How are you enjoying Fall?

Here in Bermuda, we are lucky to still have relatively warm weather, which means we are still enjoying our beautiful luxury picnics! Yet, we would not dare miss the opportunity to dabble into some seasonal baking. Yum!

This week we are sharing with you three incredible Fall inspired recipes that you will absolutely love!

Check them out and let us know in the comments which was your favorite!

Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting by Modern Honey
Moist Pumpkin Spiced Cake with a Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting – the best Fall pumpkin layered cake recipe! Get Recipe

Classic Apple Pie by Taste at Home
This delicious and classic apple pie is a no fuss and simple dessert to add to your Sunday dinner! As a bonus, the chefs at Taste of Home provide an additional layer of expertise to keep you in shape in the kitchen. Get Recipe

Roasted Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bread by Marzia
Roasted garlic-scented rosemary focaccia bread is perfect for pasta night or when you’ve got guests coming! If you’re looking for something new to make during the holidays, let this rosemary focaccia bread be it. Get Recipe

Until next week friends, happy baking!

And just like that, we welcome the Fall season, pumpkin spiced, lattes and warm cozy nights. The Fall season naturally invokes a transition away from summer entertaining and outdoor cookouts. With the cooler weather you may be considering new ways to entertain from home!

Today we’re sharing some very fun and practical DIY Fall event ideas that your friends and family will love and can be hosted from the comfort of your own home!

Happy entertaining!

Wine Tasting

A great way to gather your friends together and enjoy a few glasses of wine from various regions. Hosting wine tastings at home provides the perfect value add for your guests as they’ll not only participate in tasting, they will also leave your home with new found knowledge!

If you’re interested in hiring a sommelier, we would happily recommend Karen Plianthos of Bermuda Wine Concierge for an amazing experience. Karen is incredibly knowledgeable and offers a very personable feel to any event.

Dinner Party

Looking for the perfect excuse to host a dinner party and dust off your favorite chinaware. Think of hosting a dinner party and featuring a beautiful three course menu with an amazing tablescape! Because who doesn’t enjoy dressing up and heading out for dinner!

Of course, if the idea of coordinating all of this together and spending the next day cleaning up is unappealing, you know we’d be happy to plan + design a spectacular dinner party where you don’t have to lift a finger, save for holding your glass of wine!

Soup + Chill

Set up a stylish soup bar with a variety of soup flavors and grilled cheese tartines on the side. This food bar is the perfect party theme for fall and would also be a great luncheon idea any time. Set it up for game day parties, showers, or a casual birthday celebration!

Bonfire

In Bermuda we are still lucky to enjoy the outdoors into the fall season. So, if you’re still itching to spend time outside, a bonfire is the perfect idea! Check out the local company Bermuda Bonfires operated by David Thomas for a hassle-free backyard experience!

Can we share a secret with you?
Not everything goes as planned, even for the professionals! Go figure!

Whilst we thrive off of event forecasting and our entire business is premised on planning, the best planners always prepare for the unexpected – like last week’s visit from Hurricane Paulette (for which we are thankful not to have sustained any damage, and hope that you and your family were just as fortunate) and today’s visit from Hurricane Teddy – please be safe everyone!

With the onset of a busy hurricane season in Bermuda, COVID-19, and unexpected life events, an event planner is essential for your peace of mind. We are masters of diverting the course of your event so it can be successful. Unfortunately, we have not been as successful in diverting bad weather! However, we prepare and plan for the unexpected.

While we are familiar with hurricane visits, admittedly, I don’t think any of us saw a global pandemic on the radar for 2020. Or that the lasting effects a deadly virus would pose on our daily lives and livelihood. And, yet we’re here to say, that these uncertainties have enabled us to become even better event planners.

Next time you land yourself the lucky title of event host consider our three-tiered contingency as part of your plan! Trust you’ll thank us later.

Plan A: Event Date Change

The reality is life happens. You have to unexpectedly travel for work, a family member takes ill or funnily, you’re now expected to attend another event instead! Yikes. I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves in similar circumstances.

From the outset, it is a good idea to secure an alternate date in your personal calendar and with all of your vendors. We would recommend an event date that is four to six weeks post the original date, to allow maximum availability of your invitees.

Plan B: Event Venue Change

The venue is overbooked. The venue is shut down to external political or governmental affairs. The venue is out of business. The venue is not feasible for inclement weather. Whilst these circumstances have the possibility of sounding farfetched – they are modern day realities.

When planning your event at home or with EETTAFEL – consider having not one but two venues in mind for your special event. This is particularly important if your primary location is outdoors!

In the event the primary location unfortunately falls through, there is no room to panic and you’ll switch gears to the next location with a glass of wine in hand.

Plan C: Event Canceled

In the events industry, this is one word we HATE to hear! Yup! Who wants to hear a beautiful event will not go forward? No one. However, the realities are sometimes, it is no longer feasible to host an event for a myriad of reasons.

If you find yourself in this situation – pause.

Take a deep breath and note the most important tool in your possession is the ability to communicate effectively. You will want to articulate to your invitees, vendors and planning team that things have changed and why they should be excited for what’s to come.

Most times when we cancel, we are unable to see the light on the horizon. However, know there is always another opportunity for a fabulous event, even if it’s a year away.

Communicate to guests in the kindest way by offering apologies for any inconveniences caused and if the rationale behind the cancellation isn’t too personal, feel free to share from the heart. Your guest will most likely be understanding. As long as you don’t leave this until the last minute 😊