Paulette Wolf - Event Planning Made Easy

Copyright 2005 by Paulette Wolf and Jodi Wolf. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-071-70912-5
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The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-071-44653-2 MHID 7-144-653-2

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Since Paulette is never good at these kinds of things,
this dedication falls in my lap.

To Mom, Paulette Wolf
&
To Dad, Larry Wolf

In life, we are lucky to find one person who we truly admire, so I am doubly lucky to have both of you. In my life there is no one who has had more of an influence on who I am and who I want to be. Thank you for being such incredible teachers and motivators and for always making sure I found my way. I love you both!

And in loving/living memory of Gram, Sera Fritkin

Thank you for always being our rockstrong, resilient,
and loving unconditionally. You were and always will be our inspiration.

Step One:
Determine The Five Ws and, Always, How

Step Two:
Take Care of the Nuts and Bolts

Step Three:
Create a Project Blueprint

Step Four:
Design Your Event

Step Five:
Envision Your Event

Step Six:
Finish with the Unseen Details

Step Seven:
Post Event Follow-Up

W e always love to check out the latest party book. That heavy, substantial hardback with the fabulous four-color photograph on the cover; going through pages and pages of gorgeous flowers, beautiful food stations, and fun decorits always a blast. Planning special events can be a uniquely creative process, one that professionals rush to get started. Choosing the color palate, the texture of the linens, the menu (the dessert!), and the flowersother than getting to know our clients, this is usually our favorite part. Entertaining and party books are always inspirational, even if sometimes we find what not to do. When opening that book for the first time, its like getting a clear picture of the authors style. We all have one. After doing a few events yourself, youre bound to find that you have one, even if you werent looking.

For almost 35 years, Paulette Wolf Events & Entertainment (PWEE) has been planning special events. Creating a successful event is both an art and a scienceone that requires meshing creativity with knowledge. Based on PWEEs experience in blending art and science to produce virtually thousands of events over a 30-year period, we have developed a set of guidelines that we always follow, and now we are giving them to you.

Having a fabulous idea is useless if you dont have the ability to execute it. A visual artist understands this principle, knowing that historic perspective, experience, and inspiration all contribute to a successful body of work.

The same principle applies to producing events. Creativity is part and parcel of a successful event, yet the science involved in that executionthe expertise, experience, dedication to hard work, good staff, and sound communications skillsis what separate the novices from the pros.

As the company that pioneered professional event management as it is practiced today, PWEE has learned from producing virtually thousands of special events over the last 35 years that pulling off a successful event requires meticulous preparation, a pursuit of flawless execution, and an ability to respond as a cohesive team when the unexpected inevitably surfaces. Successful events are in the details. Weve produced a ton of events, but they are never the same. Quite the opposite, each one is unique in so many ways. The trained, experienced eye, however, can detect that one-of-a-kind fingerprint of a PWEE party. Sometimes its the abundance of valet staff (we hate it when we have to wait forever for the car), the linens are always to the floor, and we even went through a stage where we tied the linens around the table legs. Whatever were into at the time, thats what is projected. Whether its chocolate browns from five years ago or colorful plaids from two years ago, draped fabrics, deep dahlias, food stations or French service, pear and brie quesadillas, or Bananas Foster (that never goes out of style), event design is a collaboration. We work with our clients and vendors to create a vision of what the party is going to feel, sound, taste, and look like.