Party People

Imagine you’ve got an A-list guest list and an endless budget for your
next shindig. Now what? Just ask Mindy Weiss, party planner to the stars.

Weiss
has arranged some notable fetes, including Jessica Simpson’s latest baby
shower and Ellen and Portia’s romantic wedding. She took a few minutes
out of her busy day to chat with Vitamin Daily about stress-free party
planning.

You deal with clients that have a lot of resources and creativity
(and are used to getting what they want) how do you turn their ideas
into a cohesive, intimate party?
I love when my couples come in
withinspiration. Its important for me to capture that inspiration and to
build off of it. For this, I use tools like my Note 8.0 to clip out
images and add notes right on them with the S Pen. This lets me send it
straight to my client, giving it a personalized touch and enabling me to
truly capture the vision of the event. We also have to look at the
budget and make sure it is a reality and then we set up a table of their
ideas complete with cloths, florals and place settings just to see if we
are going in the right direction.

Summer means a lot of
impromptu BBQs and garden parties what should a good hostess always have
on hand?
Although I always love fresh food items, its good to
have some frozen appetizers and plenty of ice in the freezer! It is also
important to have plenty of fabulous plastic ware or fun pool friendly
melamine dishes. Make sure there is extra lighting for when the sun goes
down.

How should a hostess manage guests that are a
littlesocially difficult (ie: the Chatty Cathy, or the guy who always
talks about his boat).
Embrace it unless it gets dangerous or
out of hand, and next time you make theguest lists maybe think about
which guests go better together.

Whats your favourite trend
for 2013?
I’m seeing a fun switch in bringing indoor elements
outdoors, and outside elements inside! Creating a "living room" feel
outside with rugs, comfy couches and lots of pillows is definitely a big
request this summer. Likewise, bringing in plush plants to create a
garden space indoors, creating "living" walls full of succulents and
ferns, and yes, even indoor trees! These type of spaces transport guests
into a whole new world, creating memories and an environment that will
long be remembered!" A great tip for working with my clients to decide
on a venue is for me to go there beforehand and capture an image with
the Panoramic Shot on my Note 8.0. This allows me to show every aspect
with my clients and gives them a great feel for the space without taking
too much of their time.