Final Farewell

It's me again! The lovely intern from your very own Ice House & Crushed Ice Events!

I am writing this blog with a deep and aching sadness because it will be my last and final day here with these lovely ladies come today, August 9 at 5pm! =( 

These beautiful people here have taught me so much and have boosted my confidence in hopefully becoming a future event planner! I started from filing papers, to answering phone calls, to talking to clients and managing events on my own! Although there were times where I wanted to hide in a corner by myself and run, I say that I did a pretty good job handling my escalating responsibilities over the past few three months *pats self on back*. 

When it first came time for me to answer the phones, I would try to avoid it at all costs! The phone would ring, my eyes would widen, I'd stare at the phone, and by the time I talked myself into answering it someone else would pick it up and I would secretly wipe my brow with relief! Now I'm a phone-answering PRO (well almost). As if answering the phone was bad enough, when I had to speak with a client on my own...I suddenly discovered a stuttering problem that decided to show up that very day -_- yeah, embarrassing. But I survived and shortly after that I was talking to clients like I owned the place!!! 

Then came time for me to act as an Ice House manager. Now that was stressful but also very fun! I felt pretty darn official, not going to lie! The first event I worked as an Ice House manager was Allie Masterson's wedding reception.  Thankfully this was a pretty easy one and the crowd was great! I absolutely loved her and the groom's sweetheart table...

 I also loved their entrance table with their guest book accompanied by a grand flower arrangement. And their creamy, blush wedding cake that was to die for!

 

The set up and colors of her reception were one of the prettiest I've seen! Very simple and very elegant. Luckily for me the DJ made it clear to us he had it under control and by all means, with it being my first event as manager, I gladly handed it over to him!  Nobody passed out or died and the bride walked out with a smiling face and that's all that matters =).

I also got to hold the reigns in this past Saturday's wedding reception for Kristen Dugan. I really, really enjoyed this event minus the crazy set-up chaos.  First off the wind was ferocious and we couldn't get the mother of the bride's homemade airplane table decor to stay up on our terrace! Not to mention her fiance's pilot hat was on the display, so once that blew over we hoisted that thing right back inside! Luckily we found a way to fill the space. What better way than with food?!

After everyone started to show up 30 minutes early and our crew was running like their heads were cut off, we finally got everything situated and peace came over the venue! Whew!

Her stations included a mixture of our Bluegrass Station and our Comfort Bar which were decorated and plated in a homey, old-style fashion.

This was probably my favorite wedding I have worked.  Everyone there was full of energy and they danced the night away.  At the end the bride, her groom, and the family were all very pleased with everything. The mother even gave me hug! *tear* I felt like a real life manager for a second and had so much fun working with the Dugans.  I'm so happy that my last event was the best event! 

All in all, my experience here at the Ice House and Crushed Ice Events has been an amazing one. They definitely exceeded expectations I had of an internship.  Everyday I have felt like apart of the family here and I am truly saddened that the summer has to come to an end with them. I'm going to miss being in the office with everyone and especially...the DELICIOUS Crushed Ice Events leftovers!! Duh! I'm going to take everything I've learned here and use it in all my future endeavors! So long and farewell and like they say...

Eat, drink, & be merry!!!

Pinterest: A Love-Hate Relationship

Pinterest: (n) a tool for collecting and organizing the things that inspire you

It was created in San Francisco, California, and stresses to its users the community of Pinterest, and the idea that you can use it for all areas of your life.  I have to agree -- from children's parties, to inspirational quotes, to tangible clothing items you never knew existed, Pinterest pretty much has it all.  It's definitely been a paper saver for my life (go green!).

But

I have to ask the question... has Pinterest made life easier or more difficult?  Let me explain before avid Pinterestians eat me...

This past weekend I helped throw an engagement party for one of my very best friends.  My fellow bridesmaids and I made a private board, pinned recipes and decor ideas and games and everything we might possibly need for wedding festivities.  And I LOVED it.  It was so much easier to pin something, comment on what others did, have ONE conference call with everyone, send out an e-mail and voila!, we had planned a party.  I was loving it, and I thought these cookies would be moderately difficult but nothing I couldn't handle -- after all, I was born with a creative gene, so it would be no problem for me, right? 

So, I knocked the dirt off my shoulder and got down to business... quickly realizing I completely underestimated the complexity of said cookie and overestimated my cookie decorating/baking abilities.  

NAILED IT

I am the type of person that absolutely loves homemade items with pre-made materials... I am always going to buy the icing that is already mixed for me, the cookies that all I need to do is put them on the cookie sheet and in the oven, and this time was no different.  In my opinion, while they may not taste the same as that homemade goodness that your mom used to make, these things were made to make life easier, especially mine... I'm just using the resources I've been given, right? Right. Snaps to all of those that can make things from scratch... I know one day you will take over the world.

