Have you walked into an event and been hit by a wonderful aroma?  We always think about lighting, music and certainly food & drinks, but scent is also an important component to a dinner party, casual soiree, or corporate function.  And it's easy to add an appropriate scent to your event.   
Scent an Event, Jo Malone

Jo Malone, the luxury London fragrance company, has a collection of tea candles called: Scent an Event.  Their strong fragrances can quickly transform a room and add a beautiful warmth to an environment.   Whether in your home or a conference center, candles evoke a sense of celebration.

If candles are not allowed in your venue, a more subtle way to add scents is through a spray or diffuser sticks.   Archipelago is another brand that has very strong, yet tasteful scents and offers many beautiful options.

Enjoy selecting your next event scent. 
 

BTW, Jo Malone provides a corporate gift giving service if you're looking for a nice luxury gift ( they provide free gift wrap and shipping).  Not the least expensive option, but may be a right for certain clients. JoMalone

If you're planning weddings or based on the west coast you're probably familiar with the amazing works of floral art Mark's Garden has produced.  For more than a decade, Hollywood celebrities have enjoyed Mark Held and Richard David's creative visions for their weddings and major celebrations. 

If you're looking for inspiration for your next soiree, consider their new book, Fabulous Parties, featuring hundreds of elegant decor ideas for the event hostess.  As one would expect, the book offers top-notch tips on arranging stunning floral centerpieces, but Fabulous Parties also provides the reader helpful guidance on how to tastefully work a theme into the menu, food presentation, table settings and aperitifs.     

And if reading the book just isn't enough for you....Mark's Garden does take their floral production anywhere in the world.   Marks Garden.  Simply Inspirational.

Adding Bath and Body works or Molton Brown products to any event bathroom instantly improves the impression guests have of the function and facility.  A small, simple bouquet of fragrant flowers is also an easy, classy addition.                                                      

And while we’re on the subject, this may sound silly, but before booking a venue I always check the restrooms.   Cleanliness of the restrooms is a great reflection of the venue management.  I also want to be sure there are enough stalls for the number of guests.  Have you been to a wedding for 300 with two stalls?  Not a good experience, especially for the 150 women who want a few minutes in front of the mirror.   

Are you throwing a lot of parties in your home or just starting a catering business?  Well if your buffet doesn't include a coffee urn for 50 you may find buying silver hollowware is more efficient than renting these items from caterers.  I was surprised to see you can purchase fine looking coffee urns and silver platters that don't reach the thousands.  

And if you're looking for an interesting talking piece at your next formal function, check out this silver Champagne Fountain.  Apparently these are very popular in the UK right now, along with the festive Chocolate fountains. 

If you would like a source for high quality fountains, silver platters or other formal serving pieces Boca Party Supplies is a great online resource to check out.  They specialize in servicing the small business or private homeowner who is looking for formal additions to their hostess collection.  The owners ship all items promptly from Florida.  Be the hostess with the mostess....
 

If the brown hotel foyer isn't the giving the hip vibe you envisioned for your wedding reception or cocktail party, have no fear, rental furniture is easy.  Adding a few funky chairs or a crisp white sofa to a lounge area can transform the overall feeling of your event. You can rent white tables with a light in your theme color inside the base, colorful pillows, mirrors and unique chairs guests will talk about.  I think pictures offer the most inspiration because the options are endless.

Even if your budget is small, adding a few peices can have a large impact.  A great resource for chic designer feel furniture rental is Studio Collection.  Based in the bay area, but servicing the entire country, this company offers a very wide selection of color and design options from modern to traditional for weddings and corporate clients.  Here's a bit about their site, but please visit their website for a full showcase.  Their work is wonderful.

                        
Click to enlarge photos, Studio Collection examples
From Studio Collection: Experience a brilliant collection of stylish and versatile furnishings designed specifically for your next special event. Create chic lounge groupings for your wedding reception in modern and traditional styles. Explore the many design and color options to match your reception palette. Our specialty chairs to create the finishing touch for your dining tables. Request a quote for your favorite furnishings today via our website.

Once you’ve decided to host your dinner party or wedding reception in a tent the next part is figuring out how to “make it work”.  How many tables can you fit? Where should the entrance be? Where is the least likely location for someone to tango into the cake?                    County Marquee Photos 

A brilliant woman in the UK has developed a very user-friendly software to help you design the floor plan for your next event.  County Marquees free software allows you to drop and drag tables of various sizes to your proposed location, easily adjust the dimensions of your tent, and add doorways.  It’s wonderful.

County Marquees' website also contains hundreds of event photos and case studies that may help you determine the type of tent, or more elegantly called by the British, type of “Marquee,” that best fits your event.  And if you’re in the UK, County Marquees is ready to provide you with the highest quality Marquees and service.

Here’s the link to the software section and a link to their very helpful Q&A section.

A lot of decisions go into selecting a venue for your wedding or next company function. It’s never easy.  When we were looking for the "perfect" wedding venue I had to work hard to put on my event planner hat rather than the head over heels in love bride who saw many "perfect" locations.  By being open-minded we found a venue that worked very well logistically, and of course, was romantic as well.

When planning corporate events it really helps when a venue is flexible and willing to allow you to do such things as remove furniture, load in the night before, send boxes ahead of time, bring in your own AV team, etc.  

To help select the venue that best fits your needs, we've put a Venue Checklist in the Event Templates section. There are no right/wrong answers to these questions, simply a list of ideas to consider before declaring you've found "the perfect venue".  Happy Searching.

