Holiday Events

Its that time of year....the cool crisp air, the leaves falling, the hustle and bustle at the malls....The Holidays are here! What a perfect time of year to plan an event when all of the family is around. A wedding, baby shower, bachelorette/bachelor party...or any party for that matter! Just because it's the holidays - don't count it out.

The holidays always have a way of bringing everyone together. If you don't have a special event to celebrate just getting your family and friends together for some food, drinks and laughs is always a good time! Get a group together and pick your favorite restaurant, have a get together at your house, wine exchange, a white elephant party or a pot luck always works!

There are so many pros to having a special event around the holidays. Most halls/churches will already be decorated. Which makes your cost go down for decorations. Plus, occasionally there are price breaks since they may not be booked otherwise around the date that you choose. Not to mention most of your out of town guests may have time off and will be able to come into town to celebrate with you. :)

New Year's Eve - What a cool night to have a wedding. Just think everyone is already together and then at midnight you could have a champagne toast and favors. Super fun! Plus that takes the pressure off your guests for what to do that night!

New Year's Eve isn't just great for weddings but even bachelor and bachelorette parties! I currently have a bride that is having her bachelorette party on New Year's Eve. She is going to go to the Comedy Castle in Royal Oak and at midnight they provide champagne and favors to kick off the new year. So fun!! If you and your groom-to-be were having your party on the same night you could even have your groups meet up just before the strike of midnight to bring in the new year together and continue the party.

Stay tuned for more ideas to come....

Monogrammed Gifts & More....

I LOVE this site...Lauren Nicole Monogrammed Gifts. Last year when I was planning my wedding I was looking for something unique for my BM's (bridesmaids) tote bags to distinguish them from each other. Each BM got a black/white tote with flip flops, a clutch, Kleenex, body butter, and this super cute monogrammed pin. So when we all went for our totes we would know who had which bag. It was so FUN to pick out the fabric, letter color and font style. I matched them up to the girls by their personality and they LOVED them!

This site has so many adorable items that you could find the best gifts for any occasion or event. Some of the items they have are pins, key chains, belts, jewelery, buckles, clothing, towels, and so much more! All of their items are made right here in the USA and the owner donates at least 25% of her extra fabric to sewing groups. These groups make blankets for children in hospitals or families in need. Love it!!!

I really hope you find some neat gifts on this site! They also do fun giveaway's - so be sure to check back on their site often!

Enjoy!!

~Jess

Vote for the Best 2009!!

I would like to announce that PlanIT Now Events has been nominated for the "vote for the best" contest through channel 4! Thank YOU!

I hope if you have a few minutes will you please click here to vote for PlanIT Now Events!

I appreciate all of your support and love!! Things are just starting to take off!

~Jessica

Wrap it up Sassy....

Now a days we tend to fall into ruts when we go shopping off a registry. Some places offer "free" gift wrap. But have you ever stood back at a shower/party and looked at a table with all BBB (Bed Bath & Beyond) gift wrap - kinda boring?! Hallmark just came out with a NEW line of gift wrap and its hip, sassy and has so much style! Other stores like Macy's always have fun new styles of gift wrap every season and if you are a card holder you can even be eligible for FREE gift wrapping. Below are some photos from the Hallmark line.

They have these cute keepsake metal words that can clip to any bag or ribbon.

Happy Birthday!!

They have the cutest baby collection. They also carry some cute fabric bags that would be great to reuse!

Fun gift boxes. What kid wouldn't like to open this opposed to a boring white one?

For the sassy ladies out there...this is the safari line and its super cute!

The possibilities for cute, fun and sassy gift wrap are everywhere. Just make sure you check your local Hallmark or ask when you are buying a gift. The mood of the paper just makes everyone smile!

For those of you who are going "green" - Hallmark does have a reusable line and its FABulous! Make sure you check it out. Have fun wrapping your next gift up!! Don't forget to be creative :)

Enjoy wrapping your next gift!

ISACA & IIA Dinner Boat Cruise

I had the pleasure of bringing together two large non-profit organizations for their first networking event. We departed aboard the Detroit Princess where we mingled for four hours to the sounds of Margaritaville music, dancing, networking and had a fabulous five course meal.

We were able to see a rainbow right after a brief rain - It was amazing! Everyone had their camera out for this....

Inside everyone was enjoying the band and getting to know other members from both organizations.

The women from Wayne State University Audit were having a great time!

I hope you can set sail on the Detroit Princess soon! It was a great time!

T.F.W.A. Euchre Tournament UP-Date

I am so excited over what a success the Euchre Tournament was in March!!! We had 124 players and were able to give Great Lakes Burn Camp $3600!!! That is equivalent to sending 6 kids to camp this summer. Below is a photo of some of ladies with the Troy Firefighters Women's Auxiliary and Mike from the Great Lakes Burn Camp accepting our check at Fire Station #2 in Troy.

