Feather Your Nest Radio Show
Stress Free Entertaining
Feather Your Nest Interview
January 2008
Great ideas for upcoming 2008 parties.
I’m a hopeless romantic, so weddings & anniversary milestones are a natural for me. I also enjoy doing parties for organizations & non-profits. I’ve had a very good track record with fundraisers & always coming in with substantial donations for the non-profit.
Fun event ideas for 2008 are Mardi Gras parties, a grown-up girls sleepover/spa night, a Derby Day party, of course I always love doing Halloween parties, dress-up tea parties for little girls & a personal one that I did for years was a “Day After Christmas Party”. That was always a hit because everyone is so stressed before Christmas – it was fun to have a relaxing get-together after the holiday to wind things down. It’s also great because there are rarely any conflicting events, so everyone can come.
What are your services, and how long have you been doing this?
I started doing this back in 1989 as a way to spend more time at home with my daughter. In 1990 I became a Certified Professional Bridal Consultant with The Association of Bridal Consultants. I was featured in Modern Bride Magazine & did over 400 events in Houston over a period of 15 years.
My husband & I moved to Chappell Hill two years ago & decided to start my business again since Washington County is such a thriving area.
My services range from consulting via email for those who want advice, but still want to do everything themselves to handling every detail for the event & everything in between. I don’t believe in doing “cookie cutter” events where everything is the same for every client. I’m very flexible & treat each event & client as an individual – no two are ever remotely the same!
When entertaining, how should we prepare? What can we do ahead of time?
After you’ve decided to have an event, decide when & where it’ll be. After that’s done, consider your theme, number of guests, menu & your budget. Once these decisions are made – the rest is a piece of cake – whether you’re doing it yourself or with professionals.
Doing things ahead of time eliminates a lot of the stress that people have in having an event. Many foods can be prepared ahead of time & frozen. If you’re entertaining at home, you can set your table, rearrange the furniture, set-out flowers, all prior to the event. Do as much as you can the day before so you’ll have time for “last minute” things & yourself the day of the event. No one wants to be exhausted before their party begins!
Another important thing to remember that no one ever has a totally perfect event… even Martha Stewart… so relax & have fun – your guests will never know the difference!
Can you give us some easy decorating tips? On a budget?
My favorite & cheapest decorating tip would have to be the sale table in Walmart’s fabric department. You can always find interesting fabric to use as table cloths & decorations… usually costing about $1 per yard.
Groups of pillar candles, fresh flowers & live plants can also add a lot of atmosphere for very little money. Another thing I love to do is mix tableware patterns & colors. It’s cheap, fun & sets a beautiful table.
Cool party favors
Cookies, candies & chocolates are always popular & can be wrapped & presented many different ways. Other favors could include small inexpensive frames that double as place cards, inexpensive bud vases with flowers, seasonal foods like pecans, unusual candles, scented soaps & one that I enjoy making & giving is scented bath scrubs.
I've heard you mention some recipes that sounded great... do you have a go-to menu that you use personally for your entertaining?
Absolutely… I’m great with Italian food, I have a very special meatball, crab, shrimp & quiche recipes - plus several decadent dessert recipes. Presentations & variety are always the key!
Name some local venues you like
Lillian Farms is without a doubt my favorite venue! The facilities are gorgeous & Barbara Segal is a delight to work with. There’s no one better in Washington County! For large groups, The Citadel is also a beautiful, historic place to hold an event & has lots of atmosphere. I’d like to do something in Unity Theater – I think that would be a great place for an event! Of course, being such a horseperson… I wouldn’t mind doing something in a barn, either. The more creative – the better!
Where can we find you? email? phone number?
teri@events-tx.com www.events-tx.com 979-830-0379 713-253-4209
I also have an article in the January issue of Live Magazine called “How to Survive your Wedding”, which includes more tips for wedding planning.
