It’s a new year, and we’re feeling inspired to share some of our essential tips related to catering and event design so that you can host/plan a successful event with elevated ease — no gatekeeping here. Inspired by National Mentoring Month, these tips are ones that we think could help you plan and host your own event DIY or give you some insight on certain services event companies such as us offer so that you’re going into the planning process with more inspiration.
We’ve compiled our tips (Instagram saw it first) and listed them below for your convenience. From food serving sizes to floral design, we hit multiple topics across our expertise. We hope that one of these tips – or multiple – help you with your current or future planning.
Topic 1: Food Portioning
Having the correct amount of food is vital when hosting an event. You want to ensure that all guests’ appetites are satisfied while also minimizing food waste.
When it comes to appetizers, we recommend having three options to provide guests with plenty of variety. Four per person is the sweet spot for cocktail appetizers – so think a time slot of around 45 minutes to one hour.
For the main course, we would recommend having stations with smaller portions as an alternative to a buffet. Stations provide more variety with better portion control. You also have the creative freedom when it comes to stations to provide guests with more of a culinary tasting experience. Consider incorporating themes into your stations, such as one station consisting of South Asian cuisine while another has Southern-Inspired dishes.
Photo by Laura Stone Photography
We recommend dessert miniatures to top off the event in order to minimize waste and allow guests to sample several without feeling guilty. It’s best to provide three options with a maximum of two bites per person.
Topic 2: Color Psychology
When it comes to designing your event, you want to be careful when selecting colors to hone in on. Aesthetics are important in this decision, but you also want to consider the emotions you want guests to feel during your event. Different colors evoke different emotions!
If you’re wishing to create a quiet, corporate atmosphere, we’d opt for darker tones such as navy blue or a deep purple. Vibrant colors will encourage mingling and appear more friendly and playful. If you’re going for a fun feel, we recommend adding yellow or a medium/bright shade of orange into your design.
All of this to say, don’t underestimate the power of color when picking a design for your event — or just pick whichever you think looks best since it’s your day after all!
Topic 3: Floral Design
Photo by Laura Stone Photography
Adding flowers to your event is one simple way to elevate and beautify the space. For this topic, we went straight to our lead design specialist to provide us with some advice related to floral design.
1. What are some ideas to elevate and add to an event beyond just table centerpieces when it comes to floral design?
“I love unique entry designs or unique seating chart designs to elevate an event. We can also do overhead installations to draw the eye upward and fill the space. Bar installations can be a fun, lush addition as well. Another thing that can really elevate an event is lighting and linens. Lighting is so important whether it's uplighting around the space or pinspot lighting on each centerpiece. That really changes the feel of the space all together.”
2. What are some ways to cut down on floral costs for events?
“[For weddings] we can repurpose pieces from the ceremony to the reception. Ceremony arches make a great backdrop to the sweetheart table or cake table. We can also transition ceremony backdrops into reception backdrops for South Asian events by adding or removing certain pieces, basically expanding upon or changing up the already existing backdrop. Another way would be to tell the designer your budget in conjunction with the vision. The designer can then give detailed advice on ways to save while ensuring the vision is achieved.”
3. Are there any flower colors that fit best into certain seasons?
Winter: whites, greens, Spring/Summer: colorful such as pinks, blues, lavenders, peaches (pastel or vibrant), Fall: bronze, brown, terracotta, sand, orange, rust, champagne
Topic 4: Plated vs. Buffet
One question we often navigate with clients is making the decision between having a buffet or a plated dinner service at their wedding.
Let’s start with plated. Plated dinner service is generally the more formal option that provides an elegant and intimate dining experience. You’ll have more control over the pacing of the meal, but more staff are required. Our plated dinner service starts at $38/per person.
Buffets provide a more social atmosphere and are your best bet if expecting more than 250 people. Though buffets are generally seen as less formal than plated, they can certainly be tastefully done and open up more space for design elements. Our service starts at $35/per person for buffet.
Stations are a nice middle ground if you’re really in between the two. Stations allow you to still get the social atmosphere aspect of buffets while providing an engaging experience for guests. A starting price is hard to say, as price varies significantly depending on your choices.
At the end of the day, the experience you wish to provide your guests is a big part of the decision on top of budget and logistical considerations.
Didn’t hit a topic that you were looking for? Want personalized advice for YOUR unique event? Send us an email at brittni@districtecm.com, and we’ll get you in contact with one of our event experts to give you personalized advice for your event.
If you’re looking for a company to take on your event catering and design/planning needs, click here to get in contact with us today!
Banner photo by Laura Stone Photography