Dear Atlas Blog Readers,

Have you ever done paint by numbers? I mean have you ever done one after kindergarten? I tried one recently with the hope of learning, in some small way, how to actually paint for real.

It didn’t work and I have come to the dramatic realization that I am no Picasso. Not even close. In fact, I’m not even the kid in kindergarten who can color within the lines. I’m that bad at anything in the artistic realm. Even my stick figures look like horribly disfigured abominations.

I feel much the same way when I go to an event that is spectacular. Some people really just have a talent for putting together a celebration. I have come, more and more, to the realization that this is a talent that is artistic in nature and the events that they put together are works of art.

For a little while I believed that being submerged in the presence of such individuals would rub off on me. It hasn’t. I’m constantly reminded of that fact every time I attend a party or an event that is thrown by someone who really knows what they are doing.

I recently had an “I would have never thought of that moment” at a friend’s 25th anniversary. Both my friend and his wife are architects. They design buildings and homes. Where you could even begin to do something like that I have no idea. I tried building a fort once out of pillows and a blanket; within five minutes the city declared it structurally unsound and made me destroy it.

Despite their artistic and visionary natures, my friends happen also to be somewhat simple in their personal lives. They aren’t extravagant, nor are they flamboyant in their tastes. I knew that their anniversary party would be perfect without being showy.

I was right. The gathering took place at their home (which, of course, they designed and built). There were many people there: family, friends, business associates, etc.. Food stations had been set up in different parts of the house. At first, I couldn’t figure out why they hadn’t decided on a single buffet area or something similar. When I got closer to the first station, I discovered why.

When I picked up the plate I was surprised to see that it was a triangle shape. I’d never seen a plate like that before. All of the food at this station had also been cut and shaped in the form of a triangle. The shapes were natural; it wasn’t as if they had taken a hamburger and pressed it into a triangular shape. There were pies, quiche, and the like here.

Across the room a food station was set up with oval dishes. Again, the food had been prepared to naturally match the shape of the plate it was being served in. As I stood at this station and looked back at the “triangle station”, I realized it had been placed below two magnificent wooden beams that started at the floor and met each other at the ceiling in the shape of a triangle.

Similarly, the other food stations complimented some feature in the home. Rectangles, hexagons, squares, cubes . . . you name it.

I had been to my friend’s house many times. I had always admired the beauty of their house. I had seen everything before, but this was the first time that the shapes of the house started to stand out to me. The way that they had been placed together or used as juxtapositions was remarkable.

All that time I had never seen it for the piece of art that it really was and it finally took some shaped dinner plates to open my eyes.

Art. Plain and simple.

I’ll never be able to come up with things like that. It just isn’t in my nature. I’m glad that there are people out there who see the world so differently and can make things like this for the rest of us to enjoy!

Dear Atlas Party Rental Blog Readers,

Sometimes we all have to do things that we don’t want to do. It is just a fact of life that we can’t get away from.

Sometimes there is nothing I want to do more than just sit on the couch and stare at the wall. Inside every man lives the soul of a hermit. You all know it’s true. Sometimes a man just needs to retreat into the depths of his house and loose himself in a cycle of naps, junk food and more naps.

It is a universal truth.

I couldn’t wait for this past weekend because that is exactly what I had planned. I had even gone as far as to plan a very intricate web of excuses and lies (I’m not proud of lying, but sometimes it’s necessary) to avoid any social interaction whatsoever: My friends thought I had some work to do. My family thought I was going out with friends. Work thought I had a big family event I had to go to.

It wasn’t complicated but it was perfect . . . except for the big family event that I had to go to!

I had completely forgotten about it, but a single phone call from my mother reminded me that it was my 7 year-old cousin’s birthday. I tried desperately to get out of it but anyone who has ever gone up against a well-executed guilt trip from their mother knows that that wasn’t happening.

I couldn’t imagine a worse place to be than in my cousin’s back yard as an army of screaming 7 year-olds who were all hopped up on candy and birthday cake looked for an infinite number of ways to cause mass destruction and end all life on the planet as we know it.

It was going to be a very, very bad scene, but there was nothing I could do. I had familial obligations to fulfill (and by that I mean my mother’s wrath would be epic).

So it came to pass that on Saturday after I picked up my mother it was with a great deal of surprise that I learned the birthday party was taking place inside a local science museum. I’d never heard of anything like this before. Growing up I was an extreme nerd (at least that’s what all the other kids used to call me) and I would have loved to have a birthday in a museum. Heck, I would have loved any party in a museum!

When we arrived, I was even more surprised. There were no screaming kids running around hell-bent on destroying life as we know it. In fact it was the exact opposite.

The museum staff was on hand and they were doing cool experiments and mini-shows that educated and mystified the mind. Kids sat in rapture in neat rows as someone dropped Mentos into a 2 liter bottle of soda and watched the ensuing explosion. In other areas the staff was showing off the museum’s animals like snakes, lizards and even a falcon. A FALCON!

