The Dr. Seuss book Oh the Places You’ll Go has become a popular theme for graduation gifts and parties, but we loved how this family put it to good use for a post-Baptism party. The “worldly” snacks and treats meant that no one went hungry and Jackson’s copy of the book signed with love from all those in attendance will inspire him for years! Thanks to LunahZon Photography for inspiring all of us with the photos!

And what’s better than a nice spring weekend? Not much. Perfect weather, everyone happy to be outside for the first time in months…it’s going to be pretty sweet.

A big part of what makes spring so great is that it means summer isn’t too far behind. And summer, of course, means summer music festivals! To get you ready for the festival season, we put together our 2012 Summer Music Festival Calendar. Just remember to pack your suntan lotion and drink plenty of water!

Another glorious event that comes every spring is graduation. High school, college, pre-school…no matter what you are finishing up, graduations are something that deserves a celebration. That’s why we delivered our annual Top Graduation Songs Playlist earlier this week.

We’ve also noticed spring is a big time for First Communions, that’s why earlier this week we shared a few First Communion celebration planning tips. And while we’re on the subject of planning kids’ parties, here are our Top 5 Sanity Saving Tips for Kids Parties. Sometimes you need all the help you can get.

You know what other celebrations we start planning in a major way every spring and summer? Weddings, of course! We love all kinds of weddings no matter the season but spring and summer is when we see the most wedding activity. Luckily we have our trusty Wedding blog, the home to all things wedding-related on GigMasters. This week on the blog we set out to answer the question What Is a Groom’s Roast? And if you or someone you love is tying the knot anytime soon, be sure to check out our May 2012 Bridal Horoscopes.

And last but not least, we had another great week on our Inside the Gig blog for performers. We explored Tumblr and listed our favorite 10 musicians on Tumblr. Then rocked out to some 80s music and a couple days later, rocked out to this great wedding mix.

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Phew! Another big week on the blogs. I’m sure next week will be just as jam packed so make sure you rest up this weekend. Hope you get some sunshine!

With Mother’s Day approaching we thought we’d take our weekly Kids Party Tip up a notch and give moms (and dads) across the country what they really want. Ideas on how to have a kids party without losing your mind.

1. Go Someplace Else
Some people see the rise of parties in locations like zoos, inflatable houses and other venues as a sign that kids parties are getting more expensive. I see it as a sign that parents are getting smarter. If you have the party out of your house you eliminate all sorts of hassles from cleaning the house before and after the party to hiding breakables and favorite toys to planning all the activities. Most party venues have activities built in and many also include food and a helper to watch the kids. See more tips on renting a venue  here: http://blog.gigmasters.com/kids-party-tip-choosing-a-venue/

2. Hire Entertainment
Whether it’s music, magic, clowns, face painting or balloons, entertainment gives your party a theme and a focus, and can provide needed downtime. See more tips on hiring age appropriate entertainment here: http://blog.gigmasters.com/kids-party-tip-age-appropriate-entertainment/

3. Pick the Right Time
If you’ve got small kids, avoid nap time. If you have big kids, avoid lunch time. Serving a meal to a bunch of hyped up kids is no one’s idea of fun. Pick a party time that isn’t around a mealtime and save money and sanity. See more tips on party timing here: http://blog.gigmasters.com/kids-party-tip-what-time-is-the-party/

4. Don’t go it Alone
Even if you are an experienced single parent, do not try to be the only adult at a party full of kids. What if someone needs medical attention? What if someone needs a stern talking to or help climbing a play structure? What if everything goes so well that you don’t have anything to do and want someone to talk to? Ask a friend or two to stay and help.

5. Listen to Your Kid
You may be stressing over planning the perfectly blog worth, matched event. Your child is not. Your child wants to have fun with his or her friends. He does not care if the cups match the plates. Talk to her and find out what she wants and put that first on your agenda.