Back to the cookies at hand... they were a flop, in my opinion.  And while the heart cupcakes were simpler, a few of the strawberries I bought were too big to fit inside the cupcakes (rookie mistake?), and the pasta salad I put together looked fantastic... the night before.  Once put out at the party, I realized it needed a freshening of Italian dressing I had left at home (face-palm).  The only things I thought truly worked out that I had my hand in were 1. the color scheme because the light pink roses, peach gerber daisies and peach carnations went amazing with my friend's blue mason jar vases (score!) and 2. the "she said yes" banner (also matching the color scheme).

Maybe I should face it... I am not a baker, and I never will be, and that's OK, but when I get on Pinterest and see all of these amazing looking DIY items, I feel completely inadequate when they FAIL.  True, life is definitely trial and error, but it made me start to really think -- is Pinterest helping or hurting?

I asked several people that are future brides, past brides, dealing with brides, etc., all the same question: is Pinterest helpful or hurtful?

Almost everyone said helpful!!! Completely, because it's a great way to organize your thoughts and plan and get creative.  One of my friends said "it helps spark creativity and provides useful tips. I think it empowers brides," which I definitely agree with.  If Pinterest is used correctly, it IS empowering.  It inspires and sparks creativity and gets those thought wheels rolling that otherwise would stay stagnant, on the same path as others -- it's supposed to help bring uniqueness to your day.

Two of my friends made great points as well:

"Helpful because it gives you so many ideas, but hurtful because it could contribute to you going over budget... if you're smart about it, it is more helpful"

"...helpful if you keep things in perspective -- it's a collection of ideas from thousands of weddings from all over the world. Not every bride is doing all the amazing crafty things you see on her pin board. It's good for inspiration, but don't let it overwhelm you!"

It's true.  Almost all of the brides I speak to are either 100% Pinterest-brides, or are the complete opposite.  And you can see the difference in their eyes.  At the mention of Pinterest, one lights up with eagerness and hope, sitting up straighter with a smile, and the other tends to have a flash of fear and starts to laugh while shaking their head.  I am here to tell you... that is OKAY!  That's why there are professionals.  Maybe I should take my own advice (which I will the next time someone wants those cookies...).  

So many brides take an idea from the internet nowadays and refuse to think about the logistics of a purple rose, or they want flowers in April that you can only find in South America during July... it's unrealistic and they are unwilling to compromise.  I have heard from so many florists how hard it is to reign in that Pinterest-bride -- we love them for their decision-making and ideas, but it is also their downfall.  You have to be willing to compromise. Pinterest is for IDEAS, not PERMANENT DECISIONS.  You're supposed to be inspired by it, not recreate it to a T.  There's a reason it's there, but you have to be able to see the reality.  Maybe a yellow dress with a bouquet of wild flowers looks stunning in the pictures you've seen, but if any of my friends try to put yellow on me, they will quickly want to remove me from the pictures.  It's not going to work for everyone, and, yes, even though it's your big day and you should get what you want, being labeled a Bridezilla is not a compliment.

And yet, there are the brides that completely make it work.  Take these pictures from an actual Pinterest-wedding.  It was gorgeous!!

Lindsay and I were talking about the other aspect of Pinterest... how it makes you feel like less of a woman or mom or girlfriend when the things you see you can't recreate, or don't have the time it takes to really make it perfect.  There are women and men out there that have made this their lives, and we thank them for it! How else would I know how to make homemade cleaner or a candle holder out of safety pins?  But, that's them and you are you.  Today's world is CRAZY -- cray cray, serious cray cray -- and it is so hard to keep up with everything and run a household and plan your wedding and work full-time and have a social life... geesh, I'm already tired.  So something lacks.  But keep in mind... at least you're trying!! You are giving it your best shot and your child, while they may not understand why Susie's mom was able to make 48 cupcakes with miniature Cinderella castles on them and you barely made it to Kroger in time to grab the last 24 buttercream frosted, smiley-face ring cupcakes... they will one day, because I have a feeling life is just going to get faster and more complex.  And when they bring home a melted, store-bought cake for your birthday, you will smile and know that they know.

Pinterest is a great TOOL... but it is not the end-all, be-all.  Keep things in perspective.  Try and re-try.  Know that your day is going to be special because you are unique, one-of-a-kind.  Don't be so focused on being different that you lose what it's all about.  There are brides that become so overwhelmed that they change their colors/ideas for their wedding 3 or 4 times because they saw something else on Pinterest.  DON'T let it do that.  Go with your gut.  Use it as a TOOL.  