As the birthday continued, guided tours of the museum exhibits were offered, or you could wander off on your own and go through the museum at your leisure. This particular place had a great deal of hands-on exhibits and it was educational and fun playing with them.

Again, I was completely surprised; I had never been to a party inside a science museum before. Aware of my Mr. Event duties, I approached the attractive staff member who was holding a pretty cool looking lizard and asked her if they limited the facilities to birthday parties.

“Why do you want to know? Are you Mr. Event or something?” She asked.

I rolled my eyes and started to giggle nervously, “N-n-nooooo,” I stammered and rolled my eyes at the obnoxious suggestion. She looked at me suspiciously but didn’t press the issue further. I’m just smooth like that, you know?

I was amazed to learn that they hosted all kinds of events. In the evenings, after the museum closed, they hosted corporate events, fundraisers, movie screenings and even weddings (which I thought was a little weird, until I realized that I would get married there in a heartbeat)!

For adult events they set up facilities and food stations inside the actual halls and exhibits of the museum. I imagined how cool it would be to be there after hours in a social setting. I certainly had never experienced that before and I thought it could be a great twist in the event realm.

As far as I could tell, the parents and adults were having just as much fun as the children. That is not something that I have experienced at birthday parties in the past! So, the time my mother was done with the whole thing and said we could leave, I pleasantly opted to stay a while longer so I could learn about the mysteries of “Gak”!

It was really a great time. Take a look at some interesting venues like a museum when you’re planning your next event whether it is a birthday, anniversary or networking event. It certainly adds flavor to the standard meeting/ballroom affair!

Until next Wednesday!

Dear Atlas Blog Readers and Loyal Customers,

It’s been another week and I’m back! I don’t know about you, but I’m excited about it.

Believe it or not, but for me, not every week is packed full of super-fun events to attend. I would imagine that the same is true for many of you, and if it isn’t, please don’t tell me. . . I already feel bad enough!

This last week was one such time that my calendar was blank. There was a moment where I even thought that my phone might be broken. It was working fine of course. It turns out the reason it wasn’t ringing was because no one was calling. Go figure.

My salvation finally came from my father. The phone rang, and I quickly answered. I didn’t answer it too quickly. . .  I didn’t want to appear desperate you know? I’m smooth like that.

A short 3 years ago, my brother gave my dad a gift certificate to Ruth’s Christ Steakhouse. We had begun to believe he was going to leave it in his Last Will and Testament but thankfully we were mistaken (although there is still the unused McDonald’s gift certificate I gave him).

So, thanks to the thoughtfulness of my brother and the timeliness of my father, I found my Friday night beginning to look promising.

I had never been to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse before. All I knew about it was that the word STEAK was in the title and that is really all I needed to know. I have, of course, been to other restaurants; I believe I’ve already mentioned McDonalds. The night at Ruth’s Chris was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

Previously, my idea of good service was getting a table at a restaurant in a decent amount of time, having an attentive waiter/waitress who keep the drinks full and served the food hot and that’s really about it. I’m a simple guy but I think that is what makes most people happy when they go out to dinner.

Apparently, my brother had called ahead and told Ruth’s Chris that it was my father’s birthday. He left out the fact that we were using a 3 year old birthday present and my father’s most recent birthday was several months ago, but the staff at Ruth’s Chris didn’t need to know that.

When we arrived at our table my father was very delighted to see that “Happy Birthday” confetti had been sprinkled across the table. The hostess acknowledged my father and wished him a happy birthday. She didn’t need to know it wasn’t really his birthday, and from the glint in my father’s eye, it seemed that he had even forgotten it wasn’t his real birthday.

I’m not a huge fan of confetti (glitter is worse), but it was obviously a nice touch and made my father feel good. When we sat down at the table, I noticed something else that was quite a surprise. My brother’s girlfriend was wearing a very nice black dress. While my father’s, brother’s and my napkins were all white, my brother’s girlfriend’s napkin was black to match her dress.

Now we’re just getting silly!

My father ordered a T-bone steak. The waitress informed us that there was only one left, but she would hurry to put the order in so we could get it. While we were waiting for our steaks the waitress came back with some bad news. She thought she had put the order for the T-bone in in time, but there was a mix up and someone else got it first.

My father looked a little despondent . . . this wasn’t supposed to happen on birthdays. Then the waitress informed him that she they had prepared the closest steak to the T-bone that they had left for the rest of the night: A 44 oz. Porterhouse for Two!

I thought my father was going to die of happiness right there. By comparison, if this had happened with my gift certificate at McDonalds, it would have been like my father ordering a basic cheeseburger and getting 20 twenty Angus Burgers instead.

