Surviving the Company Holiday Party: A Guide to Holiday Party Etiquette

From the archive of Sparkle! Parties & Event Management:

It's always a good idea to address this annually much like a performance review. 

It's always been interesting to see the behavior of all that didn't take the advice. Following are just some tips to help you survive the company Holiday party:


• If your company permits you to bring your spouse/family this is not a free for all. Please remember that this is not your last supper!

• Truly, I understand that you earned that promotion or long overdue raise but this is not the time to share your feelings about it. No matter how generous your boss has appeared to be the last few weeks, the Holidays always change a person's mood at least until Jan. 2nd.

• Do we really need to go over the rules of alcohol consumption with your colleagues? Plain and simple, DO NOT OVERINDULGE! It will be all over the building by the time you return to work or worse.

• To my beautiful ladies, now is not the time to put on your most provocative cocktail dress. Yes your male counterparts will enjoy it but do you want your coworkers to remember you based on your work performance or as the one wearing that sexy red number? Quite simply watch the plunging necklines and short hemlines.


Ultimately, we all need a refresh on the party etiquette. Many of us forget that the Company party is an extension of our professional lives. Therefore we must be mindful of how much of our hair we really let down.

Happy Holidays!

Leslie

You're Engaged...Now It's Time to Choose The "Perfect" Date!

You've dated for months (or even years in some cases) and your fiancee has finally popped the question...first off congratulatons and welcome to the wonderful world of wedding planning!

From this point on your entire life will be almost unrecognizable until you reach the alter, in which case I assure many couples that your loving soulmate will return to you true to form:-)  As a new bride-to-be your world will now become a flurry of any and everything wedding related from bridal shows to gown fittings and of course you must have your "bestie" in tow to endure all of your new adventures.

I've been catching up on my favorite blogs lately and of course the world is now enamored with the newly engaged Prince William and Kate Middleton (who wouldn't love to see a real Royal wedding?)  Well it seems there are a few brides in England who aren't so excited.  Apparently they too are newly engaged and very concerned about their own wedding dates because it just may fall on the same date as the Royal couple (which by the way the official wedding date has not been made public yet, yikes!).  Could you imagine months of planning your special day only to be upstaged by the nuptials of the Royal couple?  Nonetheless, I was curious how will you go about selecting your perfect date?  Are you concerned about sharing your date with a celebrity?  How about a close family member or best friend?  Are you prepared to engage in a Bridal War for your perfect date or simply make an adjustment?

Just a little something to think about,

Leslie

Are you a bride on budget? Or are you newly engaged with no idea where to start?

You've dreamed of this day since you were a little girl but can't afford to break the bank?

The reality is EVERY bride is on a budget.  Recently, I was given the challenge of creating a wonderful upcoming wedding for a bride...no problem, right? The challenge was we were to keep her within her budget of $15k, it must be amazing and the food also must be good. Hmm. Never one to admit defeat, I embraced my new bride but not before sharing with her a few key tips:

#1 - You must have an open mind! I can't share enough how important this is in planning especially when you may have limited budget. Yes, you absolutely can have a dream wedding but you must be honest with what you can afford to spend.

#2 - Cut that guest list! Do I really have you share this one? The bulk of all your wedding costs will be increased or reduced right here with your per person food and beverage costs. Eliminate the little people.  Yes, I am bold enough to say it no children with the exception of the children who may be in the wedding party. This means the couple's children (if they have any), the flower girl, ring bearer, bell ringer or whatever your designation may be.

#3 - Nix the bar. I know this one will probably create a little bit of tension for some of you but this again goes back to #2. If you cannot afford to provide an open bar for your guests then nix it all together (and please do not confuse your guests with an hour of open bar which then changes into a cash bar for the remainder of the evening. In fact, nix the entire notion of a cash bar entirely! (if you really want my opinion on weddings and cash bars feel free to send me an email:-) Don't get me wrong there are still some wonderful options that you can provide your guests for cocktails that won't break the bank.

#4 - Avoid peak days/times. Seems simple enough right? You would be surprised by the amount of money that you save when you consider planning your date during the months of November to April. You may even be able to choose your favorite venue...have I got your attention now?  Don't be afraid to think outside the box - consider brunch or a luncheon vs an evening reception.

#5 - Your Wedding Gown. You could save hundreds of dollars alone by considering some alternatives: gaither your best gal pals and your running shoes and head off to the Running of the Brides (sponsored by Filene's Basement http://www.filenesbasement.com/ ). Prefer something less chaotic (and actually one of my favorites), then try the Brides Against Breast Cancer (http://www.bridesagainstbreastcancer.org/) trunk shows that provide thousands of dresses (including lots of couture gowns). Not only is it a way to save money on the cost of your wedding dress but the proceeds from the gown sales support survivors of breast cancer!


***Bonus (especially for the DIY brides):  think you can do without the costs of a wedding planner/coordinator? Well, who do you think is going to be your best advocate for the cost savings?  Who's going to offer you all those fab suggestions and advice?  Who's going to make sure that all your hard work on those personal touches doesn't go unnoticed? 

Talk to you soon, xoxo!

Leslie

It's Christmas in July!!!

