Dani from Once Upon a Table is the talented stylist we are hearing from this week. Once Upon a Table is a Brisbane based Event Styling business covering from Sunshine Coast to Byron Bay.
Dani is sharing some fantastic tips for party planning as well as running your own business while being a mum – hope you enjoy the read!
Confetti Fair – Bohemian Chic Dessert Table with Native American Indian Influences
Styling Secrets
1. Be inspired to be different
I love looking at Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Blogs and it is definitely a great way to source inspiration and ideas. But it is also great to think outside the box and do something different. Event ideas and themes can come from the strangest places.
I got the idea for our Confetti Fair table while sitting in my daughter’s teepee. I had been struggling to come up with a unique theme, and as I sat there watching my daughter play with her drum, I knew instantly I wanted to create a table that incorporated Native American Indian elements. We made a wooden teepee to cover the drink dispenser, used a dreamcatcher for the “O” in our name, a feather headpiece to wrap our cake and an Indian Wedding Blessing as our table sign. A lot of the elements we used on the table were not necessarily intended to be used on a party table, but we adapted them to suit our theme.
When you start planning an event, use an Inspiration Board to collate your ideas and create a vision for your event. Don’t limit yourself to just party pictures, as you never know what you can create by looking in different places. The more creative you can be, the more you will enjoy the process and your guests will be blown away by the end result.
Cute As A Button 1st Birthday – Pastel Button Party Table
2. Make it personal
An event draws people together and it is where memories are created, so it is always so special to be able to make it personal. Choose a theme that says something about the person – that tells their story. For example, our daughter’s nickname is Button, so we did a “Cute as a Button” 1st Birthday Party.
We also had a lovely customer who wanted to do a Raggedy Ann 1st Birthday because her daughter was photographed with a Raggedy Ann doll as a newborn and it was her daughter’s favourite toy. If you don’t want to theme your event, use colours, props, photos or quotes to make it more meaningful. It is also great to involve your guests and create a lasting memory by having a unique guestbook. An old typewriter for guests to type a message, a time capsule, a photo booth or even a thumbprint picture are all great ways to capture the memories of the event.
Lovely Lace & Pearl Christening – Dessert Table incorporating pink, lace and pearls
3. It’s the little details
It is great to incorporate as many little details into an event as you can. It is so rewarding to watch people’s eyes light up as they notice different elements at a party, and it is the little extras that will transform your event into something memorable.
It doesn’t have to cost a fortune either, as handmade items or DIY projects can be so much fun leading up to an event. Involve friends and family too, as they will love to see their creations used on the day. Don’t forget to be creative and think of new things you can include on your table – they will really stand out!
Finally, if you are going to include lots of different elements at a party make sure you plan ahead. Doing a project or two each week is much more enjoyable than trying to get everything done in the last week. You want to enjoy the party, so the more organised you are, the more time you will have to actually enjoy the special day.
A Darling Affair – Vintage Chic Dessert Table with lace, feathers and fresh florals
Business Brains
I started Once Upon A Table while I was on maternity leave with my second child in 2012, and have since returned to work as a Business Development Manager in Banking.
Juggling a very busy job, 2 children and a new business has been exciting, but also very challenging. I am certainly very sleep deprived and my house is a little messier, but I absolutely love what I do.
I think this is so important, as being passionate definitely shows in your work and it also helps you get through when you are tired or busy.
Sweetie Pie Table – Rustic Pie Table
I am also lucky enough to have a great support network. I have a fantastic husband who builds all of our props, furniture and backdrops, and is always there to listen to my new (and sometimes crazy) ideas. I also have an amazing 15 year old son who is always on hand to help out. There aren’t many teenage boys who would hold ribbon, sort doilies or stay up to talk to their Mum on those late nights working on an event!
My 18 month old just loves playing with all of my craft stuff and often contributes to a rather big mess on our kitchen table. My family are my biggest supporters and they really push me to live my dream and grow our business.
