Fun Sports Themed Baby Shower!

I had the pleasure of helping out with a baby shower this past weekend.  The baby's nursery theme is sports, so we decided to stay with the theme for the shower.  I had so much fun putting together the decor! 

Guests were greeted at the door with this super cute wreath.  Super easy to make and very cute.  The wreath is going to also be used on the door at the hospital. 

The cake table was decorated like a baseball diamond!  Easy, I purchased the baseball bases and voila!

Home plate had a baseball bat pen and a small baseball. 

The cake was super cute! 

I made baseball gloves by using a die cut and hot glueing a baseball to the die cut. 

I used a fun baseball hat as a vase for the hydrangea.  Very simple to do!  I just used a small round vase, tissue paper, and flipped the hat upside down!

The chocolate fountain table had a fun football hat and I also used more of the baseball gloves.  

Baseball lanterns hanging from the chandelier!  

"Team Chase" banner hanging on a clothesline with onesies pinned on:-)  (I can't take credit for the banner, but I wish I could!)

Baseballs and basketballs on trophies!  

What a perfect last name for a sports themed shower!  Rahe! (pronounced rah) So, I had to make a cheerleading banner!  I used wooden stars that I painted and added mini foam balls and glued to a sports ribbon.  Easy and a huge hit!  

Hung over the champagne favors!  

Happy Planning!!!

Welcome Bags for your out of town guests. What a great way to be greeted at the hotel!

This is the perfect way to make your out of town guests feel welcomed and appreciated!  They are taking time off of work, paying for travel and accommodations; the least we can do is provide a fun welcome bag!  Now, this is one of those last minute details that everyone stresses about.  Don't stress!  Let M.A.E. provide these for you!  We will even deliver them to the hotel for you!  

I can provide these fun and creative gift boxes filled with goodies and information!  Each wedding is different so, I will customize these bags to your wishes...

I can customize for the city or location of the wedding...

I can customize to your theme...

I can use a gift bag, tote, basket, bucket, or canister to make these welcome bags special!

You can also DIY!  You will want to have a fun container to put everything in.  Add drinks and snacks. Provide information about the location and include maps!  This information should include things to do in the area: malls, restaurants, movie theaters, golf courses, theme parks, museums.  Also, make sure to include an itinerary for your wedding guests!  They wont know where to be unless you tell them!  Finally, include a nice personal note that will thank them for being there on the most important day of your life! 

(other thoughtful items you may want to include would be lotions, breath mints, advil, sun screen, and other fun location specific items. The photo above included beach goodies.  You can include any type of specialty item that is offered only in your wedding location!)

Contact Miriam Ackerman Events today to get a price quote for your welcome bags!

Happy Planning!!!

How to Create Fabulous Kid's Tables for Your Wedding Reception!

Your big day is approaching quickly and you just have a few details left to plan...but then you remember about the kids!  They are wedding guests too and you want to make sure they feel as comfortable as their parents.  (Plus, you don't want them playing chase in the ballroom and running directly into the server who is carrying a tray full of champagne flutes!)  So, the best thing to do is have a very entertaining kid's table!  M.A.E. can provide these types of tables for you for only $100 per table! (up to 10 children per table) 

The possibilities for a fun kid's table are endless, so play around and have fun designing it!  Be creative, use fun colors, and incorporate your wedding theme.  

Planning a rustic wedding?  Great!  Use rustic decor for the table, make a wood "kid's only" sign, and cover the table with butcher paper!  Yes, butcher paper!!!  Provide crayons for the kiddies to write and draw all over the table!!   Include some fun games, coloring books, and snacks.

Are you hosting the perfect beach wedding? This table will be fun to put together!  Use sand buckets to fill with snacks, mad libs, coloring books, crayons,  and other fun toys and activities.  Use a bucket with either a beach ball or pin wheels to make a great centerpiece.  

Are you using escort cards for your seating arrangements?  Don't forget the kids!  But make their escort cards fun for them!  Use a box or bucket that is personalized with their name and fill it with all types of goodies:-)  

This is also a very easy and super cute centerpiece idea.  All you need is a styrofoam ball and a bag of lolly pops!  Start sticking the lolly pop sticks into the styrofoam until the ball is completely filled.  Place the lolly ball on a vase that is filled with candy, in a bucket, on a tall candle holder, or you can even create a topiary!  The picture above shows a vase filled with skittles.  If you do this, make sure you use a plastic container!

Use a gum ball machine filled with jelly beans:-)  This is always a huge success!! 

Naming your tables?  Use a fun name for the kid's table!  You can use the name of a child star, a sesame street character, a kid's tv show, or a character in a children's book!

Or just stay simple...I think everyone can figure out where the kids go with this wooden kids centerpiece.  (This event provided glow sticks, glow necklaces, sparkle light up jewelry, feather boas, and tiaras)

This is a great activity that will keep the kiddos busy!  Make your own I SPY game!  Think of fun things that you know will be seen at your wedding.  Don't make it too hard!  And if you want to make it even more fun for the kids add a camera to the game!  Give each child their own disposable camera attached to the game card and I spy turns into a fun scavenger hunt!  

Last, make sure to have a fun kid friendly menu for your Jr. guests.  Think chicken tenders, grilled cheese sandwiches, french fries, fruit cups, mac and cheese, pb&j, milk and cookies...Their parents will thank you!  

Remember that Miriam Ackerman Events can provide fun kids tables for your Jr. guests for a low cost!!!  We will use a variety of games, coloring books, crayons, activities, and goodies to make each table spectacular!  Call today for details!  