Could seating charts be the hardest part of planning a wedding or dinner party? I just came across a user-friendly software that makes this lovely part a bit easier.  Perfect Table Plan loads your guests' contact information in a savvy manner and then not only keeps track of the RSVP status and meal preferences but allows you to drop and drag names into your custom "floor plan". 

You can configure your floor plan with as many round, square or rectangle tables and easily indicate the number of seats.  Once this step is done it's an easy drag & drop system to place your guests in their seats.  You can zoom in to view one table or zoom out and see your whole room.  And when a new vision for the room comes to mind... Drag the tables where you want them.  The other smart thing about this software, you can view your seating plan as a floor plan, a spreadsheet, or a table format.                  

At $35, Perfect Table Plan is appropriate for anyone planning Bar Mitzvahs, Weddings, formal dinner parties and charity events.  You can try the software for free at their website.  (I'm no, not getting a commission, its a great tool to share with you.)

When looking into a tent rental there are many questions to ask and options to think through before signing the contract.

Who'd have thought a tent could be so complex? A few things I like to consider when planning an event with a tent are are now posted in the Event Planning Templates  section under "Tent Rentals".   Have a great party.

Consider a creative, branded ice sculpture to add a little wow to your next party. Beyond the simple ice swan, ice sculptures can be carved into the shape of your or have a logo tastefully etched into the ice (which looks great with your theme color light shinning up from beneath). At weddings I think it looks so nice when the seafood is arranged on an ice bar. Done right, the ice sculpture can be so interesting you don't need to invest in other decor for a cocktail party.

A few creative ways to enjoy ice sculptures:
Clear Memories' branded ice bars (click to expand)
* Bar Luge - Guests love to watch their colored liquor flowing thru the ice luge into their martini glass. A typical luge will run $500 but you can go smaller or larger.
* Bar - Creative Memories creates actual bars made entirely of ice. The bar can have a logo etched into the ice or a unique design of your choice. 4 foot bars start at $1600, and Creative Memories can go as large as you have space for (imagine a 32 foot ice bar).
* Bar Back - An interesting addition to your bar, add an ice sculpture and focus on uplighting for a great visual while guests order drinks. And around $300 you can always find budget for this.
* Seafood Platter - Caviar bars have become popular and seafood looks gorgeous set up on sculpted ice or an ice bar. For a smaller budget consider an open clam shell sculpture to present your oysters.
* Individual Dessert Bowls - gorgeous way to present berries or chocolate mousse.
* Centerpieces - Ice makes a beautiful unique centerpiece, with or without flowers.
* Glasses - I got this idea while visiting Stockholm's "Ice Bar" - as if it's not cold enough already-they created more ice. There is a dress code here, you are provided a groovy silver parka and full gloves. When you enter the Ice Bar, it takes your breath away. The floor, the bar, even the stools are 100% carved ice. Then you order one of 12 Absolute Vodka drinks served in, you got it, a thick tumbler made of ice. No tonic needed, the ice melts slowly into your drink. What a fun experience.

Visit Creative Memories  for more pictures and a great resource for your next event.

One reader asked, "I work in a small office and plan events for 30 guests.  Without the leverage that a big brand or convention, how can I save money when booking events at a hotel?"

Here are a few items that may be up for negotiation and to help your bottom line, and Divas, please add your own suggestions to this blog. 

Being flexible on your dates can help achieve a lower room rate and help your sales person meet her quota for certain months.  Ask your contact if she has any unsold dates between conferences that she's trying to move.  

While you're not going to be their largest customer, a series of 30 person meetings adds up and should lower your room rates.  Offer to hold all quarterly meetings for one year, or all board meetings,  or the company holiday party in addition to your one meeting.

Ask for a discount on any Internet fees.  This is a soft cost.

Serve guests pitchers of water at the meeting rather than individual bottles.  One pitcher placed every third seat is a good rule of thumb. 

Ask for a flat (or free) storage/shipping receiving fee if you have a lot of boxes arriving.   

With the current economy the buyer has more leverage now than a year ago.   Hopefully it picks up soon, but in your case it does make for a better hotel rate.

Party Tents can be an opportunity to create a magnificent space in a not so magnificent location (a parking lot, a field, etc.).  Tents allow you to create a garden feeling in the desert and Christmas in July.  When guests walk into a tent they should be swept away and feel like this is a very special place.  If you don't have a Platinum Wedding budget, there are a few things you can do to make the white tent less "white" without breaking the bank.

Carpet: You can usually find a carpet in your theme color or go with a green to make the environment more inviting.

Trees: Even three or four trees make the tent a more relaxing environment.  Who doesn't love seeing a tree.

Uplighting:  If your event is at night you have a wonderful opportunity to shine gobos on the walls in the shape of tree leafs or simply have a color wash effect on each of the walls.   This looks so incredible.

LeCirque effect: My favorite decorating touch is to drape your theme color, in a thin plastic, from each corner and post attachment to the center of the tent, creating a beautiful ceiling and overall happy feeling to the tent.  It's not LeCirque, but it's a great touch.

Windows: You can rent tents with pretty windows, which make the tent less confining and more inviting.

Picket Fence:  If your event is in the day consider adding a picket fence "yard" in place of one of the four walls.  This is a perfect place to set the bars and cocktail tables while adding a few extra square feet to your event space.

Got some ideas to share? Please add to the blog.