Sorry for the delay...

As I continue to complete the branding of my business, both Umbrella Events and the new business, Umbrella Pets, there may be some time in between posts, which I know is the fatal sin with blogging, but hopefully as things are completed, posts will come more often. So please bear with me during this transition time. I am in the process of relocating to a new city, Charlotte, North Carolina, and will be relaunching the business in the great new city. After I complete my move, the website, blogs, and newsletters will be updated.

As always, I am reachable via my email address if there are any questions or if you need anything. Please also check me out on facebook. Thank you for your patience!

To Evite or Not to Evite

It is time to ask the age old question….To Evite or not to Evite.

I am a huge fan of the electronic invitation, or evite, but there is a time and place for their use. Evites have the potential of being even more fun, beautiful and meaningful then printed invitations. But you can’t keep an evite as a keepsake. I guess you could print it out but unless you spent the additional cost of high quality printing, it just wouldn’t be the same.
So when should they be used? Can they be used for all events, only for casual events or not at all? Obviously, this is a matter of preference and depends on the type of event that is being planned. Some of my previous clients, have adamantly preferred evites so the cost can be used for other areas of the event. Depending on the event type, I agreed or pushed them to purchase printed invitations. I feel you just cannot send evites for a formal wedding! But with economy the way it is and the push to get the best bang for your buck, maybe evites are a way to help have that truly special event without breaking the bank.

There are several sites that offer electronic invitations; however, I typically stick with the tried and true leader, Evite.com. I am a fan of their site due to the variety of templates and options that are available. They also offer suggestions on themes, party games, décor, etc. Their blog features new themes and cool products as well which I am currently a follower.

I recently discovered a new site, Socializr.com, that is stated to be a bigger and better version of Evite.com for it offers customized electronic invitations without the need for guests to register with the site, the invitations will not be cluttered with advertisements, and Flash widgets can be added to the invitations, per the "learn more" section of the website. The invitations can be customized in such a way that videos, music, pictures, slideshows and chatrooms can be added. Plus you can import your evite.com address book to the site! (http://www.socializr.com/learnmore) I haven’t tried this site out yet, but plan to the next time I am in need of evites.

So here is your chance to weigh in on your evite preferences! Do you think it is tacky to use electronic invitations at all or prefer to use them only when the event calls for it? Or do you feel they can be used for any event? Let me know your thoughts!

New Theme Party Ideas!

There are soooo many great new theme party ideas that will cater to all types of parties. Here are a just a few. Let me know what you think and feel free to add to the list as well! Thank you!

Themes

Monkey See Monkey Do
Moons and Moonbeans
Clowns and Carnivals
Hollywood Starlet
Zoos and Animals
Butterfly Meadow
Lavender, Lilac and Lime
Love in Paradise
Hooked on You
Beach Stroll
Orange & Chocolate
Candyland Birthday
Coffee & Dessert
Bling Baby
Bubbly Ducky Brunch
Modern Alphabet
Bedtime Stories
Festive Peacock
Gold & Silver
Shimmer Autumn Spice
The Big Game
Berries & Branches
Haute Cocoa
Regal Reindeer
Santa Baby
Modern Midnight Madness
Spa Theme
Summer Camp Wedding

More to come…

Facebook and the Event Planning Industry

As I enter this new world of blogging, social networking, tweeting, etc I think how can these tools be utilized to help clients, vendors and event planners. As an event planner in this industry, I am constantly looking for new ideas, themes and products that will benefit my clients and the events that I plan. I plan to use these tools to provide information, get information and meet new people.

I am excited about these new ventures and hope that you will help me with learning all I can about this world and what it has to offer.