Its not everyday that I find a regularly scheduled event that “knocks it out of the park every single time” in my profession, but when I do I make it point to support it. I hope that doesn’t make me some type of “event snob” but hey what can I say I am passionate about quality events, period! Recently, I was told about “The Art of Cool Project” at the Labour Love Art Gallery in the Golden Belt district of Downtown Durham and to my pleasant surprise, I was very pleased with the intoxicating atmosphere and music at this event. The Art of Cool’s mantra is “connecting music and art to the people” which I can attest is being accomplished successfully.

What you find when you attend these events is a fusion of funky jazz, a warm and eclectic art backdrop coupled with fly and swanky people who love and appreciate the creative arts. Now don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to be obsessed with art like myself to enjoy this event, but you do have to appreciate it in order to get the full value of the experience.

If you can remember quotes from movies like “Mo’ Better Blues” and “Love Jones” and remember their soundtracks by heart, you know what I mean when I say “It’s the blues in your left thigh, trying to become the funk in your right!” Yep, that’s what this event is…it’s a diverse love jones of poets, artists, lovers of jazz, and plain ole’ artsy fartsy people like me. Who wouldn’t want  to be around that?!

Last week, I went to see The Beast perform and I saw several local artists like Kim Arrington (who had performed the month prior), Poet Dasan Ahanu (Black Poetry Theater and Bull City Slam), visual artist Franco (whose  artwork can be seen all over Downtown Durham and beyond), Frank Myers (local photographer extraordinaire and digital artist), J.Gunn (Red Eye Lifestyle and J. Gunn music), and others out showing their support.  But what really made my night was to see a group of students from the outer banks that chartered a bus to see the performance because they don’t  get an opportunity to see performing arts acts in their local community. Their counselor was so excited to be able to come to see the performance that I saw her on several occasions talking to and thanking the performers for “exposing those kids by marrying jazz, art, and poetry into a single event.” As an event professional, I find it refreshing that I could attend an event in my city that could have that type of impact on our youth and I immediately decided to get involved!

For those of you who are looking for an event to support that gives you the lounge type venue, with cool art, engaging artists and hip people like I was,”The Art of Cool Project” is for you. This event is held every 1st Friday at Flanders Art Gallery in Raleigh, and 3rd Fridays in Durham at Labour Love Art Gallery. Occasionally, AOCP will have late night jam sessions after local jazz concerts at DPAC, Memorial Hall and Carolina Theater. Below is a schedule of upcoming events and a link to their website, Twitter and Facebook Fan page, where they update regularly with jazz concerts and events in the Raleigh Durham area.

Get involved and show your support for cool art events that changes lives and make a difference in the community. If you are interested in volunteer or internship opportunities please email your resume to: theartofcoolproject@gmail.com and get involved, I already have!

Upcoming Events:

March 30 – Robert Glasper After Concert Jam Session @ Beyu Cafe

March 31 – Robert Glasper After Concert Jam Session @ The Roxy

April 6 – Brian Horton @ Flanders Gallery

April 27 – Yolanda Rabun @ LabourLove Gallery

May 9 – Esperanza Spaulding @ Carolina Theater

May 18 – The Mint Julep Jazz Band @ LabourLove Gallery

July 20 – The Hot at Nights @ LabourLove Gallery

www.theartofcoolproject.com

What events have you been to in The Triangle (Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill), that made you feel passionate about attending and supporting? Let me know what’s happening in your neck of the woods………..

All across the country people are glued to their televisions watching as the ACC and March Madness (the college basketball tournaments) heats up. This is my favorite time of year, because I’m from North Carolina (basketball country) and a basketball fanatic to my heart! As I watched the N.C. State vs. UNC Tarheels and Florida State vs. Duke games this afternoon, I couldn’t help but to think that I may have missed an opportunity to entertain my friends and family in the comforts of my own home. I can honestly tell you that I enjoy watching the games, yelling at the refs, and getting hype when my team makes a play, much better in the comforts of my own home in comparison to being in a restaurant or a bar. Which led me to think that having a tournament party is a great way to create a safe and positive family friendly atmosphere.