As my father began to dive into the steak that was bigger than his head a manager came over to gently ask how we were enjoying our meal. He apologized for the confusion with the steaks. When the bill came the Porterhouse wasn’t on it. Class act.

When we left the restaurant and approached the valet stand, our car was already waiting for us.

Taken separately all of those things would have been nice.  Put them all together and you have an experience that really makes you feel special. My father had such a great night that I believe he is officially changing his birthday to last Friday.

I guess that’s what real service is. We are nowhere close to being royalty, but for one night we felt pretty close.

Some things you just can’t put a price tag on. We’ll definitely be back.

Dear Atlas Blog Readers and loyal customers,

I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Event and the brilliant minds at Atlas Party Rental and I got together and decided that I was going to write for their website for a while.

I’m sure you’re asking who could possibly be named, “Mr. Event”.  You’re right to be suspicious. I exist in the real world. I’m one person, but we’ll never meet; you’ll never know who I am . . . but trust me, I’m out there.

My new purpose and goal is to visit various events, shows, restaurants, parties . . . anything fun really, and write about what I see: the good, the bad and the ugly. Hence the name Mr. Event which, said quickly, sounds like “Mystery Event”. Clever right?!

You will learn things about me in a general, anonymous way of course, and the way I view these things through a single man’s perspective.

Why should you care? There are several reasons really, but one of the most important reasons is because I’m the guy who is going to be attending these events on the arm of a beautiful woman (hopefully) or with friends and family. If I, a fairly oblivious guy who has traditionally only paid attention to the bar and menu, notice the other important aspects of the events I attend you’re going to know that they are either very good or very bad.

The hope is that you, through reading of my experiences, will get some ideas about what to try as you throw your own social gatherings.

Last week, for example, I attended a local non-profit’s annual dinner. Like many non-profits they wisely use their money for their stated purposes and goals. When they throw a non-fundraising event to honor those who have supported them over the years, it isn't out of the question that they try to provide the greatest possible time while spending the least amount of money.

I happened to arrive at the venue a little early to lend a hand with the set up (Yes I happen to be a NICE single guy . . . did I mention that I am also ridiculously good looking?). Four hundred people were attending the dinner with a dance afterwards. It was a formal event (men wore suits and women had on what I was told were their versions of the little black dress) and the organizers wanted things to look very nice.

The brilliant idea that I noticed was the centerpieces on the tables: bowls of water. 

Yes, I said bowls of water! Stay with me for a moment.

The organizers took these simple bowls of water and floated candles and white rose petals inside the bowls. Left like this, the centerpieces would have looked fine, but one of the organizers brought a small bottle of blue food coloring (the organizations colors are white and blue). Before guests arrived, she went through the tables and placed a few drops in each bowl and stirred the color into the water. The affect was really surprising and the now blue water cast a brilliant contrast against the white table cloth. The overall affect in the room also was dramatic as the blue, glowing (because of the candles) centerpieces spread over the 40 tables in the ballroom really stood out. In the words of one of my tablemates it, “Looked simply fabulous!”

If I hadn't seen how simple it was, I would have thought that a lot more effort and cost had gone into the preparation. I realized that sometimes the simple solutions and ideas can turn out to be amongst the most memorable parts of the evening. It serves as proof that you don’t have to spend a fortune to make things look great.

Next week, I’ll tell you about some of the unbelievable service I encountered at a local restaurant, and a surprisingly disappointing dessert at an event that could have done much better! It’s the little things that add up!

I’m looking forward to writing for you all! I’ll be seeing you . . . but you won’t be seeing me!

Sincerely,

Mr. Event

 

Despite what Disney would have us believe, or how much we want to believe it, princes and princess don’t get married every day. . . but this Friday isn’t just another day.

On Friday, April 29, 2011, the eyes of an estimated 2 billion people will turn to the wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William of Wales.

Why so many?

Anyone can admit that a wedding is a very important day in someone’s life. Those of us who are married, and those of us who are about to be wed, know that planning a wedding is an epic and serious undertaking.

The average American wedding has 141 guests . . . and for them we spend hundreds of hours planning the perfect day. Everything from napkins to linens, plates to silverware and dresses to flowers take on extra special importance for us and our guests (most notably our future mother-in-law)!

Imagine the amount of planning that goes into a wedding that will be scrutinized by one third of the Earth’s population!

There is little wonder why this wedding will garner that much attention . . . after all, every little girl dreams of becoming a princess and marrying a prince one day.

For most of us, Kate Middleton is living a dream that we have fantasized about since we took pretend nuptials with our girlfriends in our living rooms or back yards.

Of course there is no doubt that aspects of the royal wedding will be copied over and over again with varying degrees of success but most of us don’t have the budget of the royal family to dip into for our special day. For the British Royalty every selection is steeped in meaning and tradition but that doesn’t mean that we can’t pay attention to great ideas when we see them!

