A Sweets Affair Video
For anyone who missed the event, you can get a taste of it here:
A Sweets Affair from VA Photography on Vimeo.
Thank you Victor from VA Photography for the great video coverage!
Post-event reflections (and how it can be useful for your wedding planning)
Finally after a full couple days of rest, I’ve had time to digest all the happenings of the last two months of planning and crazy few days of execution for A Sweets Affair. Some of my life lessons from this event can be related back to wedding planning in many ways (afterall your wedding is the biggest special event ever!), so I thought I’d share some insights with you.
Details tie the event together
I received a lot of positive feedback about the small details I added to the event, like the signs on the cupcakes and the flags above the sales table. I made sure that even the drinks matched the colour scheme for the night. It’s the little details like these—things that don’t take too much money or effort at all—that distinguish a mediocre event from a well-thought-through occasion. It’s also these little details that guests often take note of, take pictures of and remember when looking back. Well worth it to remember the details!
People are your greatest asset
Though this was a small event, many people came together to make this event possible: Sally had her Psalms team on staff that night, Jenn had a handful of helpers for sales and decorating and I definitely had my share of volunteers at the event. We also had a number of great donations for raffles made possible only by our own personal connections. Whether it was a volunteer collecting the cover at the door or the paid staff selling jewellery, every person at that event played their part to make it a success. In any business or event, people are your greatest asset and resource. Treat people well and make friends! You never know when you might have a future opportunity to work together. I definitely enjoyed meeting and working with Jenn from Sweet Escapes for this event. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to work together again soon!
Hired help vs. volunteers
Words cannot express how thankful I am for my boyfriend being there to help me with the event, not to mention pre and post-event tasks. He helped pick up the keyboard, drove volunteers home, made the background music playlist, helped with AV, had his share of heavy lifting and more. I felt kind of bad that he was dragged in and had an unspoken expectation to help, just because he was a significant other of the event planner who had too much on her plate. But I’m also glad that he was there, because I would have had to do all of it myself, had he not been there. This reminded me of the importance of having a professional wedding coordinator at a wedding. Your close friends and family will no doubt help you out if you need, but how much better would it be if you had hired help and they were free to enjoy the special occasion? I won’t go too much into this here, as I’ve discussed this more in depth in my FAQ’s about hiring a wedding coordinator. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, check it out here.
Saving a few dollars can be stressful
I love getting a good deal and saving money, but sometimes you have to ask yourself if the effort outweighs the money saved. As mentioned in a previous post, because it was a fundraiser, we really utilized our resources and did a lot of things ourselves to save on expenses. Just to give you a glimpse of how we saved money.. Rolling racks were borrowed from a church and from an inside connection with Seneca’s fashion department; tables, chairs and av equipment were borrowed from my office; The mixer and keyboard were borrowed from friends; I made dinner for the volunteers and the beverages for the evening were mixed ourselves. We really saved a ton of money by not renting furniture and buying things we didn’t need, but that meant running around the city and coordinating pickups and deliveries like no tomorrow. Obviously in our case, it was worth it to save money. But if this were a wedding, I would advise the couple to pay for the extra help to have someone else do things for them, because it wouldn’t be worth it to stress and lose so much sleep over a few dollars saved. Saving money always is balanced out by the time or resources put in to make it happen. Make sure you count the costs!
My boyfriend asked me a simple and insightful question the other day: If I were to do it again, what would I change?
After really having reflected on it, I probably wouldn’t have changed much. Sure, it would have been great to have paid for a moving van, rented furniture and had professionals to help at the event. But I don’t think I would have learned as much as I did, having built the event from scratch, and we definitely wouldn’t have saved much money! On a related note, it was also the first time I’ve had to be the event planner/coordinator, AV setup person, delivery person and MC for the same event. Talk about a good learning experience.
All in all, I would count A Sweets Affair a success. I hope you enjoyed it too!
A very sweet affair!
Thank you everyone for coming out to A Sweets Affair!
