Author Archives: Doug

A school dance can be a blast - but also a challenge to plan.

School Dance Ideas: Planning Homecoming, Formals and More

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Whether you’re looking for  ideas for Homecoming, spring formals or any other kind of academic sponsored social event, planning a school dance can be a challenge. How can you be sure that you’ve covered all the bases – including entertainment, refreshments, invitations and decoration? Here are three of the most important steps to make the night a success:

1. Form a Committee
A dance planning committee is invaluable to make sure that things get on track and stay there. Ideally, you want a mix of students and school administrators. The students will be able to help guide some of the planning and act as advocates for their peers – throwing in suggestions for themes and music choices. Class officers or club leaders can make excellent student committee members. Meanwhile, administrators will be able to help manage budgetary concerns and contracts with outside parties, like DJs and catering companies.

2. Pick a Theme
A formal dance is nice, but one with a unique theme is even nicer! Have the committee brainstorm a few theme ideas and then poll the student body to see what is popular. The chosen theme will guide how you decorate and also affect other planning dimensions. Here are a few fun, inspired theme ideas:

  • High fashion. Encourage attendees to put on their best couture and strut their stuff on the catwalk! Rolling out the red carpet, having custom backgrounds for faux-paparazzi photos and even breaking up the dance with a miniature fashion show can be a really enjoyable time.
  • Island paradise. Create custom banners with lush, tropical island scenes and give all attendees Lai necklaces. Offer tropical punch and Polynesian inspired finger foods.
  • Masquerade ball. No excuse to be bashful here! Have attendees bring their own elaborate masks – or provide them at the door – to create an ornate event that channels 18th century France.

3. Make Sure the Venue Meets Your Needs
One mistake dance planners make is not verifying that a venue meets their immediate needs. A particular location make be beautiful, but not a good fit. Here are several things that you should always look out for when checking out a venue:

  • Is the entrance large and open enough to accommodate a crowd? Are exits clearly marked and accessible?
  • Is there room for refreshments, a DJ booth and photo stations?
  • Do the lights dim sufficiently for mood? Will you need to rent alternative lights?
  • Is the flooring a material that will be damaged by dancing in regular shoes?

The goal is to make sure that you have everything squared away before the night comes so that all the students can have the best time. If you are looking for backdrops and banners to give your event a special touch, trust the design experts at Sign Art Etc.

Throw a wedding that's as fun and funky as you are!

Non Traditional Wedding Ideas: Make Your Day Uniquely Memorable

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Your special day should be exactly that: a unique celebration of love and partnership, built around the interests and idiosyncrasies of the couple getting hitched. When planning a wedding reception, the more distinct and memorable, the better. Consider these non traditional wedding ideas to bring out the personality and joy in your nuptials.

Set Aside a Lounge Area
Weddings are known for drinking, dancing and cavorting. While this can be fun, it also has the tendency to be exhausting. The Knot recommends cordoning off a lounge area for rest and relaxation, complete with luxurious, cushioned furniture and pillows.

Line the Room With Memories
When planning your decorations, why not offer a trip down memory lane? According to Bridal Guide, one unique wedding reception idea is putting photos of exciting and fun times the couple has shared together on custom banners and/or backdrops is a great way to give your guests a sense of a shared history.

“We hang pictures of the bride and groom with friends and family along the walk from the ceremony to the reception,” Northern California event planner Sasha Souza told Bridal Guide. “It’s a fun cocktail party conversation starter.”

Hire an Artist to Paint the Ceremony
While a wedding photographer is traditional, the fact is that almost all your guests will have their own cameras and probably be taking pictures throughout the ceremony. In addition to hiring a designated photographer, why not employ a painter to capture the ceremony in oil, watercolor or pastels? This way, you’ll have an impressionistic, one-of-a-kind souvenir from your ceremony that you can hang in your home together.

Set up a Video Confession Booth
In a variation on the current photo booth trend at weddings, the Knot encourages wedding planners to set up a “video confessional booth.” Guests can go into these private booths and record a message for the newlyweds. With a custom backdrop branded with a unique hashtag honoring the newly married couple, these confessional snippets are perfect to share via social media.

Hang an Engagement or Anniversary Piñata
One unique wedding decoration that – with a little bit of planning – could pay off in a big way is an engagement piñata. The idea is that you solicit written well-wishes from all your guests. This is something that could easily occur when your guests RSVP for the ceremony. Fill a beautiful, festive piñata with these written notes, then the bride and groom take turns trying to hit the piñata. Alternatively, you could collect these well-wishes at the ceremony and the couple saves them until their first anniversary.

