In Closing ~ A Year At A Glance 2011

   In moving to Columbia, South Carolina from the fast pace life of Vegas, Nevada, I can say that we are thankful that we were able to indulge our urge to start our own business and that we have such a fantastic group of supportive family and friends that have inspired and encouraged us to press forward with our dream to pursue a job that we love.  The fact that I have a talented husband with the same passion for event design that I do, could not make this company any more perfect!

   Our first year has now passed. We opened silently, with little to know advertising and still had some of the most amazing people cross our designing path.  We learned a lot and are extremely grateful for all the help we have received along our journey.

     A special thank you goes out to the Foss Family for your belief in our dream and seeing our vision along with us as we continue on our pursuit of happiness!
  
     To our great friends in design, The Lopez Family at Appalachian Party Rentals, for always being at the ready to work hard to build our dream and for spreading the word throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains.  You are amazing friends of which we are truly thankful for.

    To our amazing crew that are relentless workers and strive for perfection in all that you do, Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

     Last, but not least, to our kids, who upon telling them we were leaving Vegas for a more enriched life, left behind friends with courage and allowed us to begin a life more fulfilling for us all.  And for being proud of our accomplishments in 2011.  Believe it our not even parents like their kids to be proud of them!

As the curtain closes on 2011, we look forward to our exciting upcoming events and new adventures still to come in 2012.

Stay tuned for more event stories and photos......

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Yours in Design, 

             Carolina  Event Services

Part 16: A Year at a Glance ~ Ghoulish Gala

I love my job! It is forever changing, from weddings with horses, carnivals and casino nights to 1920's proms and now The Ghoulish Gala!  Another event brought to me by GoNC High Country.  The Annual Ghoulish Gala would be held at the Inn at Crestwood in Boone, North Carolina.  The Inn was and old house that had been converted, and the perfect setting for a Ghoulish Gala.  Instantly, I could see this grand space transformed into a sort of  Glamorous Gothic Dracula's Castle turned nightclub.


 The the Library.....


Rich woods, windows along one wall opening to a large patio and two large stone fireplaces was a perfect backdrop.  With such good bones, all we needed to do was come in with a bit of old world, creepy carfully staged props for this room in which guests came to bask in fine food.  The room inspired a darkside with  Harvest colors of Pumpkin Orange, Rusty Browns and Amber Glow.

Carefully staged mantel props and creepy cobwebs helped this space feel spooky

Old vintage bottled and a rare set of old encyclopedias

Vintage books in Harvest tones

Cant forget the witches cauldron and her get away broom

The second fireplace stage with vintage photos found in the Inn and more vintage bottles and webs

"Creepy Baby"  was a real hit!  With his baby doll parts at his side.

Side Bars offered another perfect opportunity to showcase more fun spooky features

"Mummy Kitty" watched over the guests

The Bar ......

                This small space featured a fabulous bar and offered us yet another chance to add in subtle decor.

 The bar chairs featured bustle back chair covers and topped with a red sash like a pirate skull cap

Vintage Bottles with spooky Labels and black Roses

Playful ghoulish signs gave the guests a laugh

The Main Room and Gothic Dance Club ~

                               with the high ceilings and stunning fireplace we were able to capture a Spook-tacular Rich Gothic look with lighting and hundreds of ghoulish conversation pieces....

Sparkling sequined pumpkins with photos or famous ghoulish guests

 

 

An amazing focal point in this grand room

The Bride of Frankenstein, one of the favorite guests at the Gala

Our esteemed Vampire with the best vantage point

Dangling 20 feet above, from the Iron Chandelier our friend Madame Black Widow

 

 

 

 Pillar Candles on Jet Black Gothic Candelabras with black crystals and purple satin Bows were one of many centerpieces

A built in buffet buffet offered the perfect setting for gruesome apothecary jars

...jars of bleeding hearts, white worms, gray mice and assorted fingers were some of the many treats found.  Tall pillar candelabras dressed with black feather boas and creepy cloth enhanced the room.

 Zoey Zombie made an appearance in her fine evening gown. She even invited a friend for Dinner!

Fun centerpieces with crystal eyes and purple velveteen and gold brocade ribbon garnished tabletops

 Staged with  intimate lounge seating and cocktail rounds with with sparkling overlays of black sheer and crystals.

 All the niches I could find were staged with fun ghoulish props like sparkly sequined pumpkin and photos of all the famous ghoulish guests of past like Frank and the Munsters.

Guy Gravedigger really enjoyed hanging around

 At he lights went down,the event lighting really popped !!!  Bright Green,Ultra Violet Purple and Amber glowing candles played off of every texture.

The Goulish Gala was such a divine event!  We had the best time scheming up wonderfully dark ideas for this annual event!  The guest had a great time and the attention to all the ghoulish details was noticed.  

Thank you GoNC High Country for trusting our design and letting us run wild with imagination !!!

                                         

Part 15: A Year at a Glance ~ The Hill Wedding

A Wedding Planner devastation.... Jackie and Adam were getting married the day after our Fall Carnival at the Embassy Suites in Downtown Charleston, South Carolina, so this was going to be a very busy weekend for us.  I had been working with Jackie's wedding planner over the course of several weeks getting all the lighting and linens just right for her bride and groom.  The plan was simple: drop of the linen for the planner, set a few up lights and we were on our way.  Then less 48 hours before the couples long awaited Big Day I get an email from Jackie.  The first line read: I just felt I should email you all to tell you that the wedding planner is not coming.  That was all I really needed to read.   I called her right away and spoke to her Fiancee offering our help and that was that!  Rather than just dropping the linen off we offered to set the room with the chair covers, sashes and runners in addition to the lighting and event furniture.  My Husband and I were going to do this installation ourselves.  It was a fun drive and gave us time to reflect on the event we had the night before.
Embassy Suites in Downtown Charleston is such a pretty hotel and the staff was so friendly and helpful this was our first time at this hotel.   Jackie's family was alot of fun too, we got to meet her Mom and best friend and they were so gracious in our offer to help set the room.  It didn't seem like a big deal to me at the time, but I began to think about the final days before a wedding and if you have ever read my Wedding Checklist on our website you will know that there is a lot to be done.

