Here at jesGordon/properFUN we are obsessed with photographs! But, do you ever wonder how to use photographs at an event? Incorporating personal touches is one our favorite design secrets. Below are some great ideas that we have used at previous affairs. Enjoy!

1. Escort Card Table: Everyone at the event must stop by this table so it's a great way to display important photos. For this event, we had a library theme. We used old library cards as escort cards and had the couple's engagement photos and personal family photos on display for everyone to admire.

Photo Credit: Christine Han

2. Rehearsal Dinner Invite: Use your engagement photos (or any photos -- we support your decisions) as a way to set the tone, in a personal way, the night before your wedding!

Photo Credit: Hannah Photography

3. Memory Tree: We took photos of the couple and hung them on this ribbon, memory tree for display during the cocktail hour. Guests really enjoyed seeing the large display and getting to know the couple more through personal photos.

Photo Credit: Christine Han

4. Photo Booths: We LOVE these! Not only can you personally decorate them with photos of you, you can also get photos of everyone at the party! Have them dress up and be silly. Most of the photo booths give two copies. Have a book nearby so guests can give you one copy and keep one for themselves. It's a great way to remember the event (we know it can be a bit blurry after a few cocktails)!

Photo Credit: Christine Han

5. Table Numbers: Use photos of family members, relatives or even your pets, attached to your table numbers, to tell people where they are sitting! It helps guests to get to know you and the people you love, and starts a great conversation at the table.

Photo Credit: Christine Han

After seeing all these ideas, we hope you're as inspired as we are! If you are, we would love to give you a chance to create some beautiful memories that you can use in your wedding! Win an AMAZING engagement video shoot in Paris courtesy of our friends at weddinglight.com. To enter into the contest click here: http://www.weddinglight.com/wedding-blog/2012/07/win-a-professionally-shot-engagement-video-in-paris/

The After Party: Why Say Goodbye So Soon?

We all know that awful feeling of being at a bar and hearing "last call" when you just got the party started. Sometime events have the same feeling. You know us at jesGORDON/properFUN can't resist the urge to keep the party going. So, in the spirit of playing until the sun rises, we have provided some do's and don'ts to keep the party going!

DO get other people involved! If you're the bride and you've spent months planning the big wedding, give a subtle (nudge if you will) to your groom to plan an after party. In fact, grooms seem more likely to be interested in planning the after party than the wedding itself.

Photo Credit: www.groomsadvice.com

DO keep in mind that most people have been partying for a few hours and at this point it might be a good idea to provide some H2O to recharge guests batteries and keep them from entering into a sleepy slumber.

DO stick with the cocktails you were serving at the main event. You DON'T want your guests to get sick from mixing drinks. There's truth to those sayings (we won't mention here) about mixing spirits, wine and beer.

DO change up the location. Feel free to get creative, just make sure people have safe transportation. If guests are hungry, suggest a local diner. Diner food is probably the best sobering up tool -- hello grease and butter! If you feel like dancing, go to a club with a cash bar -- you just threw a party, make your friends buy you a drink! Most importantly, don't pick a spot where you're responsible for the clean up.

Photo Credit: Andre Maier Photography

DO enjoy your second chance to have a good time! More times than not, hosts don't have time to chill with their friends during their parties because they are busy with introductions, shilling hors d'oeuvres, and giving thank-you speeches. So, this is the time to hang with your guests.

*Disclaimer: It's a shame when the debauchery of after parties erases the elegance of the event itself, so all we ask is that you take on this task with a solid dose of moderation.

Make Christmas Come to You!

With all the heat that we've been faced with this summer, I bet a lot of people are already looking toward the winter months. But why wait until Christmas season to bring that winter wonderland feeling to you? Make it happen in the middle of July! Bring that holiday spirit to the middle of the summer and celebrate like it's the first day of snowfall.

Christmas in July is always in. Not only is an excuse to have a party but also everyone can dress up and you get that Christmas feel in the middle of July. Get excited, it’s halfway to Christmas!

Now, you may ask yourself...why would I need a winter wonderland themed party? Décor is a major part of Christmas at any time of the year.

A Christmas village pulls it all together. You can design it any way you want. Have snow and hills and a train. A train is always a must when it comes to a Christmas village. It brings the town together. The houses are beautifully designed wherever you are able to find them.