Some may ask, why are you already thinking about Christmas are you delirious (especially since the temperates are easily reaching 100+ not including the humidity in the Washington Metro)???

No, I assure you that the heat is not melting my brain.  Now is the perfect time to start planning your company's annual Holiday party.  Why you ask?  Well, considering there are only 3 premium weekends to to choose from it would be to your advantage to get a ahead of the game.  Reserving your date now allows you your choice of your favorite venue on your preferred date.  Not only that, you could take advantage of early bird discounts for booking now and what boss doesn't like to hear that you saved the company a little money. Lastly, if you do it now that's one less thing on your to-do list because we all know that things are crazy at the end of the year!

Let's talk soon, xoxo!

Leslie

Wedding Planning...grooms can do it too!

Isn't it his day too? What if your groom wants to do more than pick his own tux?

Once I accompanied a young couple for their tasting. We sat down at a beautifully appointed table.  The server provided the preselected courses for the couples review and we began to confirm the preferred choices for the final menu selection when all of a sudden the bride becomes completely unglued.  Why you ask?  As best I can tell the groom had the audacity to select his choice of accompaniment for his entrée selection. “You can’t have the rice! It’s my wedding and we will be having garlic mashed potatoes and that’s final!” Are you serious? What is the harm in allowing your groom to make a choice or two? Yes, I know “my groom says it’s my day and he doesn’t care or he keeps messing up the two things I asked him to do already.”

More often than not, your groom will not be as excited about the wedding planning as he is about making you is wife.  Lately, there have been a growing number of grooms who want to take a more active role in planning the big day (with a handful taking complete control over the planning but that’s still few and far between so ladies don’t become totally unglued yet:-) What better way to begin your new life than to have dual participation for such a special day. So for grooms who want to take a more active role but have no clue where to start there are lots of great sites just for you. One of my favorites is the http://www.themanregistry.com/, it's a fantastic online resource that offers grooms guidance and advice on everything related to wedding planning (from how to select the perfect engagement ring to resources for planning the honeymoon) and all from a man's point of view.

So ladies you have no reason to cringe when your groom says he wants to help out more with your special day but just in case you're still not having that:

The Man Registry - Groom's Guide to Dealing with Bridezilla

Best wishes,

Leslie

It's Earth Day and Here are 10 Cool Ways To Have a Green Wedding!

In honor of Earth Day I think it's up to each of us to try to do our part especially in the business of special events where it's very easy to quickly overindulge in decadent food and drink, lavish decor, exquisite florals, luxury transportation, etc.  Let's start today to alter a little of our thinking as we begin to plan. Have you noticed that lately it's becoming much easier to produce an event that is friendlier to mother earth yet doesn't compromise style or elegance? Don't know where to start with your "green" event planning? Well take a look at some of these simple ways to make some "green"-er choices when planning your next soiree!

Leslie

10 Ways to have a Green Wedding (Courtesy of Wedding Aces)

New Year and It’s Time for Something New for You (the busy Professional)!

Hope everyone is off to a fantastic start to the New Year! Over the Holiday season Sparkle! Parties & Event Management was eagerly preparing for the arrival of 2010! Not only are we looking forward to a fantastic new wedding season but I couldn’t wait to tell you about what’s new for 2010.

Beginning January 1, 2010, Sparkle! Parties & Event Management began offering concierge services especially tailored for today’s busy professional, small business owner or individual. Wondering if a concierge service is right for you?  Ask yourself the following:

Are you finding yourself short on time but your inbox keeps growing?


Not to mention you have a growing list of clients and a calendar full of commitments and your assistant is already swamped!


or


Are you a Small Business Owner looking for a little professional support?

Then why not consider Sparkle! Parties & Event Management to help you balance your schedule. Let us fill in all the details while you continue with your business day as usual.

Concierge Services Include:

Entertainment:

• Restaurant Reservations

• Sporting Events/Tours

• Movie and Theater Tickets

• Referrals for Special Events & other services

Personal Shopping:

• Thank You Cards/Gifts

• Reminder Services

• Unique Gift Ideas

Meetings & Travel Arrangements:

• Coordinate Private Car Services

• Make Hotel and Travel Plans

• Arrange Spouses Events

• Arrange Team Building./Incentive Events

Contact Us Today for Your Complimentary Consultation

It's My Birthday and I Have Something Special For You!

The thing I love most about birthdays is that you get the opportunity to celebrate something fabulous with the people who mean the most to you (not to mention the great gifts)! With that in mind, I decided that this year I wanted to share my special day with some very special people too.

My gift to one lucky couple is free wedding planning* for your special day!

 

Simply share your proposal story...that's it! The lucky couple will be randomly selected and who wouldn't love the chance to win free wedding planning. Although I love to celebrate, don't delay all submissions must be received by Monday, January 25, 2010 (11:59pm). Send all entries to rsvp@sparklepartiesandevents.com

Good Luck!

Leslie

Winning Couple to be contacted via email and will be provided with a service contract from Sparkle! Parties & Event Management. Free wedding planning offer is valid until December 31, 2010. Winners will be subject to all standard terms and conditions of Sparkle! Party & Event Management Contracts.  *Day of Coordinaton Service