So what should we look for when we view the royal wedding that we can recreate on more earthly budgets?

Color

What colors will the royal couple choose? What color will the napkins and linens be? Will there be more than one? The long established royal color is purple; dating back to antiquity and the fact that purple die was only affordable by the richest of the rich. Will the royal couple stick with this thousand year old tradition?

What kinds of flowers will there be? The arrangements are sure to be  just as important as the flowers that constitute them.

Dress

Kate Middleton’s dress is steeped in secrecy. No one knows who the designer is . . . we don’t even know the color. Of course it will be something extravagant, either in its simplicity, or its extravagance!

Will it be long? How about the vale? Pay close attention as you are bound to see many styles emulate the future princess’s wedding dress when you are out shopping for your own.

Cake

What kind of cake serves 1,900 guests? Will there be more than one? Will William get a groom’s cake? We’re guessing that the current wedding cupcake trend that is sweeping America won’t make an appearance at the royal wedding!

How many tiers will it have . . . if any at all?  What about the flavors? Impress guests at your own wedding by serving the same flavors as the royal couple, but maybe you can do the cupcake version.

Odds and Ends

There will be many aspects of this wedding that will never be a part of the weddings of us mere mortals; however, there are some odds and ends that anyone can recreate.

For example, the royal couple will be escorted from Westminster Abbey to their reception in a horse drawn carriage. . . yes theirs was originally build for a king, but you can find one to rent somewhere!

Give back

The Royal Couple has set up a charitable gift fund that will go to support over 26 different charities. Many of us look forward to the wedding gifts in our registries, or donations towards our honeymoons, but if you have the means, this is one aspect of the royal wedding that will be greatly appreciated by those who give the gifts and receive them.

 

No matter what people say, EVERYONE loves to dance.

It’s true. . . with the right ambiance, the right DJ, the right crowd and the right spirits, even the most prolific and statuesque of onlookers start to move their hips to the beat.

The most important part of any wedding, party, graduation or other event is giving all your friends, family and customers a place to perform the perfect waltz or the not-so-perfect chicken dance!

Picking the proper venue for your event is crucial and it should start with the dance floor in mind. You have to assume that your event or party is going to be so phenomenal that there won’t be a single empty seat left when the DJ starts rock’n and roll’n.

So how do you pick a dance floor? What’s too big? What’s too small?

You want enough room for your guests where everyone can be close enough to have fun but far enough away to be decent!

The simple rule for picking a dance floor is having at least 4 square feet for every one person you invite.

If you invite 100 people, then you will need 400 sq. ft.. For a square dance floor, that will be a 20ft.x20ft. surface.

You can go bigger to make room for your crazy uncle who likes to think he can still do the worm like he was a teenager, but 4 sq. ft. per person should be enough for everyone to have a good time!

Please see our Dance floor video below for more information!

Apparently, despite the bad economy, love is in the air.

Recent statistics from The Knot show that weddings and marriage related events are flourishing. However, there are some very interesting trends that may surprise people about these timeless events.

Here are some average statistics at a glance:

• Cost per wedding (excluding the honeymoon): $26,984
• Cost per wedding dress: $1,099
• Percentage of Destination Weddings: 24%
• Bride’s Age: 29
• Groom’s Age: 31
• Number of Guests: 141
• Average cost per guest at a wedding: $194
• Number of Bridesmaids: 4
• Number of Groomsmen: 4
• Length of Engagement: 14 months
• Most Popular Engagement Month: December (16%)
• Most Popular Wedding Month: June (15%)
• Most Popular Wedding Color: White/Ivory (43%)

Also interesting: the most laid-back weddings are held in Hawaii while black tie weddings are most popular in New York and New Jersey.

Some good news is that less than one third of brides claim that the economy negatively impacted their wedding plans or budget with the most expensive weddings topping $40,000!

Also, the average age of brides and grooms is getting older. . . a relief to those of us who are still waiting to meet that special someone. The average bridal age is now 29 and grooms are 31.

Love endures in even the hardest of times, but it always makes sense to use your head when planning a wedding.

It is still true that the details (linens, glassware, venues, cake, stemware) make your wedding day one of the most memorable of your life. . . but you don’t have to spend a small fortune to make it all happen.

Atlas party Rental has been helping happy couples save money on their special day for years. In the event planning industry, things can quickly get away from people if they don’t know who to turn to and who they can trust. Our professionals can consult families on what will make the best wedding, rehearsal dinner, reception and bachelorette or bachelor parties.

Call Atlas Party Rentals to begin talking to a professional as soon as the ring is on your finger . . . or even before!!

This spectacular wedding, held at the Omphoy in Palm Beach, showcases Atlas Party Rental's linen, china, chargers, glassware, flatware and much more.

Filmed + Edited by www.lafrancefilms.com, Desinged by Brooke @ The Ultimate Event Planner.