Showing posts with label Costumes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Costumes. Show all posts

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Oh, The Joys of Being Married to a Party Planner...


Writing about the husband again... looks like a certain someone's back at Summer Camp! (High Schoolers this time). I mean, of course he'll read this eventually... but for now, I am like so safe... and I will relish in that safety. I'm about to type things I'd never type if he were sitting right next to me streaming a surf video on our pink couch. Right now I am only responsible for one child, who is sleeping (right behind her door because she refuses to fall asleep in her bed) and I feel incredibly free to exercise my 1st amendment right... (it's the 1st, right?)

The title of this blog is supposed to be read dripping with sarcasm, so if you didn't do that in your head- please start over.

Okay, perfect.

The thing is.... it must be hard to be married to be a party planner. If there's one thing I'm sure of- it's that. You're forced in to some weird stuff: wearing costumes, helping with crazy setups, entertaining every friend you've ever known (in costumes)... a lot of things a lot of men hate doing. But not Shawn, he mostly just hates the madness of Party Season. And this title could be so different if I was making boat loads of money planning parties. Because I know Shawn wants me to be doing something I love... he knows me well enough to know I need to be working... and who doesn't want to love what they're doing for work? But if I were making a salary he might be as supportive of my party planning dreams as I'm sure we both wish he could be.

But when you're living on dreams and wishes and hopes and desires for a could-be, would-be, potential, possible-it-might-maybe-one-day-happen career... well, it's harder to be supportive- and I get that, I'm no idiot... in my head I fully get that.

Back when I threw mellow parties... He longs for those days!
But my heart is another story. I have talked candidly before about the fact that would lose my mind as a SAHM if I didn't have this party planning gig as a creative outlet, or now, the blog as a side gig... My current problem, (and it's a big one) is that neither "gig" pays anything remotely close to the amount of work and hours I'm putting in to them. And that's hard because both gigs take up insane amounts of time. Time away from my household duties (we have bills? Crazy), time away from Shawn and time away from the kids...

The bottom line- the husband has hit his MAX with party season. I just ended 4 parties in 2 months (none of them stylized shoots- all REAL parties) and Shawn is losin' it. I knew that the Favorite Things party was going to push him over the edge... and it did. I succeeded at making him wish I never turned a year older. And he has all these reasons, these like real daily reasons he needs a break from the parties... He can't stand the mess anymore, he can't take the overflowing laundry anymore, the glitter everywhere, the lack of food in the fridge... You see: he's partied out... and he only attended one of those parties. SO sad.

This is what partied out looks like...
But all I keep thinking is that when I make it BIG I will have a nanny for all of those menial tasks... I mean, what party planner needs to be doing laundry?! Exactly.

And I wish I could deny his complaints, but when I'm in party mom mode (remember how I got my name?)- I have tunnel vision and cannot focus on anything other than creating a fabulous party and feeding and bathing my children. When Shawn gets home I am like, "Who is this guy and why is he entering the party zone?" and I've realized he doesn't appreciate it... I take for granted that he has thick skin and doesn't get annoyed with me too often... but let me tell you... the man has had enough, I'm surprised he hasn't started picketing my parties.

So I'm on Party Break I guess... a full on party break. And it sucks already. I have nothing to plan, no dollar aisles to browse, no themes to be excited about... just a bunch of parties I need to submit for features... that will someday-maybe-who-knows-who-might-see-it and get me a HUGE gig that would pay and make all of this piled up laundry worth it.

Party Break officially started this week and my close friends are all, "Why are you texting me again?" and I'm all... "Sheesh...let's hang out already, where have you been??" I mean, I've realized I'm totally that girlfriend that gets a boyfriend and forgets about her girlfriends. But my boyfriend is in the form of a Puppy Party. And I've fallen in love with the party and love is blind, okaaaaay? Deep!

And so my big epiphany this week is that I need to get a book deal, like STAT. I mean, I have parties and other things to write about- SO many things. My blog numbers are way up and I think the people like me. I promise you, my book would be SO funny... hilarious actually. I ALMOST always make you LOL like, ALMOST every time you read my blog... am I right, or am I right?! Plus- I have a book editor already. And on top of that, I have a freaking amazing book title... I mean, it's practically begging me to be written.