You don’t have to overwhelm yourself with an elaborate menu or food display, simply start with the two most common ordered items during basketball season, chicken and pizza. Trust me this is a no brainer, have a variety of toppings (onions,green pepper, mushrooms, pineapple, pepperoni, sausage, chicken, etc.) available for your guests to select from to make their own personal mini pizzas and make sure that you keep your oven pre-heated and ready to go. As soon as your guests arrive, take their pizza order and while they get comfortable, their pizza can be cooking. Another option is to prepare several different flavors of chicken wings like original, lemon pepper, barbecue, buffalo, mild, and hot for your guests to choose. Add 3-4 side items to compliment your main courses and don’t forget to have your guests contribute to your beverage and dessert bar.  You know how I feel about signature drinks, this is no different. Create a signature mock or cocktail for your guests to enjoy as they arrive. Make sure that your signature drink, wines and beer compliment your menu choices as well.

To create the atmosphere, have your guests wear teeshirts from the school of their choice and don’t forget to take a group picture that can be turned into a thank you card or the invitation to your next tournament party. If you have the time create little icebreakers with game facts like forecasting the game MVP, which team will win, which player will get the most rebounds, assists, points, etc. You don’t want to take away from the game but enhance it by having a few interactive games during half- time. The guest with the most right answers will get a small token or gift. Get as creative as you want but remember the most important thing is to have fun. This is the type of event that is laid back, casual and cool for anyone no matter what the age.

I’m interested in hearing from you. What do you and your friends do for March Madness?

One of the perks of my job is to conduct site visits and select suitable venues for my client’s events. For some selecting venues can be a daunting task, but for me I  look at it as an opportunity to explore the natural beauty of the best man made architecture on the east coast. Here are some of the things that consider when I am scoping out some of the best venues on the east coast for your events.

What are your goals and objectives? If it is a wedding, then you want to select a venue that enforces the overall theme, look and feel that you are trying to encompass in your design. For a corporate meeting, fundraiser, or gala it is critical  that you let your goals and objectives determine which venue you select. The best way to do this is to determine what type of program you are going to have, ask yourself questions like is it educational, social, a fundraiser, a product launch or a networking program? The next question to ask yourself is who will your attendees be? What are their demographics? What will your budget allow? Will you need a stage for entertainment? Do you want this to be a seated dinner, buffet, or stations? Based on your goals and attendee demographics should the program be indoors or outdoors? Identify what amenities you will need during your event such as microphones, lecterns or podiums, wi-fi, etc.

Selecting your venue should be done with great attention to detail and challenge yourself to think outside the box, the more unique your venue is, the more memorable your event will be. If this process becomes too daunting for you, you can always enlist an event planner to conduct the site visits for you and enlist them to draw up the comparisons between the properties with the most potential based on your specific needs. I offer this bit of advice, if you plan on hiring an event planner for your program, wedding or party, do so before you select a venue, so that you can do the site visit together and develop ideas on how to design the atmosphere appropriately.

You can also visit websites like www.uniquevenues.com and www.gatheringguide.com to find unconventional locations to host your events.

Tell us your story, how did you find your venue and what was the critical element that captured your vision?

Everyone knows that I look for any excuse to throw a party,but this year I will be traveling during the Oscars. That doesn’t mean that you can’t throw your own Oscar Party for your friends and family. As I looked online for ideas I came across a few ideas for you that would definitely turn your Oscar party into the ultimate social event.

First, create your stationary with the Oscar trademark statue on them, so that people are aware that the Oscars are the focus of your party. That way they aren’t expecting to come over to watch basketball! If you are going to keep it small, try using an online invitation format like evite.com to get the word out. Then carry out that theme on your menu cards and signage. Here is an example of an Oscar menu card from www.nj.com that caught my attention.

Secondly, you have to make this Oscar party exciting, so why not get in the spirit of it by creating some mini Oscar ballots for your guests to fill out with their selections for the most coveted nominations (Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, etc. ) and once the winners are announced the guest with the most nominations wins a gift!  I found this Oscar Bingo on www.howaboutorange.com and I think it is absolutely genius!

Take a look:

Thirdly, you are going to want to create a menu that is festive and fun, so think outside of the box and create an eye popping food display using reds, gold, blacks and whites in your color scheme. Use funky linens to decorate your display and tables and create a few signature cocktails named after previous Oscar winners. It is an absolute must to have a dessert bar with a variety of sweet delicacies. I also found these online at www.thisnext.com and I absolutely fell in love!

Gaze on this:

How cute are these???