Through the business I have also met so many wonderful people who have become my close friends. The support in this industry is amazing and everyone is always available to give advice. We are often emailing or texting late at night and it is always good to know that I am not the only one up after midnight working on a party.
I have also found that collaborating with other suppliers or friends not only helps take your vision in a different and more creative direction, but also cuts down on the number of late nights. When I started I would do absolutely everything myself, but now I enlist the help of some amazingly talented florists, cake decorators, paperie designers and so on. Working together with other creative people is so rewarding and can really take your event to another level.
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Thank you so much Dani for sharing your party planning advice and business wisdom with all of us!
You can follow more of Dani’s work on the Once Upon a Table facebook page here.
I hope you enjoyed the first post in this series by Events by Nat with some great styling and business tips.
This post we hear from the talented Johanne from Mum’s Little Party Secret who not only offers party styling but also runs an online party store and has fantastic party hire items in Queensland (which you can see below).
She has shared some great party planning tips for mum’s as well as some business advice for other mum’s in business!
Party Planning and Styling Secrets
1. Themed parties are still a popular choice for birthdays. Old time classics like pirate and fairy parties are still number one favourites for younger children. When creating a themed birthday party choose a theme that is of interest with your children and age appropriate. If your children are old enough – discuss this with them and encourage them to be involved in the planning process. Consider asking your guests to come dressed in costume. A great way for little imaginations to run wild.
2. Don’t get caught into the trap of decorating with over commercialised cartoon characters. Instead choose a colour scheme that represents your theme. Say for example a Pirate Party; you could use the traditional black, red & grey with skulls and crossbones or for a softer touch, light blue, red and grey with cute pirate characters. Decorate with bunting, hessian and pirate style props.
3. Personalise your party where possible. You can personalise pretty much everything – bunting, cupcake picks, napkin ties, straw flags and even drink bottles. Personalise with your children’s names and age celebrating or even personalise with your guests names. This is a great tip when labelling drink bottles. No little mix-ups. A personalised thank you message attached to take home gift bags is always a nice touch.
4. Organise age appropriate games for your little guests. We suggest 2 or 3 games. This will still allow enough time for play time.
5. When it comes to food, keep it simple and again age appropriate. Make you children’s favourite foods and sweets. Keep a balance of healthy options as well as little treats. Favourites are cupcakes, cake pops, fruit kebabs, jelly cups and of course lollies. An important tip is to check with parents for any food allergies.
6. The number one tip that we can offer when planning and styling your next birthday party is to remember who the party is for. Transport yourself back to childhood and remember what you used to love. Join in and enjoy the day with your children. You will not regret it. Celebrate their lives together and together you will create magical memories.
Business Advice for Mums in Business
1. Have a 5 year plan and balance your time. Realise everything can’t get done in one day and sleep is important.
Have strict times that you work to and from and don’t deviate from this.
If you let your business take over your life you will miss out on the most important thing – spending time with your family.
Thank you Jo for sharing such important and valuable party tips and business advice!
I’m starting a new series on the blog where some of the professional event stylists and vendors on the Children’s party directory share their top party planning & styling tips as well as business advice for managing a business along with a family and other commitments.
Launching this series is the very talented Nat from Events by Nat in Sydney who I had the pleasure of meeting at Confetti Fair. She has styled some of the most amazing parties including my personal favorite – the enchanted Fairy party below.
Here are Nat’s styling secrets and planning tips:
#1
Plan well in advance – this will give you time to obtain items online and from overseas without stressing whether they will arrive on time or not.
#2
Be as creative as possible – There is no need to spend an arm or leg on party decor.
Try crafting some of your own decor. For example look at online tutorials on how to make a paper rosette or flower. Use these tips and tutorials to craft your own. This will add that personal or unique touch to your next party.
Pinwheel christening – Events by Nat
#3
Be Inspired – I often get most of my inspiration from objects rather than the internet or other parties. I never have a set plan on where I want the styling to go. I often work with items I come into contact with.
