect for the woman in the table! A daring design for the eclectic, artsy individual

Average cost of the dress linen : $125 dollars

Average cost of the woman for the table : $25 dollars per hour

The Drowning

Stunning flowers always come with a hefty price tag !But these sunken (drowned) Calla Lillies are an inexpensive way to create a stunning centerpiece with an added floating candle less the orchids .

Average cost of Vase: $19.99

Average cost of Candles:  $1.99

Average cost per stem of Calla Lilly: $5.00

The Body Bag

If you’re looking for colors with a timeless look that can kill this season …Well this is it! Black and white always work together but this Teal blue makes it pop ! Using a mix of frames, manzanita branches, depression era glass vases and a lounge creates a POW and Wow that will kill your guests at first sight!

We’re loving the eco elements in this such as the manzanita branches and the mixed use of fabrics for both the frames and lamp shades. You can pull this off by pairing black and white with your choice color and taking 3 elements :

Hang Em’ – Hang colored glass candle holders from manzanita branches.

Back Em’ Up – Find fabric that you love and affix it from the back to an ornate frame in a bold black or bright white

Bag Em– Using the fabric you found  create cases that will work as pillows with the lounge – then bag em!

We’d love to hear about your Mob Mentality and ways your killing them – Whether it’s with kindness or designs ! xoxoxo

The Dirty Little Secret

Who doesn’t love having , hosting or attending a fabulous event? All hands in the air with the me, me , me’s! I do to and believe me I love having a good time. Recently we attended a somewhat A list event and we met some fab people including some TV personalities. While we were there we discovered a Dirty Little Secret hidden in the design and if you don’t have an eye for it  ….well you would’ve missed it !

Can you see it? SAY YES: PRETTY PLEASE

Orange & Tangerine Naturals

How about here?

When I first recognized it I’m sure the people thought that I was either borderline going crazy or stalking the tabletop pieces in front of me . Well not the ones pictured although these have the same dirty little secret.  The colors alone had me swooning and brainstorming on the spot for a reason to plan a special event . The Hostess who was a cute , quirky blonde asked me “Ma am” is everything okay?  First of all as fabulous as I am do I look like a ma am and secondly I’m peachy, just in awe of the special details at this event.

I won’t leave you in suspense any longer – The Dirty Little Secret : Vegetables, floral tabletop pieces that you can pull out, dice up and create a delicious palette with! Do you hear TREND ALERT? I do and I bet you 1 whole dollar that brides, party planners and my fellow Eco Chicer’s alike will grab whole of this latest and run with it  . Once I started using edibles in arrangements I never looked at the produce section quite the same way . I search for bright bold and interesting colors, textures and shapes!

According to our friends over at www.treehugger.com The culinary use of flowers dates back thousands of years to the Chinese, Greek and Romans. Many cultures use flowers in their traditional cooking — think of squash blossoms in Italian food and rose petals in Indian food.

Here are a few more fabulous examples  :

Carolines Garden provides an eclectic mix of kale, broccoli, green tomato mini’s and artichokes

I Heart Rhody creates this stunning Ikebana style piece with a mix that adds Asparagus and Peas

Do you love it? or WHAT? If your interested in being daring and trying to create this new concept look at home, for your own special event or just because you can , here’s some first steps .

Art Deco Floral piece with a mix of artichokes, parsley, mint, lavender, basil and peppers with Spring lilies, an assortment of wax leaves, tigi leaves, bear grass and curly willow

Go farm local – For some of the vegetables that we used in this particular piece for a past wedding we got down and DIRTY in our own garden and my momma’s . I picked , pulled and then played with the look .

If your not as willing to get DIRTY then just run over to your local supermarket where they have a pretty hefty selection of vegetables to choose from . I prefer selecting items like artichokes , kale, parsley, mint and  cilantro from the local market and leaving the florals from my own garden or the wholesaler .

The Flower Shop Network  uses a mix of rustic florals like succulents and dusty miller leaves adding kale and  peppers for this Party Piece

The Big Apple Florist uses squash to add to these stunning orchids, roses, lotus pods and berries used for a special bride

Before you go DIRTY past the first steps, here’s a few must have items you’ll need :

• Since we’re eco we can’t recommend using foam even though it’s the easiest but suggest kenzan to kinda hold the stems /vegetables in place . Kenzan is very popular in Ikebana
• Skewer sticks to hold those vegetables without stems in place
• Floral Sheers
• A super awesome container, vase, basket or wooden box
• A concept – Are you going for super chic, mod, eclectic ?
• A menu card – Write your recipe out- someone may want to copy cat
• The Madanna Nash Dirty Little Secret Download – visit her site for a clip : http://www.madonnanash.com/ 

After you’ve scored all things necessary – go for it –  build your own Dirty Little Secret .

You can check out http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/42-flowers-you-can-eat.html for all the flowers that are edible so that you don’t mistakenly end someone and in up with a charge-hahaha !! We can’t wait to see some of your edible DIRTY distinctions !!! xoxoxo

Welcome!

Hey Ya’ll – It’s Khalilah O. , your Eco Chic Event Stylist from A Boxed Event and celebrity wedding blogger for The Green Bride Guide . It’s a beautiful day in the hood and I’m super stoked to Welcome some and Introduce to others EVENT GOSSIP (loud screams, woots and other weird sounds) .

 

Event Gossip will definitely be The Real Word on The Streets about all things Event related with all the Savvy Details. A new blog for the inquiring mind, the big mouth & the most fabulous looking for how to do or something to do with an Eco twist. An informative fruit tree ripe for the picking surrounded by grapevines for the socialist, the planner and the designer who has big questions, wants saucy inspiration and great truth . We pinky promise to supply lots of visuals  and do our best to keep you excited and in the know on all things event related in the hood. And although we love weddings – it’s no hold barred here we’ll inspire with Birthday parties, anniversaries & fierce philanthropic events. We’ll bring you behind the scenes of some of the most fabulous and um, not so fabulous- yes there will be a Foolery Chronicles …maybe , eventually well maybe not.  I will occassionally stop in and chat but our resident Chief Blogger Cassie is at the helm of this baby – She’s well spoken, not soft spoken, super creative and in a foot boot for a little while So Give  her a shout out at Cassie@aboxedevent.com or post on her facebook page – She’s about to kick some blog bootie ! xoxoxo

 

Happy Planning

 

Khalilah O.