Parties That Wow SNAP Presentation

As I mentioned in my SNAP 2013 Recap I had the privilege of speaking at the SNAP Creativity at Your Fingertips blog conference. I was so excited to share my passion for parties and entertaining in our Parties That Wow SNAP presentation. I was thrilled to share the spotlight with my dear friend and extraordinary event planner Michelle from Maddycakes Muse. Together we created a hands-on workshop with lots of insider tips for party styling, party trends, budget busters and resources for creating memorable parties.

Like any party it was important that we set the tone for our event. We decided to create party with a vintage Hollywood vibe and Petite Party Studio created invitations to welcome all of the BLOG STARS to our presentation. Along with each invitation participants received a ticket to win one of the amazing prizes offered by some of our favorite vendors.

While preparing for our presentation Michelle and I both knew we didn’t want to just talk about parties, we wanted to HAVE a party! We styled a party and incorporated centerpieces, a “Pop-arazzi” bar and a photo booth for participants to enjoy. Because we were both traveling from out of state and everything had to fit in a suitcase we had to get creative and we also wanted to show people you can have a stylish and entertaining event on a budget. Michelle and I challenged each other to create centerpieces for under $10 and each made 5 centerpieces for the party. To keep cost low I borrowed vintage cameras and transformed items from the dollar store to make my centerpieces (tutorials coming soon!)

One of my favorite parts was the “Pop-arazzi” bar. I love creative food displays and think incorporating themed food bars are a great way to carry out your party theme and engage guest. Michelle’s popcorn vendor Poppa Maize Gourmet Popcorn generously provided several varieties of popcorn for guest to munch on while they listened to us talk.

Speaking of talking, Michelle and I took turns presenting our favorite tips for creating Parties That Wow. I grouped my tips into 4 major categories (I’ve decided to create a blog series based on these tips and will soon be sharing some of my favorite tips and examples from our presentation with you!)

WOW with Details & Design
WOW Within a Budget
WOW by Incorporating Hot Trends
WOW with Entertainment

This opportunity has truly been a highlight of my year and it certainly wouldn’t have been possible without my amazing and talented friend Michelle who shares my passion for Parties That Wow! We also couldn’t have done it without the help from Holly at Paisley Petal Events who let us raid her party stash (thank goodness she was local!) and her willingness to help with last minute prep. We also truly appreciate our SNAP party girls who came to our room for a little late night chat and crafting to help us get ready, thank you Creative Juice, DimplePrints & Swish Printables.