In the meantime, if you need a good laugh, check out this website: Pinterest Fail

or take another look at these cookies, and this banana pudding cake one of our girls attempted

"eat, drink & be merry!"

An Intern's View!

Ello Mates!

This is Crushed Ice Events and the Ice House's fabulous summer intern reporting to you from the office! My name is Kendall Meiller from Western Kentucky University and I'm so thankful for this wonderful opportunity of being an intern for these amazing ladies :) I'm basically an event planner in training and seeing if I'm going to take the bull by the horns in this business or run away screaming! So far I've tackled working two weddings and a corporate meeting and I'm still standing. That's pretty good, right?

For my very first event experience I worked as a server for Ellen Hale's wedding reception. All I can say is respect goes out to those hard workers and I guess I didn't think about the whole "I'm going to be on my feet all day so I should wear comfortable shoes" thing. Yeah, my dogs were barking by the time I got home! I really enjoyed working with all of the servers, though. They took me in like family *tear*.   

The reception was very, very pretty! Something that I pictured my reception looking like (which will be in like 4542 years). 

The food was excellent, especially since the Hales are the owners of Lotsa Pasta! YUM!!

I learned something very important about event planning that night...one word: leftovers! Yeah, let's just say being on a diet this summer, or probably for the rest of my life being in this business, is not going to happen.

Overall, I'd say that my first event went splendidly. The crowd was energetic and danced the night away and the bar was the hot spot. My kind of people! I give my first event experience an A+ and tipping my hat to those hard working servers!

This past weekend I got to be one of the big girls and work as a manager (actually, following around Brittany, but good enough) for Lesley Bormann's wedding and reception! Yeah, I felt a little official, not to mention I got to cut the cake! (well the groom's baseball cap cake, but it was a moment for me, okay!) 

The ceremony was on the rooftop. Everything was set! The DJ was set up, the chairs and tables were in place. It was ready to go and guests started to arrive!  However, I quickly learned that you can't leave a space unattended for too long in this business.  Literally walked downstairs for 15 minutes just to come back up to one of our roof blocks off of its rack! Now, this is seriously 3 minutes before the ceremony start time. All I could see in my head was Lesley walking to the aisle and tripping down the way! Talk about tragic. I admit it was a little exciting getting a firsthand look at a possible crisis that could happen being in event planning! It was pretty intense (not really, it was an easy fix, but I like dramatics). Luckily our servers possess many, many handy-dandy skills and took care of the dilemma! Nothing a little muscle and manpower couldn't fix! 

 

Okay so guests are seated, the bride is ready, and she's not going to fall through the roof. Perfect! The ceremony was very cute! With a smaller number of about 145 guests, it was very intimate and there was a nice little breeze on the rooftop making it even better.  First ceremony experience, success!





The reception was held in the main hall and looked really nice! It was all white with pale purple lighting and a grand table for the bridal party! DJ Nigel had everyone getting down and dancing off their socks (literally, I saw some toes out!). Kind of made me want to get down with the crowd, but nobody wants to see that, trust me!

All in all, besides the roof incident and oh yeah, one of our servers stabbing a metal wire through his finger (yes THROUGH his finger, but he's a tough one) everything turned out wonderfully. Any event where everyone comes out alive and still kicking is a good one, I say! Can't really say the same for my calf muscles the next morning, though! Running up and down 3 flights of stairs about 15 times in one night will do that to you! At least working in this business it balances out between eating delicious leftovers and getting a good workout!

 Keep watch for more blogs from Crushed Ice Events and my last post at the end of the summer to see the lessons my event planning gurus have taught little ole me! :)

Well as they say here at Crushed Ice Events "eat, drink, & be merry!"

Until next time!





Oaks and Smokes, Y'all

After starting to plan Oaks and Smokes since October, Lindsay taking a short maternity leave in Feb-Mar, and two binders later, it was time for Oaks and Smokes.  The biggest event we have for Derby, one of the biggest events we produce all year... what started as a small concert in a parking lot has turned into a huge, annual Oaks event that we LOVE being a part of.  It benefits Kentucky Harvest, a charity that delivers food to hundreds and hundreds of people in need WEEKLY.  If you haven't heard of them, or don't know anything about what KY Harvest stands for, check it out!! They gladly accept volunteers -- offices, individuals, groups, you name it -- and donations as far as food and that good ol' green stuff.

Thursday morning came wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too early for every CIE/Ice House staff member after Wednesday's event for Churchill Downs.  We were dragging... beyond dragging, really... like sitting-around-a-table-staring-at-each-other dragging... but we had to push through.

