Graduation Party

It was a mixture of fairly new and old friends ~  speaking of the past and of the future to come. It was a good graduation party. 

I added fun touches like Tessa's favorite candy (sour gummy worms) to her table that let the person visiting see Tessa from baby to graduate.  Her favorite teddy bear to high school basketball awards showed how far my daughter has come in her life thus far.

The gathering reminded Tessa how precious she is to many people and it was a  wish for her future to be bright.

An event like this does not need to be terribly expensive. There are ways to cut costs.

• Look into a local grange to rent (so reasonable)
• Purchase flowers from your local florist (wholesale) and arrange them yourself
• The local Dollar Store is a fabulous place to find ribbon and vases for nearly nothing
• Visit Costco for desserts, veggie trays, and such. Put the food items on your glass serving dishes and the look is complete 

Graduation Party Memory Board

Creating a Memory Board is a fun trip down memory lane for you, your graduating senior, and the family and friends who attend the gathering. 

Typically Memory Boards hold pictures from the past but it's also a great place for words of wisdom and a wonderful send off for your high school senior.

Get creative so it reflects your graduate.  I made 3 Memory Boards. The left board shows from birth through grade school. The right hand board reflected middle school through high school. The middle board ~ pictured below ~ was created as a send off.

Flower Power

I LOVE flowers...I can hardly stand to waste a one. 

Finding a place to use the little leftovers is a nice challenge and gives you an extra opportunity to get creative. 

A votive candle holder with colorful rocks in the bottom can be the perfect fit for those short stemmed scraps that you thought were unusable. They add little slashes of color to your event. Because they are nice and low you never have to worry if someone can see over them during conversation at the table. Use 3 or 5 along the middle of your table with a coordinating table runner or cloth napkin underneath.

~ Putting to use all that you have ~

Graduation Party Planning

Graduation party planning can be a fun AND emotional time. Just ask me, the mother of a graduating high school student. Tessa is my baby, there are no more to follow, so this time for me feels very final...I guess because it is.

My daughter requested a graduation party with three of her girlfriends. This makes for interesting party planning ~ there are many opinions to consider and finding the right direction to head in can be tricky. 

But as long as you focus on what's important - your child having a great time and you as the parent feeling good about the send off they are receiving - there are many places to compromise.  

Using school colors as the focal point for decorations brings a common ground among the graduates that are sharing the party.  

Taking a picture of the group and using it as an invitation is fun way to spread the news. These personalized invites can be purchased inexpensively from Costco.com's photo department. These fit nicely in with the graduation announcements and can also be handed out at school to your child's closest friends. 

A picture is worth a thousand words...

I have found that phrase to be true, again and again. And still yet again.

Choosing your photographer for your wedding or event is key. What do you want? What is your personality like? What is the feel you're going for?

Here's a few things to consider when you start shopping for your event photographer.

What is the photographer's style -- traditional, photojournalistic?

Does the photographer shoot in mostly color, black and white, or both?
Will there be an assistant taking photos at the wedding as well?

Can I give the photographer a list of shots that I want?
How long has the photographer been shooting weddings?
How long will it take to get my proofs?
Can I keep the negatives or can I buy them?
What is the photographer's rate?
What time will the photographer arrive and how long will they stay?
Can I look at a complete wedding album the photographer has shot?

Here's one of my all time favorites.  Emily Hall Photography   http://www.emilyhallphotography.com/

I've worked with Emily on several events and a couple photo shoots. She is professional, creative, flexible, and produces work that pleases everyone. 

 

DIY Flowers

Recently I had my bride on a budget ask me what I thought about Do It Yourself (DIY)  flowers. 

My response ~ it's a GREAT and EASY way to shave BIG BUCKS off your wedding budget.

Wholesale places like Costco have wonderful choices of flowers.  You simply place an order so you get just what you want and when you need them. 

Check out some DIY flowers ~ STUNNING and SUPER EASY!

Girl Time

Sometimes you just need to set aside some relaxing time with girlfriends. That can happen over a cup of tea and some good conversation or shopping like crazy looking for that new pair of shoes or maybe in the form of a Spa Day at your home ~ all feed us and our friendships in different and needed ways.

Preparing for a relaxing Spa Day with your friends is as easy as 1~2~3.

1 ~ Create a calming atmosphere with scented candles, peaceful music, and some healthy comfort food. Yes, there is such a thing.

2 ~ Offer pampering goodies like massages, pedicures, and facials.

3 ~  Provide inexpensive little goodies like bottled water with your own creative label and flip flops so those newly polished toes don't get smudged. 

Just create, enjoy, and relax.

The Fun Little Details

Details are sometimes scary to people BUT I love them. The magic of the event or the special day is usually found in those wonderful little details.

Check out this fabulous RSVP card my July bride is sending out soon with her invitations. Her  wedding is being held outside and that lent great inspiration. We had great fun pouring over the tiniest of details to get it just right.

I'm pleased as punch with the results.   

Spa Day & a 2nd Birthday Party

On the horizon is a Spa Day and a 2nd Birthday Party for a special little guy. 

Could there be two completely different celebrations?  Spa Day is to celebrate friendship and take the time to relax and laugh with one another ~ Hudson's Birthday Party will be a celebration of this incredibly busy little guy with big blue eyes. 

I'm busy with yellow polka dots & daisies and dinosaurs & party hats. I can hardly wait to see it all worked out...the creative juices are flowing and I'm looking forward to these two very different groups of people enjoying themselves and one another.

Pictures to follow...

Brilliant & Cheap! Er...Inexpensive

This week I met with my Bride On A Budget - so much excitement!
In talking with the Bride and Groom I learned just how much of a budget they have for their fall wedding - their goal is to plan their dream wedding for $1500. That's quite a goal considering the average wedding cost these days is $27,800*. 

I feel like they're well on their way to get pretty darn close to that goal. 

• She bought her gorgeous wedding dress at a $99 sale at David's Bridal
• The Bride's brother is a chef & a close friends is a photographer whose spouse is a DJ
• The mother of the Bride is using part of her income tax return to pay the rental fee for the venue 
• They are planning on growing the mini pumpkins for their centerpieces

Where there's a will, there is most assuredly a way! Get creative people! Call on your friends to lend their talents ~ there will be a time you can pay them back with your own special talent. 

*Source: TheKnot.com