Make the party a DIY party and you can create all the décor. You can find ribbon and a wire and watch a DIY video on how to create a bow and snap, you’re a pro. Find some fun wrapping paper that goes with your color scheme and you can wrap old boxes that are lying around put them under the tree.

Next up is the Christmas tree. In the Western Hemisphere it is hard to find a Christmas tree in the middle of the summer. Some people maybe against this but invest in an artificial tree. There is not a mess and you can let your friends borrow it if they want to have Christmas like parties as well.

Have those delectable treats that everyone loves at Christmas time. If you’re not the best baker in the world, head down to your local bakery or supermarket to find those tasty treats. If you go to your local bakery, you can order any types of treats and pick them up the day of the party.

Have fun with Christmas at anytime of the year. It does not matter when you have it! As long as you're with family and friends, it's a party!

MY TURN AS A JG/PF INTERN

    Written By Bree Tallman

     A few weeks ago, you heard from my co-intern Oscar about his experience as a jG/pF intern. Now it’s my turn. My name is Bree Tallman. I will be starting my second year at The University of New Haven in the fall, in West Haven, Connecticut. I am working towards a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management with a concentration in Tourism and Events Management and a minor in Beverage Management. I love the energy of the school.

     Let me tell you how I found out about jesGORDON/properFUN. I was home for the holiday break last December when an old family friend mentioned that she knew someone who worked for Jes. Well, I jumped on that opportunity and started making contact with the jG/pF team. After a series of emails, one nerve-racking phone interview and a month of waiting, I had been hired as an intern.

     I was definitely surprised when I got this internship. Usually, internships do not come till junior or senior year but I got one right after my freshman year! I was so excited. I could not wait to start my summer in Manhattan. I am a New York Native, living on Long Island but spend a lot of time in the Big Apple.

     Like Oscar said, the office atmosphere is awesome. Our productionDIRECTOR brings his dog, Shamon, in everyday and he is the sweetest. I just love how he lays on my feet and he could be for hours, if all I’m doing is sitting and working on the computer. Sometimes I do not even notice he’s there until I move my feet or go to get up. Oh and referring back to Oscar about our office conversations. If there isn’t one inappropriate conversation in a day, you know the day will be crazy.

     Some days are hectic. I could be running out to the stores all day to buy supplies for the events or the office or I could be sitting in the office or in the production room, working on events and finding cool ideas for our clients.  Sometimes the day is so crazy that some of us don’t even have a chance to eat and take five minutes to get away from everything. I really like the production room. I love the involvement it takes and how much it really matters to the event.

     So let me tell you about meeting Jes. Jes is awesome! I didn’t get a chance to meet her until about a month into the internship when she returned from an event in LA. She is hysterical and can make you laugh at any given moment. She is probably one of the coolest people I have ever met. When it comes down to the business of it all, Jes is probably the most serious person I’ve ever met.

     I’ve been working a lot with our designDIRECTOR and productionDIRECTOR and let me tell you, I thought I just wanted to be like our eventsMANAGER and handle just the business side of things but I found that I like it all. I love being hands on with the events and pulling ideas together to make an event come together. I like setting up the event and making sure every little detail is in place. I want to be the one who helps design and pulls the client’s dream together. So far I’ve been able to be on two installs and I have loved every minute of them. They are long days but in the end, I have a great time.

 A usual day can be spent in our Production Studio

     I love being an intern with jG/pF. It’s a lot of hard work but in the end it is experience and a great experience at that. I was so nervous about my first day and our eventsMANAGER calmed my nerves a bit.

     So if you’re interested or have any questions, shoot me an email: intern@jesgordon.com I will do my best to answer your questions. This could be the email address for one of you someday!

Me and Oscar just having some fun at a install!

InstaTwitFace

Confused by the title? Haha! This blog is all about social media. Raise your hand if you have a Facebook account. (Just kidding silly, you’re going to draw attention to yourself haha!) But the reality of it is that almost everyone is on social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even just by reading this blog, you’re making use of these tools that have become available to us in the past few years.

So if you’re on it, and everyone else is on it…why not promote yourself or events?! It’s a free tool that gives you awesome outreach and can be controlled from your cell phone if you need it to. Our team is on all forms of the web so that we can stay connected with you! Maybe some things we do can help you maximize your potential.

Facebook (jesGORDON/properFUN)

jesGORDON/properFUN is on Facebook as a “Company Page”. We love when people post to our page and we’re more than happy to respond and chat.  We also love to give our fans an inside look to what’s going on with our company. We’ll put up albums of pictures from our events, post our blogs, and even add statuses about random things that are going on in the office.  An awesome thing about the company page is that it also shows how many people are not only seeing our posts, but talking about it and sharing with their friends.

