What would ever persuade
you to host a party in a week for over 100 guests? Good friends and a great cause…and here’s how
we did it!
For the record, this week’s post was going to be about my
son’s bedroom makeover. Or how to
decorate the perfect Thanksgiving table for your guests. Or the 10 don’ts when
it comes to decorating. Never in a
million years did I expect this week’s addition to Designing Saratoga to be
last-minute party planning for guests in the triple-digits. So how in the world did it end up being just
that?
It all began with a text from close neighborhood friends of
ours who have hearts of gold and a firm foundation from being brought up in New
Jersey. Like so many of us, they were seeing the footage and news reports out
of New York City and New Jersey and hearing horror stories from friends and
relatives in the area about just how bad the conditions were south of us after Hurricane
Sandy. In light of everything that has
been taking place, Dil and Sherri wanted to do something to help those who had lost
everything…they just needed a place to do it. And our deceptively big backyard
ended up being just the spot.
Like most endeavors, it didn’t start out on a grand
scale. Originally I think we all thought
this would end up being a group of friends getting together on a Saturday night
and enjoying good company for a great purpose.
Once things began rolling though, it turned into an all-out celebration
that raised over $3,000 for our NJ/NY neighbors. So how did we get our act together to make it
all happen? Here’s a few of the
highlights:
Use Our Age of
Technology to get the Word Out. Many
of us shudder at the way social networking sites and electronic messaging have
taken over our lives to a certain extent, but in this case, we used Facebook,
Twitter, email, and everything in between to get the word out for our
event. Holding it outside also made this
realistically possible because we could handle a large crowd without worry , so
mass marketing didn’t backfire on us.
Our setting…two yards made cozy with firepits and casual seating, most of which came in the form of our collective porch furniture that was simply moved out back for everyone to enjoy.
Provide Everyone with
Options for How to Help. Since we knew we were putting our event out to
everyone on short notice, it was important to give our target audience options
for how to participate. In light of
this, if friends wanted to participate but couldn’t get a sitter, or had other
plans for the evening, they could swing by the hour before the party and pick
up a pre-ordered cheese or pepperoni pizza to go. Others who couldn’t attend
offered random donations, which we enthusiastically accepted. By being flexible, we gave everyone
interested a way to be a part of what we were planning.
Decorating wasn’t fancy, but rather fun–readily available pumpkins were carved to suit the occasion, and paper bag luminaries lined the driveways to let everyone know where to go to join the party. Since everything was last-minute, a running list of local business donors by the sign-in table let everyone know who was involved.
Don’t be Afraid to
ask for Help. One of the biggest
lessons we all learned from this endeavor is that sometimes when you need help,
all you have to do is ask. Once we
started to talk to local businesses about what we had in mind, they jumped at
the chance to help out with our event.
Donations came in the form of pizza ingredients, ice, additional
refreshments, even a port-a-john (it was 100 people after all!)…and not only
did business owners rise to the occasion to help us out, but gave us more than what
we asked for in most cases once they heard about our plans. The other group of individuals that were
integral to this successful celebration were our neighbors, who immediately
offered contributions at every level.
Before we knew it the party had been extended gladly into the backyard
next door, we had five firepits arranged for everyone to enjoy,the pizza was
complimented by sides and salads, a lavish dessert table was put together for
our guests, we had staff in the form of volunteer bartenders, pizza runners, and
check-in table personnel, a drop-off for needed supplies was arranged for those
who wanted to donate items as well as cash…every avenue was covered by our dear
friends and neighbors who didn’t hesitate to jump in and make this event a
memorable one.
The dessert table, a big hit. Decorating was simple, in the form of numerous white candles, more carved pumpkins, and branches anchored in clear glass vases filled with sand and kosher salt. Fresh flowers would have wilted in the cold air, so branches collected for backyards and leaf piles in the neighborhood were combined with faux LED-lit branches purchased at Target, giving the tables both height and extra light.
Some of the stars of the show–the firepits our neighbors graciously lent us for the evening. A great place to congregate, they also provided needed warmth on our chilly but clear November evening.
Having an event involving so many people meant making it easy for everyone to come in and join the party. A welcome table gave guests an opportunity to make their donations when they first arrived. This guest registry created by Sherri gave us a chance to make a record of everyone who came and went.
So there you have it…a 100-guest event in 7 days. Whew. So, along with everything else that was
involved, we of course needed to add a little décor and design to the mix to
add the jewelry to an already sparkling evening, which I hope you will enjoy as
well. But the moral of this week-long
tale might be that with a bit of effort, and a lot of help, if you plan it,
they will come. What a wonderful
testament to who we all are in the world…that in giving to others, we receive
more than we could ever ask for. J
