Video Offering Non-Alcoholic Holiday Cocktails

The holidays bring about lots of things, one of these is office holiday parties. One great thing to offer at these holiday parties is festive non-alcoholic drinks. This video gives some great tips on how to make these type of drinks in a quick and easy manner. Enjoy!

Wedding Planning tips from the 'just married'

This insightful post is coming to us from a friend of Social Betty who got married in September. We asked her if she could give us a couple tips that she had for other brides-to-be out there now that she has been through the planning and the big day. So here are some lovely nuggets of info from a new wife to future ones:

• If you can't afford to hire a planner for the wedding think about hiring one for just the day of. This allows you to really enjoy the day and not stress about all the little things like where the programs are. If you can't afford to do that make sure you have a personal attendant or a family member that can do the final setup and worry for you.

• There are many places that you can cut corners in terms of budget, but do not cut corners on a photographer. We allowed a family friend to take our pictures and it was a mess. The photos were not great and the person actually lost one of the memory cards before uploading them, so they are gone forever. The photos of the day not only document the event, they bring all the wonderful memories of it. Make sure there is someone there to really capture that.

• If you are having a DJ ask your guests for song requests. This helped keep OUR music interesting to OUR guests. DJs often play the same songs at every wedding and not everyone has the same taste in tunes.

• Find the dress of your dreams and be willing to find it anywhere. The dress can make or break the day and you never know where you will find it. So be willing to try lots of places and when you try it on you will know.

• Don't try to do the printing of save the dates and invitations yourself. It is super time consuming, nerve racking, and after paper and ink it costs just much as hiring someone to do it for you.

• Look on Etsy.com for accessories. My headpiece was handmade for me and I got a million complements on it.

• Even if you are not the bridezilla type, they day before and of is very stressful and can get to you. If you end up crying at some point about something little, don't worry it happens to us all.

• Try and take it all in. The day is about you and your partner and people are there to celebrate a fun new adventure in your life

Thanks you so much for all the great tips and so many congrats on your new life together.

Tips and Tricks for Holiday Party Planning

The holidays can be very competitive when it comes to finding that perfect venue for your personal or corporate holiday party. By now, many of the most popular venues have been booked up six months to a year in advance for the two busiest weekends of the year, and the chance of getting the venue you want could be challenging.

If you haven’t booked your venue yet, be sure to consider venues that aren’t as popular, but still offer a great experience. There are lots of hidden gems out there. Moreover, be flexible with your needs, especially if you are on a limited budget.

Speaking of limited budget, many organizations over the last year have been cutting back on their holiday parties due to the economy. Social Betty believes there is always a way to celebrate even if you have to cut back and we have got some great tips for you to still maximize your fun without breaking the bank:

• Use fewer decorations and stick with the basics.
• Choose buffet style instead of a sit down dinner.
• Offer a cash bar or hosted beer/wine instead of open bar. If you have some extra money in your budget put it toward a drink ticket or two per guest.
• Instead of door prizes, offer up opportunity drawings.

Regardless of your budget or location, the important thing to remember when planning a holiday party is to be sure your attendees have a great time. Providing the right atmosphere can make for a perfect event, but having the right people and energy will make your event even more special.

Are you ready for some Football?

The fall season brings to mind things like the changing of the leaves, school starting, and one popular sport - Football. Football is one of the biggest sports for friends and family getting together to enjoy each others company and the game. There are numerous ways that people can plan events to get in on this pastime: You could be going to the game, inviting people over to watch the game at your house, or getting everyone to meet at a specific bar or restaurant. No matter which path you take it will take some planning to make sure that your Sunday is, in fact, a "Funday."

The major things to think about include:

• Food-Always think about what time of the day the event will be and what types of food would be appropriate. Consider how long the event will be and make sure their is snacks to cover the day. Consider possible food roadblocks (no grill, guest is a vegetarian or has food allergies, food is cold but will be sitting outside). Call the restaurant or bar and find out if they are having their regular menu or something special for football season.
• Drinks-With this you need to consider if there will be alcoholic beverages available with the non-alcoholic options. If there is going to be alcohol at the event remember to consider how people will safely get home. Call the restaurant or bar and find out if there are any specials.
  
• Parking-This is something to consider with any event.
  
• Seating-Make sure that every person can find some kind of a seat somewhere. This one doesn't quite apply when we are talking a pregame tailgate where standing is obviously allowed.
  
• Televisions or Tickets-The game is technically the reason for the get together isn't it?

Hopefully some of these things will help you know what to consider before your next game day. We all know there is nothing worse than needing more ice or chairs or food or drinks during the game and having to miss the game to fill the void.

Happy Planning
Social Betty

Working with a Wedding Invitation Designer

Please enjoy the second in our guest blogger series from Denise Scatena of Blue Ribbon Invitations- Working with a Wedding Invitation Designer

It's the day you've dreamed about for years and have planned for several months - your wedding. Now it's time to invite your family and friends to attend one of the most important events of your life. Working with an invitation designer can help you in many ways, from reviewing and recommending designs, assisting with wording, and ensuring that your order is on time and within budget. But how do you begin? Here are four simple things to help you prepare for your initial meeting with an invitation designer:

What's your vision? Inspiration comes from just about anywhere. Pictures, poems, song lyrics, flowers, and themes may guide your selection process. Colors can be a dominant feature or an accent, incorporated into the paper, ink and design selections. It will be important to have some ideas to discuss at your meeting, that will help guide your review and ultimately the selection of your ensemble.

