When I was building my PR firm, I also worked as an event planner on the Las Vegas strip. While working as a catering service manager, I planned and catered events for Hugh Grant, Wynonna Judd, Johnny Depp, Celine Dion, Oprah, and others. Although their budgets really were "sky’s the limit," I often found myself working with bridal parties who wanted the same style of party with a tenth of the budget. I ended up getting an award, at one of the properties I was contracted with, for customer service. I was always able to provide my regular clients like Johnny Depp with events within, if not below, their budgets.
Thus, I thought with the current economy and the holidays coming up, it would be beneficial to talk about some tips for making any at-home event look, feel, and taste like a celebrity event! Note: these tips are for home events for ten to fifteen people.
Tip 1: If you don’t have a large dining table, rent one on a Sunday night. Sunday nights are the most cost-effective nights to rent party décor. Only rent two rounds of ten or an elongated table with no linen. (Make sure you rent chairs, too.) Ask the company what their delivery charge is. Ask them if they will waive the set-up charge if they drop off, as you have a decorator coming in to set. (Note: don’t tell them you’re the decorator!) This tip can save you up to $250 with the Sunday rental and waiving the set-up fee.
Tip 2: Do not spend money on expensive décor! Really, it is an industry of mostly audacious markups. Walmart has some great tablecloths. One I recommend is $16. Get a natural holiday color like green. Green goes with Thanksgiving and can be reused at Christmas. Burgundy also works well. Stay away from white — it says cheap, uncreative, and shows every stain.
Normally at a banquet hall, you would need floor-to-tabletop linen with matching chair covers and ties. For an at-home event, most people understand they are not going to a banquet hall and will spend more time looking at the table and conversing then they will staring at chair covers. However, one good idea is to have the kids make chair slipcovers. I found a great reference for making inexpensive chair slipcovers (for $1.75 each) here; just make sure to get the chair measurements from the rental company in advance.
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