I will always remember my first ever event, as Rebecca Herd Events that is, not sure the endless talent and fashion shows that I made my poor family sit through when I was a child counts as an event, even though at the time they were the very best you could get of course!
Back in 2018 I wanted an excuse to get my family and friends together and have a huge party, not just to have a rendezvous, but also to showcase my company. This was the first time I had organised anything from start to finish and I have never felt more vulnerable. I wanted people to walk in and think, ‘Oh my goodness she did all of this’ and possibly even comments about them wanting me to organise their next party. Luckily, and I hope my friends and family can agree, it was a huge success.
Before the event there was a lot of preparation from decorations, catering, discussions with the venue and inviting my guests. Because the party was mine I also had to pay for it, yerp this was a downfall, but I found ways to make certain areas cheaper, (I hope I can help inspire you with some DIY crafts in my future posts). The theme of the event was Black and Gold Masquerade Ball.
Inviting guests - I designed the invitations myself and had them created and printed. I found my inspiration from Gossip Girl, (Yes the TV series, if you haven’t watched it, please do). I wanted people to feel like this was an exclusive party and one not to miss. Therefore on the invites I attached a feather which I sprayed Gold. This was the admission into the party, if you didn’t have it with you, you didn’t get in, though when people turned up without it I didn’t exactly turn them away.
The Venue – I was introduced to the Marlow Masonic Center. It is a lovely venue with large amounts of space and (this was a main one for me and my guests), a bar. It is located just off the River Thames so some guests enjoyed a walk along the river beforehand to take some fancy pictures in their suits and ballgowns, you couldn’t ask for a better back drop.
Decorations – The biggest time consumer, the dreaded pom poms! Well here is a tip for you all. If you buy pom poms already made and want about 200 of them like I did, it is very expensive, so me being me, I decided to make them all by hand. Now, I have no shame admitting that I 100% called in friends for some help, (Thank you guys!). We spent hours sitting in front of a film, probably Sex In The City drinking wine, folding, cutting and shaping these pom poms, but it was so worth it seeing the final effect. The black and gold wave of pom poms hanging from invisible string, attached to the ceiling with tiny magnets was just incredible. This added height and colour to the what was a very white room.
I also saved a lot of money on the table decorations by drinking lots of wine (I was given bottles as well) and spraying them gold and black. I then simply added pearls to the neck of the bottle. I also added golden pineapples which actually were just pineapples from ASDA and again spray painted! Such a cheap yet effective and simple way to jazz up your event without spending a fortune. The best bit was everyone was asking where I bought them from!
I was very quick to learn that lighting makes an event and without it you don’t get the same atmosphere. @SFL did the lighting for me and they did not disappoint, I explained the colour theme and the atmosphere I wanted to achieve, and they took care of the rest. It looked incredible.
Entertainment - I wanted the event to be elegant and classy but wanted people to have fun at the same time, as people arrived, I had a beautiful showgirl from @enrichedperformers handing out champagne to my guests. This was a brilliant start to the evening, who doesn’t like a glass of bubbly (and I am sure the boys will agree the beautiful girl handing them out didn’t hurt either). She was amazing and people commented about how much of a difference she made to the entrance of the evening.
One thing I was worried about was the music. I know most people do not necessarily like my preference of music and with such a range of ages at the party, I wanted to make sure everyone was happy. Therefore, I booked a silent disco. Well those of you that have not been to one of these, to start with it is a very strange experience. A silent disco means everyone that wants to join in gets a set of headphones, ours had 3 channels on, which you can switch between and listen to different playlists. This means that no one else can hear what another person is listening to. This is entertainment, watching everyone in a room that is pretty much silent, dancing completely differently to different music. Now add that in with consumption of alcohol and you can imagine why I did not need to invest in anymore entertainment for the evening.
Food – I am very lucky that my boyfriend’s mum is a fantastic cook and she was kind enough to make finger foods and a buffet for the event. This went down a storm and fitted perfectly with the classy relaxed feel I was going for. My friend also made the most amazing cupcakes which just looked and tasted incredible.
The beautiful pictures taken by @benjaminstuartphotography proved that the event was a success and exactly how I had imagined it. Thank you so much to everyone that helped pull everything together. My friends and others that did not attend the party, always ask me when the next one will be. Well keep an eye out my friends, when lockdown is finished and we can hold a party with more than 6 people again, there will be something exciting to look forward to.
Until next time
Becca
x
Comments