Lastly, you have to include the kiddies in your party. If you have kids, create an area for them to have their own “Oscar the grouch party” and show episodes of Sesame Street and other kid shows and games that they enjoy. They can even have their own invitation to the party..check this out from www.lite1069.com for inspiration:

Now that you have an idea of what you want to do for the Oscars, whose inviting me to the party???

Valentine’s Day just past and either you ran into people who were head over heels in love or people that are cynical about the holiday altogether. I happen to be a hopeless romantic and I am in love with the idea of being in love, which is one of the reasons that I am passionate about designing weddings. I wanted to take this time send my well wishes to all of the couples that took that next step and decided to get engaged. Congratulations to you and your new fiancé, as you make the decision to create a new life together.

Planning a wedding is suppose to be a fun, exciting, and most importantly stress free experience. If you take one thing away from this post, I want you to remember that planning your wedding is all about the love that you are experiencing at this very moment and don’t let anything interrupt that. I wanted to let you in on a few things as you get started;  there are myths to the wedding planning process that you need to be aware of and you are in luck, I feel like exposing them!

Myth #1: “I don’t need a wedding planner, either I will do it myself or use my sister, cousin, aunt  or friend to plan it for me.”

I’m really not saying this because I plan weddings, but there a small number of weddings that actually turn out to be “stress-free” and organized when you have your family involved in the planning process, it doesn’t matter how many parties they have planned. It is always better to seek out the assistance of a professional that can guide your process, assist you with selecting vendors, or  to consult with you on your design and if you want to have your family help out by assigning them menial tasks to complete, that’s fine. Planning a wedding can be overwhelming enough for the couple that works full-time but involving your family and friends in your planning process can prove to be more stressful then helpful. And furthermore, do you really want your family and friends running around decorating and setting up for your wedding or actually enjoying it?

Myth #2: “I can’t afford a wedding planner.”

Actually in most cases you can’t afford not to have a planner. Working with an effective, efficient and budget conscious planner can be beneficial for you in that the planner should have forged relationships with other suppliers and vendors that can be provide you with services at reasonable rates. Also, most planners have a variety of wedding packages that are based on overall wedding budgets or their level of involvement. I recommend reaching out to a planner and being honest with yourself and them about your budget, your reasons for needing a planner, and potential cost saving strategies to keep you within that budget.

Myth #3: “I have to plan my wedding a year in advance?”

Well not necessarily, depending on your particular vision for your special day, you may not need all of that time. The most important factor in determining whether you need a year, is based on securing your ceremony and reception venues. The further in advance you plan, the better chances you have to get the venue you want however, its important to know that some venues will provide concessions and great deals if they haven’t booked business on your preferred date or you decide to select a non-traditional day like a Friday or Sunday.

Myth #4: “Bigger is better.”

Nope, this is one of the most important myths for me to expose. Listen carefully….This is the day that you begin your life with your life partner, it is not a social hour. So don’t feel like you have to invite everyone in your rolodex to appease anyone else besides you and your fiancé. Your ceremony and reception should be intimate and you should feel the love in the room from all of your family and friends that have come together to celebrate both of you. Period. If you get annoyed by the fact that you are paying a caterer to feed your guests, then they shouldn’t be invited, it’s that simple. Be selective about your guest list.

Myth #5: “Going with an all inclusive hotel package is the best option.”

Not always, first make a list of what’s important to both of you in a venue and develop a pros and cons list based on each venue you are considering. This will help you guide your decision on what you really want to spend your budget on. Don’t limit yourself, sometimes utilizing unique venues like a college campus, or historic properties can be more cost effective and add character to your event design.

I could really go on and on, but I think this is enough to get you started in your planning. With these truths in mind, you will be better equipped to start your planning. Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or concerns with us and stay tuned for wedding myths exposed pt. 2!!!

I love it when I run across vendors that offer services that help me customize events and I have just landed another resource for stationary and invitations, The Merry Martini! I was looking for some invitations for a 10 year anniversary and I decided to go around the corner from my house and see if they had anything worth my time, and to my surprise I walked out with fresh ideas and purchases for myself (SMH)!

The Merry Martini offers products from the following designers: Crane & Company, William Arthur, Vera Wang, Martha Stewart, Coral, Dauphine Press, Prentiss Douthit, Page Stationary, Alice Louise Press and The Happy Envelope.

