We learned SO MUCH while we were planning this year’s NWA Mom Prom. (Click here to see a wrap-up of the ultimate girls’ night out we enjoyed on May 4, 2013.) And the most important thing we learned is that it takes a village to pull together a great event.
And the villagers you need most are the people who can help you make the party beautiful, delicious, organized and fun. Lucky for us, we worked with some people who KNOW what it takes to pull off a great event, and we can’t thank them enough for all they did to help make the NWA Mom Prom successful.
We want to pass along some contact information to you in case you’re the one throwing a party one day and you need some recommendations on which companies to use.
The venue: We chose the Springdale Holiday Inn for lots of important reasons — central location, plenty of parking, beautiful hotel ballroom, great catering service, etc. But we really hit the jackpot when we met Katie Tiegreen, who served as our main contact at the hotel and made sure we had absolutely everything we needed before, during and after our event. Katie, you ROCK! We can’t thank you enough for how you went above and beyond for us. The entire staff at Holiday Inn in Springdale was exemplary.
To talk to Katie about hosting an event at the Holiday Inn, call 479-751-8300.
The desserts: We knew that a Mom Prom would need truly fabulous desserts because you can’t gather more than 300 women into a room and not feed them something sweet and decadent, right? So we asked Sierra Dominguez of Dojo’s Designs to fill a table with her amazing chocolate-dipped strawberries and edible chocolate bowls. They’re so pretty that they’re practically works of art. They were almost too pretty to eat — but we ate them anyway. 🙂
If you want a chance to try Dojo’s Designs amazing chocolate strawberries, click HERE and check out the Mother’s Day Giveaway she’s hosting right now on her Facebook page. You can also message her about custom orders via her Facebook page.
We also know that women LOVE cupcakes, so we asked Tiffany Wright-Hess with Fancy Flours Cupcakery to dream up something fabulous for the Mom Prom. And boy, did she come through with incredible cupcakes in beautiful Mom Prom themed colors. Look how pretty they were! She even brought along some gluten free cupcakes so we’d have something on hand for women with dietary restrictions. Thank you, Tiffany!! To reach Tiffany at Fancy Flours Cupcakery, click HERE to visit her Facebook page or call her at 479-553-9459.
The party rentals: We were so worried about finding the right party rentals that would look gorgeous but wouldn’t ruin our modest budget. Meeting Fredy at Metroplex Event Center was such a blessing. He offered us, by far, the best deal on party rentals.
And what we like about him most is how much he CARED about how our event would look. He showed up with his crew at 7 a.m. and they didn’t stop working until they’d transformed an empty hotel ballroom into the Mom Prom fantasy of our dreams.
He draped sheer fabric all over the ceiling, hung glittering chandeliers and pink paper lanterns, created a cozy, super-chic lounge area with white sofas and hot pink pillows, and slip-covered ordinary chairs to turn them into beautiful, feminine prom seats fit for more than 300 queens.
Once the room was gorgeous and ready for Prom Night, Fredy left to go set up two additional parties that were happening that same night in other locations. But he checked back in with us later that night to make sure everything still looked exactly how we wanted it to look, and he asked us to text photos to him so he could make sure everything was still perfect. Now that’s what we call “follow-through.” Thanks so much, Fredy. You made a huge difference.
The design: Our friend and interior designer, Teresa Huddleston, worked tirelessly on the day of the Mom Prom to take the decorations to a whole new level. She created a gorgeous entry way, check-in table, shoe bank area, raffle displays and SO much more.
She gave the Mom Prom so many extra special touches, and we’re forever grateful for her help and the help of her colleagues at SCM, who volunteered their time to help prepare so many of the decorations.
The flowers: Jo Buttram, the owner of Shirley’s Flowers in Rogers, designed the beautiful floral centerpieces for the Mom Prom tables. The bright pink and orange Gerber daisies mixed with lush white hydrangea really added the final touch of polish and elegance to the Prom ballroom.
To reach Jo at Shirley’s Flowers, click here to visit the website or call 479-636-0118.
The music: We knew how critical it was for us to have the right DJ for the Mom Prom. Music is a HUGE part of a prom, and it’s also important to have the right personality up on stage, playing the right songs at the right time.
We could not have been happier with our DJ, Frankie, of Dancenhance Entertainment. He managed to keep almost 300 women happy and dancing for five hours — a huge feat for anybody. That’s Frankie on the right, kicking it Gangnam Style. We’re already hoping Frankie will be available for next year’s Mom Prom.
Thank you to all the people who helped us pull off the ultimate girls’ night out in Northwest Arkansas. We also had an amazing team of volunteers, including Kathleen Villar, Heidi Simmons, Tricia Griffith, Susan Beard, Christy Walker, Heidi Clark, Allison McBride, Dana Nance, Malinda Mayo and Laura Wohlford. We appreciate your help so much.
Thanks also to Amanda Shertzer at Thirty-One Gifts for helping us provide the BEST swag bag a girl could ever get at a Mom Prom.