Preparation Thursday
Around 11 am, we started our set up for Oaks and Smokes.  32 hours until start time -- the pressure was on.  Sitting on the Ice House's terrace listening to the bustle of the Chow Wagon making, what we thought would be, 17 little red carnation ball centerpieces in the sun really wasn't so bad.  As odd as it may sound, and as tedious as it might be to others, it was a bit therapeutic.  Then again, I LOVE flowers.  Love them.  It's an issue... I'm seeking counseling.  Halfway through, our fear that we only had enough carnations for about 14 little red carnation balls came true (oops!... you live and you learn.  For future reference, it takes more than 625 carnations... just in case you ever get the inkling to make 17 little carnation balls) -- but, floating candles are always a beautiful addition. Next were our spider mum centerpieces for under the tent we were putting out on East Washington Street in front of the venue.  Around 4 pm, all of the things that could be completed at The Ice House were done... a few more errands, and we called it a night.

Oaks and Smokes Friday
If you've never closed down a public street, let me be the first to tell you, it is a BIT of a process -- permits, permits, permits.  And don't think that that means you can do anything you want on the street you just paid the city to close, either (but that's another story... we'll get there soon).  At 6 am, Lindsay greeted the rental company to let them begin putting up the tent on East Washington Street. By 8 am, we were already texting each other a game plan for the morning.  And by 10 am, tables, chairs, linens, and bars were all being placed under the tent.  We had been told that The Travel Channel was coming to Oaks and Smokes later that evening to film for one of their newest shows, so our brains went into overtime.  We are blessed here at Crushed Ice Events to have amazing employees, friends, and family members that are willing to help us in our time of need -- so while Lindsay and I were running everywhere, they were handling things without much supervision.  They even help gather last minute permits necessary to put a tent up in the city of Louisville that we were completely unaware of (thank you much for that little headache), and stand as back up when a grumpy old man wants to get nasty about parking spaces.

At 5 pm, everything was coming together.  Our staff looked great -- we picked up some cheap, $1 white bow-ties at the beginning of the week to add a little extra, and our server girls were in cute black cocktail dresses.  The stages were up in the venue for Here Come the Mummies and The Tarnations, the bars were being stocked full to the brim, and the food was almost ready.

At 7 pm, thanks to a heads up from one of our owners, Mike Schnell, we were informed of an awesome wind storm headed our way.  Right as guests were arriving, the buffet was opening, and the jazz band began to play, a wonderful downpour of rain and howling wind came to visit.  Storms tend to freak people out... especially under a tent, in the middle of the street, with chandeliers swinging over top of them... but not our guests.  They simply kept going through the line and eating, waiting out the storm, which was a typical pop-up shower that was gone in 15 minutes.  Luckily, nothing went missing, there were no electrical issues, lampposts stayed upright, and only the front registration tables were soaked (not ideal, but it could have been so much worse!).  Afterwards, it was smooth sailing from there.

Guests LOVED the menu! (and not just the large chalkboard one we had standing beside the buffet.. which looked awesome if I do say so myself.. cough cough..) They went through 400 pounds of meat in two hours... WOW! We must have done something right! But we were beginning to panic because The Travel Channel wasn't supposed to be there until around 10 pm.  Now, if you have never tried to put on an event and have awesome pictures/video of it, let me give you some advice.  Don't expect it to look picture worthy after your guests have gone through the line.  All of these pictures on Pinterest are done BEFORE anyone has touched it.  It's picture-perfect for about 5 minutes... so get it in while you can.  Do you see where I'm going with this?  Do you see why we were freaking out slightly about The Travel Channel coming so late?  I mean, who can blame our guests?  Our food/presentation is phenomenal... you can't control yourselves with greatness ;-).  To solve our dilemma, we shut the buffet down for 15-20 minutes... reset everything --- E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.  Paper to desserts to rewriting labels to meats to sides... we stocked it just like the event hadn't started.  To our disappointment, by 10:30 pm, The Travel Channel was no where to be found, and our guests were a little antsy (rightfully so).  So, we said "oh well" and opened the buffet.  Luckily and unluckily for us, The Travel Channel never showed.  BUT! It is their loss -- not ours.  Maybe they can make it next year!

After it was all over, the tables were moved in from the street, the linens tucked away in their appropriate bags, and the rentals neatly tucked away into the tent, Lindsay and I sat down with the staff for a little "thank you."  Leaving at 2:30 am, we couldn't believe we had another Oaks and Smokes under our belt.  And without the team we had that day, none of it would have gotten done.  It was even our head chef's birthday!!!! (what a way to celebrate, huh??)

Personally, this year was my favorite so far -- I didn't wreck any vehicles, I didn't fall down concrete stairs, and I knew not to drink two 5 hours energy shots back to back (seriously... shakes for days).  Everything looked great and as always, it was a fabulous time!

"eat, drink & be merry!"