Don't Stress!

Remember: planning your wedding, or any event for that matter, is FUN!

Planning in general can very easily stress you out - especially when you're dealing with everything that goes along with planning a large event such as a wedding.  When you get frustrated don't pull your hair out!! Instead, try taking a deep breath, leaving the house, walking away for a day or two, or even screaming into a pillow!!

-OR-

If you're really at the end of your rope, give us a call; We've Got It! Chicago is here to help. Just sit back and let the professionals handle it!

Let's Go Bowling!

From the Meineke Car Care Bowl to the Super Bowl next month, some of the best games of the season are about to be played and we want to help you host the best Bowl Game Party ever.  This isn't just any old game-watching party, this is the big game, so pull out all the stops.  When planning a game-watching party, there's several key factors to consider.  We'll walk you through every little detail so you're sure to score a big victory.

Setting the Scene
Chances are, you're hosting your bowl game party at your home, and depending on your living situation, you may or may not have many options.  When setting up the party area, consider these things:

• do you have enough seats for all the guests?
• will all guests have a clear view of the TV and be able to hear ok?
• is there a bad glare on the TV from the window?
• will guests have access to end tables or coffee tables for setting down drinks and snacks?
• is there an easy path to the food and restrooms so guests aren't constantly walking in front of the TV?

Food and Drinks
Game-watching parties give an easy theme for menus.  You can use the game, your team, or your opponent as your menu theme.  Here's a few examples:

• If your team is the Chicago Bears, treat your guests to Chicago deep dish pizza or legendary Chi-town hot-dogs. 
• If your team is playing in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, prepare traditional Cajun fare like etouffe, jambalaya and crawfish.
• Or if you're team is playing the Miami Dolphins, why not serve up dolphin fish sandwiches?

You can also get creative with naming your menu items, like Buffalo Bills' Hot Wings or Alabama Slammer shots or Heisman Winning Chili Bar.

Decor
Set the mood for your big game party by decorating in team colors.  If you're a big fan of one of the teams, you're likely to go all out for that team. However, for games like the Super Bowl, where casual fans gather to root for either team, you can show spirit for both sides.  Pick napkins and plates the represent both teams in action.  Spread some shakers around the room for guests to get pumped up.  And be sure to have a couple of footballs on hand for a half-time scrimmage in the backyard.  Or check out your local party supply shop for a Super Bowl ring to award to the guest who comes closest to guessing the final score.

So what are your go-to plays for a game-watching party? Have you scored big with a Super Bowl party?  Leave a comment to tell us about what you've done.

Seating Chart Tips

If you're preparing for a big event and you're not sure whether or not to do a seating chart, check out Monday's post "To Seating Chart or Not to Seating Chart."  But if you've decided you do want to assign seats, you're in the right place.  There are lots of ways to go about creating a seating chart, but being the tech-savvy planners that we are, we like to incorporate modern technology to make the job easier. So here are our tips for creating a hassle-free seating chart.

• Use technology.  Microsoft PowerPoint has a seating chart template. To find it, open a new PowerPoint file and search "seating chart" in the template file.  This does a lot of the dirty work for you.  Just fill in the names.  Or if your lay-out is going to be different, it's easy to cut and paste the tables as you want them.  While technology can be great for storing ideas and having a crisp final lay-out, it may be easier to have little slips of paper with all of the guests names on them for easily rearranging tables.

• Be concious of where you're seating people.  Elderly guests often have a hard time hearing, so seat them up front, but not too close to loud music.  Make sure those with disabilities or small children have a clear path to the exits and restrooms in case a quick sneak-away is needed.  Seat children in the back or corners. Kids are likely not paying attention anyway, and will be out of the way.
• Figure out what tables you can fill first.  For example, if you have tables for 8, and the Smith Family has 8 members attending, then you can automatically assign them to one table.  Or if you have 4 couples who are all great friends, put them at one table together. Done! 
• Once you assign all your "full tables," determine if any guests can not sit together.  Start separating those piles. Fill in with couples and singles as needed.
• Take care to mix tables according to common interests: generation, alumni of the same college, all new parents . . . by giving your guests table-mates of similar interests, you'll ensure they have a great time.
• Remember not to exclude anyone from a table if possible.  For example, if 9 of your sorority sisters are at the wedding, don't seat 8 together and seat the 9th elsewhere.  The 9th girl will not be as comfortable. Instead, split the group into 4 and 5, so no one feels left out.

Well, those are our tips for seating charts. We hope they helped you out. If you still have questions, feel free to email us at info@wevegotichicago.com. We'd be happy to help answer any of your questions.

To "Seating Chart" or Not to "Seating Chart"

Many hostesses are unsure whether or not they should assign seats at their event.  I've been to events without seating charts that were a disaster (I ended up sitting outside), and I've been to events with a seating chart that were equally distressing to the guests (one groomsman was split away from all the rest of his buddies).  We feel that it's really a personal preference and depends. Only the host knows all of their guests well and can say what will work best for their situation. But there are some things to think about when determining whether or not you should assign seats.

• How well do your guests know each other?  Will they feel comfortable pulling up a chair next to anyone?  Or would they prefer to be seated with familiar faces?
• Do you have time constraints that could be eased by allowing guests to bypass standing in line to find out where they should sit?
• Do you have space constraints that allow your guests to only sit in one basic configuartion?
• What's the purpose of your event? Do you want to encourage guests to meet new people and strike up new conversations?
• Do you have ample space/chairs for guests to create their own seating?
• Do any of your guests have special needs which would necessitate an assigned seat?
• Are there guests attending who don't get along well and need to be separated?
• Will you be excluding anyone from a table of friends if you do assign seats?

Once you've considered these questions, you can decide whether or not to do a seating chart and what kind to use.  Stay tuned later in the week where we'll give you more tips on creating a seating chart that works for your event and your guests. 

So how have you handled this issue? Have you assigned seats or let it be a free-for-all?

Online Event Planning

We love planning events, which is why we offer great service at an affordable price.  But sometimes hiring an event planner just isn't in the budget at all.  So what can you do when you still need some help?  We recently dicovered this great event-assistance website, mypunchbowl.com.  This site is a great resource for event planning.

Mypunchbowl.com helps you:

• set an event date
• keep track of a pot-luck
• designing and sending invitations
• and so much more.

So if you're ever in a jam and can't afford an event planner, check out mypunchbowl.com.