Saturday, January 26, 2008

hello public

there are so many factors that attribute to creating a great birthday bash. there's location, food & drinks, utensils, decors and planning the party's schedule to the nearest minute. and with a low budget of nearly $1000, makes its even more of a challenge to plan.

but that isnt a problem cause i love planning stuff.

and now you're in luck cause i'm about to divulge the...

AliJoe's Guide to Event Planning


first things first. BUDGET.
total necessariness. whether you're a social suicide or a socialite, a budget will come in handy for making decisions. its like a target towards your objectives and when you hit it, the sense of accomplishment is overwhelming.
of course the higher the budget the better. and if you can get sponsors, like mummy and daddy, fabulous.


then there's LOCATION, second most important factor. you want something that's convenient for the guest and also something that sits nicely in your budget. ceiling your location to 40% of your budget is the max. you do not want to result in having an event in a hotel ballroom only to serve guest chips and cordial due to lack of fund.
note: reserving a table at Zouk is not considered location, thankyouverymuch.


next factor is THEME. i'm a strong beilever of themes, not necessarily those involving uniforms or a masquerade. themes create a flow in your party. themes show that you made and effort. what i mean by creating flow is that decor, food, drinks, games, utensils and locations do not become separate entities but instead is one. the simplest of all themes is color. lets say you choose purple. unless you're location is a big purple grape then instead, play it up with decor. get purple streamers, balloons. serve ribena for drinks. use purple utensils. call for a purple dress code.
trick here is to not overdo it and also to find a theme that our guest would be comfortable in.
note: dont think of over the top themes because singaporeans are such lazyass motherfuckers when it comes to dressing up.


FOOD. some might argue that this instead is the most important factor but i beg to differ. an event is about mingling and the company. people should be moving around having fun and not sitting down tucked into a plate of beehoon and chicken wings. however, you do not want your guest to starve as much as they already did to fit into that Gucci for your party. so a good suggestion would be finger food. nothing too heavy that would cause their Prada belt to beg for mercy. simple tuna sandwiches, pigs in a blankets and the likes.


regarding DRINKS, very easy. depends on the guest list. there's people who dont take gassy drinks, alcoholic drinks and there's some who start to nauseate at the whiff of jasmine green tea. and you do not want to come across as being too cheapo for serving rose syrup. you can choose to serve an array of can drinks or just do what i do. serve ribena. everyone loves ribena!


UTENSILS are those little details that you have to take note of. always buy more. we're living in an ungracious society where people think plastic utensils are biodegradable. so they use and throw and use another one and throw again. i dont recommend using paper plates as they're too flimsy to hold anything. also buy quality utensils as i really hate it when my fork breaks when i'm trying to eat my food.
also dont forget to match it to your theme.


what makes or break the theme is DECOR. very important to set the mood for the event. you do not want to create an Oscar Award theme and have people drink out of paper cups and live in fear of setting their Chanel tweed on fire as they try to grab a greasy chicken wing from the bbq pit. DECOR is like that little something from Tiffany's to complete your entire outfit.


last but not least, always create a SCHEDULE. whats the use of planning decor and food if you dont plan minute to minute details of the event itself. always keep track of what time things should start or end. never keep guests waiting for the party to start just because everyone on your list isnt there yet. create a schedule and keep to it. that is if you're dead drunk yet.



whoah! i think i should write a detailed book on event planning. dont you think so?


anyways, i leave you today with pictures from my hoity toity 21st birthday celebration. it might not be the best birthday party but it's what i manage to put up at such short notice with an oh-so-meager budget. =)


Ali Joe's 21st Retro Groove at East Coat.



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i had put no captions with all the fotos only because words cannot explain the wonderful time i had that night. thus, i shall just let the fotos do the 'talking'.

i would like to extend my gratitude to everyone who were there joining me in celebration of my 21st birthday. your presence and of course, presents made me a very happy ALI!!!

special props to everyone who made the effort to dress to the theme!

last but not least, this whole event would not have been as smashing as it was without this someone's help. from the start with all the planning till the day of execution. from the incessant calls everytime i changed my mind about decor and food selection. from going all around singapore to search that perfect color plastic spoons to match the plates and cups from ikea to giant to carrefour. while i kept complaining and whining on every single thing while sipping on my green tea frappuccino. well, i wont overdo the praise cause i know you secretly enjoyed the hectics of all the planning as well. hahaha!!! so to my friend since primary school and for being the best supporting event planner(cause i'm the lead event planner and you know it), Sharif. also known as Barney. LOL!!!!


ps: sorry if your foto's arent up. there still some BUGGERS OUT THERE who've yet to send me the pictures. =X



alright. thats it for this week's entry. y'all take care and i hope you have a great week ahead.


xoxo-alijoe

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