Weddings
Weddings aren't just single events. Typically, they expand and multiply until your schedule is stuffed to the gills with both daytime and evening affairs. The rehearsal dinner, the ceremony and the reception are only the beginning. Every time you turn around there's another party, shower or luncheon to organize.
Planning all of these affairs and making them go smoothly requires a series of complex juggling acts that can be overwhelming to the uninitiated. Add the fact that weddings are often fraught with financial and emotional stresses and…voilá! You've got the makings of a nervous breakdown in your near future!
We can head off all that unnecessary suffering. Our coordinators are used to keeping a lot of balls in the air, and they know how to trim the fat from vendor contracts and other expenses. Better yet, their training and objectivity make them virtually imperturbable.
To safeguard your sanity (and for more detailed information), call Imperial Event Planning at 317. 331. 6097 or email us at info@imperialplanning.com.
Engagement Parties
He's popped the question. She's accepted the ring. Now it's up to you to help them celebrate and announce their plans to their families and close friends.
What better way than to throw a festive engagement party? It will give the couple's loved ones a chance to meet, to discover common interests and lay the groundwork for amiable long-term relationships. The problem is that making all the arrangements can give you a serious headache!
So give yourself a break. Let us give you what you want—a chance to relax and enjoy the party—while eliminating what you don't want…that pesky pain in the cranium.
Bridal Showers
The bridal shower has its roots in practical considerations, with the bride's friends and family, old and new, helping her prepare to set up housekeeping by contributing things the couple will need to get started in their new home.
That's all well and good. But everyone knows that bridal showers are also supposed to be fun! Done right, they provide a welcome break from the frenzy of planning and preparations, giving everyone time to play silly games, share funny stories and give ridiculous gag-gifts that bring on bouts of hilarity.
But how are you supposed to relax and have fun if you're worrying about whether you forgot to invite Aunt Gretchen, or whether Grandma Daniels has secretly spiked the punch?
The answer? Leave Aunt Gretchen and the punchbowl to us while you have a roaring good time!
Rehearsal Dinners
You've had the wedding rehearsal. Tomorrow is the real deal. Tonight is your last chance to gather the most important people in your lives together, treat them to a nice meal, and thank them for all their help during this exciting but—let's face it—incredibly nerve-wracking time.
So you've decided to throw a rehearsal dinner. It's a time to toast all the people who have tolerated your bouts of jitters, made you laugh through your tears, provided a handkerchief when your mascara ran, and come up with a safety pin when your boutonniere wouldn't stay put. More important, it's a time to give them a chance to make ribald toasts and do some good-natured roasting of everyone involved…including you.
Don't rob them of the opportunity. And don't rob yourself of the chance to enjoy the fun. Let us handle the fact that the maitre-d' accidentally over-booked the restaurant. Let us troubleshoot the problem with Jean-Pierre, the temperamental chef. In fact, let us do all the pesky stuff that can interfere with your perfect enjoyment of the evening. It's why we're here!
The Wedding Ceremony
The time has finally arrived. The word “jitters” doesn't begin to describe the earthquake that's going on in your stomach. The last thing you need right now is to have to worry about whether your mother has remembered her smelling salts, or whether the best man has forgotten that he hid the ring in the cookie jar so he wouldn't forget where he put it.
We've been through it all before: the switch to powder blue at the tuxedo shop, which threatens to make your elegant black & white wedding look like a 1980s prom; the unexpected runners' marathon that is blocking every conceivable route to the church; the power outage that has sabotaged the sound system, leaving the people in the back rows straining to hear the “I do's.”
We've been through it all, and we can keep it from happening to you. Before, during, and even after the wedding, we can keep everything on track and running smoothly.
The Reception
The deed is done. You're married. One of our coordinators got the blown fuses replaced in time. Another picked up the ring and wiped it free of cookie crumbs. Yet another eased the groom into the flow of joggers, allowing him to arrive at the church right on schedule (albeit slightly out of breath). The groomsmen showed up wearing black and white. Parental tears have been dried. Stress levels are starting to come down. It's time to celebrate the beginning of your new life.
You've allowed us to ward off all the potential disasters to this point. Now we're here for you again. So cut loose. Let your hair down. Throw a garter. Dance a tango. We're not about to let anything go wrong now!
Baby Showers
The couple has been married for over a year, and their new family of two is about to become three. Pink and blue are taking on whole new meanings for them. Their former guest room has been cleared, its walls painted with smiling animals. Their extra dresser has been emptied out to make room for diapers and miniature overalls. It's time to celebrate…and to help them fill up that vacant room and all those empty drawers!
So you decide to throw a party, and you think: “It's only a party. I've planned parties before. I've heaved a huge sigh, gritted my teeth, rolled up my sleeves, and given up huge chunks of my time and mental health to organize similar occasions in the past. I can do it again.”
But do you want to? Do you really want to remember the event as that dreadful ordeal that ate a significant portion of your life? Probably not. Call us instead. We're familiar with all the traditions. We can fill you in on the customs and etiquette. And we can make the day—and all the days leading up to it—ones you'll remember with a smile instead of a groan.
Birthdays
Birthday parties are celebrations of life. Whether you have a birthday girl turning three or a birthday boy turning ninety -three, the event deserves special attention. But what form should this year's party take? How can you make this birthday unique?
Don't bother putting on your thinking cap. We already have ours on. In fact, we've had it on for a long time. We've spent whole days and weeks researching tried-and-true party themes, and we've already ferreted out the area's most entertaining performers. We know what's worked and what hasn't, who's great and who isn't, and exactly where to find all the decorations, edibles, party supplies and support people we need to create the perfect celebration for you.
Family Reunions
Family reunions come with their own sets of pleasures and problems. Uncle Charlie may still be feuding with Uncle Randolph. Grandpa Hoover will need help getting on the right bus so he doesn't end up in Vancouver . And everyone may need a little help breaking the ice with family members they haven't even thought about in three decades.
We can help you with planning tips that run the gamut from timetables, projects and checklists to icebreaker activities. We can even suggest games that will call up memories of the time Rover ate Aunt Alicia's wedding cake, or the day Grandma Gertie's underwear fell down around her ankles in front of Tiffany's in New York City.
So leave the planning to us…and enjoy the day!
Retirement Parties
Retirement marks a significant milestone in any person's life, and a well-planned party can give bosses, co-workers, and even clients a chance to honor the retiree and send him or her off in style. When appropriate, it can also give them a rare opportunity to utterly humiliate this long-time friend and colleague by telling “embarrassing moment” and “worst mistake” stories in front of his family and friends.
Whether you plan to roast a victim or pay serious homage to a long and distinguished career, we can help you personalize the party to suit the precise feelings, tastes and situation of the person involved. Our experience allows us to help you navigate the planning, as well as the unpredictable emotional waters surrounding this sometimes bittersweet, sometimes gleefully-anticipated life passage.
Corporate Events and Fund Raisers
A corporate event or fund raiser is an opportunity to spotlight your organization or your cause; to magnify its image in the eyes of your employees, customers, shareholders and contributors, not to mention the media and the entire community. To fulfill its purpose, such an event must be perfectly planned and meticulously orchestrated, leaving you free on the night of the affair to concentrate on one thing and one thing only—non-stop schmoozing.
We can make that happen. We will develop a master plan based on your unique goals and objectives, and we will strategize, organize and negotiate the hundreds of necessary purchases, services and other details until they total up to a perfect endorsement for your business or non-profit organization…and a higher return.