Happy Planning!!!

Simple Wine Glass Centerpiece Decor for Your Wedding or Event.

Who needs an expensive candelabra?  Not you!  All you need is a variety of stemware and you can have a gorgeous centerpiece!  Choose your favorite wine glasses, martini glasses, champagne flutes, and any other type of stemware.  Use your imagination and creativity to put together this DIY decor for your wedding, shower, or special event!

I used a crystal champagne flute, crystal wine glass, red diamond paper weight, red linen and a square silver tray for this centerpiece.  Easy, elegant, and your guests will talk about how beautiful this was! 

Next, I used a crystal candle holder flipped it upside down and added a third candle.  Then I used the candle holder right side up and displayed a beautiful, large red rose.  (Oh, and I switched to the round silver tray for these)

You can use different sized wine glasses with candles and flowers. Like I said, play around with it until you find something that works for you!

One of my favorite colors is cobalt blue so I have a wide variety of cobalt blue stemware.  Mix and match the stemware with candles and flowers. 

Add a few blue L.E.D. lights with clear crystals in a tea light holder to get a gorgeous look.

This is a piece of vellum.  I have cut it out and added two slits to attach the ends together.  This will help you turn a simple wine glass into a small table lamp!  Roll the vellum up and you have a cute and easy lamp shade. 

The first picture I used a cobalt blue wine glass.  The second picture I have used a crystal wine glass for the table lamp.  Both have a blue LED light inside.  You can use any color LED light or use a tea light.

If you are planning a December wedding or just want a cute idea for your holiday party this is it!  You can purchase miniature holiday decor from your local craft store.  Cut out a piece of card board in a round circle  that will fit the bottom of your wine glass. Glue the miniature decor to the card board and allow to dry. Add  snow to the wine glass.  Glue the card board to the rim of the wine glass and let dry completely. Flip your wine glass upside down and you have your very own snow globe!  You can tie a ribbon, ornament, or bell to the stem for an extra bit of style. 

This is an adorable idea for a favor when you are using wine glasses for your centerpieces.  You can order the votive wine glass from any wedding favor distributer.  I used wire and beads to add something extra to the favor.  You can spiral the wire in the back to display an engagement photo or a thank you for each of your guests.  This would also be a great idea for escort cards!

Happy Planning!!!

The true price of hiring a wedding planner.

Congratulations!  You are engaged!  Now the fun can begin in planning your wedding!  Or so you thought.  

It is easy to start feeling overwhelmed with the planning process.  There are so many things that must be done in what seems like a short amount of time.  This is your wedding day and it should be perfect; so, why not hire a wedding planner to help?

When considering a wedding planner most people think this is someone that will just add more expense to their budget.  The planner will be pricey and will also have very expensive ideas for decor.  Stop watching Father of the Bride!  Wedding Planners will not make you go crazy when purchasing hot dogs and buns at the grocery store!

The job of a professional wedding planner is to save you money!  Planners have great connections with the best vendors in town and also know of secrets to help save money with the venues and decor!  A great wedding planner will be able to save you the price of their fee!  

Other brides may say that they are DIY brides; they want to do everything themselves.  Great!  I know that it is very possible to plan your wedding by yourself! You can take care of hiring the best vendors, planning the perfect menu, creating the most beautiful decor. You can create your own budget, plan your seating chart, organize your schedule of payments, even create the day of wedding agenda...but what you can't do is direct everything the day of your event!  

Even the best DIY bride deserves to be stress free the day of her wedding!  This is why it is imperative to hire at least a day of wedding coordinator!  You have spent months of your time planning your wedding day!  

You don't want to be trapped on your wedding day checking the final details on your computer.  You can't cue your ceremony musicians or direct your processional!  And you surely don't want to be in charge of the reception agenda!  You will be staring at the clock all night trying to stay on track.  Let a professional take the stress away and you can enjoy what you have spent so long planning!  

We all know that brides plan their wedding at during the work day.  You are sitting at a computer all day and in your down time you google wedding decor and can't stay away from The Knot.  I think bosses will understand some work time used, but did you know that the average wedding takes more than 250 hours to plan?  You are a busy employee and can't take that much time away from your work! 

Hiring a wedding planner will help you cut down those long hours of wedding planning!  They will ask you your style and taste, narrow down the possibilities, and provide you with 2 to 3 options to choose from.  You won't have to spent countless hours searching the web for the perfect ideas!  

No one thinks of their wedding day and imagines being stressed out.  Don't you deserve the peace of mind to enjoy the biggest day in your life?  You don't want to look like this in your wedding photos! And you surely don't want your friends saying you belonged on the TV show Bridezillas!

A professional wedding planner has planned hundreds or even thousands of weddings!  This is probably your first.  Look to a professional to help you make this day the happiest, most memorable, carefree day of your life!

Even when you are having doubts, feeling nervous, overwhelmed, or stressed out a planner will be there to comfort and reassure you.  A great planner will remain calm and collective under any amount of stress and will take care of all the "mishaps" with out letting you know about them!  You will truly be able to relax and enjoy your wedding day with your groom and guests! 

So far we have learned that a wedding planner will save you their fee in your budget; will take away that unwanted stress during planning; will save you countless hours with your planning, and will allow you to enjoy the most wonderful day of your life!  

So, what is the true price of hiring a wedding planner? 

PRICELESS!!!

Happy Planning!!!