It’s that time of year when high school and college seniors everywhere will start preparing for graduation. After all of their hard work, they will finally be able to celebrate their academic accomplishments. Here at GigMasters, we happen to think all of life’s biggest moments deserve a soundtrack. That’s why we have put together our top graduation song picks. Some of the songs are classics, some are more current – but they all reminded us of the wonderful milestone that is graduation.

For more graduation party resources, visit our Event Planning section.

What graduation songs did we miss? Let us know your favorites in the comments below.

First communion is a very special occasion for both parents and their child. Most families choose to celebrate this wonderful time with a gathering of their loved ones and friends. Whether you are hosting a simple, intimate party or a lavish affair, you have to consider your budget carefully. You must decide where you want to splurge and where you want to save. If you don’t want to break the bank, you will have to choose what is more important to you and where you feel most comfortable with a big expenditure. Let’s breakdown the big expenses for a First Communion celebration:

Venue: Many churches offer a party or recreation room that you could use (or rent out) for your child’s communion celebration. This option would work well for guests – as they would only have to travel to the church to enjoy the festivities. Hosting the party in your home is another option, and the most cost effective one. If you are planning during the warm weather months, you could have the event outdoors. Just remember to rent a tent, in case the weather decides not to cooperate last minute. For larger affairs, you may consider renting out a banquet room in a restaurant, hotel or country club. Obviously this would involve more of an expense than the first two options.

Decorations: The venue you choose will likely help dictate what decorations you will need. But, for a special celebration like a First Communion, you don’t need to go crazy with the décor. Oriental Trading has quite a few tasteful decorations such as balloon lanterns, centerpieces, and tableware that are reasonable in price.  Simple balloons are also a great and inexpensive way to decorate. It would be a nice touch to add some framed pictures of your child (throughout the years) and display them for the party. You can purchase affordable, decorative frames at Target or Walmart.

Food: While you may have the culinary skills to whip up some delicious food, remember, you want to enjoy your child’s special day. Slaving away in the kitchen or running around to get food out is not how you want to spend your time at the party. Finding someone to cater is the best option to allow you to enjoy yourself and mingle with your guests. You can keep things simple so catering costs don’t get too expensive. Start with ordering a few appetizers such as a fruit platter, cheese and cracker tray, veggie platter and chips and dip. Sandwiches, salad and pasta would make for filling and budget-friendly meal options. For dessert, it’s a special occasion, that means you just have to have cake. You can purchase or bake a simple First Communion sheet cake with white icing, the child’s name, and a message appropriate for the occasion.

Entertainment: You will want to consider hiring an event photographer to capture all of the beautiful memories of the day. The First Communion is a wonderful milestone for your child that your family will want to remember.  A photographer will be able to preserve each and every moment. You may also want to include some music during the party – you can keep things low key and hire a soloist to perform some soft music for ambience. If there will be little ones present, you may want to hire a balloon twister or magician to keep them entertained.

Now it’s time for you to make some decisions on what kind of celebration you would like to host for your child. It’s a wonderful day, remember to enjoy it and share it with your loved ones.

What other First Communion ideas do you have? Let us know in the comments below. 

 

Londoloza Dog Den & Cattery may be named after a game reserve in South Africa’s Sabi Sands, but this 16,000 sq ft space caters to a much tamer clientele. Dogs and cats are the focus of this new business located in Culver City, CA. The facility itself is also African safari themed and truly unique. When planning their grand opening they decided they needed a band to help bring an authentic African flair to the party. We checked in with owner Patricia Were to learn more about this wild event.

The Londoloza Dog Den & Cattery is a world class luxury safari experience for clients and their pets.The business is named after the Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa’s beautiful Kruger’s National Park. When discussing the vision for her business, Patricia stated, “Just like the Londolozi Game Reserve protects their animals, we at Londoloza Dog Den & Cattery will protect your most precious mammal family. We’re the only African safari doggie daycare/boarding facility in the USA!”

Since the facility already had an African aesthetic, there was not much décor needed to set the scene for this event. Patricia kept things simple and decorated with lots of balloons. Model/Actress Molly Sims was on hand to greet guests. Molly is a frequent client and her three dogs regularly stay at the space or visit to play.

