GREAT DINNER!

Last night my husband and I were lucky enough to have dinner with James Chun (of Crane Media), his wife Amel, 2 daughters (Tiare & Emi), and Lawrence (also of Crane Media) at the Pagoda restaurant! It was a nice surprise and the perfect way to end a long day of work! Thank you to James and Amel for a fun, relaxing, and yummy time!

Company Christmas Picture???

Okay, so we had a lot of fun last weekend! We have 3 birthdays in our company for the month of December, so we all got together for dinner and I tried to get our company Christmas picture after. Here are some pictures of us trying and luckily getting our Christmas picture taken...the only 1 picture that has my husband in it has Mary's eyes closed :~<

-You can click on any picture to see it bigger :)

Emcee: Friend or Professional?

Did you know your emcee could make or break your reception? If you really think about it, your emcee will be the person to have everyone's attention for almost the entire time. So...here are some pros & cons of a professional emcee...

PROS:

1. They should know how to read the crowd. If your guests are of a certain temperament, the professional emcee should know how to determine the temperament and adjust their style & dialogue to match.
2. The professional can be asked to do specific tasks and be held accountable (whereas a friend might not take it seriously, forget, or decide not to do it)
3. The professional can be held accountable for being on time, dressed appropriately, and should not consume any alcohol (and as a result the professional's behavior should remain controlled).
4. A Professional shouldn't tell stories about the times you got drunk "wasted" (unless that's what you want)
5. If something in the program isn't ready, the professional should know how to stall (if needed) or adjust/skip accordingly (to something that is ready)
6. A professional will take the time to know your coordinator (or day of contact person), DJ/musician, and meet the Banquet Captain to work out all timing, cues, and clarify details (BEFORE the reception starts).
7. A professional should know how to enhance your reception while directing & controlling the flow.
8. A professional can arrive to sound test (and not have to miss attending the ceremony).

CONS:

1. A professional will cost money and good professionals typically cost more! Just make sure there is a reason for the higher cost! Will they only be talking? Have you seen them actually work before? Since troubleshooting is involved, an emcee should be hired similarly to a professional coordinator and questions should be asked accordingly (especially if you are not hiring a professional coordinator).
2. There are emcees who may call themselves or represent themselves as a "Professional", but really might not be. Remember, anyone can call themselves anything they want, so interview the person and decide for yourself.
3. Some professionals may not take the time to get to know their clients...which could be a benefit of having a friend as your emcee

So now what? Well, there are benefits to having both a professional & a friend emcee your event, so what I would recommend (if your budget allows) is to have a friend possibly take care of the more personal announcements (i.e.: acknowledging your immediate family members) since they probably know them and will pronounce them correctly, but leave the other areas up to a professional. Please keep in mind that you might have a friend who is hilarious on a daily basis, but speaking in front of a crowd is completely different and some of the day to day jokes might not be appropriate for a wedding reception.

Congratulations to Wilma & Edson Cabuyadao!!!

Wilma & Edson were truly a great couple that were really able to have FUN! CONGRATULATIONS WILMA & EDSON!!!

FREE HELP!

Okay, so all of us Event Managers at A Perfect Day were talking and really want to be able to help as many couples as possible. We realize that many can't afford a professional coordinator, but still would like to know that they are on the right track or sometimes just get a professional's opinion. So what we have come up with is an hour we are calling "Ask Us". For 1 hour (at least) every other Tuesday (starting January 22nd), one of us (or more) will be available from 6:00-7:00pm at our office (1019 Waimanu Street, Suite 101) to answer any questions and provide opinions & suggestions (as much as can be done with the time permitted and giving all who attend an opportunity to benefit). Since this is being offered for FREE...RSVPs are required. If you would like to RSVP....please feel free to email us at info@aperfectdayhawaii.com or call us at 591-8110. Seating is limited and right now, there is no limit on how many sessions a person can attend. You can also visit our website at www.aperfectdayhawaii.com for additional information and to view our calendar of workshops & classes. We hope to meet many couples and help each of you!

Gingerbread houses

This past Saturday some of our staff got together for a team building event and we made GINGERBREAD HOUSES!!! It was LOTS of fun...here is a picture. The whole kit was less than $10 at Costco and it comes with EVERYTHING! You don't even need a microwave this year! As long as you don't eat as you go...you should have more than enough...or of course, you can bring any extra candies you might have and add those on too! Sorry, this one came out dark....

-Click on the picture to make it bigger...

CHRISTMAS PARTY!

Last night was the NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) Christmas party at Thai Sweet Basil...and it was lots of fun, good friends, and great Thai food! Additional pictures should be coming...but if you ever have a chance to stop by Thai Sweet Basil in the Manoa Marketplace (2nd floor above Hanaki) not only has yummy food and good prices, but the staff are friendly and provide great service! Last night we occupied the entire 2nd level for our party and had a blast. Our organization/Hawaii Chapter meets once a month at different venues (most frequently at various hotels) where we get to have dinner and taste what they have to offer.

Ever wonder what event professionals do when not working on or at an event? Well many of us are members of NACE. Our Hawaii Chapter consists of many hotel Catering managers & various event professionals (photographers, videographers, coordinators, florists, etc.) which is a GREAT time to just hang out, relax, and get to know each other once a month.

Click on the picture to make it bigger...

CONGRATULATIONS!

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who ran the Honolulu Marathon yesterday!!! Especially to my husband Mike who continues to amaze me! Unfortunately I was sick at home, but Mike's brother & sister-in-law were great enough to be there and take this picture! GREAT JOB!!!...My husband is the cute one in grey :)

-Click on the picture to make it bigger...

Had a GREAT time!

Yesterday, Jamie (Event Manager) and I got to go Christmas shopping and had a lot of fun not only being productive at Costco, but finding cute and money saving bargains at Price Busters!!! I actually got a cute little water feature for less than $15 dollars to keep at our office and Jamie found cute Christmas items for her dogs and Christmas tree! If you haven't been to Price Busters in a while, you should check and see what they have...and yes, each location is a little different so take your time and pace yourself!

Christmas can be an extremely expensive holiday when you want to give something to everyone who means something special to you, so being creative can really make all the difference! No matter what it is that you do remember that you should always be having FUN!!!

-Click on the picture to make it bigger...

Mark & Wendi 12.1.7 CONGRATULATIONS!!!

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Wendi & Mark Kiyozuka who just got married on Saturday, December 1, 2007! They make such a great couple and really knew how to have a great time with their guests. Luckily the weather held up and it didn't rain (just long enough to have the ceremony outdoors) at The Kahala's beautiful Kokohead Gazebo. Wendi & Mark planned fun games and activities to get their guests involved in their reception and learn more about them as individuals and a couple...and hopefully created memories that will last them a lifetime! From all of us at A Perfect Day, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Photo Booth-Say CHEESE!!!

This past weekend was my 1st experience working with the new Photo Booth company "Blue Cheese Hawaii". I think it was a GREAT success!!! The guests (including grandma & grandpa) had a BLAST! Yes, it is another expense, but what a way to spend your money! Your guests get a hard copy of the 4 pictures that are taken (just like the old photo booths would) and the bride & groom get a copy of ALL pictures on a CD! Polaroid camera's aren't needed (and no friends need to be preoccupied to take the pictures), guests have fun, and guests don't feel self-conscious taking a picture with everyone watching! Sandra was always easy to reach when any film/paper needed to be restocked and pictures quickly continued!!! if you aren't sure what is involved or if this is something you might want to do...just check out: http://www.bluecheesehawaii.com/ and talk to Sandra! Have FUN!!!