I wasn’t sure what to expect when we had our first meeting to discuss the event (just over 2 months ago, can you believe it??), but I’m really glad we did it. It was a great turnout and a fun event! Keep posted here for pictures and video, they will be coming soon!
In case you were interested in something specific from the event, here is a list of all our partners and prize donors:
Sweet Escapes by Jenn – delicious cupcakes and wedding cake
Psalms Accessories – hot off-the-runway jewellery
Velsie Mak – singer, songwriter and musician
Matt Vuong Photography – our photographer, photos to come!
VA Photography – our videographer, video to come!
Joni and Friends – proceeds going to this organization sending jessica to cuba
Thank you to our wonderful prize donors:
10 spot – a boutique spa downtown
Ed. Pinaud – premium air purification system
Dancap Tickets – find your next musical here
Kimart on Etsy – handmade accessories and home decor
Lakebreeze Niagara – a beautiful bed and breakfast near niagara falls
Paintlounge – a unique social painting cafe
Primele on Etsy – custom made stationary stamps
Teambuy – offering local products with incredible savings
True North Climbing – a great new rock climbing facility
Here’s a sneak peak of the night from Matt Voung
A Sweets Affair in the making
The valentines event A Sweets Affair is just one day away! Since it is a fundraising event, we want to maximize on the money raised and are making a lot of things ourselves. It’s a fun DIY event on many fronts. Here is a sneak peak of my work in progress. Hopefully I will see you there!
Valentines Gifts: Earrings on 3 Budgets
Inspired by 3 Budgets, 3 Ideas on BizBash, I’ve made my own selection of earrings at three different price points, for the men out there who may still be looking around for the perfect gift. Show your lady how much you adore her with a set of earrings to accentuate her beauty.
Wallet-friendly: Lover of My Soul from Psalms Accessories ($49) This fashion-forward piece is straight from their recent Fall/Winter collection. Hand-made and runway-inspired, this bold piece will be a great accessory for when you take her out on your next date.
Mid-range: Open Heart Hoop Earrings from Tiffany & Co. ($395) A twist on Tiffany’s most recognized symbol, these fashionable hearts will remind her how prized she is. I love that these simple earrings are an understated hint of the Tiffany brand.
Splurge: Diamond Solitaire Earrings from Birks ($1,250) If diamonds don’t say “I love you” I’m not sure what does. If you want to lavish your loved one in the ultimate luxury, check out Birks’ own collection of diamond jewellery. Solitaire earrings are a classic staple in any women’s wardrobe and are a sophisticated way to accessorize.
Remember to visit A Sweets Affair this Friday February 11 to find a great valentines gift from Psalms Accessories or taste a scrumptious valentines cupcake!
Weddings in Honeysuckle: 2011 Pantone Colour of the Year
If you’ve ever picked up those thick bricks of paper with endless blocks of colours on them, you probably have seen a Pantone colour guide. Designers and printers typically use them as a universal reference point, but did you know that Pantone’s selection for colour of the year also impacts other industries?
Pantone is the global colour authority and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, and every year they impact a plethora of other industries with their colour of the year.
Did you notice a lot of turquoise last year? Turquoise was everywhere from clothing, to ads, to weddings and events. It’s no surprise that last year’s pantone colour was turquoise.
This year’s Pantone colour is Honeysuckle – a fun, uplifting and energizing colour that is sure to make its mark in the wedding world. It is both flirtatious and powerful, with its red-hued roots and hints of coral. I can already see it making an impact in retail, as soft floral patterns are taking over mannequins across window displays in the mall. Unbeknownst to the specially selected colour at the time, I picked up an all-natural lipstick from Korres in a similar shade (vibrant rose) at Sephora over the holidays, and I love it!
Here are some of my etsy finds to incorporate this beautiful colour into your next wedding or event.
Bring a pop of colour into your invitations and printed material, from citlali
Fun tissue paper poms for decor, from prosttothehost.
Bring your rings in style with this beautiful blooming ring pillow, from woomi
Accessorize your hair with these flirty pins, from KimArt.