Brooke's First Two Events

Over the pass few weeks, I had the pleasure of working on two amazing events! The first event was a Great Gatsby themed 20th Anniversary Vow Renewal.The second event was a block themed 1st birthday party.  

The most important lesson I learned from both of these events is setting up and coordinating an event takes a lot of time.  I never realized how far in advanced the planners get to the event space to start setting up.  We were there HOURS ahead of time to make sure everything was perfect for the client. 

The Great Gatsby themed vow renewal ceremony was beautiful and full of New Orleans flair.  It was also very intimidating for me, being my first event. When we arrived of course the space was completely bare. Reagan assigned me to arrange the centerpieces for the smaller tables, giving me full creative control. When I asked Reagan for more direction on decor set up she replied, “I gave you a task, now go make the room pretty.”  If anyone knows me, they know I like to have a plan or an example.  This was so intimidating yet inspiring at the same time, because the owner of the company was trusting me to create something that with a big part of the overall look of the space.  Thankfully, I came up with something that we were both happy with. 

The event began at 11am with a Second Line starting at New Orleans’ famous Hotel Monteleone.  The second line went down the world famous Bourbon Street, and ended at LaTrobe’s on Royal Street. 

This event was so fun and well themed, and I really enjoyed having it be my first event!  Here are a few pictures to show off the amazing details of all of our hard work.

The following week, was Carsyn's first birthday party in City Park.  Anna and I spent a lot of time painting cardboard boxes to look like blocks the day before, as well as shopping and baking cookies. It made me realize just how much time and effort your planners and coordinator's put into making your event special.  Here are some pictures from the process:The next day, we got to City Park early that morning and started to set up.  We stacked the blocks to spell out Carsyn's name, we set up the activity and cake tables, and we made a really cute backdrop for a photo-booth set up.  It was very cool to see it all come together in the end!

Once the family got there, we had so much fun celebrating Carsyn.  This event was a huge success and the family had a wonderful time! 

From my first two events, I have learned a lot about what it takes to be an event planner.  I have learned that perfection takes time, but seeing the smiles on your client's faces makes all of your time and effort worth it.  I look forward to working many more events in the future!