Continue reading »]]> Valentine’s Day Party Ideas: Easy Desserts and Treats

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow which means there is still time left to make some yummy treats for the sweets in your life. Here are some clever and easy Valentine’s Day desserts and treats that you can make. We have a whole board on Pinterest dedicated to amazing Valentine’s Day ideas. Check out the Red Carpet Rollout Valentine’s Day Party Board on Pinterest for more ideas! Also check out our list of Valentine’s Day Printables!

From A Subtle Revelry, here is a great idea for kids of all ages. Who doesn’t love cookies and milk. With these fun milk ice cubes you can add a simple, but fun Valentine’s Day twist.

Valentine's Day Milk Cubes from A Subtle Revelry

Thank you Amanda at A Few Short Cuts for this simple and oh so yummy Valentine’s Day treat. White chocolate Valentine popcorn. This is a perfect treat to bring to school or the office.

Valentine's Day Popcorn from A Few Short Cuts

As they say on their site, these are “so simple it’s silly.” Thank you to Saucy Sprinkles for this easy, breezy idea – chocolate stuffed raspberries.

Chocolate Stuffed Raspberries From Saucy Sprinkles

Can you say YUM! These delicious treats come to us from Smells Like Home. Red velvet brownies with buttercream are sure to bring smiles to your Valentines!

Red Velvet Brownies from Smells Like Home

What are you making this Valentine’s Day?

Continue reading »]]> Valentine’s Day is next week and if you’re anything like me you may have forgotten the day is upon us. Truthfully I booked a dentist appointment that day so my boyfriend is off the hook. (Something about a Novocaine-based dental appointment and a romantic dinner don’t seem to go hand-in-hand.) BUT, that doesn’t mean all my Valentine’s Day party plans are down the drain. I am still planning on sending my friends and family cards and making some treats for everyone. Because at the heart of it, it’s not just about romance. Valentine’s Day is also a celebration of family, friends and those we keep near and dear in our hearts.

I’ve scoured Pinterest (my obsession) and found a number of menu ideas, party ideas and printables for the day of friendship and love that is Valentine’s.

Brought to you today – Valentine’s Day Printables! These are just a few – for more printables see the Red Carpet Rollout Valentine’s Day Party board on Pinterest.

A “Smartie” Valentine’s Day Card from Tip Junkie

Valentine's Day Card from Tip Junkie

Valentine’s Day Art from The Paper Cupcake

Valentine's Day Art from The Paper Cupcake

Class Valentines from One Charming Party

Class Valentine's from One Charming Party

Candy Kiss Free Valentine’s Day Printables from Living Locurto

Candy Kiss Free Valentine's Day Printables from Living Locurto

Continue reading »]]> Wedding Planning Advice for the Newly Engaged

It has been a quick six weeks since I got engaged and for the most part my wedding planning is going smoothly. I’m very lucky to be one of the last of my friends to take the walk down the aisle so I’ve had a lot of time and experience, from both the attendee and planning side, to gather a few lessons learned.

Wedding Planning Tips

Here are a few tips for newly engaged brides-to-be from brides that have come before us. Take these tips with you into the journey of planning your wedding.

From Kathy in New York

1. Focus on the three things that are most important for you to splurge on. For me, it was the flowers, DJ/music, and the bar.
2. Be yourself! Don’t try to do something different just because it’s your wedding! For example, I got an acrylic French manicure because I thought it would be more “wedding like.” What I really wanted to do was keep my short nails and paint them red. Looking back, it was my only regret.
3. Hire a wedding planner day of. You don’t  need the additional stress. Have someone that will take care of everything, including your worries!

From Audrey in New York

1. Delegate everything that isn’t on your “most important list.” Most people are honored to help the bride. Say you have a friend who is an expert on flowers, if the person is willing they could manage getting the bouquet for you. I had 100 days to plan a black tie wedding for 200+ people in another city. Everyone I delegated something to reported back to me so I could make a final decision. It’s a win-win. They knew me and my taste and they were experts in the area that was delegated to them. It was a huge relief for me.

What tips do you have for the newly engaged? Add them to the comments and we’ll do another post with the tips we receive.