Patricia also hired African band and GigMasters members Big African Sound to be the musical headliner for the grand opening festivities.  Patricia let us know that, “Big African Sound added the extra dimension to make the event truly authentic.” She described them as a class act.

Photo Credit: Big African Sound Press Kit

Appetizers and desserts were served and guests went home with a goody bag that included promotional items like scoops, magnets, and rubber bracelets. Despite the unseasonable Southern California weather, the event had a great turnout.

While you ponder that, let’s take a look at what went down across our three very active blogs this week…

Over on Inside the Gig, the week, as usual, was all about helping out our members – entertainers of all kinds. We started the week with some tips very specific to GigMasters. If you’re a member, or you are thinking of joining, check out this week’s Exploring Your Control Panel – Tools post to learn more about a few of the insightful resources available to every GigMasters member.

Every entertainer can learn something from our next post, Top 10 Cities to Gig In, it’s a look into the numbers for the American cities that are booking entertainment the most. Spoiler Alert: Houston wins! Also this week, we published an interview with David Wimble, editor and founder of The Indie Bible. This (online) book is an amazing resource for independent musicians of all kinds and you can enter to win a copy just by reading the post and leaving a comment. Do it! Do it now!

As always our Wedding blog focused on helping couples plan for their big day through inspirational examples and helpful pointers. One of the week’s most popular posts was What Is a Ketubah & Do You Need One? Good question. You’ll have to read the post to find out!

Also on the Wedding blog, Best (and Worst) May Wedding Songs, a close look at some of our favorite May songs plus a few to avoid at your wedding. And if you are looking for more wedding inspiration, and you like to walk a little off the beaten path, this look at a few of our favorite wedding blogs is the post for you!

Now on to the Life of the Party blog which was, well, all over the place this week. That’s because we  covered everything from birthday parties to graduation celebrations. Plus Marissa checked in from Florida and the Mom 2.0 Summit where she is bringing the gospel of GigMasters to moms from all around the country. Which reminds us, it’s almost Mother’s Day. Better start planning!

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That’s about it for this week. Here’s hoping everyone has a fabulous weekend and we’ll see you back here on Monday.

Visit our Cinco de Mayo party planning post for more ideas and inspiration.

What other songs should be on our Cinco de Mayo party playlist? Let us know in the comments below.

Who in your family plans the birthdays, the reunions and the dinner parties? If you answered “my mom” or “my wife” or “me” (and you’re the mom) then you’ll probably understand why we’re at the Mom 2.0 Summit this week. Let’s face it, moms are the social planners of the family (at least in the families I know!).

Last year, 40% of our entertainment requests were for family gatherings. That’s over 82,000 parties! So, I’m here at Mom 2.0 Summit - mixing with other mom’s and marketers – because I’m both of these things and because mom’s are important to GigMasters.

With gorgeous Key Biscayne as our backdrop, we’re going to be talking about how “new media” has become simply “media” and how this evolution has opened up so many new opportunities for us as individuals, small businesses, non-profits, and major brands. The months of Facebook chatter leading up to this event is living proof that this is one very social group.

And because there’s power in numbers, all of us attending are going to attempt to create the most widespread social network message…breaking the record of 11,000+ messages on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in one hour. We’ll be sharing messages of goodness, telling our friends how they inspire us! If we reach our goal, we’ll raise $15,000 for Girls Inc.  Join us at 6:30pm Eastern on Friday, May 4 to help us use social media for social change!

Over the next couple of days, follow along as I listen to talks from lady-leaders like Sam Bee, Brene Brown, Pilar Guzman, Maggie Mason, Allana Harkin…the list goes on!

It’s not all talk, we’ll be partying too – at some pretty swanky places like the Versace Mansion. Don’t worry, I’ll be taking notes and some pics.

Follow this estrogen-packed adventure on your network of choice… Twitter #mom2summit, Facebook, Pinterest, Flickr.

And, it would be impolite of me to not mention all of the amazing sponsors who are making this event possible.

I’m off to the White Sand White Party!