The best example is look around your home and see what items you think you can use. Remember the item does not have to be party related. Sometimes you can use a book as a riser. Another example is the pasta jars you buy from Coles or Woolworths can be used as vases.
Madagascar dessert table – Events by Nat
Business Advice:
I start full-time work next week. Not only do I have my styling business to juggle, I now also have the added stress of full-time office work and juggling my family.
My best tip would be make sure you are surrounded by supportive people and do not hesitate to use the support. Also, make sure you are extremely organised with lists of items you need to buy and a Diary/Planner handy.
I know everything I do would not be possible without all of the above.
Ocean Swirl Nautical party – Events by Nat
Thank you so much Nat for sharing your thoughts and wisdom for with us!
Make sure you join the Events by Nat facebook page to see more of Nat’s amazing work!
Children’s party themes are never black and white. As children evolve – ideas for their party theme evolve as well to reflect their personality and interests.
Some of you have older children who themselves are constantly changing their mind about what they want for their birthday party theme.
My eldest Rebekah is only 2.5yrs so although she doesn’t really have an opinion on a theme, I try and match her theme with her interests and personality.
For her 2nd birthday it was an “I’m a little teapot” theme as she loved nursery rhymes and playing with her teaset.
I was thinking of a storybook theme or a care bears theme for her 3rd birthday as she was showing interest in both of those. However recently she has become obsessed with being a ballerina and wearing a tutu every.single.day.
So plans have changed to a ballerina party. This is such a popular theme for little girls and I had wanted to do something a little different, but my tutu wearing daughter would love nothing more than this party theme – so a ballerina party it is (which has grown on me now and I’m enjoying planning it!).
However I was trying to think of a slightly different take on it and was going to make it a “tulle and tassels” theme.
However my daughter really has no idea what tassels are (is she really my child?) but is loving bows! Something to do with a bow song by the new Wiggles. So now I’m thinking of a Ballerina and bows party.
Anyways you get the drift. Either way it will be a ballerina party.
In the end I’m trying to follow her lead when it comes to a party theme and what I think she would be excited to see at her party.
I need to decide on a colour scheme and this image of a coral, peach and blush dessert table is inspiring me at the moment:
We’ve just finished celebrating Naomi’s 1st birthday and I really was not going to start planning her 2nd birthday for a while now. However this Dreaming Collection from Kikki.K has really inspired me
I am loving rainbows, clouds and balloons right now. They remind me of sunny and carefree days in childhood. Who knows what this theme would be called but I am just loving the idea of planning a party based around whimsical images like these.
I am loving the colour combination as well of mint, orange and fuschia:
Is it weird to get a party theme inspiration from stationery?
Well I also felt inspired for this theme when I saw this cute “Milky” t-shirt with rainbows and clouds being sold at Little Red Chick in Sydney:
Milky Summer 2013 collection – Little Red Chick Party Boutique
Too sweet!
I also saw this invitation the other day which caught my eye from Penny Lane Studio and also got me thinking that something with clouds and balloons would be really cute:
Balloon day party invitation – Penny Lane Studio
I will wait and see as Naomi gets a bit older if there is any particular theme based around her interests or personality. In the end she is the ultimate inspiration for her own birthday party theme.
However at 2 yrs old the theme could really be anything and I figure what little child doesn’t like clouds, balloons and rainbows?
It reminds me of this gorgeous “WISH” party by Frog Prince Paperie (click the image below to see more). Whimsical and magical!
“Wish” themed birthday party by Frog Prince Paperie featured on The Hostess with the Mostess
So that is where I’m at with Naomi’s 2nd birthday which by the way is 11 months away so I am way ahead of myself here!
Sometimes I find if I start planning things in detail too early I get ‘over’ the theme before the birthday party even arrives. But these are just some of the images which are inspiring me at the moment.
How have your children’s party themes evolved over the year?
How many times do your children change their mind before their birthday? Do you have a cut-off date before the party that the theme can not be changed?