Continue reading »]]> This weekend is the Super Bowl. Don’t fumble the ball with a bland and boring spread of food. You can score a touchdown with some amazing appetizer and dessert ideas.

Here are some ideas for putting on the ultimate Super Bowl bash. For more ideas see the Red Carpet Rollout “The Big Game” board on Pinterest.

And check out our ideas for Super Bowl Party decor including free printables.

Football Brownies from Better Homes and Gardens

Football Brownies from Better Homes and Gardens

Football Appetizer from Gimme Some Oven

Football Appetizer from Gimme Some Oven

Burger Bites from Better Homes and Gardens

Burger Bite from Better Homes and Gardens

Continue reading »]]> This weekend is the big game. The New York Giants are taking on the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. You might be having your own big game as well – a Super Bowl Party!

Here are some ideas for putting on the ultimate Super Bowl bash. For more ideas see the Red Carpet Rollout “The Big Game” board on Pinterest.

Party Ideas and Free Printables from Occasions Online

Ideas and Printables from Occasions Online

Party Printables from The Celebration Shoppe

Printables from The Celebration Shoppe

Football Garland from Dollar Store Crafts

Football Garland from Dollar Store Crafts

What are you planning for your Super Bowl Party?

Continue reading »]]> Wedding Planning:

Asking the Bridal Party to be in Your Wedding

Wedding planning is underway. You and your fiance have discussed and finalized who you want to have in your wedding party and the decision is set. While it is very easy to pick up the phone or send an email asking your intended bridesmaids, groomsmen, maid of honor and best man to be in your wedding, the “ask” should be a bit more than, “hey, we’re getting married – wanna be a bridesmaid?”

It’s very easy to get caught up in all the to-dos and busy schedule of wedding planning, but asking someone to stand by your side as you embark on your married life together should be more special than a quick call or email. Not to mention, you’re also asking this person to potentially pony up some serious cash for the “honor.” Let them know you value their time and money by taking some time to ask them in a special and personalized manner. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune. It’s more about showing them that you took time to think of them.

There are so many examples of fun and inexpensive ways to ask your friends and family to be in your wedding party. Here are a few from Pinterest.

Bridesmaid Ask from Tennille Turner (http://pinterest.com/tennilleturner/)

Keepsake Box by The Wedding Chicks (http://www.weddingchicks.com/2011/08/03/will-you-be-my-bridesmaid/)

Cards from Once Wed (http://www.oncewed.com/16446/wedding-blog/diy-wedding/diy-bridesmaids-cards/)

There are also a number of great items you can purchase from businesses on Etsy. Here’s a link to a page with most of the options: http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit=&q=bridesmaid+ask&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US.

And…here’s what I choose – bridal party cards from Gabrielle Kearney. I love how clever the cards are. I was able to get individualized cards for my co-maids of honor, bridesmaid and groomsmen.

Bridal Party Cards from Gabrielle Kearney (http://www.etsy.com/shop/GabrielleKearney/policy)

How did you (or are you) asking your bridal party?

Continue reading »]]> Event Publicity: Sending a Press Release After Your Event to Garner Maximum Media Coverage

Media Plan

In this series on event publicity we looked at how to create a media plan for your event, and how to write a media alert prior to your event. Now let’s chat about why you should consider doing a press release after your event and what it should include.

In order to get the most coverage about your event it is a good idea to do a press release the day of or the day after your event. It shouldn’t be any later than the day after in order for the news to be fresh. As a note, reporters only want fresh news – not something that happened last week. That is considered old in media terms.

The post event press release will have details that the media alert couldn’t (as it was prior to the event). This includes, number of attendees, celebrity attendee names, quotes on what people who gave speeches or attended said, dollars raised, etc. It can also include photos of celebrity attendees that you can include when you issue the press release.

It is a good idea to have the framework of the press release drafted prior to your event. You can have it mostly ready to go then just pop in some of your necessary details post event. This will help you have it ready to go quickly.

As with the media alert, you can issue this release over the wire or send it as a direct email to your go-to reporters. Be sure to include Jpegs of photos of celebrities that attend should you have them.

The post event press release will help you for future events as well by showing your event off to new audiences.

Here is an example of a post event press release that we used for last year’s New York Junior League Bags and Bubbles event.

Example of a Post Event Press Release