Twitter (@jesgordon)

Jes is a twitter-holic! Some places just use twitter as a way to post and promote themselves, while we use it as a vital way to communicate with our followers. There is no tweet that goes unanswered! Oscar, an intern at jesGORDON/properFUN actually got his position after tweeting Jes! It’s an awesome way to get questions answered and just make genuine connections that could build your relationships.
Twitter is something that has to be constant if you want it to be successful. And, you can only write down 140 characters at a time. So take the 20 seconds out of your day to respond to people!  Who know’s when you’ll "bump" into someone what can take a tweet to a real-world collaboration? Networking is the key to success in ANYTHING.

Instagram (@jesgordon)

This is another big social media channel, and probably the most fun! We’re really visual here (duh!) so we LOVE taking pictures and seeing what others are posting. On our end, we love to share the events we're working on and visuals that inspire us creatively or otherwise. Maybe you weren’t invited to the party by our client, but we’ll give you the inside view! From set up, through the event, and breakdown, we’re always snapping away. It’s a great way for us to show our fans what’s inspiring us on a daily basis and try to give you all a solid way to see our visions coming to life.

We love connecting with people, so appreciate connecting with others in any way that wecan. Who likes emailing all day? Find a way to captivate your audience by using the tools in front of you. It’s more than advertising, it’s connecting. And, we promise to keep things fresh and interesting for you.

Do It Yourself

Keep costs down by taking matters into your own hand. There are 5 categories in which you can really stay in your budget by just finishing off some tasks without the help of a huge company. How much you can do will vary based on the size of the event, guests, venue, and more, but if you know where you can cut corners, you’ll save your bank account from a hefty withdrawal.

• Cook: Who knew that you could actually turn on that large, white, box shaped item in your kitchen?! It’s called a stove, and it could save you tons if you make your own food for a party. Especially if it’s something simple like a cocktail party or a small family event. Whether its baking a few cookies and desserts or getting a bunch of different appetizers that you can pop in the oven, you can definitely save money by throwing on your apron and heading to the kitchen.

• Light: As we’ve stated before, lighting is probably the easiest thing to do to change the mood of a party. Choose different-toned light bulbs in your living room, dining room, kitchen, den, and outdoor areas to make each one stand out in a funky, festive way. Or for a more romantic look, you can string votives above a space or line the hallways with dimly lit lanterns to give it a really mellow mood.

• Sew: If you’re crafty, you can sew things like your own linens, place mats, furniture covers, pillows, or floor cushions. You can even sew cool drapes that are specific to your party color scheme and change them out for different events. Or use them as dividers for different sections of the room. This job will take a little more time, but your wallet will thank you later!

If you can't sew, get some ribbon and create a ribbon wall to create room dividers!

• Print: You can buy printable labels, postcards, invitations, and even escort cards. Instead of spending tons at the stationery you can order these items at a super cheap price. You can design them yourself (check out a few Photoshop tutorials first!) or just choose an awesome template that they have. It’s as simple as that - design, order, and save time and money.

• Clean: Okay so it’s not the most fun part of the party, but it can definitely be an expensive one if you outsource. Unless you’re holding a huge gala, there shouldn’t be a cleaning service at your house for eight hours after a small cocktail party. Just turn up the music, throw on an old shirt, and get down and dirty. 

Through these five different areas, you could save a fortune by just taking things into your control. We’ve utilized all of these tips for our events at one time or another and we could probably open up our own cleaning service by now. Ha! So just remember, if there’s something you can do yourself, whether it’s to save money or just give your own personal touch to the party, you can do it!

Curb Your Anxiety

In this crazy world of event planning, it’s easy to pile on the stress and get overwhelmed without realizing how much you’re taking on. It’s important to remember that this is one of the most fun jobs in the world; so let’s start acting like it! Here are some ways that you can take a breather and relax yourself before a mid-event breakdown occurs.

• Caffeine is your worst enemy. We often think that drinking coffee or Coke (even Diet), is a great way to boost energy. Trust me, you will not need energy on the day of your event. Your adrenaline and focus will be so intensified that any caffeine is just going to make you jittery and overly excited. To avoid insomnia the night before, and crashing the night after, go for the herbal tea or decaf option. Anything that’ll relax you and allow your body to feel charged and focused is a great idea.