What do you want to say? While you may not have the exact words and content ready to go for the invitation, you will want to have an idea of what information you would like to communicate to guests. For example, on the RSVP card, will you need to collect meal choices or guest count? Do you need separate cards for hotel options and/or directions? The amount of content that you would like to include will directly affect the designs available to you. Your invitation designer can research and answer your etiquette questions, and help you write the content for the pieces of your invitation ensemble.

What's your budget? Often brides don't know how much they want to spend on invitations until after they meet with an invitations specialist. However, you can determine a range for your budget prior to your meeting. How much are you willing to spend on the entire ensemble, which will include the printing all of the pieces? A common range is between $3 to $7 each. Prices are calculated by several factors, such as quantity, enclosures, and design. Understanding this range will also help you determine what designs and customizations may be considered to create the invitation you anticipate.

How many do you need? At your first meeting, you may not know the exact quantity, however, it's encouraged to have your guest list just about finalized. Typically, an invitation is sent to one household or family unit, rather than one for each guest. Invitations are usually sold in quantities of 25. The more invitations ordered, the lower the price per ensemble. You may also want to think about ordering extra invitations, for late additions to the list or if there are any addressing mishaps.

Answers to these questions will help prepare you for a successful start in the invitation selection process, and alleviate any stress or surprises as your order is created and prepared.

About the Author: Denise Scatena is the founder of Blue Ribbon Invitations in San Diego, California. Learn more at http://www.blueribbonsandiego.com/.

Picking a Venue for an Event

When you are planning an event, no matter the kind, there is one thing that you know you will need: a Venue. Selecting the right venue for your event can be very difficult and take a lot of time, but once you find that perfect venue it is totally worth the effort it took to find it.

There are two major things to first consider when you begin the hunt for the venue of your dreams: the amount of money you can spend on the venue and the size of your guest list. Some people will put more emphasis on one of the above issues, but they really do offer equal importance. Finding a venue that you love that is out of your price range, way to big, or way to small will only put a damper (and waste time) on the venue selection process. The next important thing to consider is the location of the venue. We are assuming that you already had some idea of where the location would be (such as the city) and now it is about really figuring out where to have the event. Is a downtown location better for guests or something in a suburb? Does the event occur after something and should it be in walking distance from the first portion? This is just one more thing that can help cut down the list of places to look into.

Now that you know the budget, size, and location preferences for the venue it is time to start your search. Online review sites and event posting sites such as, you guessed it Social Betty, are a great place to start; you can often see pictures of the venue and read reviews from other people who have used it. Looking at these different sites can also cover other important areas that need to be considered such as food, beverages, parking, decor, and other amenities. Anything that can help cull out options that don't work and highlight ones that might without having to go to a million different places is key.

Towards the end of the online research it is best to create a list of the 3-7 top places to actually go look at. Contact the location, set-up an appointment, and head their way. Now you simply have to decide which venue feels like the right one you and your guests. Hopefully these tips will help save you some time and find the venue that will make your event as amazing as possible.

Happy Planning

Social Betty

Tips for Picking Music for Your Event

Everyone knows that the music often makes the party; in the same token the music can ruin the party. There is nothing worse than an empty dance floor when it clearly is meant for some grooving. Picking the music for your event is a crucial piece for any event planner. There are so many different options and it seems virtually impossible to know which one will be the most successful. However, Social Betty has some tips to help make the impossible, possible:

1. Always start with what type of music supplier you want. Figure out if you want a live band, a DJ, a karaoke machine, or Uncle Phil mixing on the iPod. Once this is figured out you have cut your list of possible people down to a fourth of what it originally was.
2. Get references from friends, family, coworkers, online reviewers, and the venue. People love to give advice on services that they have previously used, so use that in your favor. It saves time and heartache of wondering about the final outcome.
3. If you go with a band or a DJ make sure to ask questions. See if they take requests, do they know how to play (or have) specific songs that you will be looking for, will they be the actual people there, will they want to eat, are there extra fees for time overage, what will they wear to the event, have they done similar events, and so on are all acceptable questions to ask.
4. Ask your guests for requests before the event. On the invitations simply include instructions for people to include 2-3 songs on their RSVP (best for DJ and iPods). This takes out a bunch of the guess work and insures that everyone will hear a little bit of music they like.
5. Make sure the music provider has an event schedule with times. It is important to make sure the music is playing (and not playing) at the proper times. Providing the schedule should alleviate “Baby Got Back” coming on in the middle of the first toast.
6. If there are songs you DO NOT want played make sure to speak up. If you don’t like the Chicken Dance, you don’t like the Chicken Dance.
7. Ask the venue questions about sounds systems and the dance floor. You always want to make sure they have what you need and that the music provider knows what they are walking into.

Have fun and bust a move!

Social Betty