No matter how you choose to customize your nuptials, the signage experts at Sign Art Etc are ready to work with you to create produce exactly what you’re looking for. Contact us today to learn more.

Signage can have a strong impact on fundraising efforts.

Fundraising Tips: Foster Generosity with a Well-Planned Event

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With Easter just around the corner, many people are taking an increased interest in the spirit of generosity and giving. This is good news for charities and non-profits looking to capitalize on the season. But how do you ensure that your event is a success – both in the amount of donations and the goodwill of the donors? Here are a few fundraising tips to help open those wallets a little wider.

Design Clean and Consistent Signage
So much of what makes a charity successful is tied to its credibility. If you host an event but show up with impromptu or hastily cobbled-together signage, your possible donors may question how well their money is being put to good use and whether or not their funds will reach the intended recipients. To avoid this, present a variety of clean and consistent signs, branded clearly with your organization so that there is no ambiguity about who you are and what this is a fundraiser for.

Make It A Challenge
A little competition can often bring out the best in people. Rather than having people donate a set amount, consider having a “challenge” fundraiser, where you hold an event like a marathon and donors commit a certain amount of money per meter run. Even by starting these donations at smaller increments, this can prove to generate more revenue for your cause than if you simply asked for a lump sum.

Give Donors Something To Take Home
While not everyone donates to a charity in hopes of getting something back, making sure donors receive a token of your appreciation helps in a few different ways: First, it validates their decision to donate and gives them a functional item in return for their generosity. Second, it serves as a reminder of their donation so that next year, when its time to start fundraising again, they will think back and be more likely to give again. It doesn’t need to be much – the less costly to the fundraiser, the better – but a tote bag, mug or t-shirt can be a powerful symbol of your appreciation.

Sign Art Etc is the premiere signage solution, offering customizable vinyl banners and step and repeats at a very attractive price. Our skilled customer service representatives are ready to help you prepare for your next fundraiser. Contact us today to learn more.

Embrace all the season has to offer with these wedding decor ideas.

Wedding Decoration Ideas: Seasonal Inspirations

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Struggling to come up with wedding decoration ideas? Take inspiration from the seasons! Each one has its own distinct color palate and feeling, which you can easily adapt into an unforgettable special day. Here are a few tips for designing seasonal-themed weddings:

Spring
Spring represents all the vibrancy and promise of renewal and new life, lending itself perfectly to celebrating the new life a couple is embarking upon. To craft a spring wedding, follow these tips:

  • Focus on bright, spring colors. Whether it’s a banner celebrating the happy couple, the color palate of bridesmaid dresses or the linens, try to integrate the colors traditionally associated with spring. These hues can be anything from white to soft pastel pinks, blues and yellow or even lush, rich greens.
  • Take it outside. Spring is a great time for an outdoor wedding ceremony or reception, weather permitting. With the warm, temperate weather – not too hot or too cold – spring weddings are often comfortable outdoor affairs.
  • Mix in nature with your decor. Little touches of the natural world can bring an organic, comfortable feel to the event. Consider interweaving fresh flowers, green vines and other botanical accessories into the standard wedding fare like photo booths and table decorations.

Summer
Sometimes you just can’t beat the warmth and brightness of a summer wedding. Summer already feels celebratory and people are much more inclined to take time off and travel during the warmer months. To make the most of your summer ceremony, consider the following:

  • Green bouquets. Instead of opting for the traditional flowers, break the mold by having a bouquet of fresh foliage. Leather-leaf ferns and viburnum berries offer a quirky twist on the traditional bouquet and aren’t as quick to wilt in the heat.
  • Play with contrasts. Sometimes the summer heat can be a bit too much, particularly if you are staging the ceremony outdoors. To offset the natural warms, try integrating contrasting colors to create a unique mood: Icy, cool blues and subdued earth tones can help “cool” down your color palate.
  • Don’t shy away from nostalgia. Just because a couple is embarking on a new journey together doesn’t mean that a wedding can’t be a celebration of what came before. Consider the summertime activities of days-gone-by and weaving them into your decor. A summer camp-themed reception or a beach party ceremony can play with the idea of fun and sun.

