Although most of us cannot afford their prices, we all marvel at the elaborate productions created by celebrity event planners.  The good news is that you really don’t need to spend a fortune on your event for it to be just as memorable and meaningful as some of these celebrity events.  I think Oprah Winfrey said it best when she said the love is in the details!  The following top 3 list is to help you get inspired in planning your own special events. By drawing from the ideas of experienced planners and added your own personal twist your events are bound to be a hit with your guests.

1. Colin Cowie – True celebrity event planner extraordinaire!  Colin Cowie has planned events for Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Seinfeld, Jennifer Lopez, Mark Anthony, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Jennifer Aniston to name a few.  Colin’s corporate clients include Audemars Piguet, Davidoff of Geneva, Warner Bros, CBS, Cosmopolitan Magazine and InStyle Magazine.  Colin is known for his completely over-the-top decorating style that oozes with themes of luxury and elegance.  
2. David Tutera – David Tutera is the host of Party Planner on Discovery Home Channel.  He was also responsible for the media extravaganza which was Star Jones’ wedding!  He is also the go to guy for Elton John, Barbara Walters and Kenneth Cole.  David’s events are colorful and dripping with floral arrangements.
3. Preston Bailey – The king of flowers, Preston Bailey’s spaces are covered with thousands of floral arrangements.  Some of his clients are Donald Trump, Joan Rivers, Oprah Winfrey, and Matt Lauer.  He is also known for his amazing destination weddings on tropical islands.

All three of these planners have their own unique style. While you can use their creations as inspiration for your own designs, make sure to infuse your own unique style in all of your events.

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I remember being in high school and getting filled with anticipation about who would send me a Valentine’s Day rose to my homeroom.  As an adult I have out grown the stuffed animal and candy phase but I still love the idea of the holiday.  Whether you are planning a one-on-one evening of romantic fabulosity or a Valentine’s Day Celebration for all of your single friends, your Valentine’s Day plans should be inspiring and full of love!

Valentine’s Day for Lovers

Start with an inspiration piece.  For example, for a romantic evening you might think of using a print of Paris as your inspiration.  Paris exudes romance and the pink hues of this print exude Valentine’s Day.  You can chose to book a reservation at a fancy French restaurant and have the matre’d adorn your table with a dozen pink roses.  Bring along a miniture replica of the Eiffel Tower and imagine you are at the top of the tower eating dinner. Instead of a regular Valentine’s Day greeting card, give your Valentine a postcard with Parisian images on the front and write “Be my Valentine” in French on the back of the card!  A little thought goes a long way in pulling together the details of a romantic evening.

Valentine’s Day for Singles

For a singles Valentine’s Day soiree you might consider a different inspiration piece that says hip, funky and free.  Valentine’s Day might not seem like the holiday for singles, but many young singles are taking back their power over the day.  Not just for lovers anymore, Valentine’s Day represents a celebration of loved ones, family and friends for many singles.  Instead of using a romantic print to inspire your V-Day celebration, use this hot pink and black feather flower.

This flower says trendy and non-conformist.  You can add these colors to your party invitations and use black serving plates and dishes to display flavorful hors d’oeuvres.  Use hot pink as an accent color in floral arrangements, napkin rings and cocktail table covers.  Make hot pink martinis for your guests and give pink M&M’s in a little pink and black pouch as a favor to cap off the night.

Whatever you decide to do for Valentine’s day do it with love! 

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I love game nights!  All I asked for this Christmas was games!  I received TEN new games and I can’t wait to have people over to play them all.  A game night is such an easy way to bring people together for an unpredictable event.  I always seem to learn something new about my friends when we have games night!  Here is a list of my top five favorite games. Oh it’s so hard to narrow it down

1. Trouble - Yeah I know its old school but I LOVE this game.  The adreneline of racing around the board trying not to get sent back before you make it to homebase!  Plus the the center dice popper makes a cool sound!
2. SceneIT - This is a new favorite.  I have to specify that while I have the board game version of SceneIt as well, I much prefer the Xbox 360 version.  The game comes with 4 handheld buzz devices for you to use in selecting answers to numerous fun question about movies!  This game gives multiple choice options unlike its board game counterpart which makes it fun for people who are not necessarily all about movies. 
3. Cranium and Cranium Pop – I grouped these two games together because although they are different in gaming aparatus they are based on the same premise.  As the name suggests, Cranium Pop is the pop culture version of the game and is played in teams.  A designated team member performs one of numerous tasks including drawing, acting out, or sculpting out of clay based on a clue for the team to guess.  Its fun to see how people recreate clues!
4. Guesstures - An updated verson of Charades, this game can lead to hours of laughter even after the game has ended.  It is so funny to see people act out clues trying to beat the clock!  Always a party favorite.
5. Taboo – This is my favorite game of all time!  That Taboo buzzer haughts my dreams but I love the game.  The object is to get your team to guess a particular word or phase but there are a list of words that you can not say while doing this.  If by chance you do slip up and say one of those words, someone from the other team is standing by to buzz you for the mistake.  It’s hilarious!

And as always, don’t forget to have the camera handy!  You are going to want to capture all the antics a games night can create!

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The time is drawing near when men and women, boys and girls will come together for a night of food, fun, expensive commercials and football! Yes that’s right, I’m talking about the Super Bowl! Whether you are an avid fan of football and have your own fantasy football team like me or you are just figuring out who Peyton Manning is, the Super Bowl is a fabulous excuse to bring everyone together for a memorable event.

The beauty of the Super Bowl party is that it can be as elaborate or as low-key as you would like. However, most parties for this occasion follow the casual, sporty motif. A few stations set up with finger foods and quick snacks would probably be enough to send this party into high gear. I recommend that you pass on the filet mignon and coq au vin at this party! Your guests just want to kick back in their favorite team’s jersey and enjoy the game and the company.

You can also infuse a little fun into the evening by playing “Commercial Trivia”. Form questions about the commercials that are run during the first half of the game and during half-time (after the half-time show of course) see if your guests know the answers. You can also purchase 4 or 5 prizes (football figurines, posters, etc) to give out at the end of the night for the Most Enthusiastic Football Fan, the Coolest Football Paraphenelia or any other honor you wish to bestoy a prize upon. It’s an unexpected little treat for your guests as they leave the party.

And as with all of life’s events, remember to capture each moment with a video camera or with simple snapshots. I recommend a combination of the two. Moments like these are too precious to miss!

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