•  Make the calendar your best friend. Whether it’s a huge one on your desk, an electronic one online, or accessible on your mobile device, a calendar is essential in keeping your composure. It’s a great way to stay on schedule and really balance out your tasks so that you’re not running around doing everything on the last day. Pace yourself. Set goals for the different tasks you have to complete. If you’re a list person, keep a pad of paper and pen with you at all times. Leave it on your dresser at night so that when the creative brilliance comes to you in a dream, you can jot it down before you forget (which would give you more anxiety!) Cross things off your list and calendar as you complete them. The mind is at ease when it knows that there’s one less thing to do for the day.

• Make a map of the flow of human traffic that’ll occur on the day of the event. Doing a physical walk through starting with where they’ll park, and going through to their exit. You can visualize where people will wander, dance, sit and relax, socialize, etc. Once you’ve completely understood what your guests will be doing, you can ensure that you’ve covered all the necessary bases and can stay ahead of the game.

• Trust your instinct. Some people like apples and others will like oranges…if you like kiwi instead that is completely okay! Everyone will have an opinion, but at the end of the day….it’s YOUR event! So don’t second-guess yourself. If you’re not completely sure about something, let the idea marinate for a day or two and get back to it. Once you take a step back, you’ll realize whether it’s really something that you want or not. Don’t stress about it! Be confident and passionate; the rest will fall into place.

 When in doubt, we’re always looking for new clients! Ha! If you’re not up for the challenge of planning an event, give us a call and we’ll take on the challenge. We are stress-experts here at jesGORDON/properFUN!

Inspire Yourself

It’s easy to say, “I want to plan a party.” But once most people get to the drawing board, they are completely stuck. Not everyone instantly has a vision of what they want, from the theme and décor to food and invitations, some ideas simply cannot be pulled out of thin air. Finding inspiration can be the key to making your event a success, and it can be executed in so many ways.

This process can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few weeks, depending on your design aesthetic and resources. The key is to have a wandering eye, an open mind, and the ability to find beauty in the abstract items surrounding you.

The thing about inspiration is that you never know when it’s going to show up. The first tip is to always have a camera ready. If you’re really serious about this, and want clear photos that you can upload and show others digitally, throw your digital camera into your bag every morning. The various settings can really allow you to focus in on the details that you find inspiring. Maybe it’s a flower that you passed while you’re walking your dog, or a piece of graffiti you came across while waiting for the train to come.

This inspirational piece of graffiti can be found in San Francisco, CA.

If you don’t have a digital camera handy, whip out your cell phone and snap a pic. If you check out our Instagram, you can see that Jes is quick to share with the world the random pieces of inspiration she finds while simply living her daily routine.

Jes found inspiration in this beautiful art installation in NYC on a walk one day and posted it on Instagram!

Which brings us to the next tip: break away from your norms. An awesome way to discover something new is to switch things up a bit. Do you walk the same route every day? Make a left, go down two blocks, and see what happens; you could open your eyes to a whole new world. Perhaps there’s an awesome bakery that would fit perfectly with your child’s birthday party that you’ve never heard of. There’s a whole world out there waiting for you to discover it.

Window displays are another great way to visualize concepts. They do so much in a small space that could capture the entire essence of what you’re looking for in a single snapshot. If you’re in a big city like New York, take a walk down a busy street that has a variety of stores from furniture to clothing and more.

We wanted to inspire others to not be afraid of their inner RockStar with our 2012 Macy's Flower Show window display!

For others who may not have the hectic city life to explore, we’re huge on landscape and architecture here. Check out the attention to details in ceilings, facades, and the cobblestones in the sidewalks. Pull colors from the ocean - the hues of blue and neutral tans match up beautifully.

As a last piece of advice, don’t be afraid to see what others have done and make it your own. We love to share all of our work on our Facebook Page and our jesGORDON Website.

And, as always, check out Jes' book, Party Like a Rock Star. It has tips on everything you'll need for a party. EVERYTHING. Lighting, decor, location, food, etiquette and a whole index of other topics. If that doesn't inspire you then 2012 must really be the end of the world!

By pulling from all of these resources, you’ll be able to create a unique event that fits your personality. Combine a piece of street art with a chair that you came across and BAM, a whole new showpiece has been born. Be wacky and take chances; with an open mind, the opportunities are infinite.