Here are some of the women from T.F.W.A.

You can also check out the blurb that was in the Freep for our donation!

Amy and I were co-chairs of the event. It was hard work but it was worth it! We also got invited up to the camp in August to tour the camp and meet the campers on their first day! We hope to beat this goal for next year's tournament!

Simply Elegant...

Simplicity....that is something we tend to lose sight of when we are deep in event mode. (I fell victim of it too.) We tend to think that bigger and better is needed and that we need many more items than what we really do. There are so many great ideas out there that are simply elegant and affordable!!!

For example this centerpiece - it was stunning!! It's compiled from Ikea and Cudge.net. I have listed stores below for ideas and some key items they carry.




Simple ideas
-Ikea! Love that store!!! I have used them for a few events and you can't beat their prices and selection. They have bamboo, vases, rocks, mirrors and all sorts of fantastic ideas for centerpieces of all kinds. Plus they are cheap and there is no shipping :)

-Cudge.net - This is a great site for bulk candles and candle holders. They arrive perfect and fast. They even have great specials on candles with holders and you can dress them up or leave them as is. Their candles last for hours so there is no worry about them going out before your event is over.

-Flower Factory - If you don't have a membership you need to get one! You can get all sorts of items and their prices are very affordable. They have a great selection of silk flowers, ribbon, tulle, invitations, card stock, pens, baskets, party supplies and more!

-ecoist.com - They have great bags that would be great gifts for hosts throwing your shower, bridesmaids, MOH or anyone really. I have one made from newspapers and I get more compliments on it than anything!

- Going green - Everyone is doing that now so why not bring it to your next event!

• Let's see for a shower or a gift to bridesmaids/hosts you could give a favor of cute reusable bags. Those are being used for lunches, groceries and all sorts of errands now a days.
  
• mini-trees - These are a great favor and you can wrap the bottom in different fabrics and colors to coordinate.

Ideas are endless.....Thanks for stopping by!

It's been awhile...

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I have been very focused on the TFWA Euchre party (which is next Saturday) and working on another large non-profit event for May. We are just starting to roll out the marketing for that one and it has consumed some blogging time.

It's Finally SPRING!!! Yay! With that comes the big event season....weddings, graduations, retirement parties (some of those are in full swing now) and all sorts of parties! I promise to keep you all updated on ideas and events soon.

Enjoy the sunshine and talk to you soon!
-Jess

PlanIt Now Events Goes LIVE

I am pleased to announce - The PlanIt Now Events website is now officially LIVE! I hope you take a moment to check it out. Feel free to pass the word onto anyone you know that is need of an event planner. :) Check the site often to see our gallery updates as our event season is just kicking off!

www.planitnowevents.com

Enjoy!

Save-The-Date Euchre Tournament

The Troy Firefighters Women's Auxiliary is hosting their 11Th Annual Euchre Tournament on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at St. Lucy's Church in Troy, MI. My NBFF (Neighbor Best friend forever) Amy and I are co-chairs of the event as well as Vice-President and President of this organization. The proceeds from the event will go to benefit local burn and fire related charities. For $27/person your ticket includes beer/wine, snacks, door prizes and euchre! This event fills up fast so feel free to contact me for details and ticket sales.


Mark your calendar and hope to see you there!!

Welcome to planIt Now Events!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope that you will check back periodically, be inspired by ideas and contact me for any of your event planning needs.

Keep in touch...

Jessica

All about me

I will start by filling you in on a little bit about me. I am a planner at heart. I have been coordinating events for my friends and family for years. I got my BA in Communications and a minor in PR. I love to write press releases and be a part of media. After having the best internship (Detroit Zoo) anyone could have for a summer I knew my true passion was media and events. After I graduated I went full time with a local media company in their corporate events department. I was in charge of managing registrations, setting up new conferences, working with vendors, creating promotional pieces, traveling on-site to oversee events and prepared a recap of the event when it was over to use for next year. I know I want to expand my passion into other's lives by planning events that mean the most to them.

More about me:

~I play the violin and love classical music. There is something to say about connecting with music when you can feel it as you play it.
~I got married in May to my husband Sam. He is fabulous! He takes great care of me and supports me in all that I dive into.
~ I love dogs and I have grown up with German Shepard's. My dad has two and my mom has one so I am constantly around them. One day soon we will get a dog of our own. :)
~I love to travel and especially love Mackinac Island. We went there for our honeymoon and there is something so tranquil and nice about not having any cars around or your cell phone working that well ;)
~There is so much more to know about me but you will have to check back and see my other posts.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to contact me anytime!

Jessica
pinevents@gmail.com