Saskatoon Spring Sprint

RSVP Event Design had the pleasure of being part of Spring Sprint 2012 an event in support of Brain Tumour Research.  Last year you may remember us blogging about Kol Friggstad.  Kol was the spokesperson for the 2011 event.  It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Kol.  Kol passed away this spring from his two year battle with a brain tumour.  RSVP Event Design has had the honor of assisting with the planning of this event.  It amazes me each year the generosity, compassion and support that this event provides to survivors and families that are there to remember loved ones.  This year although the sun did not shine, Kol was not able to be there with us....we continued on.  Supporting and caring for one another as we walked in support of Brain Tumour Research.  A special thank-you to Stephanie Lawton who was the spokesperson for this year's event.  Stephanie shared with us the struggles of being the survivor and her families journey with her mom's illness.  I am honored each year to standby the start line and look out at all the "blue" shirts (survivor's) and say....ready set RUN!

www.braintumour.ca

Thanks again Spring Sprint for another inspirational event! See you in 2013!

Outdoor Events in the unpredictable Saskatchewan Prairies!

Imagine with me….. a bright blue sky, glowing golden sun, light breeze, temps at an even +25, no wind  not a mosquito in sight. Ah… A typical outdoor event in Saskatchewan.

Isn't that how we picture all of our outdoor events? Reality tells us that on any given day, our outdoor event can be a seamless event or a day riddled with stressful situations.  Through first hand experience our team at RSVP has had the pleasure of being part of many outdoor events!    In planning an outdoor event there are many different “elements” to consider. Weather, permits, location, food logistics are just a few…and did I mention WEATHER!

When planning outdoor events you must always have a plan B! With Saskatchewan weather being so unpredictable your beautiful outdoor wedding or backyard party can become a muddy mess very soon!

Tents and shelters are good things! Make sure that you have a tent or shelter booked as a backup! This is will allow you to sleep at night! Park permits, noise bylaws, tent markings, food safe permits are something that might not be on your radar. By hiring an event planner, we will see that all the proper steps are taking so that your event will come off without a hitch!

So...after reading all that, do you still want to hold your event outdoors? We hope so! With preplanning, a contingency plan and a great Team at RSVP Event Design to assist you in all of  planning and executing of your next outdoor event. It is bound to be a great success!

Developing the ability to be and stay organized!

A friend once said to me “touch paper once and deal with it.” If you go to the effort of picking it up, do something with it so you don’t have to pick it up again. Along with this same premise is the concept “complete a task right away if it will take you less than 5 minutes to do so” – everyone has 5 minutes in a day to complete the job. Putting it away or avoiding it till later only keeps it in your head and on your list sometimes, indefinitely.

So being and staying organized is a mixture of action, intention and follow-through. Things become unorganized when we say to ourselves “I will get to that later.” Just deal with it now and get it done – later often never comes.

Part of creating an organized lifestyle is knowing, what system works for you. In our office, many of us keep information and to do lists in notebooks. When I flip through the pages of my notebook, all my meeting pages have dates so I can look back to discussions and ideas as events develop. I can keep to do lists alongside meeting notes and use a system of an * highlighting my action items after every meeting. When jobs are done and pages in my notebooks are complete, and events are complete I use a diagonal line across the page to visually inform myself there is nothing else to see or do here. My job is complete which also provides a sense of accomplishment.

Finally the act of writing and re-writing to do lists keeps projects fresh and up to date while not losing key follow-through items along the way. Although it sounds tedious, the act of re-writing your action items gets the details out of your head, onto paper and ready for completion.

In summary remember four points of action when starting to get organized and creating your own organizing strategies:

1.       Touch paper once – deal with it!

2.       If it takes less than 5 minutes to do it…then just do it!

3.       Put things back where they belong the very first time

4.       Buy a notebook and create lists

Shabby Chic 1st Birthday Party

I feel as though I have blinked my eyes and a year has passed, as I start to plan my daughters, Shabby Chic 1st Birthday Party. So much emotion is involved with any event, and a 1st birthday is no different.


Throughout this past year, vintage items have been passed down and collected and in turn, this has created an ongoing style for my daughter’s nursery and now birthday party.

A few elements that will define the look for this memorable bash are:

1. Vintage typewriter – This typewriter was given to me as a gift when I was a little girl and it will be the perfect addition to the guest book table. Guests will type birthday wishes on textured cream paper and it will become a perfect keepsake for the baby book.

2. Antique Teacups & saucers – My grandmother has given me a few sets of beautiful, floral teacups & saucers over the past few years and I have started to be on the lookout for them when antiquing. These eclectic dishes will set the tone for a dainty afternoon.

3. Custom party hats – My sister-in-law gave me the most adorable 1st Birthday Vintage party hat which has now created the activity for the older kids to create at the party. They will be crafting custom hats with pearls, buttons, lace & feathers.

4. The Table – Like any party, the food & beverage is one of the highlights. Using lace tablecloths, retro fabric flags, and modern dishes mixed with old vintage items will create the perfect backdrop to delicious bite size treats & candies.

5. Storybook Favors – To finish the party, classic storybooks will be handed out to the children as they go home.

Combining all of these elements together will create the Shabby Chic 1st Birthday that my daughter, won’t ever remember!!!!, but will be able to look back on through photographs for a lifetime and see the love that has surrounded from the beginning.

Kimberly Evans
Partner & Director of Special Events
RSVP Event Design, Decor & Rentals