Fall
The fall is a time of incredible beauty and a delight for all the senses. To embrace the autumnal feeling in your ceremony and reception, try these tips:

  • Deepen your palate. Everyone knows the rich, vibrant colors of fall – reds, oranges and yellows. Use these colors liberally, but don’t be afraid to contrast them with earth tones, greens and the traditional white.
  • Embrace change. The fall is so much more than a season – it evokes the feeling of change and transformation. Embrace this change by designing your decor with colors that slowly and subtly transform, moving from rich greens to yellow to orange to red. This will create a feeling of movement.
  • Don’t forget the leaves! The dried leaves and twigs of fall make for excellent accouterments, affixed to a custom backdrop for photos or table fixtures for that extra dash of fall feeling.

Winter
Winter can be a surprisingly effective seasonal theme, in large part because it’s already a celebratory time. Harness the power of the holiday season with these winter wedding ideas:

  • Wreaths and bows. Embrace the spirit of generosity and gift giving and decorate your wedding with the a few nods to the holidays like green wreaths and red ribbon bows.
  • Keep it icy, without the cold. Ice and snow can be beautiful, but the last thing you want is to shiver through the ceremony. Instead of using real snow and ice, work in white confetti as snow or rough-hewn, opaque crystal sculptures to simulate ice.
  • Tree wedding favors. A fun and unique gift and table decoration can be miniature pine trees, with the bases wrapped up like a present. Invite your guests to take the trees home and plant them as a symbol of your new life together.

There are endless ways to evoke the seasons in your wedding ceremony. If you are looking for help designing signage or a customized backdrop for your upcoming nuptials, look no further than Sign Art Etc.

Here's a few novel ideas to transform your wedding ceremony.

Original Wedding Themes: Hobbies and Interests

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Weddings are fundamentally a celebration of two people’s love and commitment, and what better way to reflect a couple’s life together than to design the event based on their shared hobbies and interests. Here are a few innovative and original wedding themes sure to inspire.

A ‘Concert’ Wedding
Most weddings will have some form of entertainment, whether it’s a live band or DJ. However, for music lovers looking to tie the knot, bumping up this connection to music can be simple and create an unforgettable theme. Book your favorite local club for the ceremony, hire a band to provide the entertainment, and decorate with flyers and posters featuring stylized images of the bride and groom, evoking famous album covers. A step and repeat backdrop photo booth can even add a touch of music awards glamour and sheen to the proceedings. A personalized CD of your favorite music and photos taken at the wedding makes an excellent party favor for guests.

High Art Ceremony
If the bride and groom share a love of fine art, why not hold the wedding in a favorite gallery? Staging nuptials amid beautiful paintings, sculptures and other dramatic art pieces can add elegance and refinement. Given the nature of galleries, decoration may not be required, but a vinyl banner or print of the bride and groom – styled after their favorite painter or artist – can ensure that this treasured memory takes its place among the other pieces.

Wine and Vineyards
Sure, many weddings feature wine as a refreshment, but for those wine enthusiasts who want to make it more central to the proceedings, relocating the ceremony or reception to a local vineyard can hammer the point home. Consider decorating with rustic vineyard colors like sage, burgundy and earth tones and offering a wine tasting instead of –  or in addition to – an open bar. Wine-themed party favors, like an elegant glass, cork wine bottle stoppers or a bottle of your favorite wine presented in a beautiful engraved wine box can ensure that guest think back on the event fondly – possibly over a glass of wine.

Teeing Up for Love
One of the more interesting hobbies that lends itself to a wedding is – believe it or not – golf. Country clubs and golf courses are often equipped with indoor and outdoor event facilities and catering staff, making them the ideal setting. When decorating, make each table a different “hole,” complete with faux “hazards” – station shallow vases filled with water and floating blossoms for a water hazard and trays filled with decorative sand for a sand trap. Instead of a guest book, give attendees “scorecards” and invite them to write a personal note of well-wishes to the newlyweds.

A Photo Opportunity
Brainstorming ideas for a couple of shutterbugs getting hitched? A photography themed wedding can ensure an abundance of memories of the ceremony and reception. Provide every table of guest with disposable or Polaroid cameras, photo booths all around and use plenty of banners and custom backdrops with a unique hashtag printed on them for easy tagging in pictures.

Sign Art Etc can handle all your wedding sign needs. From step and repeats to banners celebrating the magical day, our signage solutions are the highest quality and able to be tailored to your needs. Contact us today to find out more.