Beyond Invitations The Merry Martini offers:

Save the Dates, wedding programs, menu cards, place cards, table cards, thank you notes, favors, napkins and imprint able invitations for showers and parties.

Interested in learning more about The Merry Martini??? You’re in luck…

Join The Merry Martini for cupcakes and champagne for their annual Wedding Invitation Showcase on Thursday March 1st, 2012 5:00pm-7:00pm. Please RSVP to Kelly@themerrymartini.com if you plan on attending.

Each bride in attendance will receive a $50 voucher towards wedding invitations and be entered in a $300 wedding invitation giveaway!!!

The contact information is below:

The Merry Martini – Kelly Owens

5826 Fayetteville Road, Suite 105

Durham, NC 27713

(919) 544-8491

kelly@themerrymartini.com

www.themerrymartini.com

I am confident that you will find something spectacular for all of your special event needs. Trust me I did, and I plan on using their services again. Go check them out and let them know Joye sent you!

As you can see we took the most elegant perfume brand and turned it into a personal brand for the client. This style was carried out throughout the entire design from the save the dates, invitations, step and repeat and red carpet, personalized candles, and decor. You too can create your own personal event brand by taking an object that you use or something that you love and styling your event with it. Think outside the box and make your events stand out by creating an event style that represents you and your personality!

Visit our gallery to view the photos of the event.

Virtue recently became one of the featured event planning firms in the triangle issue of Weddings Magazine. We are so excited to be in the 2012 issue of this must have publication for the wedding industry. It was such a pleasure to work with Robyn Mangrum and Maureen Powell who display the warm and charm that is synonymous with southern hospitality!

Weddings Magazine is the creme de’ la creme of bridal publications in the Triangle and we are so honored to be apart of this publication. Below is a clip of the fashion shoot that is featured in the magazine which was shot by the incomparable Chris and Toni from Heart Stone Films .

Go out today and get a copy of Weddings Magazine or visit their website to get ideas for your wedding and to secure the best wedding vendors in the Triangle.

Enjoy!

Weddings Magazine | Fashion from Heart Stone Films on Vimeo.

February is black history month and we chose this opportunity to highlight all of the special events that you could use to highlight all of the wonderful accomplishments of a specific culture and ethnic background. One of my favorite themes that I look forward to using is “The Harlem Renaissance”. This era in our history was a cultural movement that was held between the 1920′s and 1930′s in Harlem, NY . It is out of this era that some of the greatest African American artistic and literary works became apart of American culture and history. Greats such as Duke Ellington, Claude McKay, George Gershwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Alain Locke, Langston Hughes, Billy Holiday, Count Baise, Cab Calloway, and Ella Fitzgerald and many more were huge contributors to this era and continue to influence our culture today.

There are always opportunities to celebrate culture and history through events. Having events that highlight these accomplishments educates those that may not know as well as creates a sense of pride that can motivate people to actively pursue their dreams. You can always put a modern spin on a classic theme or era by using fashion. Just make sure that you capture the importance of that era without downplaying it’s influence. Look for opportunities to appreciate and celebrate other cultures and ethnic backgrounds during the year, after all it is apart of American history and we are a diverse country.

I am so happy to introduce to you Virtue’s newest bridal suite for the tech savvy and economical bride and groom. Creating our wedding suites is something that we take very seriously in an effort to provide each of our clients with a custom wedding experience for an attractive cost. This time I believe that we have nailed it! Think about it how many times during the planning process have you felt yourself being overwhelmed with the details and wished you could hire a wedding planner but your budget didn’t support it? Have you secured a ceremony or reception venue that came with a coordinator, but you need someone to help with the strategic planning and logistics beforehand? Do you just want someone to provide you with guidance during your planning process without the cost of a full service planner? Do you like DIY projects and want to connect with someone that can help you facilitate the process and execution? Are you on a limited budget and can use the help? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this is going to make your wedding day, literally!

Here are the details:

• 4 Skype consultation sessions.
• Unlimited email support.
• Design advice.
• DIY tips.
• Vendor referrals.
• Contract negotiation tips.
• Vendor management.
• Virtue wedding checklist and calendar.
• Convenient payment processing through Google Checkout or PayPal.

If this is something that interests you, then call our offices today toll-free at (866)845-8845 or by email at contactus@virtueevents.com.  We know that this suite is going to be a hot item, so ACT FAST  so you can enjoy planning your perfect wedding day!! We are here ready to help.