Jackie and Adams colors were Silver and Cobalt Blue. 

Here are some post party shots from their pretty event.

Cobalt Blue Satin Chair covers with Silver sashes and Silver Runners.  Blue up lighting enhanced the room.

The sweetheart table stood out with its Cobalt Blue floor length linen and Silver Chair Covers with Cobalt Blue Sash

  We had a custom Gobo created with a monogram that the Bride and groom designed the truly added a stunning decor feature to their reception and once the candles were lit...it was Beautiful.

                                                         

 

A few days after the Wedding I received an email from Jackie...it read:

"You have no idea how much I appreciated your help. Please, send me any link where you would like me to leave you reviews. I will be more than happy to shout your name from any mountain top! Life savers is what you guys are!!!"

Jackie :D

It's the simple things that make this job worth it.  Like simply making someone happy....

Part 14: A Year at a Glance ~ Ballentine Elementary Fall Carnival

    During the summer I was approached by one of my sons friends Mom. She said that her friend was the current president of the PTO and wanted to know if she could give her my number in hopes that I might help with the Fall Carnival. Well yes indeed, for many reasons, the school is an amazing school ! A National Blue Ribbon School that wants to offer parents and children of the school a fun filled night?  How could this not be fun for us too!
    I had an introductory meeting with the PTO and found that this event would be the 3rd Annual and by the sounds of it, this was a very "trying" event to produce.  Luckily, in all my years producing events, I understood that now was the time to listen to the challenges of the past and take those into serious account when designing the perfect Fall Carnival for 2011.
    I went home and talked to my design partner...(my husband)...and we reflected on the Fall Carnival that we had attended at the school last year, and then began to create a cohesive and fun filled design for the school.

Central Dining Area and Midway Games

Pumpkin Walk

Overview

As the summer months passed and school was now back in session I had not really heard much more about it until one day an email popped up inviting me to a meeting with the new PTO members to discuss the event.  What? A new PTO President and VP?  But alas all went well and what a dynamic duo I found in Angela and Jessie!  I presented the renderings and Inspiration pages to the PTO and committee members and this time.... Big Smiles!!!
   Over the next few months we had lots of meetings, I created spread sheets, event time lines, and maps. The idea this year was to create an event that appealed to all ages from kinder to 60+ and the best way I found to do that was through age appropriate games and music!!!  We needed a way to captivate the parents! And what better way then with a Master of Ceremonies and DJ spinning carefully selected fun party music from all eras was key!  And all this with a Halloween Town meets Harry Potter vibe....
                                                     

F

Fun costumed Pumpkins adorn the entry...

Inflatables like the popular Boulder Dash and Play Pen Bounce are just a few that made their appearance at the Carvinal

And don't forget our 24 foot Giant Slide!!!  A crowd favorite !!

The Fishing Game was fun as the kids cast a line to the awaiting brightly colored fish in hopes to reel in the catch of the day!!!

Our 4 foot LuminAire Event Lighting is perfect for outdoor venues.  Like an event by moonlight this soft, yet bright lighted sphere is not only functional but creates a great ambiance.

We thought it would be fun to offer the crowd a fun mini costume fashion show & contest.  And who better to participate but the BES teachers.  Children voted with tickets for their favorite costume.  From our Clown to the right to Princess Lea and Jack Sparrow, we had many terrific "costumed guests" in attendance!


 Among the continuous action other contests such as the traditional Pumpkin Walk, a contest of Pumpkin Art. The Great Pumpkin King
(Guess my Weight, win a pumpkin full of candy) to The all Grades Scarecrow Contest.

           The Midway Games were great fun for all ages with such games as Gravity Ball, Bats in the Belfrey, The Pumpkin Tumble, Scare D Cat, Witch Hat Ring Toss and Ghost Busters to name a few....

The Soda Pop and Candy Shop and Potters Potion were among some of the delicious food sweet treats found at the Carnival.  Diimmler's Catering provided carnival style food from their mobile kitchen, just like at the fair!!!

A Crowd Pleaser was the forever popular ~ Cake Walk with a Twist....we set the stage for this high energy Cake Walk in our Rhythm Mania Dome equip with up lights , flashing strobes and music.  The kids loved it!!!

Our Par 3 Mini Golf was a fun challenge for both kids and parents.

Whimsical Witches and Moroccan Lanterns created a Magical evening

Kooky Monster Bowling was among the Kiddie Games

And lets not forget Bess Bear!!!  The group Photo Op was a lot of fun!

A Grown Up's Seating Area was located front and Center so Parents could relax, enjoy the activities on the main stage and still have a 360 degree view of the Events Festivities

The PTO provided fun prizes and these great signs to hang over the Midway Games

Among the Decor were "Creepy Cloth Swag" , LED Lighting, 7 foot Corn Stalks, Flashing Lumi-Loon's,  A Glitzy Ghoulies Novelty Shop with Face Painting, Colored Hair Spray Fashions and even Hair Feathers by our licensed Cosmetologists

 Thank you so much to Diimmler's Catering, Mike with Carolina DJ, Angela & Jessie and the Festival   Committee (a small but mighty crew!) and my terrific team of extremely hard workers! 
                                         It was truly a fun night for everyone....
            It was even said that it was the best Carnival the school had ever had to date!
                                             Well.....Wait till next Year!!!