My second bottom line of this blog (the bottom bottom line) is that I need to make some money so that I can continue doing something I love that combines my parties and writing SO that the husband doesn't make Party Break: Party Death. If you love me at all... SOMEONE, somewhere- find me a book deal- will ya... I promise to include you in my thank you list. A TLC show will also do... I mean, have you SEEN me and my team on party day? Trust me, it's reality-worthy.

xo Party or Die xo 
(and let's write a book)
kenna

Friday, April 26, 2013

"The Love Boat" Bon Voyage Party!

If you are a party planner that's trying to make it the business, your goal is to get your parties out there- for the WORLD to see. I have had one party in the last few months that has been featured so many places now that even I am sick of it (OK, you made me say it- PETER PAN!). Totally my fault. I have caught myself yelling at the computer, "Get OVER the Peter Pan Party! I hate Miss Party Mom!" a few times, only to quickly realize... "Oh crap... that is MY party... I AM Miss Party Mom". Yikes.

Anyway, today I am blogging about a party I did last Summer (June, 2012) that am NOT sick of. Every time I look at this party I want to sail away on a cloud of happiness. It was THAT good.

I was contacted by my husband's cousin, Daisy, and her husband Scott, who happen to live just 40 minutes up the coast from us in San Luis Obispo (we have no other family on the Central Coast so it's great to have someone near us). They were looking to throw a  "Love Boat" Bon Voyage Party for the pastor of their church who was moving to a new congregation down South. Pastor Jane's all time favorite TV show was "The Love Boat" and they were ready to party Love Boat style! I truly knew nothing about the show- (other than it had some awesome 80's dress up opportunities) so I hopped on Amazon and ordered a box set of DVD's and got to work. With Hannah at my side (queen of random trivia) we put together a fantastic event that even WE had a great time partying at (maybe too much fun?!)

This was my 4th paid party and it's been the biggest budget I've worked with by far. I was new to the business and learned A TON about throwing a big party (130 people): arranging a caterer, DJ, cake decorator, rental company and coordinating and paying a 10-person staff to help with set up and manning the event. Oh and that little thing called budgeting. It was nothing short of a wedding, without the bride and groom!

We wanted to incorporate two themes in to the party since their were two ideas we were trying to hit on: "The Love Boat" and "Bon Voyage Jane!"

With the Love Boat theme we wanted to touch on a lot of the shows elements like the Princess Cruise Ship where the show took place. I wanted to give the guests the feeling of actually being on a Princess Cruise the minute they entered the backyard. In order to do this, we researched cruise ships and came up with the following "must-haves" for the night: cruise itinerary, cruise destinations, Love Boat character costumes, dinner & dessert buffet, pools, casino, "deck" photo op, shuffleboard, lido deck, open bar, great music, babysitters for the kids and of course a "uniformed" staff to make the theme complete!

For the "Bon Voyage" aspect I focused on a scrapbook station (one for the adults and one for the kids) as well as a letter-writing area where church members could let Jane know how special she'd been to them. The photo station was set up to take two sets of the same "photo booth" style photos so that guests could keep one for themselves and put one in the scrapbook!

Although this party was featured on Kara's Party Ideas a few months after the party- I didn't really understand what a "party description" was back then (ROOOOKIE!) so it really lacked any detail on the party. As we're approaching Summer I feel like anything nautical is the PERFECT theme for a baby shower (I'll be also doing one this Summer), bridal shower ("Love Boat"- come on!), 1st Birthday Party, etc.

I hope you enjoy!

                                                                 xo Party or Die xo
                                                                           kenna






















                   










                                   












Vendor Credits-

Event Styling: Kenna @ Miss Party Mom Event Planning
Photography: Christina @ Moments Captured Photography
Desserts: Hannah @ Hannah's Cookies and Treats
Love Boat Ship Cake: Kelli Cakes
Printables and Graphics by Jodi @ joliodesign
Love Boat Printable Graphic: Party Scribbles
" "